Cut CAPTCHA Fatigue & Boost Conversions with Device Check

The constant battle between cybersecurity and automated threats has led to the widespread use of CAPTCHA challenges. Although widely used to block malicious bots, CAPTCHA challenges are increasingly ineffective—sophisticated bots can often bypass them—while still frustrating legitimate users and introducing friction that can hurt conversion rates. Recognizing this challenge, DataDome has enhanced Device Check—a silent verification process that runs directly on the user’s device without any needed interaction by the user. 

By identifying automation frameworks, spoofed environments, and programmatic access attempts, Device Check acts like a CAPTCHA without interrupting the user journey. With these enhancements, it’s now even smarter at distinguishing between bad bots and real users—significantly reducing unnecessary CAPTCHA prompts while maintaining industry-leading bot protection.

The problem with CAPTCHA overuse

CAPTCHA has long been a double-edged sword. While intended to block bots, it often frustrates legitimate users, leading to friction in the user experience and potential lost revenue. Studies have shown that CAPTCHAs can reduce conversion rates by up to 40% when customers encounter them. On average, DataDome only presents its CAPTCHA to 1 in 10,000 human requests, ensuring that friction is kept to an absolute minimum while security remains strong.

On one hand, CAPTCHAs serve as one layer of defense against bot-driven fraud. On the other hand, it often presents usability issues:

• Increased user friction: Complex CAPTCHA challenges frustrate customers, potentially driving them away from completing transactions or interactions. DataDome’s CAPTCHA is always easy to solve, taking most users only 2.2 seconds. 
• False positives: Other CAPTCHAs can mistakenly challenge legitimate users, damaging the user experience and conversion rates.
• Accessibility concerns: Many CAPTCHA methods are difficult for users with disabilities to navigate, further limiting inclusivity. DataDome’s CAPTCHA is WCAG 2.2 compliant and available in over 100 languages. 
• Sophisticated bots: Modern AI-driven bots are increasingly capable of solving CAPTCHA challenges, reducing their effectiveness.

With these challenges in mind, DataDome’s Device Check enhancements offer a breakthrough approach, minimizing CAPTCHA reliance while preserving robust security.

How Device Check reduces CAPTCHA reliance & works smarter

By leveraging advanced risk signals, Device Check has helped organizations significantly reduce CAPTCHA prompts, with one customer, an online marketplace comparing prices across brands, seeing an 83% reduction. This improvement minimizes false positives by ensuring that only high-risk interactions are challenged, providing a seamless experience for legitimate users.

Device Check works by evaluating multiple factors to assess user legitimacy before triggering a CAPTCHA challenge:

• Device fingerprinting: Analyzes device characteristics and history to identify anomalous patterns indicative of automated threats.
• Behavioral analysis: Assesses mouse movements, typing speed, and other human-like behaviors to differentiate between bots and real users.
• Real-time threat intelligence: Leverages insights from DataDome’s global security network to identify and respond to emerging bot tactics.
• Adaptive challenge mechanism: Only high-risk interactions are flagged for CAPTCHA, ensuring a frictionless experience for legitimate users.

Addressing key industry concerns

Will CAPTCHA still be used in some cases?

Yes. While Device Check significantly reduces CAPTCHA reliance, some high-risk edge cases will still trigger visible challenges. These include:

• Highly suspicious traffic patterns
• Devices with a history of fraudulent behavior
• Anomalous access attempts based on suspicious behavioral patterns

However, the overall CAPTCHA burden on legitimate users is dramatically reduced.

What impact does this have on site performance and conversions?

Reducing CAPTCHA prompts ensures a smoother user journey, helping to improve engagement and conversion rates. Importantly, no measurable impact on threat detection has been observed, meaning security remains uncompromised.

What does this mean for security teams?

Security teams can now achieve enhanced protection with less friction. With Device Check running in the background, teams can have peace of mind that bad requests are being blocked before ever reaching your site, and it’s not inundating customers with unnecessary verifications in the process. 

The future of frictionless security

The evolution of bot mitigation and cyberfraud protection requires a balance between strong security and seamless user experience. With the latest enhancements to Device Check, DataDome reaffirms its commitment to providing smarter security with smoother access.

By dramatically reducing CAPTCHA reliance and improving detection accuracy, businesses can offer their users a secure, frustration-free experience—keeping both fraudsters and friction at bay.

Interested in learning more? Request a demo to see how Device Check works to safeguard your digital ecosystem while optimizing user experience.