ALTCHA Spam Protection

76 Quality Score

Active Installs

17/30

With around 5,000 active installs it is a niche option, well behind mainstream choices like Akismet at 6 million, which is why it scores only 55 on popularity despite a high raw install count relative to its age.

Update Freshness

25/25

A perfect 100: it was updated within the last release cycle and lists compatibility with WordPress 7.0, signalling an actively maintained codebase.

User Rating

12/15

An 80 out of 100 from 22 ratings is a solid user satisfaction score, though the small sample size means it should be read as a directional signal rather than a verdict.

Support Health

8/15

There are zero support threads and zero resolved threads, which is either a sign that the plugin is so stable no one needs help or that the author does not use the WordPress.org support forum, leaving the support health score at a middling 50.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Full marks here: it has been tested with the upcoming WordPress 7.0, requires only WordPress 5.0, and pairs that with a modern PHP 8.1 baseline for clean compatibility.

Scores higher than 50% of indexed plugins

About

ALTCHA for WordPress offers invisible, GDPR-compliant spam protection with firewall and rate limiting for fast, secure sites.

Active Installs 5k+

Rating ★★★★ 4/5

Last Updated 2026-05-23 8:07am GMT

Requires WordPress 5.0+

Tested Up To 7.0

Requires PHP 8.1+

✓ No known vulnerabilities

What It Does

ALTCHA Spam Protection adds an invisible, proof-of-work based challenge to your WordPress forms, comments, and login screens to filter out bots without showing visitors a CAPTCHA. It bundles a firewall and rate limiting, and runs entirely on your own server, so no third-party API calls or personal data leave the site. The result is spam filtering that is GDPR-friendly by default and adds no perceptible friction for real users.

Who It's For

This is a good fit for site owners in the EU or anyone who wants GDPR-compliant spam protection without sending visitor data to Google or a third-party SaaS. It works well on forms, registration pages, WooCommerce checkout, and comment sections where you want zero visible challenge for legitimate users. Developers and site owners comfortable with a recent PHP version (8.1+) will get the most out of it.

Who Should Skip It

If you run a small personal blog with no forms, login, or registration, the built-in comment moderation in WordPress plus a simple honeypot is usually enough. Sites stuck on shared hosting running PHP 7.x cannot install this plugin at all.

The Bottom Line

ALTCHA Spam Protection is a thoughtfully built, privacy-first alternative to reCAPTCHA that scores 76.07/100 overall and shines on maintenance and compatibility. Its adoption is still small and its support footprint is thin, so it is best for technically confident site owners who specifically need an on-server, GDPR-friendly solution rather than beginners looking for the safest mainstream choice.

Pick Akismet if you run a content-heavy site with lots of comments and want a turnkey, widely trusted filter backed by Automattic.

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress 97/100

Choose WPForms Lite if you also need a full form builder and want spam protection baked into the same plugin.

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 94/100

Go with Forminator if you want free form building, payments, and spam protection in one package, accepting that the protection is honeypot and basic rather than advanced.

CleanTalk Anti-Spam. Spam Firewall & Bot protection 92/100

Choose CleanTalk if you want a heavier, SaaS-backed spam firewall with broad coverage and do not mind sending traffic through an external service.

hCaptcha for WP 91/100

Pick hCaptcha if you want a privacy-friendly drop-in for reCAPTCHA that still uses a visible challenge and supports many form plugins out of the box.