So if you need to prevent bot abuse, but also don't want an ugly captcha every time someone goes to sign up, is there a better option?
Use proof-of-work captchas, many are private by default. Look into Private Captcha or Cap captcha.
The tool "Anubis" uses proof of work instead
Use proof-of-work captchas, many are private by default. Look into Private Captcha or Cap captcha.