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The best comment systems in 2026, compared honestly.

14 comment systems for blogs, docs and publications: what each costs, who can comment and where your comments end up. We make Disfora, so we're not neutral. Every fact links to its source, and every entry says where it falls short, ours included.

Compare them ↓ How to choose ↓

Last reviewed November 2026.

Quick picks

Best all-in-one

Disfora

Comments, star ratings, polls and forms from one script, free for one site with no ads.

Read the entry ↓ Most familiar

Disqus

Many readers already have an account, and the free plan is paid for by ads.

Read the entry ↓ Best for developer docs

giscus

Free, no ads, and every comment lives in your GitHub repository.

Read the entry ↓ Best to self-host

Remark42

One Go binary, many ways to sign in, and actively maintained.

Read the entry ↓ Best for newsrooms

Coral

The deepest moderation here, open source and built for publishers.

Read the entry ↓ Best free WordPress plugin

wpDiscuz

Comments stay in your WordPress database, with voting and social sign-in.

Read the entry ↓

All 14 at a glance

Prices are each one's cheapest paid plan, as its own pricing page lists it. Scroll the table sideways for the rest.

SystemHostingFree planPaid fromWho can commentEmbedsExport
Disfora Hosted, in Germany1 site, no ads$5/mo for 3 sitesGoogle or email sign-in; guests if you turn them onIn the pageNone yet (webhooks)
Disqus HostedBasic, with required ads$12/mo (Plus, 100k pageviews)Disqus, Google, Facebook or Twitter; guests if enabledIframeXML, for backup only
Hyvor Talk HostedNone (14-day trial)€5/mo, billed yearly (1 site, 2,500 credits)Hyvor account or your own SSO; guests by defaultIn the pageJSON and WordPress XML
FastComments Hosted, EU region availableNone (30-day trial)$0.99/mo (Flex, metered); $5.99/mo for 3 sitesEmail accounts and SSO; guests and anonymousIframe (in the page for crawlers)CSV
giscus Free hosted app, or self-hostFreeFree onlyGitHub users onlyIframeYour GitHub Discussions
Remark42 Self-host (Go, one binary)Free, open source (MIT)Free onlyMany social logins, email, or anonymousIframeDaily JSON backups
Isso Self-host (Python, SQLite)Free, open source (MIT)Free onlyAnyone, no accountsIn the pageNone built in (SQLite file)
Comentario Self-host (Go, PostgreSQL or SQLite)Free, open source (MIT)Free only (hosted plan announced)Email, social logins or SSO; guests optionalIn the pageJSON
Coral Self-host (Docker, MongoDB), or hosted by Vox MediaFree to self-host (Apache 2.0)Hosting by quoteAccounts only: email, Google, Facebook or SSOIn the pagePer-reader CSV
WordPress comments Your WordPress siteFreeFreeGuests with a name and email, or WordPress accountsIn the pageWordPress export (WXR)
wpDiscuz WordPress plugin (your database)Free core plugin$120 add-ons bundle (optional)Guests, WordPress accounts or social loginsIn the pageWordPress export (WXR)
Jetpack Comments WordPress plugin (your database)Free with JetpackFreeWordPress.com accounts or guestsIn the page since 16.4 (iframe before)WordPress export (WXR)
Thrive Comments WordPress pluginNone$49 first year, then $99/yrGuests, Google or FacebookIn the pageStays in WordPress
Ghost comments Your Ghost siteFree on self-hosted GhostGhost(Pro) from $18/mo, billed yearlyMembers only (free or paid)Its own frame, on your siteNone documented

From each product's own pricing pages, docs and code repositories, linked in its entry below. Plans change; last reviewed November 2026.

Hosted services

Someone else runs the servers, keeps them patched and fights the spam. You pay, or you see ads.

Best for comments, ratings, polls and forms without ads

Disfora

Hosting
Hosted, in Germany
Free plan
1 site, no ads
Paid from
$5/mo for 3 sites
Who can comment
Google or email sign-in; guests if you turn them on
Start free

Ours, so it's listed first: judge it by the same facts as the rest. Disfora is a hosted comment system that renders in your page from one script tag, with star ratings, polls and forms from the same script. It runs on servers in Germany, with no ads or third-party trackers on any plan.

Where it's strong

  • No ads on any plan, and priced by sites rather than pageviews: free for one site, then $5 a month for three
  • An approval queue, banned keywords, bans and shadow bans on the free plan
  • Imports Disqus and Commento exports with their replies, names and dates
  • A WordPress plugin, webhooks on every plan, and one reader account that works on every Disfora site

Where it falls short

  • Hosted only and not open source, so you can't run it yourself
  • No export yet: webhooks send each new comment to your server instead
  • Readers sign in with Google or an email code only, with no single sign-on from your own accounts
  • Guest comments need your own Cloudflare Turnstile keys and always wait for approval
  • New in 2026, so it has far fewer sites and reviews than most names here

Based on Disfora pricing, data and cookies and docs.

Best for sites happy to show ads in return for free comments

Disqus

Hosting
Hosted
Free plan
Basic, with required ads
Paid from
$12/mo (Plus, 100k pageviews)
Who can comment
Disqus, Google, Facebook or Twitter; guests if enabled
Disqus compared with Disfora →

The best-known comment system, and the one readers are most likely to have an account for. The free Basic plan is paid for by ads in the comment box: Disqus requires them to be on and visible, and sites that can't show ads have to pay. Ad-free plans are priced by monthly pageviews.

Where it's strong

  • Familiar to readers, who can sign in with Disqus, Google, Facebook or Twitter
  • A real free plan, and ad-free plans from $12 a month up to 100,000 pageviews
  • Mature moderation; Pro adds automatic rules, shadow bans, timeouts and star ratings
  • Imports from WordPress and several older comment systems

Where it falls short

  • Ads are required on the free plan, and sites that don't meet its ad network's standards have to pay
  • Runs in an iframe, so it can't use your site's styles and its cookies are third-party
  • Its XML export is for backups only and may not be available for large sites
  • Single sign-on with your own accounts is only on the custom-priced Business plan

Based on plans and pricing, pricing FAQ, guest commenting, export and import.

Best for paid, ad-free comments with memberships

Hyvor Talk

Hosting
Hosted
Free plan
None (14-day trial)
Paid from
€5/mo, billed yearly (1 site, 2,500 credits)
Who can comment
Hyvor account or your own SSO; guests by default

A paid, privacy-focused hosted service that renders in your page as a web component. Plans are counted in credits, roughly one per page view that loads the comments, and add ratings, reactions, memberships and gated content.

Where it's strong

  • Renders in your page, not an iframe
  • Guest comments with just a name, on by default
  • Full JSON export, plus WordPress XML for the comments
  • Pre-moderation, automatic rules, Akismet or AI spam checks, bans and shadow bans

Where it falls short

  • No free plan, only a 14-day trial
  • The cheapest plan covers one site and 2,500 credits a month, billed yearly
  • After two months in a row over the limit, comments are switched off until the next month or an upgrade
  • No Google or social sign-in; single sign-on starts on the €40 a month Business plan. Closed source

Based on pricing, commenting, SSO, import, export and moderation.

Best for apps that need live comments and single sign-on

FastComments

Hosting
Hosted, EU region available
Free plan
None (30-day trial)
Paid from
$0.99/mo (Flex, metered); $5.99/mo for 3 sites
Who can comment
Email accounts and SSO; guests and anonymous

A hosted, real-time comment system with single sign-on on every plan and the longest list of importers here. Flex pricing is metered on page loads, stored comments, SSO users and moderators, so small sites pay very little; Creators is a fixed $5.99 a month for three sites.

Where it's strong

  • Imports Disqus, Commento, Hyvor Talk, Cusdis, WordPress, IntenseDebate and more
  • Single sign-on on every plan, and SAML on Flex and Pro
  • Live updates, a trainable spam filter, approval modes, bans and shadow bans
  • An EU data region, and an on-premises version by arrangement

Where it falls short

  • No free plan, only a 30-day trial, after which the widget hides itself
  • Runs in an iframe for visitors, so styling goes through its settings and custom CSS
  • No Google or social sign-in
  • Flex has many meters and seat fees, and Creators keeps the FastComments branding

Based on pricing, configuration, migrations, moderation and on-premises.

Free and open source

Free to use, and you can read the code. Most need a server that you look after.

Best for developer docs and blogs

giscus

Hosting
Free hosted app, or self-host
Free plan
Free
Paid from
Free only
Who can comment
GitHub users only
giscus compared with Disfora →

Turns your repository's GitHub Discussions into a comment section. It's free, has no ads and keeps every comment in your own repository, but only people with a GitHub account can comment. utterances, which it grew out of, does the same with GitHub Issues and hasn't been updated since February 2022.

Where it's strong

  • Free, with no ads or tracking, and nothing to run
  • Comments live in your own repository, readable through GitHub's API
  • Reactions, built-in themes and dozens of languages

Where it falls short

  • Only people with a GitHub account can comment, and the repository must be public
  • Runs in an iframe
  • Moderation happens on GitHub, with no approval queue
  • Development has slowed: two commits since July 2025, the latest in May 2026

Based on giscus.app, its repository and utterances' repository.

Best for self-hosting with lots of sign-in options

Remark42

Hosting
Self-host (Go, one binary)
Free plan
Free, open source (MIT)
Paid from
Free only
Who can comment
Many social logins, email, or anonymous

A self-hosted comment engine in a single Go binary with its own embedded database. It offers the widest choice of sign-in here and is actively maintained: version 1.18 came out in October 2026.

Where it's strong

  • Sign in with Google, GitHub, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Discord, Telegram or email, or comment anonymously if you allow it
  • Imports Disqus, WordPress and Commento
  • Automatic daily backups, and many sites from one server
  • Email and Telegram reply notifications

Where it falls short

  • You run, update and back up the server
  • No approval queue: moderation happens after comments are posted
  • Runs in an iframe, so it doesn't pick up your site's styles
  • An import replaces the site's existing comments

Based on remark42.com, sign-in, migration, backups and its repository.

Best for small blogs that want anonymous comments

Isso

Hosting
Self-host (Python, SQLite)
Free plan
Free, open source (MIT)
Paid from
Free only
Who can comment
Anyone, no accounts

A small self-hosted Python server that keeps comments in one SQLite file. Readers comment with an optional name and email, and no account at all. After four quiet years, version 0.14 came out in March 2026.

Where it's strong

  • The lightest option here: one small script that renders in your page
  • No reader accounts, so there's nothing to sign up for
  • Imports Disqus and WordPress
  • An optional approval queue, with approve and delete links sent by email

Where it falls short

  • No sign-in, so commenters' names aren't verified
  • A basic admin page with a single password, off by default
  • No export beyond the SQLite file itself
  • Slow releases: 0.13 in 2022, then 0.14 in 2026

Based on isso-comments.de, server configuration and release 0.14.0.

Best for self-hosters leaving Commento

Comentario

Hosting
Self-host (Go, PostgreSQL or SQLite)
Free plan
Free, open source (MIT)
Paid from
Free only (hosted plan announced)
Who can comment
Email, social logins or SSO; guests optional
What happened to Commento →

The maintained successor to Commento, forked from Commento 1.8. It imports Commento, Disqus and WordPress comments and has the most complete moderation of the self-hosted options. A hosted version is announced but not available yet.

Where it's strong

  • Rules for what waits for approval: links, images, guests, new accounts
  • Akismet and Perspective checks, roles, an audit log and webhooks
  • Sign in with email, Google, GitHub, GitLab, Facebook, X, Apple, OpenID Connect or your own SSO, or comment as a guest
  • Imports Commento exports and databases, and renders in your page

Where it falls short

  • You run it, with PostgreSQL for anything but a small site
  • No hosted option at the moment
  • A small community compared with the older projects

Based on features, cloud, migration, moderation and its repository.

Best for newsrooms with moderation teams

Coral

Hosting
Self-host (Docker, MongoDB), or hosted by Vox Media
Free plan
Free to self-host (Apache 2.0)
Paid from
Hosting by quote
Who can comment
Accounts only: email, Google, Facebook or SSO

Open-source comments from Vox Media, built for news publishers; its site quotes The Washington Post and The Intercept. It has the deepest moderation tools here and is the heaviest to run: Docker and MongoDB, or managed hosting from Vox Media at a quoted price.

Where it's strong

  • Pre-moderation, a toxicity filter that warns commenters first, Akismet and word lists
  • Holds first comments from new commenters, with several moderation queues
  • Sign-in with email, Google, Facebook, OpenID Connect or your own SSO
  • Renders in your page

Where it falls short

  • Far more than a small site needs, and MongoDB to run
  • No guest comments
  • Hosted pricing is by quote only
  • Importing from other systems needs Coral's own CSV format

Based on coralproject.net, pricing, docs and its repository.

Built into WordPress and Ghost

Options that only work on one platform, and keep comments in that site's own database.

Best for small WordPress blogs

WordPress comments

Hosting
Your WordPress site
Free plan
Free
Paid from
Free
Who can comment
Guests with a name and email, or WordPress accounts
Replace WordPress comments with Disfora →

The comments built into WordPress: free, stored in your own database and supported by every theme and plugin. There's no spam filter built in, so most sites add Akismet.

Where it's strong

  • No third party, and your comments stay in your own database
  • Settings for approval, link limits and blocked words
  • Moves with the rest of your site in a WordPress export
  • Styled by your theme

Where it falls short

  • No social sign-in or voting
  • Guests' names and emails aren't verified
  • Spam control needs Akismet or another plugin, and Akismet is paid for commercial sites

Based on discussion settings, export and Akismet pricing.

Best for WordPress sites that want more, for free

wpDiscuz

Hosting
WordPress plugin (your database)
Free plan
Free core plugin
Paid from
$120 add-ons bundle (optional)
Who can comment
Guests, WordPress accounts or social logins

The most popular free comment plugin for WordPress, with 60,000+ active installs and 4.7 stars from 581 reviews. It keeps comments in WordPress's own tables and adds voting, inline comments and social sign-in.

Where it's strong

  • Free, and your comments stay in your own database
  • Social sign-in with Google, Facebook, X, LinkedIn and more, using your own app keys
  • Voting, inline comments and posting without a page reload

Where it falls short

  • Needs prompt updates: 2026 brought a run of security fixes, several exploitable without an account (CVE-2025-13820, CVE-2026-9148, CVE-2026-19704). All are fixed in the current version
  • Each social sign-in means setting up an app with that provider
  • The premium add-ons are $120, with a yearly licence for updates

Based on plugin page, add-ons bundle, social sign-in, CVE-2025-13820, CVE-2026-9148 and CVE-2026-19704.

Best for WordPress sites already running Jetpack

Jetpack Comments

Hosting
WordPress plugin (your database)
Free plan
Free with Jetpack
Paid from
Free
Who can comment
WordPress.com accounts or guests

Jetpack's comment form, rebuilt in Jetpack 16.4 on 3 November 2026. It now renders in your theme and posts to your own site; earlier versions loaded it in an iframe from WordPress.com. Readers sign in with WordPress.com or comment as guests.

Where it's strong

  • Free, and one switch if you already run Jetpack
  • WordPress.com sign-in, comment likes and follow-up subscriptions
  • Comments stay in your WordPress database

Where it falls short

  • Needs Jetpack and a WordPress.com connection
  • Google and Facebook sign-in were removed in the rebuild
  • The new form is days old, and Akismet isn't included in Jetpack's free plan

Based on plugin page, changelog, comments changelog and pricing.

Best for marketing-led WordPress blogs

Thrive Comments

Hosting
WordPress plugin
Free plan
None
Paid from
$49 first year, then $99/yr
Who can comment
Guests, Google or Facebook

A paid WordPress plugin from Thrive Themes, built to turn commenters into subscribers: badges, voting and featured comments, plus actions after someone comments, such as a share prompt or a sign-up box.

Where it's strong

  • Badges, up and down votes and featured comments
  • Actions after a comment: redirects, share prompts and opt-in forms
  • Its own moderation dashboard, and comments stay in WordPress if you remove it

Where it falls short

  • Paid only: $49 for the first year, then $99 a year for one site
  • You set up the Google and Facebook sign-in apps yourself
  • Not on wordpress.org, so there are no public ratings, and Thrive recommends adding Akismet

Based on Thrive Comments, sign-in options and spam protection.

Best for Ghost publications whose readers are members

Ghost comments

Hosting
Your Ghost site
Free plan
Free on self-hosted Ghost
Paid from
Ghost(Pro) from $18/mo, billed yearly
Who can comment
Members only (free or paid)
Use Disfora on Ghost instead →

Comments built into Ghost, for members only: readers sign up with an email link, free or paid, before they can comment. Threads, votes and pins arrived in May 2026.

Where it's strong

  • Nothing to set up on a Ghost site
  • Ties into memberships, so comments can be a paid-member perk
  • A moderation hub with reports, hiding, pinning and bans

Where it falls short

  • No guest comments or social sign-in
  • No documented way to import comments from Disqus or WordPress, or to export them
  • Ghost(Pro) starts at $18 a month, billed yearly; self-hosting Ghost is free

Based on commenting, pricing and threads, votes and pins.

No longer an option

Older roundups still recommend these. They've shut down, and the sites that used them have empty comment sections.

Discontinued 10 February 2026

Facebook Comments

The plugin now renders as an empty element. There's no export, so old comments stay on Facebook.

What to use instead →

Offline since December 2025

Commento

commento.io stopped responding without notice. Its code hasn't changed since 2021; Comentario is the maintained fork.

What to use instead →

Deprecated July 2026

Cusdis

The repository is archived and the hosted service is down. Its owner asks users to email for their data.

What to use instead →

How to choose

Five questions settle it for most sites.

  1. 1

    Will you run a server?

    If yes, Remark42 has the most ways to sign in, Comentario the most moderation and Isso the least to maintain. If not, pick a hosted service or the comments built into your platform.

  2. 2

    Do your readers have GitHub accounts?

    On developer docs, giscus is free and keeps comments in your repository. Anywhere else it shuts most readers out.

  3. 3

    Are you on WordPress or Ghost?

    WordPress's own comments and wpDiscuz are free and keep comments in your database; keep wpDiscuz updated. Ghost's comments suit you if readers already sign up as members.

  4. 4

    Can you live with ads?

    Disqus Basic is free with ads. Without ads, the hosted services cost money, apart from Disfora's first site and giscus for GitHub users.

  5. 5

    Will you need your comments back?

    Check the export before you start. Hyvor Talk and Comentario export JSON, Remark42 takes daily backups, FastComments exports CSV, WordPress plugins use the WordPress export, and Disqus's XML is for backups only. Disfora has no export yet, only webhooks.

How we compared them

Every fact comes from the product's own pricing page, documentation or code repository, read in November 2026, and each entry links to the pages it's based on. We haven't run every one on a live site, so where a detail depends on your setup, check it before you choose.

We left out tools tied to one social network, enterprise suites that don't publish prices, and projects with no release in years.

Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll correct it, including when it's about Disfora.

It depends on who comments. On developer docs, giscus is free and keeps comments in GitHub, but readers need a GitHub account. If you'll run a server, Remark42, Isso and Comentario are free and open source. On WordPress, its built-in comments and wpDiscuz are free. Among hosted services, Disqus is free with ads, and Disfora is free for one site without them.

Every one on this page except Disqus's free Basic plan, which requires ads. Disqus's paid plans can turn them off.

An iframe is a separate page inside yours. It can't use your site's fonts and styles, so you style it only through its own settings, and its sign-in cookies count as third-party, which some browsers block. Disqus, FastComments, Remark42 and giscus load in an iframe. Disfora, Hyvor Talk, Isso, Comentario, Coral and the WordPress plugins render in your page.

Usually, if the old one has an export. A Disqus XML export is the format most of them read: Disfora, Hyvor Talk, FastComments, Remark42, Isso and Comentario all import it, and Disfora also imports Commento exports. Facebook Comments never had an export, so those comments can't be moved.

You don't have to. Every fact links to the page it came from, every entry lists where that product falls short, Disfora's included, and the date at the top says when we last checked. If something has changed, tell us through the contact page and we'll correct it.

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