Google has announced a significant change to its reCAPTCHA service, effective April 1, 2024. The popular spam and abuse protection tool, previously available almost free of charge for most websites, will substantially reduce its free tier limits.
Formerly, websites enjoyed a generous free tier allowance of 1 million free assessments per month, making it a ubiquitous choice for millions of websites. However, starting April 1st, 2024, Google will reduce the free assessments to just 10,000 per month for both the reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the previously free reCAPTCHA services. This constitutes a substantial 100x reduction in the allowance. The no-cost plan will be renamed to reCAPTCHA Lite, with an allocation of up to 10,000 monthly assessments.
In addition to these changes, Google is introducing a new pricing model – the reCAPTCHA Standard plan, priced at $8 per month, offering up to 100,000 assessments. For reCAPTCHA Enterprise users, after exhausting the first 10,000 free assessments, there will be a charge of $1 per 1,000 assessments.
An email sent to users outlines the upcoming modifications, including transaction protection in reCAPTCHA Enterprise, with a significant price reduction from $40 to $1 per 1,000 assessments. The enterprise version will also now include 10,000 no-cost monthly assessments instead of the previous 1 million.
The email instructs existing reCAPTCHA Enterprise customers on a subscription contract that no changes will occur until their next renewal date. For those on a pay-as-you-go model, an automatic upgrade to the new reCAPTCHA Enterprise product will occur after April 1, 2024.
While the pricing changes aim to provide additional features and options, the shift is anticipated to prompt developers and companies to explore alternative solutions. The $8 per month plan for 100,000 assessments may suit many users, but the adjustments will likely lead to a reassessment of current usage and consideration of available alternatives.
In conclusion, the reCAPTCHA Pricing Change, effective April 1, 2024, introduces modifications that will impact many websites, with users encouraged to review and adapt to the new pricing structure based on their specific reCAPTCHA product tier.
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