5arz vs reCAPTCHA
Looking for a reCAPTCHA alternative? First check which question you need answered: “is this a bot?” or “did a real person do this?”
AI-generated imagereCAPTCHA scores how likely a visit is a bot. 5arz proves a specific verified person did a specific thing.
Different jobs, and they work well together.
How each one works
Side by side
| Feature | 5arz | reCAPTCHA |
|---|---|---|
| The question | Did a verified person do this? | How likely is this a bot? |
| What’s checked | A government ID plus liveness, once, through a partner | Signals its JavaScript or mobile SDK collects on your page |
| What you get | A signed seal: who, what and when | A score from 0.0 to 1.0, plus reason codes |
| User friction | A one-time ID and selfie check on their phone | v3 never interrupts users; v2 shows a checkbox, sometimes a challenge |
| Proof others can check | Yes — anyone verifies the signature offline, free | No — a verdict for your own backend |
| Price to start | Free: 1,000 seals a month. Checking a seal is always free. | Free up to 10,000 assessments a month, then $8 flat to 100,000 |
| Privacy | Selfie and ID go to our partner. We keep only a signed result. | Sets a _GRECAPTCHA cookie; sites must show Google’s privacy terms |
reCAPTCHA details are from Google’s own documentation — see Sources 1–6.
Which one you need
- You want low-friction bot filtering on every visit
- Sign-ups, logins, forms and checkout at scale
- A likelihood is enough — no proof needed later
- You need proof a verified person did the action
- Someone else must check that proof later
- An AI agent acts on a person’s behalf
Or use both. Score every visit with reCAPTCHA. Ask for a 5arz seal only where a person must stand behind the action.
Questions
Is 5arz a reCAPTCHA replacement?
Not for everyday bot filtering — reCAPTCHA is cheaper and invisible for that. 5arz is for actions that need proof of a verified person.
Can I use both?
Yes. Keep reCAPTCHA on forms and logins. Add a 5arz seal where a real, verified person must stand behind the action.
What does reCAPTCHA v3 return?
A score: 1.0 is very likely a good interaction, 0.0 very likely a bot. Google suggests 0.5 as a default threshold.
Is reCAPTCHA now Google Cloud Fraud Defense?
reCAPTCHA is part of Google Cloud Fraud Defense. Google says existing site keys keep working with no migration.
Does a 5arz seal stop duplicate accounts?
Not by itself. A seal says a verified person is behind it. Check the sybil_checked claim before one-per-person actions.
Does 5arz store biometrics?
No. Your selfie and ID go to our verification partner, Stripe Identity or Didit. We keep only a signed result.
Sources
Read on 2 Oct 2026. Features and prices can change — check the source.
- 1How reCAPTCHA worksGoogle Cloud docs
- 2reCAPTCHA v3Google for Developers
- 3Choosing a reCAPTCHA typeGoogle for Developers
- 4Compare tiers and pricingGoogle Cloud docs
- 5reCAPTCHA FAQGoogle for Developers
- 6Google Cloud Fraud Defensecloud.google.com
- 75arz public key5arz-oracle-2 · ES256
- 8Verify a sealCheck one in your browser
“reCAPTCHA” and “Google” are trademarks of Google LLC. 5arz is independent and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Google. This page is informational and not legal advice.