6 Best European Alternatives to reCAPTCHA (2026), Compared

The best European alternative to reCAPTCHA is Friendly Captcha (Germany): it checks visitors invisibly with a proof-of-work puzzle instead of image grids, sets no cookies and offers a reCAPTCHA-compatible script. If you want something free on your own server, pick ALTCHA (Czech Republic), whose widget is MIT-licensed open source.

I wrote this ranking for website owners and developers who use Google reCAPTCHA on their forms and want a CAPTCHA from a European company instead. reCAPTCHA is run by Google LLC in the USA. Google’s own FAQ says reCAPTCHA sets a cookie (_GRECAPTCHA) for its risk analysis, and even with the badge hidden you must show “This site is protected by reCAPTCHA”. The free tier is small too: reCAPTCHA Essentials is free only up to 10,000 assessments a month per organisation. I compared eleven CAPTCHA services and open-source projects and kept six.

What are the best European alternatives to reCAPTCHA?

These are the European CAPTCHA services I would switch to from reCAPTCHA, in order:

1. Friendly Captcha (Germany) – invisible proof-of-work CAPTCHA with an EU endpoint and a reCAPTCHA-compatible script. Best for most websites leaving reCAPTCHA.
2. ALTCHA (Czech Republic) – MIT-licensed open-source widget you host yourself, plus an EU cloud from €47 a month. Best for developers who want it free.
3. CaptchaFox (Germany) – 10,000 requests for €15 a month, API servers in Germany. Best value for growing sites.
4. Trustcaptcha (Germany) – proof of work plus a bot score, from €8 a month. Best for small business sites.
5. captcha.eu (Austria) – hosted in Austria, ÖBB and A1 named as partners, from €8.90 a month. Best for Austrian and public-sector sites.
6. Prosopo Procaptcha (United Kingdom) – the biggest free tier here, 10,000 requests a month. Best free hosted option outside the EU.

reCAPTCHA alternatives compared

Prices from public pricing pages. Affiliate links and sponsored placements are labelled.

“Data hosted in” shows where each service’s CAPTCHA API runs, based on the DNS records of its API domain and an ASN lookup (25 Oct 2026). Where a vendor only names “EU data centres”, I say so.

How I compared the reCAPTCHA alternatives

The order is driven by how much of reCAPTCHA you keep after switching – an invisible check, a free tier, plugins for the tools you already use – then by privacy and data sovereignty, then by price. I weighed five things:

• Jurisdiction and hosting – company seat and where the API runs.
• How it checks visitors – proof of work, risk score or image puzzles.
• Accessibility – claimed WCAG level, screen-reader and audio support.
• Integration effort – CMS plugins, migration guides, self-hosting.
• Price – free tier and the cost of 10,000 requests a month.

I left out hCaptcha (Intuition Machines, Inc., a Delaware corporation based in Miami) and Cloudflare Turnstile, because both are US companies. MTCaptcha (Sun Spray Technologies LLC, no address given) and Botpoison (no company named) could not be confirmed as European, and the open-source mCaptcha and Cap name no European maintainer. All data comes from the vendors’ own pricing, legal, privacy and documentation pages, the W3C and Google, checked on 25 October 2026.

Proof of work vs. image puzzles

reCAPTCHA v2 shows an “I’m not a robot” checkbox and, depending on its risk analysis, an image challenge; reCAPTCHA v3 gives you a score without any user input. Most European alternatives use proof of work: the browser solves a small cryptographic puzzle in the background, which costs a real user a moment but makes mass spam expensive. The W3C note on the inaccessibility of CAPTCHA (December 2021) says image CAPTCHAs are “obviously problematic” for blind users, audio CAPTCHAs fail people who are deaf-blind, and proof of work poses no direct accessibility problems, though it may slow down users with older hardware. Proof of work needs JavaScript and only raises the cost of abuse, so most services below add risk signals on top.

The best European alternatives to reCAPTCHA, reviewed

Each service below: who is behind it, what users say, what you keep and lose from reCAPTCHA, and who should switch.

1. Friendly Captcha

The most complete European reCAPTCHA replacement – invisible, cookie-free, with an EU endpoint on Advanced

Friendly Captcha is made by Friendly Captcha GmbH in Wörthsee near Munich, Germany (Munich register HRB 260542). It was founded in 2020 by Benedict Padberg and Guido Zuidhof; Padberg is the managing director. Its CAPTCHA API runs on Hetzner servers in Germany (AS24940); the website is hosted by Combell in Belgium.

What users say. I could not find a Trustpilot profile for Friendly Captcha. On G2 it has 4.8/5 from only 3 reviews, and its WordPress plugin has 3.9/5 from 18 ratings with 10,000+ active installations. It names the EU, Porsche and SAP as customers.

What it replaces from reCAPTCHA – and what it doesn’t. Each visitor gets a unique puzzle, solved in the background while they fill in the form; a risk score makes it harder for suspicious traffic. No image grids, no cookies, and IP addresses are hashed. The WordPress plugin covers Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, Elementor Pro, WPForms, WooCommerce and more. What you lose: the free plan is only for non-commercial, low-traffic sites (1,000 requests a month), and the EU-only endpoint and risk intelligence data start at the €200 Advanced plan; below that, the global endpoint may serve visitors from outside the EU.

Facts: HQ Germany (Wörthsee, Bavaria) · founded 2020 · free plan: yes, non-commercial (1 domain, 1,000 requests a month) · Starter €9/month (1,000 requests), Growth €39 (5,000), Advanced €200 (50,000, EU endpoint) · 30-day trial · SDK under MPL-2.0 · WCAG 2.2 AA and ISO 27001 claimed.

Switching from reCAPTCHA: easy – an official migration guide and a reCAPTCHA-compatible script mean you mostly swap the script and the g-recaptcha class.

My take: Friendly Captcha is the safest way to leave reCAPTCHA without rebuilding your forms: the most mature European option, with a documented migration and a clean privacy story. It is expensive per request, though – 10,000 checks a month already means the Advanced plan. Best for: businesses that want the closest European match for reCAPTCHA with minimal code changes. Not for: high-traffic sites on a small budget.

Visit friendlycaptcha.com →

2. ALTCHA

An open-source proof-of-work CAPTCHA you host yourself – free under the MIT licence

ALTCHA is operated by BAU Software s.r.o. in Brno, Czech Republic; founding year and owners are not stated. The open-source widget runs wherever you host it. The managed Cloud uses EU-only endpoints behind Bunny CDN, and the privacy policy names Amazon Web Services among its infrastructure providers.

What users say. I could not find a Trustpilot profile for ALTCHA. Its GitHub repository has about 2,700 stars. The free ALTCHA plugin was closed on WordPress.org on 25 May 2026 for a guideline violation; the WordPress plugin is now sold on ALTCHA’s site.

What it replaces from reCAPTCHA – and what it doesn’t. The free widget runs an invisible proof-of-work challenge, needs no sign-up or API key and sets no cookies. You verify on your own server, so no visitor data reaches a third party. Cloud and the self-hosted Sentinel add threat intelligence and an accessible fallback with audio in 50+ languages; ALTCHA claims WCAG 2.2 AA. What you lose: the free version has no risk scoring, and the managed Cloud starts at €47 a month excluding VAT.

Facts: HQ Czech Republic (Brno) · open-source widget: free, MIT licence · Cloud €47/month (1,000 API requests a day, 3 sites), Plus €137, Max €187 · Sentinel self-hosted from €99/month · prices excl. VAT · 30-day trial.

Switching from reCAPTCHA: moderate – with the free version you add the server-side check yourself.

My take: ALTCHA is the best answer to reCAPTCHA’s free tier: you pay nothing and keep all data on your server. It is second because the free version does less than Friendly Captcha and the Cloud costs more than the German services below. Best for: developers who want a free CAPTCHA with no data leaving their own server. Not for: non-technical site owners who want a plug-and-play plugin for free.

Visit altcha.org →

3. CaptchaFox

10,000 checks for €15 a month from a German company with API servers in Germany

CaptchaFox is made by Scoria Labs GmbH in Hallbergmoos near Munich, Germany (Munich register HRB 283108), represented by Timon Graßl. Its API runs on Hetzner servers in Germany (AS24940); only the marketing website is served from a US network (TeraSwitch).

What users say. I could not find a Trustpilot profile for CaptchaFox. It names no customers.

What it replaces from reCAPTCHA – and what it doesn’t. CaptchaFox combines bot detection, proof of work and threat intelligence in the background and gives each request a risk score. It sets no cookies and anonymises IP addresses once a verdict is returned. Plugins exist for WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, TYPO3 and Keycloak. What you lose: there is no free plan, only a 7-day trial that charges your card if you do not cancel, and the WCAG level is stated differently on its pages (2.2 AA on the homepage, 2.1 AA on the compliance page).

Facts: HQ Germany (Hallbergmoos, Bavaria) · Starter €15/month (10,000 requests, 2 domains), Growth €39 (30,000), Team €85 (100,000) · prices excl. VAT, 17% off yearly · free plan: no, 7-day trial · ISO 27001 in progress.

Switching from reCAPTCHA: easy – CMS plugins and a reCAPTCHA migration guide.

My take: CaptchaFox is the best value among the German services: 10,000 checks cost €15 here and €200 at Friendly Captcha. It is third because there is no free plan and no named customers. Best for: growing business sites that need around 10,000 checks a month. Not for: hobby sites that want to pay nothing.

Visit captchafox.com →

4. Trustcaptcha

Proof of work plus a bot score from Munich – from €8 a month, free for non-commercial sites

Trustcaptcha is made by Trustcaptcha GmbH in Munich, Germany (Munich register HRB 287710), with managing directors Maximilian Granser and Maximilian Rosenmüller. It is sold under the TrustComponent brand. Its website and API run on Hetzner servers in Germany (AS24940).

What users say. I could not find a Trustpilot profile or other public reviews for Trustcaptcha.

What it replaces from reCAPTCHA – and what it doesn’t. Trustcaptcha pairs a background proof-of-work task with a bot score for every request, much like reCAPTCHA v3 – riskier requests get a harder task. No puzzles, no cookies, plus honeypots and custom rules. It is designed to meet WCAG 2.2, but no audit is cited. Plugins exist for WordPress, Craft CMS and Keycloak. What you lose: a smaller integration list than Friendly Captcha or CaptchaFox, and the free plan covers only 500 verifications a month for non-commercial sites.

Facts: HQ Germany (Munich) · free plan: non-commercial, 500 verifications a month · Hobby €8/month (1,000), Solo €36 (10,000), Team €168 (50,000), Enterprise €289 (150,000) · plus VAT · 14-day trial.

Switching from reCAPTCHA: moderate – easy on WordPress, more work on custom sites.

My take: Trustcaptcha does what reCAPTCHA v3 does – a score you can act on – with hosting in Germany and a fair price. It sits behind CaptchaFox because 10,000 checks cost more (€36 vs €15) and there are fewer plugins. Best for: small business sites that want a bot score like reCAPTCHA v3. Not for: large sites that need many ready-made integrations.

Visit trustcomponent.com →

5. captcha.eu

An Austrian CAPTCHA hosted in Austria, trusted by ÖBB and A1

captcha.eu is run by Captcha GmbH in Vienna, Austria (Commercial Court of Vienna, FN 602312d), with managing directors Helmut Januschka and Manuel Rostorfer. It says the service is hosted in Austria; its website is delivered through Akamai’s CDN.

What users say. I could not find a Trustpilot profile for captcha.eu. It names the Austrian railway ÖBB, the telecom A1 and the Austrian National Bank (OeNB) as partners.

What it replaces from reCAPTCHA – and what it doesn’t. captcha.eu offers an invisible mode and a one-click widget similar to reCAPTCHA v2’s checkbox. It says no user data is collected and no cookies are set, and carries a WACA Silver accessibility badge. What you lose: captcha.eu does not explain how its check works – there is no mention of proof of work or risk scoring – and the free allowance is only 100 test requests.

Facts: HQ Austria (Vienna) · Starter €8.90/month (1,000 requests, 1 site), Growth €35.90 (10,000, 5 sites), Advanced €179.90 (100,000, 10 sites) · net plus VAT · yearly 10% cheaper · free: 100 requests, no credit card · WACA Silver badge.

Switching from reCAPTCHA: moderate – a new widget and server check.

My take: captcha.eu is a solid, local choice if hosting in Austria matters to you, and the big Austrian names on its site help. It is fifth because it shares less about its technology than the others and has no real free tier. Best for: Austrian companies and public bodies that want a local provider. Not for: developers who want to know how the check works.

Visit captcha.eu →

6. Prosopo Procaptcha

The largest free tier here – 10,000 requests a month – from a UK company

Procaptcha is made by Prosopo Limited, a company in the United Kingdom – outside the EU. Its enterprise product, Prosopo Protect, runs on Cloudflare Workers or AWS Lambda@Edge, with EU-only processing on request; Prosopo does not say where standard Procaptcha runs.

What users say. I could not find a Trustpilot profile for Prosopo.

What it replaces from reCAPTCHA – and what it doesn’t. Procaptcha is the only service here whose free plan matches reCAPTCHA Essentials: 10,000 requests a month, free forever. It uses behavioural analysis, JavaScript signals and proof of work, the base CAPTCHA is open source, and it claims WCAG 2.1. What you lose: the free plan includes image and slider challenges alongside proof of work, the company is not in the EU, and the higher tiers depend on US clouds.

Facts: HQ United Kingdom · free plan: yes (10,000 requests a month, 1 site) · Professional from €35, £30 or $39 a month (100,000 requests) · 30-day trial.

Switching from reCAPTCHA: moderate – a new widget and server check.

My take: If your only reason for using reCAPTCHA is the free tier, Procaptcha gives you the same 10,000 requests for nothing. I rank it last because it is a UK company and its enterprise tier runs on US clouds – the EU services above are a better fit if sovereignty is your reason to switch. Best for: sites that need reCAPTCHA's free volume and accept a UK provider. Not for: organisations that require an EU company or EU-only hosting.

Visit prosopo.io →

What European CAPTCHA services cost compared with reCAPTCHA

reCAPTCHA is free up to 10,000 assessments a month per organisation; Premium then costs a flat $8 up to 100,000 and $1 per 1,000 beyond. The European services charge by plan:

Prices as shown on each vendor’s pricing page on 25 October 2026, in the currency shown there, billed monthly. Friendly Captcha does not say whether its prices include VAT.

How to switch from reCAPTCHA to a European CAPTCHA

1. List every form that uses reCAPTCHA and check your monthly volume in the Google Cloud console.
2. Pick a plan for that volume and test it on a staging site during the free trial.
3. Swap the widget. Replace the WordPress plugin, or Google’s script and markup on custom sites.
4. Change the server-side check and test both a valid and a missing token.
5. Remove Google and update your privacy policy with the new processor and its data processing agreement.

reCAPTCHA alternatives: FAQ

My verdict: which European CAPTCHA to switch to

Most sites leaving reCAPTCHA should go to Friendly Captcha: it is the most mature European option, checks visitors invisibly, sets no cookies and has the easiest migration path. If you want it free and have a developer, self-host ALTCHA and keep every request on your own server. If you need around 10,000 checks a month on a budget, CaptchaFox gives you that for €15 with servers in Germany.

Whatever you pick, test every form on a staging site before you remove Google’s script.