# altcha vs captcha

> Two self-hosted [hCaptcha alternatives](https://selfhost.directory/alternative-to/hcaptcha), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | altcha | captcha |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 63/100 ✓ | 50/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 4 in Anti-Spam | #42 of 78 in Security |
| GitHub stars | 2 857 ✓ | 305 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +84 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 18 | 28 ✓ |
| Latest release | v3.5.0 · 22 Oct 2026 | v3.9.7 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

altcha scores 63/100 against 50/100 for captcha, so it is the safer default.

captcha ships more often: 28 stable releases in the past year, against 18 for altcha.

If you want the quickest setup, altcha is easier to run; captcha needs more configuration.

altcha is growing faster right now (+84 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [altcha](https://selfhost.directory/project/altcha) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/altcha.md)
- [captcha](https://selfhost.directory/project/captcha) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/captcha.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/altcha-vs-captcha