WP Forms CAPTCHA alternatives

One alternative to using the default CAPTCHA in WP Forms is to implement a reCAPTCHA. This can help improve the user experience by providing a more user-friendly and secure way to verify form submissions.

To implement reCAPTCHA in WP Forms, you can use the wpcf7_recaptcha filter hook to add the necessary code. Here’s an example:

function wpsnippets_add_recaptcha_to_wpforms( $args ) {
    $args['recaptcha'] = array(
        'site_key'   => 'YOUR_RECAPTCHA_SITE_KEY',
        'secret_key' => 'YOUR_RECAPTCHA_SECRET_KEY',
    );
    return $args;
}
add_filter( 'wpforms_form_args', 'wpsnippets_add_recaptcha_to_wpforms' );

In the code snippet above, you need to replace 'YOUR_RECAPTCHA_SITE_KEY' and 'YOUR_RECAPTCHA_SECRET_KEY' with your actual reCAPTCHA keys. These keys can be obtained by creating a reCAPTCHA API key pair from the Google reCAPTCHA website.

Once you have added this code to your theme’s functions.php file or a custom plugin, the reCAPTCHA field will be automatically added to all WP Forms on your website.

Another alternative to CAPTCHA in WP Forms is to use a honeypot technique. This involves adding a hidden field to the form that only bots would fill out, while humans would leave it blank. By checking if this field is empty or not, you can determine if the form submission is likely from a bot or a human.

Here’s an example of how to add a honeypot field to WP Forms:

function wpsnippets_add_honeypot_to_wpforms( $fields ) {
    $fields['honeypot'] = array(
        'label'    => 'Leave this field blank',
        'type'     => 'hidden',
        'priority' => 10,
    );
    return $fields;
}
add_filter( 'wpforms_fields', 'wpsnippets_add_honeypot_to_wpforms' );

In the code snippet above, a hidden field with the label “Leave this field blank” is added to the WP Form. You can customize the label and other properties of the honeypot field as needed.

To check if the honeypot field is empty or not, you can use the wpcf7_before_send_mail action hook. Here’s an example:

function wpsnippets_check_honeypot_field( $contact_form ) {
    $submission = WPCF7_Submission::get_instance();
    if ( $submission ) {
        $data = $submission->get_posted_data();
        if ( ! empty( $data['honeypot'] ) ) {
            $contact_form->skip_mail = true;
        }
    }
}
add_action( 'wpcf7_before_send_mail', 'wpsnippets_check_honeypot_field' );

In the code snippet above, the wpcf7_before_send_mail action hook is used to check if the honeypot field is empty or not. If it is not empty, the form submission is considered suspicious and the email sending process is skipped.

These alternatives to CAPTCHA in WP Forms can help improve the user experience and reduce spam submissions. Choose the one that best fits your needs and implement it using the provided code examples.

Examples

Example 1: Using hCaptcha as an alternative CAPTCHA for WP Forms

This example demonstrates how to integrate hCaptcha as an alternative CAPTCHA solution for WP Forms. The code snippet below shows how to add hCaptcha to a WP Form using the wpsnippets_wpforms_captcha function.

add_filter( 'wpforms_frontend_form_settings', 'wpsnippets_wpforms_captcha' );
function wpsnippets_wpforms_captcha( $form_settings ) {
    $form_settings['captcha']['type'] = 'hcaptcha';
    $form_settings['captcha']['hcaptcha_site_key'] = 'YOUR_HCAPTCHA_SITE_KEY';
    $form_settings['captcha']['hcaptcha_secret_key'] = 'YOUR_HCAPTCHA_SECRET_KEY';
    return $form_settings;
}

In this code example, we use the wpforms_frontend_form_settings filter to modify the form settings and set the CAPTCHA type to hCaptcha. Replace 'YOUR_HCAPTCHA_SITE_KEY' and 'YOUR_HCAPTCHA_SECRET_KEY' with your own hCaptcha keys.

Example 2: Using reCAPTCHA v3 as an alternative CAPTCHA for WP Forms

This example demonstrates how to integrate reCAPTCHA v3 as an alternative CAPTCHA solution for WP Forms. The code snippet below shows how to add reCAPTCHA v3 to a WP Form using the wpsnippets_wpforms_captcha function.

add_filter( 'wpforms_frontend_form_settings', 'wpsnippets_wpforms_captcha' );
function wpsnippets_wpforms_captcha( $form_settings ) {
    $form_settings['captcha']['type'] = 'recaptcha';
    $form_settings['captcha']['recaptcha_version'] = 'v3';
    $form_settings['captcha']['recaptcha_site_key'] = 'YOUR_RECAPTCHA_SITE_KEY';
    $form_settings['captcha']['recaptcha_secret_key'] = 'YOUR_RECAPTCHA_SECRET_KEY';
    return $form_settings;
}

In this code example, we use the wpforms_frontend_form_settings filter to modify the form settings and set the CAPTCHA type to reCAPTCHA v3. Replace 'YOUR_RECAPTCHA_SITE_KEY' and 'YOUR_RECAPTCHA_SECRET_KEY' with your own reCAPTCHA keys.

Example 3: Using a math question as an alternative CAPTCHA for WP Forms

This example demonstrates how to use a math question as an alternative CAPTCHA solution for WP Forms. The code snippet below shows how to add a math question CAPTCHA to a WP Form using the wpsnippets_wpforms_captcha function.

add_filter( 'wpforms_frontend_form_settings', 'wpsnippets_wpforms_captcha' );
function wpsnippets_wpforms_captcha( $form_settings ) {
    $form_settings['captcha']['type'] = 'math';
    return $form_settings;
}

In this code example, we use the wpforms_frontend_form_settings filter to modify the form settings and set the CAPTCHA type to math question. This will add a simple math question as the CAPTCHA challenge for the form.