Replaces hCaptcha
European alternatives to hCaptcha
Bot protection for forms, run from Europe
Browse the category: Captcha services · Web analytics services
hCaptcha is a captcha service based in the United States. Website owners put it in front of sign-up forms, comment boxes and login pages to keep automated abuse out, and visitors either solve a short challenge or pass an invisible check. It has a free tier and positions itself as a privacy conscious option, and it is a common replacement for other captcha widgets.
A captcha loads on the pages where visitors are already handing over personal details, and it involves a third party script that receives an IP address and browser signals from every visitor. A European alternative to hCaptcha keeps that check with an EU or EFTA supplier. Friendly Captcha and Trustcaptcha offer challenges designed to stay unobtrusive, CaptchaFox and Private Captcha protect forms without heavy interaction, and Myra EU CAPTCHA comes from a European security provider.
European options
| service | Country | Hosting | Open source | Free plan | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Captcha |
 Austria |
EU hosted | — | — | EU controlled |
 ALTCHA |
 Czech Republic |
EU hosted | ✓ | ✓ | EU controlled |
 mCaptcha |
 Open source |
Self-hosted | ✓ | — | |
 mosparo |
 Switzerland |
Self-hosted | ✓ | — | EU controlled |
Captcha
Austrian CAPTCHA and bot protection from the Krone group
captcha.eu is a hosted bot-protection service from Captcha GmbH in Vienna. It offers invisible or widget-based checks and integrations for common website platforms without image-selection puzzles.
AustriaEU hostedEU controlledSelf-hosted and open source
Open source projects you can run yourself. Not necessarily made in Europe, but nobody else holds your data.
mCaptcha
Open source proof of work captcha service
Open sourceOpen source
mosparo
Open source spam protection for web forms
SwitzerlandOpen sourceEU controlledServices without verified European control
Kept here for transparency, but excluded from the European options and totals. How we classify services →
Trustcaptcha
Privacy friendly captcha from Germany
GermanyEU hosted Ownership reviewed, controller unresolved
Friendly Captcha
Captcha service from Germany
Germany Ownership reviewed, controller unresolved
CaptchaFox
Hosted CAPTCHA and bot protection from Germany
GermanyEU hosted Ownership reviewed, controller unresolved
Private Captcha
Privacy friendly captcha service from Estonia
EstoniaEU hosted Ownership reviewed, controller unresolved
Myra EU CAPTCHA
Privacy first captcha service built in Germany
GermanyEU hosted Ownership reviewed, controller unresolved
Swetrix CAPTCHA
Privacy focused captcha from Ukraine
UkraineOpen source Ownership reviewed, controller unresolved
Swetrix
Open source privacy analytics from Ukraine
UkraineOpen source Ownership reviewed, controller unresolvedQuestions
How hard is it to swap out?
In most cases you replace the widget snippet on the page and the verification call on the server. Friendly Captcha, CaptchaFox and Trustcaptcha publish integration guides for the common frameworks and content management systems.
Do visitors still have to solve puzzles?
Not always: several providers here, including Friendly Captcha and Private Captcha, work without asking the visitor to identify images. Check what happens for suspicious traffic, since the fallback behaviour differs.
Is there a free European captcha service?
Some options have a free tier for small sites, and Swetrix CAPTCHA is offered alongside Swetrix analytics. Compare the request limits on each provider's own page before you deploy it on a busy site.