Cloudflare Turnstile vs reCAPTCHA:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, reCAPTCHA had more branded searches than Cloudflare Turnstile among CAPTCHA and bot protection services worldwide. reCAPTCHA had about 1 million branded searches, while Cloudflare Turnstile had 40,500. reCAPTCHA made up 93% of all CAPTCHA and bot protection service searches we track, and Cloudflare Turnstile accounted for 3.6%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about CAPTCHA and bot protection services, Cloudflare Turnstile appeared in four of the five answers and reCAPTCHA in three. Cloudflare Turnstile was mentioned before reCAPTCHA in every answer.
Who do people search for more?
reCAPTCHA, about 26 searches for every 1 for Cloudflare Turnstile
Who does AI mention more?
Cloudflare Turnstile, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, reCAPTCHA in 3
Who does AI recommend more?
Cloudflare Turnstile, named ahead of reCAPTCHA in every answer
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Top CAPTCHA and bot protection services in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Cloudflare Turnstile was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. reCAPTCHA was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Cloudflare Turnstile was listed before reCAPTCHA in every answer.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Cloudflare Turnstile4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- reCAPTCHA3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
hCaptcha1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
DataDome1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Friendly Captcha0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Arkose Labs0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about CAPTCHA and bot protection services
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best CAPTCHA service for my website?”
Asked ChatGPT
“How do I stop bots signing up on my site?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which bot protection service should an online store use?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“captcha for website”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“bot detection”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 27, 2026.
Is Cloudflare Turnstile or reCAPTCHA more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Cloudflare Turnstile and reCAPTCHA by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six CAPTCHA and bot protection services we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for reCAPTCHA, Cloudflare Turnstile. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | reCAPTCHA | Cloudflare Turnstile | hCaptcha | DataDome | Friendly Captcha | Arkose Labs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 88.8% | 3.9% | 4.7% | 1.4% | 0.76% | 0.5% |
| Nov 2025 | 85.9% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 1.7% | 0.74% | 0.6% |
| Dec 2025 | 86.1% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 1.4% | 0.74% | 0.6% |
| Jan 2026 | 86% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 1.4% | 0.91% | 0.6% |
| Feb 2026 | 85.8% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 1.7% | 0.9% | 0.49% |
| Mar 2026 | 84.2% | 6.7% | 5.5% | 2% | 1.1% | 0.58% |
| Apr 2026 | 91.3% | 4.2% | 2.8% | 0.85% | 0.46% | 0.3% |
| May 2026 | 92.7% | 3.6% | 2.4% | 0.72% | 0.39% | 0.26% |
| Jun 2026 | 92.7% | 3.6% | 2.4% | 0.72% | 0.39% | 0.26% |
| Jul 2026 | 93% | 3.6% | 2% | 0.72% | 0.39% | 0.26% |
| Aug 2026 | 93% | 3.6% | 2% | 0.72% | 0.32% | 0.32% |
| Sep 2026 | 93% | 3.6% | 2% | 0.72% | 0.39% | 0.26% |
How has the Cloudflare Turnstile and reCAPTCHA comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- reCAPTCHA was ahead of Cloudflare Turnstile in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Cloudflare Turnstile’s share of searches among CAPTCHA and bot protection services worldwide moved from 3.9% to 3.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 22.2K to 40.5K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, reCAPTCHA’s share of searches among CAPTCHA and bot protection services worldwide moved from 88.8% to 93%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 511K to 1M.
How did search popularity change for CAPTCHA and bot protection services worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
Estimated monthly branded searches for reCAPTCHA worldwide rose 103.8% over 12 measured months, from 511K to 1M in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Cloudflare Turnstile worldwide rose 82.4% over 12 measured months, from 22.2K to 40.5K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Cloudflare Turnstile’s and reCAPTCHA’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Cloudflare Turnstile
1 branded search term
- cloudflare turnstile
reCAPTCHA
2 branded search terms
- google recaptcha
- recaptcha
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