Installation and upgrades
Install Free. Add Pro when you need it.
Free is the base plugin. Pro is a separate add-on: install it alongside Free and keep both active.
In version 1.21.0 and later, open Gate House directly in the WordPress sidebar, then choose the tab named in this guide. Version 1.20.1 and earlier use Settings → Gate House.
Install Gate House Free
Find Free in WordPress
Open Plugins → Add Plugin and search for Gate House – Spam Protection & CAPTCHA. Check that the author is Gate House, then choose Install Now and Activate.
Alternatively, select Download on the WordPress.org listing. Keep the ZIP compressed, open Plugins → Add Plugin → Upload Plugin, choose that Free ZIP, select Install Now, then Activate Plugin.
Open the Free dashboard
Select Gate House in the WordPress sidebar. Free provides Overview, Coverage, Provider, Protection and Diagnostics tabs. Free has no License tab and does not ask for a Gate House key.
Choose and test form checks
Built-in keyless checks work without provider keys. For external human checks, choose Turnstile, reCAPTCHA or hCaptcha on Provider, save your own keys and pass the connection test. On Protection, choose Off, Invisible or Human check for supported forms, then select Save protection choices.
Test successful and rejected submissions while keeping an administrator session open. Checkout checks are optional: test complete sandbox payment journeys before using those settings in production. Read the provider setup guide and check supported forms.
Free includes coverage, its provider connection test and aggregate blocked-attempt totals. Detailed Activity, configurable attempt limits, account cleanup and the full Protection Test are Pro features.
Upgrade from Free to Pro
Pro adds controls to the Free dashboard. Keep Free installed and active; upload Pro as a separate plugin. The Pro ZIP does not replace the Free ZIP.
Check your Free version
Open Plugins → Installed Plugins and update Gate House – Spam Protection & CAPTCHA through WordPress. Use compatible current Free and Pro releases together. The current Pro release requires a Gate House base version of 1.20.0 or later.
Download the Pro add-on
If you do not already have a Pro license, choose a Pro plan first. Existing founding and lifetime customers can use their current license.
Sign in to your Gate House account with the email associated with your license. Select Download Pro add-on and keep the ZIP compressed. Copy your license key for the next steps. The separate Download complete edition button is for older complete-edition installations.
If your account does not offer a compatible Pro download, contact support before installing an older add-on. Eligible downloads depend on your license term; an expired license may provide an earlier release rather than the latest one.
Install Pro alongside Free
Open Plugins → Add Plugin → Upload Plugin, choose the gate-house-pro ZIP and select Install Now. When installation finishes, choose Activate Plugin. Do not deactivate or delete Free.
Confirm both plugins are active
The Installed Plugins list should show Gate House – Spam Protection & CAPTCHA and Gate House Pro as active. Select Gate House in the WordPress sidebar: Pro adds tabs such as Rules, Activity and License. If a compatibility notice appears, update the required base or add-on before continuing.
Activate your license for updates and support
Open Gate House → License. Enter your key in License key and choose Activate license. Confirm that License status shows Active. If the screen says the key is set in server configuration, ask your site administrator to manage it there.
A license enables automatic Pro updates and email support. Local protection features work without one. If activation fails, read the message on the License tab; the installed local protection is not disabled by that failure.
Review settings and test the upgrade
Check your existing form choices and provider settings, then review the additional controls on Rules. Use Observe mode for advanced abuse rules while reviewing their results in Pro’s detailed Activity. Test real login, registration and other visitor journeys, plus sandbox checkout if used. The provider connection test and Pro’s Protection Test do not replace those end-to-end checks.
Compare every Free and Pro feature, or continue to choose your protection settings.
Updates, licenses and optional Cloud
- Free: updates come through WordPress.org without a Gate House account or license.
- Pro: automatic updates and email support require an active license. Installed local protection continues if the license expires. Current and lifetime licenses can access the latest eligible Pro download; a nonrevoked expired license can download the newest release published before its expiry.
- Cloud: reporting and management are optional, require an active license and need your explicit opt-in. Activating Pro or its license does not enable sharing or management automatically.
For a manual update, upload the new ZIP for the same installed plugin and choose Replace current with uploaded. Update Free with its Free ZIP and Pro with its Pro ZIP. Do not uninstall first: deletion can remove shared data if the removal setting is enabled. Adding Pro for the first time is a separate installation, as described above.
Migrate the older complete edition
This section applies to the complete paid package installed in unified-site-protection. You can continue using that complete edition and its existing update channel. To move its advanced protection to Free plus Pro, use the explicit switch below; installing Free alone would omit those advanced features.
Back up and update the complete edition
Back up the database and plugin files. From your account, use Download complete edition to get a compatible current release, at least version 1.20.0. Upload that complete-edition ZIP over the existing complete plugin and choose Replace current with uploaded. Keep the complete edition active throughout the preparation.
Turn off data deletion
In the updated complete edition, open Gate House → Rules. Expand Advanced: visitor IP addresses, activity history and removal. Under Removing Gate House, clear Delete Gate House settings, keys and activity when the plugin is deleted, then select Save changes.
Install compatible standalone Pro
Select Download Pro add-on in your account, upload it as a separate plugin and activate it. Use the compatible current Pro version; the switch requires standalone Pro 1.20.0 or later. Keep both the complete edition and Pro active.
Install and activate the new Free base
Install Gate House – Spam Protection & CAPTCHA from WordPress.org as described above, keeping the complete edition and Pro active. The new Free installation waits while the earlier complete edition continues providing protection. This is a temporary migration state.
Make the explicit switch
Open Plugins → Installed Plugins. In the new Gate House – Spam Protection & CAPTCHA row, choose Switch to this installation. The plugin checks compatibility and the data-deletion setting, then deactivates the earlier complete edition. If it reports a problem, resolve that specific notice and retry the switch; keep the earlier installation active in the meantime.
Verify the new pair and keep the old folder
Confirm Free and standalone Pro are active and the complete edition is inactive. Review settings, provider keys, license status, existing restrictions and real visitor journeys. Retain the inactive earlier folder; do not uninstall it as part of migration. Earlier shared data is copied forward where needed, with originals retained for rollback; Pro-only licensing records keep their existing storage.
Earlier Free candidates installed as gate-house or gatehouse-spam-protection-captcha also use the new plugin row’s Switch to this installation action. Keep the earlier base active until switching, turn off data deletion first, and install compatible standalone Pro before the switch if the site uses Pro. If more than one earlier base is active, keep the one currently providing protection active and deactivate the other earlier base as the notice directs.
Staging, local sites and multisite
Free needs no license activation. Each Pro license allows up to five qualifying staging or local activations in addition to its production-site allowance.
What qualifies as a test site?
The WordPress environment must be marked staging, development or local, and use a recognized testing address such as staging.example.com, example.local or a supported host’s staging domain. Both conditions are required; a normal public hostname still counts toward the production allowance.
Ask your host to check the environment setting, or contact us if you’re unsure.
Can I activate Gate House across a multisite network?
No. Activate Gate House separately on each site; network activation and network-wide migration are not supported. Pro account cleanup is available only on single-site installations.
Older complete-edition screenshots
These reference images show the older complete edition, including the version 1.2.1 plugin row. They do not show the current two-plugin Free plus Pro installation. Follow the edition-specific steps above for current setup.
