Three CAPTCHAs dominate the web: Google's reCAPTCHA, Cloudflare's Turnstile, and Intuition Machines' hCaptcha. Each has different pricing, UX, privacy models, and implementation details. This comparison helps you understand what you're facing — and how CaptchaAI solves each one.
At a glance
| Feature | reCAPTCHA | hCaptcha | Turnstile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provider | Intuition Machines | Cloudflare | |
| Free tier | Yes (v2, v3) | Yes | Yes |
| Privacy model | Tracks users across Google properties | Collects less data; GDPR-friendly | Minimal data collection |
| Visual challenge | Image grid (v2) | Image labeling | None (non-interactive) |
| Invisible mode | v2 Invisible, v3 | Passive mode | Managed, Non-interactive |
| Enterprise tier | reCAPTCHA Enterprise | hCaptcha Enterprise | Turnstile Pro |
| Risk scoring | v3 returns 0.0–1.0 score | Enterprise only | Not exposed |
Implementation differences
reCAPTCHA
<script src="https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js"></script>
<div class="g-recaptcha" data-sitekey="SITE_KEY"></div>
- Token field:
g-recaptcha-response - API versions: v2 (checkbox + image), v2 Invisible, v3 (score-based), Enterprise
- Server-side verification:
https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api/siteverify
hCaptcha
<script src="https://js.hcaptcha.com/1/api.js"></script>
<div class="h-captcha" data-sitekey="SITE_KEY"></div>
- Token field:
h-captcha-response - Challenge type: Image labeling (similar to reCAPTCHA v2 grids)
- Server-side verification:
https://hcaptcha.com/siteverify
Turnstile
<script src="https://challenges.cloudflare.com/turnstile/v0/api.js"></script>
<div class="cf-turnstile" data-sitekey="SITE_KEY"></div>
- Token field:
cf-turnstile-response - Challenge type: Non-interactive (browser challenge, no user action)
- Server-side verification:
https://challenges.cloudflare.com/turnstile/v0/siteverify
Detecting which CAPTCHA is on a page
| CAPTCHA | HTML markers | Script URL |
|---|---|---|
| reCAPTCHA | .g-recaptcha, data-sitekey |
google.com/recaptcha/api.js |
| hCaptcha | .h-captcha, data-sitekey |
js.hcaptcha.com/1/api.js |
| Turnstile | .cf-turnstile, data-sitekey |
challenges.cloudflare.com/turnstile |
UX comparison
reCAPTCHA v2
Users click a checkbox. If flagged, they solve an image grid ("Select all traffic lights"). Can take 15-60 seconds for users with low trust scores.
hCaptcha
Always presents an image challenge (no checkbox-only path in standard mode). Challenges include object selection and image classification. Typically 10-30 seconds.
Turnstile
No user interaction required. A brief spinner appears, then a checkmark. Under 2 seconds for most users. The best UX of the three.
Privacy and compliance
| Aspect | reCAPTCHA | hCaptcha | Turnstile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cookie usage | Google cookies across properties | Session cookies only | CF cookies only |
| GDPR compliance | Requires disclosure | GDPR-friendly by default | GDPR-friendly by default |
| Data used for ads | Potentially (Google ecosystem) | No | No |
| User tracking | Cross-site via Google | Per-site | Per-site |
Sites concerned about privacy often choose Turnstile or hCaptcha over reCAPTCHA.
Cost for site owners
| Tier | reCAPTCHA | hCaptcha | Turnstile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 1M assessments/month (legacy); 10K/month (Enterprise free) | Unlimited (standard) | Unlimited |
| Paid | Enterprise: per-assessment pricing | Enterprise: custom | Pro: included with Cloudflare plans |
Turnstile offers the most generous free tier. hCaptcha's free tier is also unlimited. reCAPTCHA's free tier has been tightening.
Solving with CaptchaAI
| CAPTCHA | CaptchaAI method | Typical solve time | Parameters needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| reCAPTCHA v2 | userrecaptcha |
15–30s | sitekey, pageurl |
| reCAPTCHA v3 | userrecaptcha + version=v3 |
10–20s | sitekey, pageurl, action, min_score |
| reCAPTCHA Enterprise | userrecaptcha + enterprise=1 |
15–30s | sitekey, pageurl |
| hCaptcha | hcaptcha |
15–30s | sitekey, pageurl |
| Turnstile | turnstile |
10–25s | sitekey, pageurl |
CaptchaAI supports all three CAPTCHA types. The API interface is nearly identical — change the method parameter and the sitekey, and the rest of the workflow (submit → poll → inject) stays the same.
Which one are you most likely to encounter?
- E-commerce, SaaS login pages: reCAPTCHA v2 or v3
- Government and ticket sites: hCaptcha
- Cloudflare-protected sites: Turnstile or CF Challenge pages
- Privacy-focused sites: Turnstile or hCaptcha
FAQ
Can the same code solve all three?
Almost. The submit/poll/inject flow is identical. Only the method parameter and target token field name differ.
Which CAPTCHA is hardest to solve?
For automated solving, difficulty is comparable across all three. CaptchaAI handles each with similar solve rates and times.
Is hCaptcha replacing reCAPTCHA?
hCaptcha gained market share when Cloudflare switched from reCAPTCHA to hCaptcha (before building Turnstile). Both remain widely used.
Solve any CAPTCHA type with CaptchaAI
Get your API key at captchaai.com.
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