hCaptcha for WP vs Really Simple SSL
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | hCaptcha for WP v5.4.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.6/5 Visit Details | Really Simple SSL v9.8.3 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.9/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 70,000+ | 3M+ |
| Last updated | October 5, 2026 | September 15, 2026 |
| Editions | hCaptcha for WP · hCaptcha Pro (hCaptcha account plans) ($) | Really Simple Security · Really Simple Security Pro ($) |
| Pros | Protects logins, comments and many form plugins from one settings page; Migration wizard helps move off reCAPTCHA or Turnstile; Free core protection with no paid licence needed | One-click HTTPS migration with 301 redirects; Hardening options such as XML-RPC and user enumeration; Email two-factor login for chosen roles in the free version |
| Cons | Event statistics and custom themes need a paid hCaptcha account; Challenges depend on hCaptcha's external service; Optional GeoIP country database needs the user's own MaxMind licence key | Captcha, authenticator 2FA, passkeys and firewall need Pro; Vulnerability checks send plugin and theme names to a remote service; Many settings screens to review after setup |
| Mentioned in our posts | — | 1 |
| Features (Security plugins checklist) | ||
| Firewall | — | Paid |
| Malware scan | — | No |
| Login protection | — | Yes |
| Two-factor login | — | Yes |
| Activity log | — | No |
| Free version | — | Yes |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Migration wizard from reCAPTCHA or Turnstile, Divi comment form protection, Custom captcha themes ($), Events statistics page ($), Optional plugin statistics sending, Profile Builder register and lost password protection | One-click HTTPS migration and redirects, Vulnerability detection for plugins, themes and core, Email two-factor login for roles, WordPress hardening options, Authenticator app two-factor login ($), Captcha on login (reCAPTCHA or hCaptcha) ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| Marketing | — | Really Simple Security mailing list |
| Plugins | WPForms, Contact Form 7, Divi | — |
| Other | MaxMind GeoIP | Cloudways API, SSL Labs, Really Simple Security vulnerability service, Google reCAPTCHA ($), hCaptcha ($) |
| Requires WordPress | 6.0 | 6.6 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 7.1 |
| Phones home | Only if you agree | No |
| External services | download.maxmind.com, a.hcaptcha.com, raw.githubusercontent.com | api.cloudways.com, api.ssllabs.com |
| Shortcodes | 1 | — |