Comparison
CaptchaKit vs hCaptcha: pay what you want or $99 to $139 a month?
Short answer
hCaptcha has a free Basic plan, and Pro costs $99 a month billed yearly or $139 billed monthly (checked October 2026). CaptchaKit is a game-based CAPTCHA that is pay what you want, one time, with lifetime access and unlimited domains. Choose hCaptcha for visual challenges and a free tier, CaptchaKit for brand-matched arcade games.
Side by side
CaptchaKit and hCaptcha. Prices as of October 2026.
| Feature | CaptchaKit | hCaptcha |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Pay what you want, one time | Yes Basic is $0 |
| Paid plans | Business $29 a month | Pro $139 a month, or $99 a month billed yearly. Enterprise by quote. |
| Included volume | Yes Lifetime access, unlimited domains on game pages | Pro includes 100K monthly evaluations, then $0.99 per 1K |
| Challenge style | Yes 18 arcade games | Visual challenges |
| Trial | Try each game on its demo page | 14-day Pro trial, no payment |
| Accessibility route | Yes "Can't play? Accessible check" link switches to a screen-reader-friendly question, same pass token | Text-based Accessibility Challenge, plus an encrypted cookie registered by email |
| Keyboard play | Yes All games keyboard-playable, with live-region announcements | Not stated on the pages we checked |
| Cookies | Privacy policy: no advertising or tracking cookies | Accessibility mode uses a cookie for hcaptcha.com |
| Server-side check | POST /api/verify, signed JWT, 10-minute expiry, single use | siteverify endpoint |
| Analytics | Paid add-on Business, $29 a month | Paid add-on Pro and above |
Monthly price of paid plans in US dollars, October 2026
| Name | USD per month |
|---|---|
| hCaptcha Pro, billed monthly | $139 |
| hCaptcha Pro, billed yearly | $99 |
| CaptchaKit Business | $29 |
The plans differ. hCaptcha Pro includes 100K monthly evaluations, passive mode, themes and analytics. CaptchaKit Business adds analytics, signed webhooks, team seats, two-factor auth, audit logs, data export and priority support. CaptchaKit's pack and single games are pay what you want, one time, and are not a monthly price.
The short version
hCaptcha is a CAPTCHA service positioned as a privacy-focused replacement for reCAPTCHA. Its Basic plan is $0. Its paid Pro plan, which includes passive mode, custom themes and analytics, is $139 a month billed monthly or $99 a month billed yearly, with 100K monthly evaluations included and $0.99 per 1K beyond that.
CaptchaKit takes a different route. Pay what you want, one time, for the full pack of 18 arcade games or a single game, and the access is lifetime with unlimited domains. If you want analytics, webhooks and audit logs, Business is $29 a month.
Price in practice
If a free tier is what you need and you can live with Basic's feature set, hCaptcha Basic costs nothing. CaptchaKit is pay what you want, from $1, one time. See pricing.
The gap appears when you need what Pro adds. On hCaptcha's pricing page, passive mode, custom themes and analytics are listed above Basic. At $99 to $139 a month that is $1,188 to $1,668 a year. With CaptchaKit, the dashboard analytics are in Business at $29 a month ($348 a year), and the games, embed code and site keys come with the pack.
Accessibility
hCaptcha publishes an accessibility page. It states "We believe so" when asked whether hCaptcha meets WCAG 2.2 AA, and offers two accommodations: a text-based Accessibility Challenge, and a registered cookie that visitors obtain by email. Its troubleshooting notes that aggressive ad blockers, anti-cookie extensions and blocked cross-site cookie settings can interfere with that cookie.
CaptchaKit's route is built into the widget. A "Can't play? Accessible check" link switches to a screen-reader-friendly question, and passing it issues the same pass token the games issue. Every game is also playable from the keyboard with live-region announcements. Run your own tests with the tools your visitors use. Read more in are CAPTCHAs accessible.
Cookies and data
CaptchaKit's privacy policy says no advertising or tracking cookies are used and that visitors' game results are the only thing it receives: pass or fail and a timestamp. Server logs with IP addresses are kept up to 90 days. We do not describe CaptchaKit as collecting no data, because logs exist.
hCaptcha markets compliance with GDPR, CCPA, LGPD and PIPL on its pricing page. Review both vendors' policies against your own obligations.
Where hCaptcha is a good fit
hCaptcha fits teams that want a free starting plan, a vendor positioned on privacy, and enterprise options such as risk scores and SAML SSO. Pro's trial lasts 14 days without payment, which makes testing easy. If your visitors accept a visual challenge and you want Pro's passive mode, hCaptcha is built for that.
It is also the CAPTCHA behind a lot of existing sites, so many form plugins already support it.
Where CaptchaKit is a good fit
CaptchaKit fits sites where a short game feels at home: community and gaming sites, ticketing, retail, and signup flows. It also fits teams who prefer a one-time price. Use the docs to see the whole integration: one script tag, one div, one server call.
What Pro includes, and what you may not need
hCaptcha's pricing page lists Pro as Basic plus passive mode, custom themes and analytics, with 100K monthly evaluations included. Enterprise is by quote and adds risk scores and SAML SSO. If you only need a working challenge on a few forms, Basic may be all you need and Pro may not be worth it.
With CaptchaKit you choose which of the 18 games fits your page. Compare that against your own design requirements before you buy.
Switching from hCaptcha to CaptchaKit
Replace the hCaptcha script and widget element with CaptchaKit's script tag and a div carrying your site key and a game id. Change the server step from hCaptcha's verify call to POST /api/verify with your API key and the token. On WordPress, install the plugin and remove the hCaptcha keys from your form plugin. The verification answer has the code.
Run a day or two on a low-risk form first. Compare completed submissions and spam against the week before.
Questions
Is hCaptcha free?
Basic is $0 with no stated evaluation limit on the pricing page. Passive mode, custom themes and analytics are Pro features at $99 a month billed yearly or $139 monthly (checked October 2026).
Is CaptchaKit free?
It is pay what you want. You name the price for the full pack or a single game, one time, and access is lifetime with unlimited domains.
How accessible is each option?
hCaptcha offers a text-based challenge and an email-registered cookie. CaptchaKit offers an in-widget question link and keyboard play. Neither replaces testing on your own site.
Which has better analytics?
hCaptcha keeps analytics for Pro. Every CaptchaKit account gets a 7-day summary, and Business at $29 a month adds 30- and 90-day ranges, daily series and per-game charts.
Can I migrate from hCaptcha?
Yes. Replace the widget markup with CaptchaKit's script tag and div, then change your server check to POST /api/verify. On WordPress use the plugin.
Does CaptchaKit have a trial?
Each game has a public demo page, so you can play before you buy. See Maze Runner.
What does hCaptcha Pro include?
100K monthly evaluations then $0.99 per 1K, passive mode, custom themes and analytics, with a 14-day trial and no payment needed to start (October 2026).
Sources
- hCaptcha pricing (checked 2026-10-17)
- hCaptcha accessibility (checked 2026-10-17)
- CaptchaKit documentation (checked 2026-10-17)
- CaptchaKit pricing (checked 2026-10-17)
- CaptchaKit privacy policy (checked 2026-10-17)
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