OpenPorte Spam Protection vs Spam Filter For Elementor Form

OpenPorte is a free and open-source plugin that protects WordPress forms from spam using a lightweight Proof-of-Work challenge instead of CAPTCHAs. The goal is to make spam expensive for bots while keeping the experience almost invisible for legitimate visitors and respecting their privacy. For site owners, OpenPorte offers an easy to configure and deploy modern spam protection under their control. For the site users, it offers an accessible, transparent and privacy-friendly alternative to CAPTCHAs. OpenPorte is built around the open-source ALTCHA widget. Some highlights: CAPTCHA-free spam protection Fully open source (GPL) Self-hosted – no mandatory external service Designed to be accessible and privacy-friendly Compatible with existing ALTCHA integrations Easy migration for users of ALTCHA Spam Protection v1 (≤ 1.26.3) For the list of contributors, refer to our GitHub project: Contributors. AI-assisted development AI-assisted project. Architecture, security decisions, and final review are mine; AI tools (Claude, Mistral, and others) help with drafting code, tests, translations, and documentation — without them, one person couldn’t keep this fork alive. Background The original ALTCHA Spam Protection WordPress plugin (v1) was open source (GPLv2). Its authors have since released a version 2/3 which is no longer open source. They no longer maintain the open source project and recommend that users migrate to v2/v3. See the official project at https://altcha.org for their offering. OpenPorte started as a fork and continues the v1 line as free software (GPLv2 or later) for users who want to stay on a fully open-source, self-hosted solution. It is a faithful fork: existing v1 installations can switch to OpenPorte and keep their settings (see Upgrading). Compatibility OpenPorte is backward-compatible with ALTCHA Spam Protection v1 plugin: Your existing settings are migrated automatically on activation. The [altcha] shortcode keeps working (alongside the new [openporte]). The altcha_* filters and actions keep firing as deprecated aliases. Custom API Mode has been verified against GateCHA, an open source server implementing the creation and verification of ALTCHA challenges. See the Deprecations section for the full list of compatibility aliases and what they map to. Upgrading From the original ALTCHA v1 plugin Deactivate the old ALTCHA plugin, then install and activate OpenPorte. Your existing configuration is detected and copied into the OpenPorte settings on first activation; the original ALTCHA settings are left untouched, so you can roll back to ALTCHA v1 without losing anything. Do not run both plugins at the same time. From ALTCHA v2/v3 If your site was already moved to ALTCHA v2/v3 (for example by the automatic 3.0.0 update), your original v1 settings are normally still in the database: the v2/v3 upgrade neither migrates nor removes them. Deactivate ALTCHA, then install and activate OpenPorte — it finds and imports the v1 settings, even when the v1 plugin itself has long been deleted. Settings made in v2/v3 are not read. Deprecations The following ALTCHA-era identifiers are kept as aliases for backward compatibility and are scheduled for removal in a future release: The [altcha] shortcode — use [openporte]. The altcha/v1 REST namespace — use openporte/v1. The altcha_* filters and actions — now firing through WordPress’ deprecated hook mechanism; use the openporte_* equivalents. The AltchaPlugin class and the ALTCHA_VERSION / ALTCHA_WIDGET_VERSION constants — use OpenPortePlugin and the OPENPORTE_* constants. Integrations targeting paid-only third-party plugins; affected users should migrate to the official ALTCHA v2/v3 plugin. The “Custom HTML” integration (auto-configuration of hand-written tags) — place the [openporte] shortcode instead. You can re-enable it for now under Settings → OpenPorte → Integrations. Privacy No cookies, no tracking OpenPorte prioritizes user privacy by avoiding the use of cookies and fingerprinting techniques. No external service This plugin remains fully contained within your WordPress installation, eliminating any reliance on external services. Modes of Operation OpenPorte verifies submissions in one of two modes, selected in the settings (API Mode): Self-hosted (default) — a proof-of-work challenge is issued and verified by your own WordPress site through the REST API. Fully self-contained, with no external service and no additional setup beyond enabling the integrations you need. Custom — point the Challenge URL at your own ALTCHA-compatible backend (for example a self-hosted ALTCHA Sentinel, or GateCHA). Submissions are verified with your site’s shared secret. The paid altcha.org regional SaaS classifier offered by earlier versions has been removed; both remaining modes are free and self-hostable. REST API This plugin requires the WordPress REST API. If you are using any “Disable REST API” plugins, ensure that the endpoint /altcha/v1/challenge (marked for deprecation) and /openporte/v1/challenge are allowed. Supported Integrations CoBlocks Contact Form 7 Elementor Pro Forms (deprecated — paid plugin, see Deprecations) Formidable Forms Forminator GravityForms HTML Forms wpDiscuz WPForms WordPress Login, Register, Password reset WordPress Comments WooCommerce Many other plugins and your own content (via the [openporte] shortcode, or the deprecated [altcha] alias) Source Code All source code for the plugin, and the ALTCHA widget is available on GitHub. In the repository, you’ll also find versions of non-minified JavaScript and CSS assets: Plugin: https://github.com/openporte/openporte ALTCHA Widget: https://github.com/altcha-org/altcha

Tired of spammy SEO pitches, fake marketing offers, and bot submissions flooding your Elementor Pro forms? By filtering only the message field, you can eliminate up to 95% spam submissions. Spam Filter For Elementor Form do that and gives you the control you need to stop them, without relying on external services. This plugin filters the input field of your forms to block submissions containing unwanted words, suspicious URLs, or emails from unauthorized domains. You can block all URLs except those from your domain or specific domains you allow. If someone tries to submit a form with a disallowed link, they’ll see a clear error message asking them to remove it. Here’s the beauty of it: real visitors who want to share something useful will usually say, “I have a link to share, can you contact me so I can send it?” Spam bots, on the other hand, just drop links and hit submit. That’s where this filter stops them. Whether you want to block certain phrases, links, or reject emails from shady domains, this plugin lets you do it easily, right from the WordPress dashboard. Features: Enable or disable filtering for specific or all Elementor Pro forms. Block messages that contain specific words or patterns. Reject any submission containing links—except those from allowed domains. Block or allow email addresses based on domain (whitelist or blocklist mode). Custom error messages shown directly inside the form. No third-party services or APIs—fully local and lightweight. Built exclusively for Elementor Pro forms. Perfect for any site owner who’s fed up with form spam and wants a simple, effective way to stop it. How to Use: Enable Filtering: Go to Elementor → Settings → Contact Form Filter and check the “Enable Spam Filter” option. Target the Right Form: Enter the name of the form you want to filter in the “Form Name” setting. This must match the “Form Name” from your Elementor Pro form settings. Set Blocked Words: Add a list of blocked words (one per line). Any form submission containing these words will be rejected. Filter URLs: Only allow URLs from specific domains. Other links will trigger a validation error. Control Email Domains: Enable email filtering and choose between whitelist or blocklist mode. Add domains or full email addresses to control who can submit the form. Enjoying the Plugin? If you find Spam Filter For Elementor Form helpful, please consider leaving a review on WordPress.org. Your feedback helps us improve and reach more users. Other useful and absolutely free plugins from WizBee IT Easy Duplicate Woo Order: Adds a custom action to duplicate WooCommerce orders easily. Custom Product in Woo Order: Add custom one-time items directly to WooCommerce orders without adding them to the catalog. Visit our website for more at WizBee IT License This plugin is licensed under the GPLv2 or later license. For more information, see https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html.