CAPTCHA Providers Compared: reCAPTCHA, GeeTest, Yandex
The main CAPTCHA providers are Google reCAPTCHA, Cloudflare Turnstile, hCaptcha, GeeTest, Yandex SmartCaptcha, Arkose Labs, AWS WAF and Friendly Captcha, plus the challenges built into anti-bot platforms. Yandex's CAPTCHA, SmartCaptcha, works in two steps: an "I am not a robot" checkbox or a slider first, then a text, silhouette or kaleidoscope puzzle only if the request still looks suspicious. Whichever provider a site uses, the reputation of your IP is one of the inputs to its decision; ProxyField residential proxies give you 412M+ residential IPs from $1.95/GB, and you can start with the Easy Trial: 1 GB for $2.95.
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On this page 10 sections
CAPTCHA providers at a glance
Modern CAPTCHAs are risk engines first and puzzles second: they score the visitor in the background and show a task only when the score is doubtful. This is how the main providers compare, from their own documentation:
| Provider | What the visitor may see | How it decides | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google reCAPTCHA | v2: the "I'm not a robot" checkbox, with image tasks if needed; v2 invisible: a task only when flagged; v3: nothing, the site gets a score | A risk score from the browser and interaction; v3 returns a score from 0.0 to 1.0 for the site to act on | reCAPTCHA docs |
| Cloudflare Turnstile | Usually nothing or a single checkbox; "no images or text to decipher" | Managed mode picks a non-interactive or a checkbox challenge from client-side signals and risk level | Turnstile widgets |
| hCaptcha | A checkbox with image tasks, or an invisible widget | A challenge result, plus risk scores and passive modes on Enterprise plans | hCaptcha docs |
| GeeTest (Adaptive CAPTCHA, v4) | Slider and other interactive tasks, or a one-tap check | An adaptive engine that picks the task by risk | GeeTest |
| Yandex SmartCaptcha | A checkbox or slider, then text, silhouettes or kaleidoscope if suspicious | Behavior and request analysis; four difficulty levels set by the site | Yandex Cloud: challenge types |
| Arkose Labs | Interactive puzzle challenges | A bot manager with "dynamic challenges that evolve in real time" | Arkose Labs |
| AWS WAF | A CAPTCHA puzzle, or a silent browser challenge | WAF rules on the site decide which action runs; HTTPS only | AWS WAF: CAPTCHA and Challenge |
| Friendly Captcha | Nothing to do; it "works automatically" | A background check, sold as privacy-compliant | Friendly Captcha |
Vendor documentation. Anti-bot platforms such as DataDome and HUMAN (PerimeterX) also serve their own challenge pages; those are covered in DataDome, PerimeterX and hCaptcha.
Yandex CAPTCHA (SmartCaptcha)
SmartCaptcha is the CAPTCHA Yandex offers to sites through Yandex Cloud. Per its documentation (challenge types):
-
Main challenge
The visitor clicks "I am not a robot" or drags a slider (the slider is in Preview).
-
Additional challenge, only if the request looks suspicious
Type distorted text, mark icons in a given order (silhouettes), or arrange image parts with a slider (kaleidoscope).
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Difficulty
The site picks easy, medium, hard, or a forced hard level that always shows the additional challenge.
An invisible mode shows no checkbox at all; only visitors the service considers suspicious see the challenge pop-up (invisible CAPTCHA). If a Yandex CAPTCHA appears on every page you open, the usual reasons are the ones any provider reacts to: many fast requests, a shared or flagged IP, or automation in the browser.
Google reCAPTCHA: v2, v3 and the checkbox
reCAPTCHA is the CAPTCHA most people picture: the "I'm not a robot" box and the grid of traffic lights or crosswalks. It comes in three forms:
- v2 checkbox: a click, and an image task when the risk check is unsure.
- v2 invisible: no checkbox; the task appears only for flagged visitors.
- v3: never shows a task. It returns a score for each request, where 1.0 is very likely a good interaction and 0.0 very likely a bot, and the site decides what to do with low scores (reCAPTCHA v3 docs).
Google also sells reCAPTCHA as a Google Cloud product for businesses. Because v3 and the invisible mode act in the background, a site can block or slow you after a low score without ever showing a CAPTCHA.
Cloudflare Turnstile
Turnstile is Cloudflare's CAPTCHA replacement, and any site can use it, on Cloudflare or not. Its widget has three modes: Managed (Cloudflare picks a non-interactive or a checkbox challenge), Non-Interactive, and Invisible (Turnstile widgets). It is a different thing from Cloudflare's full-page "Just a moment..." challenge; why Cloudflare challenges you at all is explained in why does Cloudflare think I'm a bot.
hCaptcha
hCaptcha looks like reCAPTCHA v2 (a checkbox, then image tasks) and supports an invisible widget. After a passed challenge it adds an h-captcha-response token to the form, which the site checks on its server; Enterprise plans add bot scores and passive or nearly passive "No-CAPTCHA" modes (hCaptcha docs). Its docs include a guide for sites moving from reCAPTCHA.
GeeTest
GeeTest is known for its slider puzzle: drag a piece until the image fits. Its current product, Adaptive CAPTCHA (version 4), chooses the challenge by risk, from a one-tap check to interactive tasks, and loads from static.geetest.com/v4/gt4.js (GeeTest web integration).
Arkose Labs, AWS WAF and Friendly Captcha
- Arkose Labs sells a bot manager with interactive puzzle challenges, aimed at account sign-up and login abuse.
- AWS WAF can answer a request with a CAPTCHA puzzle or a silent challenge that the browser runs; both need HTTPS and a browser in a secure context to get a token.
- Friendly Captcha runs in the background with no task for the user and markets itself as privacy-first and GDPR compliant.
How to tell which CAPTCHA a site uses
Open DevTools, go to the Network or Elements tab and look at the script or iframe the challenge loads:
| You see a request to | Provider |
|---|---|
www. or www.recaptcha.net | Google reCAPTCHA |
challenges. | Cloudflare Turnstile |
js.hcaptcha.com or hcaptcha.com | hCaptcha |
static.geetest.com | GeeTest |
a SmartCaptcha script from Yandex Cloud, window.smartCaptcha in the page | Yandex SmartCaptcha |
arkoselabs.com | Arkose Labs |
The provider matters for one reason: it tells you whether the check runs in the background (v3, Turnstile, invisible modes), where you can only improve your score, or shows a task you have to answer.
What CAPTCHA providers mean for scrapers
Every provider above scores the same kinds of signal: the IP's reputation and network type, the request rate, the browser and its automation traces, and behavior. A challenge is the result of a low score, so the way to see fewer is to raise the score, not to change the puzzle:
-
Slow down
And stop request bursts from one IP.
-
Use a real browser
For sites that run background checks; an HTTP client can't produce the token at all.
-
Use residential or mobile IPs
In the country you claim, and keep one IP per session (CAPTCHA proxies).
-
Use the official API
If the site has one.
When a task still appears, sites expect a person to answer it. Third-party solver services exist; how they work and what they cost is in our comparison of solver services, and the wider options are in how to avoid and solve CAPTCHAs when scraping. A CAPTCHA is also a signal that the site limits automated access: check its terms before you go further (is web scraping legal).
Residential IPs for the IP input. ProxyField residential proxies: 412M+ residential IPs, sticky sessions up to 36 h, country, region and city targeting, from $1.95/GB with no subscription. Start with the Easy Trial (1 GB); traffic never expires, and all purchases are final.
CAPTCHA Providers Compared FAQ
What is Yandex CAPTCHA?
ProxyField sells 412M+ residential IPs from $1.95/GB, not CAPTCHA tools; Yandex's CAPTCHA, SmartCaptcha, is a 2-step check sold through Yandex Cloud: an "I am not a robot" checkbox or a slider first, then a text, silhouette or kaleidoscope puzzle only if the request still looks suspicious. Sites choose one of 4 difficulty levels, and an invisible mode shows the challenge only to visitors it flags.
Why does Twitter (X) keep showing me a CAPTCHA?
X shows a challenge when a sign-up, login or action looks unusual: many attempts in a short time, a new device or location, or an IP that many accounts share, such as a VPN or a public proxy. Slow down, sign in from your usual network and finish the check; repeated challenges on one IP usually point to that IP's reputation.
Why does Twitch ask me to complete a CAPTCHA?
For the same reasons as other platforms: a login or sign-up from a new device or location, several failed attempts, or an IP shared with many users. Turn off a VPN or proxy you don't need, clear the site's cookies, and try from your usual connection.
What is GeeTest CAPTCHA?
GeeTest is a CAPTCHA provider best known for its slider puzzle, where you drag a piece until the image fits. Its current Adaptive CAPTCHA (version 4) picks the challenge by risk, from a one-tap check to interactive tasks, and loads from static.geetest.com.
What is an Arkose Labs CAPTCHA?
It is the interactive puzzle challenge of Arkose Labs, a bot-management company that protects sign-ups and logins against automated abuse. The puzzle appears when Arkose's risk engine flags a session; on low-risk sessions you may see nothing.
What is reCAPTCHA?
reCAPTCHA is Google's CAPTCHA service. Version 2 shows the "I'm not a robot" checkbox and image tasks when unsure, the invisible version shows a task only to flagged visitors, and version 3 shows nothing and gives the site a score from 0.0 to 1.0 instead.
What is the difference between CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA?
CAPTCHA is the general name for any test that tells humans and bots apart; reCAPTCHA is one product, Google's. Other CAPTCHA products include Cloudflare Turnstile, hCaptcha, GeeTest and Yandex SmartCaptcha.
What is an anti-bot CAPTCHA?
It is a CAPTCHA served by an anti-bot system as one of its responses: the system scores each visitor in the background and shows the challenge only when the score is doubtful, instead of blocking outright. Turnstile, reCAPTCHA v3 and the challenge pages of bot-management platforms work this way.
Can AI outsmart CAPTCHA?
Image and text puzzles alone are no longer a strong barrier, which is why providers moved to background risk scoring of the browser, the IP and behavior. A solved puzzle with a low risk score can still be refused, so the score matters more than the task.
Is CAPTCHA safe to use?
A CAPTCHA from a known provider is safe for visitors: it loads in an iframe or script from the provider and only checks the browser and your answer. Be wary of fake "verify you are human" pages that ask you to run a command or download a file; a real CAPTCHA never does.
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How do I know which CAPTCHA a site uses?
Open DevTools and look at the script or iframe the challenge loads: google.com/recaptcha is reCAPTCHA, challenges.cloudflare.com/turnstile is Turnstile, hcaptcha.com is hCaptcha, static.geetest.com is GeeTest, and arkoselabs.com is Arkose Labs.
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