Google To Migrate All reCAPTCHA Services To Cloud Platform via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google is informing users that its reCAPTCHA service will migrate to Google Cloud by the end of the year.

An email states that all existing reCAPTCHA keys must be moved to Google Cloud projects.

WordPress developer Jeff Starr shared a screenshot of the email that was sent out.

#Google #reCaptcha service no longer will be free after 2025 (received via email), changes required this year. pic.twitter.com/iS4L0nZFtW

— Jeff Starr (@perishable) January 29, 2025

Why Is Google Doing This?

Google says this move aims to bring all reCAPTCHA customers under one set of terms and pricing.

Additionally, Google wants to give developers access to new security features.

After the migration, you can immediately use dashboards in Google Cloud for analytics, monitoring, logging, and auditing.

Phased Rollout

The transition will occur in stages throughout the year.

You can expect to receive periodic email updates notifying you when existing keys are eligible for migration.

At that time, Google will automatically create a corresponding Google Cloud project and link the keys.

To avoid interruptions, Google recommends taking action early. You can proactively migrate keys from reCAPTCHA Classic to the Google Cloud environment by following the company’s guidelines.

For a visual guide on migrating your reCAPTCHA keys, you can refer to the following video:

What It Means For Businesses & Developers

• Deadline: Complete all migrations by the end of 2025.
• Pricing Model: reCAPTCHA will be free up to 10,000 assessments per month.
• Enhanced Security: You will get better security and management tools with the new Google Cloud setup.
• Action Required: If you use reCAPTCHA, start the migration process now to ensure a smooth transition and keep your protection against spam and abuse.

Tessa Hudson, Software Engineer at Google, confirms any usage below 10,000 assessments per month will remain free.

A post on the Google Cloud Community forums reads:

“There is no fee for migrating the key, however, your monthly usage may qualify for reCAPTCHA Standard or Enterprise. You will only be charged once you have reached 10,000 assessments each month. Any usage below this amount will remain free. If you have not set up billing on the Google Cloud project, you will receive an email at 10,000 assessments notifying you that your free assessments for the month have been used up and you will not receive reCAPTCHA scores for that key until the next month unless you enable billing.

The email you received should include your average usage for the past 3 months. You can input that number into this pricing calculator to get an idea of how much you will pay monthly if your usage stays the same. For more details on the different pricing tiers, please see our pricing table.

You can read more about how reCAPTCHA billing works here.”

Looking Ahead

If you want to keep using reCAPTCHA after this year, it’s important to plan ahead and move to the new system.

This will help avoid disruptions and allow you to take advantage of new security features.

SEJ STAFF Matt G. Southern Senior News Writer at Search Engine Journal

Matt G. Southern, Senior News Writer, has been with Search Engine Journal since 2013. With a bachelor’s degree in communications, ...