Anti-Spam for Your Online Form: Recaptcha vs hCaptcha vs HoneyPot

If you're hosting an online form for your business on Joomla, WordPress, Wix, or another platform, it's important to keep bot submissions out of the data, so you aren't faced with inaccurate information and the need to sift through countless spam submissions. It's a problem that happens to websites and online businesses all the time and can create serious issues for your analytics and data collection efforts. But that's easier said than done, especially when cybercriminals who create spam bots adapt to the changes services make to avoid their intrusions.

That's where anti-spam plugins like reCAPTCHA, hCaptcha, and HoneyPot come in. Using an anti-spam plugin can help you keep bot submissions out of your online web forms while still maintaining high traffic on your site. Let's take a look at all three of the most popular anti-spam plugins, including the differences between them and which is the best choice for your company.

What is CAPTCHA?

Many anti-spam plugins are founded on CAPTCHA, which stands for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. CAPTCHA is an anti-spam system that presents users with a simple task. The task can be easily completed by human beings but cannot easily be identified or completed by bots. Some examples of CAPTCHA tasks include identifying what is pictured in images, typing letters shown on the screen, or even turning an image in a certain direction.

Text-based, audio-based, and image-based CAPTCHAs are all available; image-based CAPTCHAs are newer than text-based CAPTCHAs, which have been gradually phased out. Image-based CAPTCHAs and audio-based CAPTCHAs with text-based alternatives are not only better at eliminating bots but are more accessible for all people, including people with disabilities. 

Recaptcha vs. hCaptcha vs. HoneyPot

Two out of three of the most common types of anti-spam plugins - reCAPTCHA and hCaptcha - use CAPTCHA. The third type of anti-spam method is the HoneyPot method, which offers an entirely different approach. 

reCAPTCHA

reCAPTCHA is a CAPTCHA system developed by Google. Google's reCAPTCHA is the oldest CAPTCHA service available on the internet, having been introduced in 2007. It is also one of the most popular CAPTCHA anti-spam systems available.

The CAPTCHA anti-spam system requires users to complete a simple task that a computer cannot in order to differentiate between real users and robots. CAPTCHA methods help mitigate various types of spam attacks, ensuring that no bots can access a form at all. With a reCAPTCHA, users will usually have to solve a simple puzzle before entering a site, such as identifying which photos include a certain subject. 

hCaptcha

Like reCATPCHA, hCaptcha is a type of CAPTCHA anti-spam system. hCaptcha is adaptive, meaning that it adapts to new threats automatically and is able to identify bots' new tactics. hCaptcha offers a similar approach to reCAPTCHA, requiring users to solve a puzzle to be identified as human, but offers more image labeling tasks than the alternative.

It's also simple to install hCaptcha, even for those who do not have website development experience. The user simply must add three lines of HTML to their website and embed the widget.

One advantage of hCaptcha over reCAPTCHA, according to some people, is that it is not owned by a major corporation like Google. While Google uses the data obtained through reCAPTCHA for advertising purposes and sells its CAPTCHA service, hCaptcha is privacy-first. 

HoneyPot

HoneyPot works a little differently than CAPTCHAs, requiring no user input from those who fill out the survey or form. HoneyPot creates an invisible box at the bottom of the form, which bots can see and fill out, but humans cannot. The bot will automatically fill out the box, allowing you to filter out spam responses without ever even taking a look at them. In order for a HoneyPot to properly work, you need to ensure that the box is hidden so valid users do not fill it out and thus end up being mistaken for bots.

Because HoneyPot is a newer service than CAPTCHA, it is harder for bots to circumvent it. Further, it does not affect the user experience in any way, unlike CAPTCHA methods, which require users to manually solve a puzzle or fill out a box. One downside to the HoneyPot method, though, is that it is not always accessible for users with disabilities, as screen readers or other assistive devices might identify the hidden box and cause confusion for the user. 

Choosing An Anti-Spam Method

If you're hosting a form on your website, it's important to keep spam submissions out long before they become a problem. Bots are only becoming smarter over time, so it's important to take preemptive measures to ensure that only real humans are filling out the forms you offer.

reCAPTCHA, hCAPTCHA, and HoneyPot are all highly reliable anti-spam plugins that will work with Joomla, WordPress, Wix, and all of the other most popular website hosting platforms. Depending on your personal preferences, any one of them might be the right pick for you. reCAPTCHA is the oldest CAPTCHA solution on the internet, so if you're looking for a proven solution, you might want to go that route; hCaptcha is a privacy-first choice for those who value modernity, speed, and independence; and HoneyPot puts the user experience first by ensuring that users do not have to interact with the anti-spam plugin whatsoever.

If you are looking for an anti-spam method for your website's form and you're having trouble choosing one, our team at Danico Enterprises is here to help you find the right solution for your business. Schedule a call with us today to get started!