captchavsmCaptcha
Two self-hosted hCaptcha alternatives, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| captcha | mCaptcha | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 50/100 | 55/100 |
| Rank in category | #42 of 78 in Security | #31 of 78 in Security |
| GitHub stars | 305 | 2 498 |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +4 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 28 | 0 |
| Latest release | v3.9.7 · 28 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Typescript | Rust |
Which one should you pick?
mCaptcha scores 55/100 against 50/100 for captcha, so it is the safer default.
captcha ships more often: 28 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for mCaptcha.
If you want the quickest setup, mCaptcha is easier to run; captcha needs more configuration.
mCaptcha is growing faster right now (+4 stars in 30 days).
captcha details →mCaptcha details → All hCaptcha alternatives →
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