20+ Must Have TYPO3 Extensions for Agencies & Website Owners (Part-1)
Extensions
Every day, billions of forms on the internet are targeted by spam, bots, and fake sign-ups. For TYPO3 site owners, this is a major issue. Contact forms, login forms, and registration fields are prime targets for bots to send spam or break in.
Old-style captchas (the ones with images, like "click all the crosswalks" or "select the traffic lights") leave real users waiting, can frustrate people with disabilities, may raise privacy issues regarding data shared with third parties, and also affect web accessibility.
The 2024 Imperva Bad Bot Report states that almost one-half (49.6%) of all global internet traffic was created by bots the previous year, while humans accounted for just over 50%.
TYPO3 Friendly Captcha provides a better way. It's built in Europe, GDPR compliant, and works quietly in the background. It protects your forms without your visitors ever having to solve an annoying quiz. When it comes to TYPO3 sites, look for security and a good experience.
Why TYPO3 Websites Need a Secure CAPTCHA
TYPO3 is among the most reliable Content Management Solutions in Europe, used by businesses, universities, and public sector organizations. Many TYPO3 websites handle sensitive information, especially in the case of some public services; therefore, we must consider the safety of forms.
Forms in TYPO3, such as contact, signup, registration, or login forms, are often targeted by spam bots. Attackers deploy a script that legally floods a website with fake submissions. This adds unnecessary load to the server and presents a potential security risk.
In the past, extensions like sr_freecap were present in TYPO3. While they worked when originally launched, they are outdated and even insecure. Beyond this, many TYPO3 captcha solutions do not pass privacy standards nowadays, which is an important factor due to GDPR.
This is why a modern TYPO3 captcha solution is necessary. Sites need to provide a solution for reliable and effective user interaction that is user-friendly and complies. The TYPO3 Friendly Captcha solution is meeting all three.
A modern CAPTCHA alternative protects against bots without standing in the way of real people. For me, this means: no image puzzles, no text deciphering, and no hidden tracking. Security should not come at the cost of accessibility, privacy, or conversion rates. Modern bot protection is invisible, respects user rights, and is fully accessible.
What Makes TYPO3 Friendly Captcha Different
TYPO3 Friendly Captcha was made to address the issues that make traditional captchas annoying. Here’s what makes it different:
Privacy-first
- Founded in Europe, TYPO3 Friendly Captcha is GDPR compliant.
- No tracking, cookies, or sharing of personal data or third parties.
User-friendly
- TYPO3 Friendly Captcha does all of its work silently in the background.
- Visiting users do not have to answer image puzzles, distorted text, or "click the traffic light" questions.
- Visitors can complete their forms without any interruptions.
Accessible for everyone
- TYPO3 Friendly Captcha has been designed to work for all users, even people with disabilities.
- All barriers that traditional CAPTCHA creates have been removed with TYPO3 CAPTCHA accessibility.
Strong security
- Friendly Captcha uses a proof-of-work that makes the challenge exist with computers instead of humans.
- Bots face costly computation, which makes them less appealing to attack.
- Real users remain unaffected.
These aspects make Friendly Captcha a positive choice for TYPO3 websites that want strong protection against abuse based on privacy and usability.
TYPO3 Friendly Captcha Integration
Implementing Friendly Captcha in TYPO3 is simple thanks to the official TYPO3 Friendly Captcha extension. It works well with the current TYPO3 long-term support (LTS) versions as in TYPO3 v11, v12 and v13 and plays well with common form extensions such as Powermail.
Here’s how the process works step by step:
1. Get an API key
- Create an account on the Friendly Captcha website.
- Generate an API key for your connection from your TYPO3 installation to Friendly Captcha.
2. Install the TYPO3 extension
- Download the official Friendly Captcha extension from the TYPO3 Extension Repository (TER) or via Composer.
- Activate it in your TYPO3 backend.
3. Configure the plugin
- Go to the extension settings in the TYPO3 backend.
- Enter your API key and adjust basic options.
4. Add Friendly Captcha to forms
- Enable Friendly Captcha in TYPO3 forms such as contact forms or Powermail forms.
- The captcha runs invisibly in the background and will not change your form.
5. Test your setup
- Test with some forms and confirm that everything works.
- Verify that a real user can smoothly send and reject submitted forms from bots.
Now, you have quickly set things up to protect TYPO3 forms securely within GDPR compliance and keep the visitor experience fluid.
TYPO3 Friendly Captcha vs Alternative Captchas
When choosing a captcha for TYPO3, it helps to look at how Friendly Captcha compares with other popular options.
| Feature / Provider | Friendly Captcha (EU) | reCAPTCHA (Google) | hCaptcha | Cloudflare Turnstile | CaptchaFox (DE) | sr_freecap / legacy TYPO3 |
| GDPR compliance | Fully compliant, EU-based | Not compliant (Google servers) | Better than Google, but monetization raises concerns | Privacy-focused, but US-based | GDPR-compliant | Not compliant |
| Privacy | No tracking, no cookies | Sends data to Google | Supported by ads/data labelling | No user tracking, but US jurisdiction | Privacy-first | Outdated, weak privacy |
| User experience | Invisible, no puzzles | Puzzles, checkboxes, image clicks | Mix of puzzles and invisible options | Mostly invisible, smooth UX | Invisible, similar to Friendly Captcha | Text/image challenges |
| Accessibility | Works for everyone | Barriers for some users | Barriers for some users | Generally accessible | Accessible | Poor accessibility |
| Integration with TYPO3 | Official TYPO3 extension available | Via third-party solutions | Via third-party solutions | No official TYPO3 support | No official TYPO3 extension | Native but outdated |
| Security | Proof-of-work, strong bot resistance | Relies on Google’s risk analysis | Bot resistance depends on the model | Uses behavioural signals | Uses cryptographic checks | Weak, vulnerable |
| Best for | TYPO3 sites in the EU needing GDPR compliance | Sites prioritizing free use over privacy | Sites okay with ads/data usage | Cloudflare customers want a simple UX | German sites want a local alternative | Historical use only, not recommended |
Friendly Captcha Benefits for TYPO3 Websites
Selecting the proper captcha is not just about blocking spam to your TYPO3 websites within Germany and Europe; it’s about privacy, trust, and compliance with the law.
GDPR Compliant
TYPO3 Friendly Captcha was developed in Europe and is completely GDPR compliant. It doesn’t track users or store any personal data. It helps and protects German businesses, public institutions, and universities from violating the law.
Building Trust
Visitors who feel safe about their personal data are more likely to trust your site. Using a privacy-friendly captcha, like Friendly Captcha, indicates that you take your users’ privacy seriously and helps boost your credibility and reputation.
Legal Risks
Many traditional CAPTCHA systems lack any consideration for privacy and often put websites at risk of violating privacy laws in Europe, especially those made outside of Europe. Friendly Captcha for TYPO3 manages that risk, as it operates in Europe, keeping your data within Europe.
Better User Experience
Because it works invisibly, users can remain in a smooth flow when filling out forms. This reduces frustration and increases completion rates, giving the user a better experience overall.
With Friendly Captcha, TYPO3 websites secure their forms against bots while meeting their privacy obligations, building trust, and providing a seamless experience for visitors.
How to Choose the Right CAPTCHA Alternative
Choosing an appropriate CAPTCHA for your TYPO3 website means weighing security,
privacy, and user experience. Here are the important points to keep in mind:
- Privacy and GDPR compliance: Ensure the captcha does not track users or send any data to non-EU servers. This is very important for websites in Germany or Europe in general and stays within legal parameters.
- User experience: A captcha should protect your site without frustrating valid visitors. An invisible or background captcha, such as Friendly Captcha for TYPO3, allows for smoother form submissions by the user.
- Ease of integration with TYPO3: Look for a solution that either has an official TYPO3 extension or is easy to add to popular form plugins (e.g. Powermail) that you may be using. This makes integration and maintenance easy.
- Bot protection: The captcha should stop bad automated attempts without interfering with your human user's experience. Newer approaches (proof-of-work or behavioral analysis) are more reliable than the outdated CAPTCHA puzzles.
- Costs and support: Consider if the solution has a free tier, a subscription model, and responsive support when dealing with the solution. Reliable support is necessary for troubleshooting or keeping something in use in the long term.
Why Friendly Captcha is a strong choice for TYPO3 in 2025:
- Fully GDPR-compliant and based in Europe
- Works invisibly in the background
- An official TYPO3 extension is available for integration
- Strong problem monitoring of bots with minimal disruption of human users
- Easy to install and maintain
By considering these factors, TYPO3 site owners can choose a captcha that protects forms, keeps users happy, and stays compliant with privacy laws.
Conclusion
Keeping your TYPO3 website free from spam and automated attacks should not be frustrating for your visitors or compromise their privacy. TYPO3 Friendly Captcha is a modern and GDPR-compliant solution that works invisibly in the background to protect your forms.
For TYPO3 site owners, Friendly Captcha is easy to install via the official extension, integrates with popular form plugins like Powermail, and keeps your website compliant with European privacy laws. Compared to older captchas or alternatives that are not from Europe, Friendly Captcha for TYPO3 delivers the right balance of security, privacy, and user-friendliness.
You can try Friendly Captcha for free and see how it protects your forms without compromising the user experience.
With Friendly Captcha, TYPO3 website owners can stop bots, uphold trust with visitors and secure forms without making it complicated, while being fully GDPR-compliant at the same time.
FAQ
Friendly Captcha is an innovative, privacy-centric alternative to traditional captchas. It protects forms from bots without requiring users to participate in solving puzzles or identifying images. For TYPO3 websites, it can integrate seamlessly and protect your forms in GDPR compliance.
Yes, TYPO3 Friendly Captcha is developed in Europe and fully adheres to GDPR compliance. It doesn't track personal data, use cookies, or share data with third-party services, making it a sound choice to include for a TYPO3 website in Germany or Europe.
You can add it to your TYPO3 forms by installing the official Friendly Captcha TYPO3 extension, obtaining an API key, and enabling Friendly Captcha in your forms and within popular plugins (such as Powermail). After completion, Friendly Captcha is configured and works behind the scenes transparently without interrupting the user experience.
Friendly Captcha offers many advantages as a reCAPTCHA alternative:
- Does not track user data,
- Provides a solution that is silent with no puzzles to solve,
- Fully GDPR compliant,
- Provides better accessibility for all users.
It works with TYPO3's current long-term support (LTS) versions, including v11 and v12, and integrates easily with standard TYPO3 form plugins.
Yes, options include CaptchaFox and Cloudflare Turnstile. However, TYPO3 Friendly Captcha is fully Europe-based, captcha alternative GDPR-compliant, and offers an official TYPO3 extension, making it a reliable choice for German websites.
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Anna Scholz
Extension Support SpecialistAnna knows TYPO3 extensions inside out. With hands-on experience supporting both core and custom solutions, she delivers answers that are not only correct but smart. Her priority: help users get the full power of TYPO3…
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