# captcha vs mCaptcha

> 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.

| | 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).

## Details

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

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