Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… vs hCaptcha for WP (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
90K+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… has a higher user rating (4.9/5 from 89 reviews) and leads in active installations (90K+ vs 70K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… has accumulated 1.8M+ total downloads while hCaptcha for WP has 1.9M+. hCaptcha for WP has a higher support resolution rate (91% vs 67%).
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… | hCaptcha for WP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.9/5 | ◄ | 4.6/5 |
| Total Reviews | 89 | ◄ | 84 |
| Active Installs | 90K+ | ◄ | 70K+ |
| Total Downloads | 1.8M+ | ► | 1.9M+ |
| Support Resolution | 67% | ► | 91% |
| Last Updated | 5 days ago | ► | 3 days ago |
| First Released | 2010 | 2019 | |
| Age | 16 years | 7 years | |
| WP Requires | 4.7+ | 6.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4+ | 7.4+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.4.5 | 4.25.0 |
Rating Breakdown
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses…
hCaptcha for WP
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… averaged approximately 1,893 daily downloads while hCaptcha for WP averaged 1,591.
Recent Reviews
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses… Reviews
Nice Free Plugin
Good free plugin. I hope it will soon be able to automatically recognize phone numbers
Been using it for years!
I’m actually impressed that it’s still free.
Excellent plugin and support
Excellent plugin and support. Highly recommended.
hCaptcha for WP Reviews
Great protection against spam
Great protection against spam
Where do I generate the secret key?
Click on the link for WordPress integration and get taken to a page to download the plugin. Nowhere to generate the requirted secret ley.
It is a lot easier to set up than reCaptcha
Working good so far.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.