Anti-Spam by CleanTalk vs reCaptcha by BestWebSoft
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
Anti-Spam by CleanTalk leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #241, ahead of reCaptcha by BestWebSoft at #337. Over the last 7 days Anti-Spam by CleanTalk slipped 1 place and reCaptcha by BestWebSoft climbed 1 place. Anti-Spam by CleanTalk has the largest install base, roughly 2× the next: 200K+ active installs against 100K+ for reCaptcha by BestWebSoft. Downloads this week: Anti-Spam by CleanTalk 33,541 and reCaptcha by BestWebSoft 2,497. Ratings: Anti-Spam by CleanTalk 4.8★ from 3,211 and reCaptcha by BestWebSoft 3.9★ from 391 reviews.
| Metric | Anti-Spam by CleanTalk | reCaptcha by BestWebSoft |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #241 ▼ 1 | #337 ▲ 1 |
| Active installs | 200K+ | 100K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 33,541 | 2,497 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (3,211) | 3.9★ (391) |
| Last updated | Sep 2, 2026 | Apr 24, 2026 |
| Current version | 6.87 | 1.87 |
| Best rank on record | #239 | #335 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | May 2012 | Feb 2014 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 6 | 1 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
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Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Anti-Spam by CleanTalk or reCaptcha by BestWebSoft?
By active installs, Anti-Spam by CleanTalk: 200K+ sites run it against 100K+ for reCaptcha by BestWebSoft, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 12, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Anti-Spam by CleanTalk or reCaptcha by BestWebSoft?
Anti-Spam by CleanTalk, at #241 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with reCaptcha by BestWebSoft at #337. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Anti-Spam by CleanTalk or reCaptcha by BestWebSoft alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.