Choosing a CAPTCHA solving API isn't just about per-solve cost. Speed, success rates, and CAPTCHA type coverage affect total cost of ownership. This guide compares pricing across major providers.
Per-Solve Pricing Overview
reCAPTCHA v2
| Provider | Cost per 1,000 | Avg Speed | Success Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| CaptchaAI | $1.50-2.50 | 10-20s | 95%+ |
| 2Captcha | $2.99 | 20-60s | 90-95% |
| Anti-Captcha | $2.00-3.00 | 15-45s | 90-95% |
| CapSolver | $1.50-2.50 | 10-25s | 90-95% |
| CapMonster Cloud | $1.50-2.50 | 10-25s | 90-95% |
reCAPTCHA v3
| Provider | Cost per 1,000 | Score Quality | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| CaptchaAI | $2.00-3.00 | 0.7-0.9 (controllable) | 5-15s |
| 2Captcha | $2.99 | 0.1-0.3 (unreliable) | 10-30s |
| Anti-Captcha | $2.50-3.50 | 0.3-0.5 | 10-30s |
| CapSolver | $2.00-3.00 | 0.5-0.7 | 8-20s |
Cloudflare Turnstile
| Provider | Cost per 1,000 | Success Rate | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| CaptchaAI | $1.50-2.50 | 100% | 3-10s |
| 2Captcha | $2.99 | 80-90% | 15-40s |
| Anti-Captcha | $2.00-3.00 | 85-90% | 10-30s |
| CapSolver | $1.50-2.50 | 85-95% | 8-20s |
Image/OCR CAPTCHA
| Provider | Cost per 1,000 | Types Supported |
|---|---|---|
| CaptchaAI | $0.50-1.50 | 27,500+ |
| 2Captcha | $0.50-1.00 | Standard only |
| Anti-Captcha | $0.70-1.50 | Standard only |
| CapSolver | $0.50-1.50 | Limited set |
BLS CAPTCHA
| Provider | Cost per 1,000 | Supported |
|---|---|---|
| CaptchaAI | $2.00-3.00 | ✅ 100% accuracy |
| 2Captcha | — | ❌ Not supported |
| Anti-Captcha | — | ❌ Not supported |
| CapSolver | — | ❌ Not supported |
Total Cost Analysis
Per-solve pricing tells part of the story. Total cost depends on:
Factor 1: Failed Solves
Failed solves waste time and processing resources. You typically don't pay for failed solves, but your pipeline stalls:
Pipeline cost per page (with retries):
CaptchaAI (95% success, avg 1.05 attempts):
Solve cost: $0.002 × 1.05 = $0.0021/page
Pipeline time: 15s × 1.05 = 15.75s
2Captcha (90% success, avg 1.11 attempts):
Solve cost: $0.003 × 1.11 = $0.0033/page
Pipeline time: 40s × 1.11 = 44.4s
Factor 2: Speed Impact on Infrastructure
Faster solves = fewer concurrent connections = lower infrastructure costs:
| Daily Volume | Provider | Avg Wait | Concurrent Slots Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100,000 | CaptchaAI (15s) | 15s | ~18 |
| 100,000 | 2Captcha (40s) | 40s | ~47 |
| 100,000 | Anti-Captcha (30s) | 30s | ~35 |
Fewer concurrent slots means fewer proxy connections, less memory, and smaller server requirements.
Factor 3: v3 Score Failures
If your target site uses reCAPTCHA v3 with a 0.5 threshold:
CaptchaAI (0.7-0.9 scores): 95%+ tokens pass threshold
2Captcha (0.1-0.3 scores): <20% tokens pass threshold
Effective cost for v3 validation:
CaptchaAI: $0.003 / 0.95 = $0.0032 per successful validation
2Captcha: $0.003 / 0.20 = $0.0150 per successful validation
CaptchaAI is ~5x cheaper for v3 in practice.
Monthly Cost Projections
Small Scale (10,000 solves/month)
| Provider | reCAPTCHA v2 | Turnstile | Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| CaptchaAI | $15-25 | $15-25 | $15-25 |
| 2Captcha | $30 | $30 | $30 |
| Anti-Captcha | $20-30 | $20-30 | $25-35 |
| CapSolver | $15-25 | $15-25 | $15-25 |
Medium Scale (100,000 solves/month)
| Provider | reCAPTCHA v2 | Turnstile | Mixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| CaptchaAI | $150-250 | $150-250 | $150-250 |
| 2Captcha | $299 | $299 | $299 |
| Anti-Captcha | $200-300 | $200-300 | $200-300 |
| CapSolver | $150-250 | $150-250 | $150-250 |
Large Scale (1,000,000 solves/month)
| Provider | reCAPTCHA v2 | Turnstile | Mixed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CaptchaAI | $1,500-2,500 | $1,500-2,500 | $1,500-2,500 | Volume discounts available |
| 2Captcha | $2,990 | $2,990 | $2,990 | Limited bulk pricing |
| Anti-Captcha | $2,000-3,000 | $2,000-3,000 | $2,500-3,500 | Enterprise tiers |
| CapSolver | $1,500-2,500 | $1,500-2,500 | $1,500-2,500 | Volume pricing |
Hidden Costs to Consider
| Cost Factor | Description | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Failed solve retries | Extra API calls for failed solves | 5-15% cost increase |
| v3 score rejections | Token passes but score too low | Up to 5x cost increase |
| Peak hour slowdowns | Longer solve times = more server time | Infrastructure cost increase |
| Missing CAPTCHA types | Need second provider for unsupported types | Double integration effort |
| API migration | Switching providers later | Engineering time cost |
Best Value by Use Case
| Use Case | Best Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| reCAPTCHA v2 scraping | CaptchaAI | Competitive price, faster completion |
| reCAPTCHA v3 validation | CaptchaAI | Only provider with reliable score control |
| Cloudflare-protected sites | CaptchaAI | 100% Turnstile + Challenge support |
| Image CAPTCHA extraction | CaptchaAI | 27,500+ types, lowest image pricing |
| Government portals (BLS) | CaptchaAI | Only provider with BLS support |
| Budget-constrained small projects | CaptchaAI or CapSolver | Similar low pricing |
| Enterprise with SLA needs | CaptchaAI | Consistent performance |
FAQ
Which CAPTCHA solver is cheapest overall?
CaptchaAI and CapSolver have the lowest per-solve rates. But total cost depends on success rate, speed, and CAPTCHA type coverage. CaptchaAI offers the best overall value when factoring in v3 scores and Cloudflare success rates.
Do CAPTCHA solvers charge for failed attempts?
Most providers don't charge for failed solves. However, failed solves still cost you pipeline time and server resources. Higher success rates reduce total operational costs.
Are there free CAPTCHA solving APIs?
Some providers offer free trials (CaptchaAI included). No production-grade service is fully free — solving CAPTCHAs requires computational resources.
Do prices change with volume?
Most providers offer volume discounts. Contact CaptchaAI for enterprise pricing at high volumes (1M+ solves/month).
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