Comment systems differ in who pays for them, who can post and what they count.
This guide ranks thirteen of them on how much of your readers' attention and your own server time the setup takes, what the bill looks like in your busiest month, whether the archive leaves with you and whether you can run it without a partner.
AuthorHannah ReiterSenior Analyst, Business Applications
Vendors can pay for visibility on this page. It never changes what an entry
says about a product, including the criticism, and we earn nothing when you click through to a
vendor. How that works.
In short
What website commenting software does
Website commenting software embeds a discussion thread under pages or articles, handles reader sign-in and moderation, and stores the comments either with a vendor or on your own server.
In this order: setup effort, what it really costs, how your data comes back out, whether
you can leave, and who each website commenting tool is built for. Why those five, and why there is no
score out of ten, is on the how we work page.
Large publishers that want comments tied to ad revenue
Personal blogs and sites that do not run advertising
Country is where the vendor is headquartered or contracts from, which is a
different question from where your data is hosted. Where the two tell different stories, the
entry says so.
Ranked #1 of 13 in Best Website Commenting Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingNorth America
The pricing page lists a plan with 100 comments a month and unlimited page views, a professional plan with unlimited comments, webhooks, Slack notifications and single sign-on, and a Moderation Plus add-on for larger comment volumes.
That puts the cost on the comment count rather than traffic. A site with a quiet archive pays little, but one busy thread can move you off the entry plan, so check the busiest month of the last year first.
What stands out
Comment-count limit
No ads
Hosted
Where it costs you
The entry plan allows only 100 comments a month, then charges an overage
Advanced moderation is an add-on billed per block of comments
Right for
Small blogs that want a hosted widget and unlimited page views
Wrong for
Sites expecting thousands of comments each month on the entry plan
United StatesFree plan to 100 comments a month; one paid plan, published
A UK-run comment embed priced by how often it loads
Ranked #2 of 13 in Best Website Commenting Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestEurope
Pricing follows monthly loads of the comment embed, and unlimited sites share the same quota. Features on all plans include spam filtering, moderation, WordPress comment syncing and custom CSS.
The company is governed by United Kingdom law and keeps personal data on servers in London. The cost is predictable only if you know how many article pages load the embed, which means reading your analytics before starting the trial.
What stands out
Pageview-based
UK servers
WordPress sync
Where it costs you
Plan prices are shown through a calculator rather than a fixed table
Going over the limit for two months leads to an upgrade request
Right for
Several small sites that want to share one pageview quota
Wrong for
Buyers who need a fixed price table before a trial
United KingdomPer monthly pageviews via a pricing calculator; 14-day trial
Privacy-minded comments and reactions from a French company
Ranked #3 of 13 in Best Website Commenting Software in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
The pricing page lists Personal, Premium, Business and Enterprise plans on monthly or annual billing, with a 14-day trial that includes every feature except the email custom domain.
Reactions, ratings, multi-language support and import tools for Disqus and WordPress are named on the product page. The site mentions no self-hosted option, and credits are the meter, so read how many credits a typical month of comments consumes.
What stands out
Credit-based
SSO on Business
Disqus import
Where it costs you
The entry plan covers one website and one moderator
Single sign-on, webhooks and the Data API are on higher tiers
Right for
Publishers moving off Disqus who want moderation tools and a trial
Wrong for
Teams that need to run the software on their own servers
FranceMonthly or annual plans on a credit allowance, published; 14-day trial
Reputation-ranked comment threads built for French and European media
Ranked #4 of 13 in Best Website Commenting Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingEurope
The pricing page lists Free, Starter, Pro and Enterprise plans with data loads of one million, one and a half million and five million on the first three, and AI moderation analyses rising from 100 to 10,000.
The terms let editors export comments and users through an export tab before a subscription ends. Hosting uses servers in Amsterdam, per the legal page, and the free plan lacks customisation and push notifications.
What stands out
Free plan
AI moderation
Data export
Where it costs you
The free plan includes only 100 AI moderation analyses a month
AI moderation only suggests actions except on the Enterprise plan
Right for
News and media sites that want community-ranked threads
Wrong for
Sites needing to run the comment server themselves
FranceFree plan; Starter and Pro plans per month, published
An open source comment server in Go with a vendor cloud
Ranked #5 of 13 in Best Website Commenting Software in 2026.
Open sourceSelf-hostablePricing on requestElsewhere
The documentation describes separate domains with their own moderation and authentication settings, several moderators, real-time statistics and rules for comment approval, plus links to outside spam detection.
Self-hosting needs a database and a network-attached server, and a Helm chart exists for Kubernetes. Cloud hosting runs on Netlify, Cloudflare and Scaleway per the privacy policy. Without published cloud prices you cannot cost the hosted option in advance.
What stands out
Open source
Self-host
Commento import
Where it costs you
The documentation consulted does not state cloud prices
Self-hosting needs a database and a server machine you maintain
Right for
Technical teams leaving Disqus or Commento who accept running a server
Wrong for
Non-technical owners who want a ready dashboard and support
Not stated by the vendorOpen source (MIT); self-host or use the vendor cloud
A small self-hosted comment server in Python, built as a Disqus replacement
Ranked #6 of 13 in Best Website Commenting Software in 2026.
Open sourceSelf-hostablePricing on requestElsewhere
Isso is described as a drop-in replacement for Disqus. Comments support Markdown, the client script is 65 KB, or 20 KB gzipped, and the backend is SQLite. You can install it from PyPI or run the Docker image.
Everything else is your job: the web server, HTTPS, backups and spam handling. The repository page names no company, so there is no vendor to put in a contract and no country to report.
What stands out
Open source
SQLite storage
Disqus import
Where it costs you
Installation needs Python 3.8 or newer and a C compiler
No hosted version is described, so uptime and backups are yours
Right for
Developers who want a tiny comment server with a single database file
Wrong for
Anyone without server skills or time to maintain a service
Not stated by the vendorOpen source (MIT); self-host it on your own server
A single-binary comment engine with many login options
Ranked #7 of 13 in Best Website Commenting Software in 2026.
Open sourceSelf-hostablePricing on requestElsewhere
The site lists nested comments, Markdown, image upload by drag and drop, voting and notifications through Telegram, Slack, email or webhooks. It runs as a Docker container or as an executable for Linux, Windows and macOS.
Data exports to JSON, which suits migration out. The project page states no hosted offering and no price, so the cost is your own server time and the privacy duties of storing your readers' comments.
What stands out
Open source
Social login
JSON export
Where it costs you
No company or paid support is named, only a GitHub project
You run and secure the server, including the data file
Right for
Self-hosters who want many login methods and easy Docker setup
Wrong for
Teams that require a vendor contract or a hosted service
Not stated by the vendorOpen source (MIT); self-host with Docker or a standalone binary
A repository with Discussions enabled and the giscus app authorised is all it needs, and the maintainers describe it as having no tracking and no ads. Comments live in your repository, so you export them by reading the Discussions.
The widget matches a page to a discussion using GitHub's search, and creates one when the first comment arrives. Moderation is whatever GitHub Discussions offers, which is thinner than a dedicated comment dashboard.
What stands out
GitHub login
No database
Open source
Where it costs you
Commenters must have a GitHub account
The repository warns features may break as GitHub changes Discussions
Right for
Developer blogs and documentation sites whose readers already use GitHub
Wrong for
Publishers whose readers do not have GitHub accounts
Not stated by the vendorFree, MIT-licensed hosted widget; self-host optional
Open source forum software that also embeds blog comments
Ranked #9 of 13 in Best Website Commenting Software in 2026.
Open sourceSelf-hostablePublished pricingElsewhere
The pricing page lists Standard, Business and Enterprise tiers, billed per coworker per month, with unlimited external members and a first-month trial. The repository states the AGPLv3 or later licence and describes blog comments similar to Disqus without ads or tracking.
Because members of the public are not billed, a large readership does not raise the price, but staff and moderators count as coworkers. The site names no country.
What stands out
Forum plus comments
AGPL licence
Per-coworker price
Where it costs you
It is a full forum, so a comments-only site gets features it will not use
The business plan carries a minimum monthly charge
Right for
Sites that want blog comments and a community forum on one login
Wrong for
Owners who only need a simple comment box under articles
Not stated by the vendorPer coworker per month, published; one-month trial; open source (AGPL) self-host option
Usage-metered comments with EU data storage as an option
Ranked #10 of 13 in Best Website Commenting Software in 2026.
Published pricingNorth America
The pricing page prices page loads, stored comments, SSO users, API credits, moderators and extra sites in separate units, and a 30-day trial needs no card. Data is replicated across continents by default, or kept in the EU at eu.fastcomments.com, with a Singapore node for the region.
Exceeding limits other than monthly comments is a hard stop, and exceeding comments prompts a call from the company. That needs checking against your peak traffic.
What stands out
Usage-based
EU data region
Spend caps
Where it costs you
Billing has many separate meters, so the total is hard to predict
No servers in China
Right for
Publishers who want to pay for actual use and cap the spend
Wrong for
Buyers who want one flat figure per year
United StatesUsage-based and published; 30-day trial
Vox Media's open source comment platform for newsrooms
Ranked #11 of 13 in Best Website Commenting Software in 2026.
Open sourceSelf-hostablePricing on requestElsewhere
The repository describes a platform that rethinks moderation, comment display and conversation, with Docker configuration and setup guides for self-hosting and active build workflows.
The homepage lists The Intercept, Fairfax Media and The Washington Post among users and links to a quote form. Vox Media is a media company first, which gives the project real publishing experience but means your support route is the vendor's sales contact, not a self-service plan.
What stands out
Open source
Newsroom focus
Quotes on request
Where it costs you
The homepage shows no prices and directs buyers to request a quote
Aimed at newsrooms, so it is heavier than a blog needs
Right for
Newsrooms that want open source moderation tools with Docker hosting
Wrong for
Individual bloggers who want a quick drop-in widget
Not stated by the vendorOpen source (Apache-2.0); vendor quotes on request
The best-known hosted comment plugin, ad-supported on its free plan
Ranked #12 of 13 in Best Website Commenting Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
The help centre lists Basic, Plus, Pro and Business tiers. Plus covers up to three sites and Pro up to twenty, each with a pageview ceiling, and Business adds single sign-on, a dedicated account manager and full branding removal.
Revenue sharing from ads needs qualification and a payout threshold, with payments 90 days after the revenue is earned. Pages we could read gave no owner or country, so we report none.
What stands out
Ad-supported tier
Four plans
Pageview limits
Where it costs you
The free Basic plan shows ads inside the comment embed
Each plan limits sites and pageviews, and ads may appear over the limit
Right for
Publishers who accept ads or pay to remove them and want the familiar widget
Wrong for
Sites that want comments with no ads on a free plan
Not stated by the vendorAd-supported free Basic plan; paid ad-free plans, published
Comment and engagement widgets sold alongside an ad platform
Ranked #13 of 13 in Best Website Commenting Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestMiddle East
The pricing page offers a revenue calculator for a site with ten million monthly pageviews and a sales email for exact pricing, plus a five-day onboarding for new publishers. The company says it has more than 600 publishers across 75 markets.
Offices are listed in Dubai, London, New Delhi and California. A WordPress plugin exists on wordpress.org. Treat it as an advertising supplier first and judge the comment features on that basis.
What stands out
Revenue share
Ad platform
Publisher-only
Where it costs you
No plans or prices are shown, only a revenue calculator and a sales contact
The widgets arrive bundled with an ad platform
Right for
Large publishers that want comments tied to ad revenue
Wrong for
Personal blogs and sites that do not run advertising
United Arab EmiratesRevenue share with publishers; pricing on request
Website commenting software embeds a discussion thread under pages or articles, handles reader sign-in and moderation, and stores the comments either with a vendor or on your own server. The differences that matter are rarely in the feature list, so this is
the order we would work through them.
01
Decide whether you need a published price
7 of the 13 tools here publish what they cost; the other 6 quote per organisation. The ones you can compare without a sales call: CommentBox.io, HYVOR Talk, GraphComment, Giscus, Talkyard, FastComments, Disqus.
02
Decide how much the jurisdiction matters
These 13 vendors are established in 5 countries across 4 regions (Elsewhere 7, Europe 3, North America 2, Middle East 1). That decides whose disclosure law applies to what the vendor holds, wherever the servers are.
03
Consider whether you want the source
6 of these are open source: Comentario, Isso, Remark42, Giscus, Talkyard, Coral. Hosting one yourself trades a subscription for maintenance.
Who pays for the comment box: you, your readers or an ad network
A comment system is cheap to run, so the real question is who funds it. Disqus keeps its free Basic plan running with ads inside the embed, and its help centre tells sites that cannot run ads to move to Plus, Pro or Business. Vuukle goes further: it sells widgets alongside an ad platform and pays publishers a revenue share rather than quoting a plan price.
CommentBox.io and Giscus both say they run no ads and no tracking. Isso and Remark42 cost only the server you put them on. None of these models is wrong, but a free widget that serves ads is a decision about your readers, so make it deliberately before installing anything.
Check whether the free tier serves ads inside the embed.
Ask what a revenue share takes from your own ad income.
Add your server and maintenance hours to any open source option.
What a commenter has to sign in with
The login wall decides who comments. Giscus requires a GitHub account, which suits a programming blog and excludes readers of almost anything else. Remark42 accepts Google, Facebook, GitHub, Telegram and other logins, plus email and anonymous access. Comentario supports anonymous comments, registration, social login and single sign-on.
HYVOR Talk puts single sign-on on higher plans, so a publisher with an existing reader login pays more to reuse it. Pick the login that matches your readers, then verify the tier that includes it. A site whose readers do not have accounts anywhere will lose most of its comments to a mandatory sign-in, and moderators then spend their time on the few commenters who do manage to log in.
Test the sign-in flow as a reader with no developer accounts.
Find which plan unlocks single sign-on before you commit.
Check whether anonymous comments are allowed and how they are moderated.
What the meter counts: loads, comments or credits
These products bill different quantities, so the cheapest one for a quiet blog may be the dearest for a busy one. ReplyBox counts loads of the comment embed and ignores pages that never show it. CommentBox.io caps comments on its entry plan at 100 a month. FastComments meters page loads, stored comments, moderators and SSO users separately. GraphComment limits data loads and AI moderation analyses.
HYVOR Talk plans run on credits. Read your last twelve months of analytics and comment counts first, then price the busiest month rather than the average one, since a single viral post is what pushes a plan over its ceiling. Moderator seats are a second meter on FastComments, so a team with several editors should add them before comparing totals.
Pull page loads and comment counts for your busiest month.
Ask what happens at the limit: a block, an overage or a call.
Add moderator seats to the price where they are billed separately.
Moving the archive in, and out again
Years of comments are the part you cannot rebuy, so test the import and the export before choosing. Isso imports from Disqus and WordPress. Comentario migrates from Disqus, WordPress and Commento. HYVOR Talk names import tools for Disqus and WordPress on its product page. Remark42 exports to JSON with automatic backups, and GraphComment lets editors recover comments and users through an export tab before a subscription ends.
Giscus stores its comments in GitHub Discussions, so they stay in your repository, and anyone leaving the system would still need a script to turn those discussions back into a comment export. The vendor pages we read do not describe every export, so ask for a sample file during a trial rather than trusting a feature list. A format you cannot open elsewhere is a form of lock-in, whatever the vendor says about data ownership.
Request a sample export during the trial and open it.
Check that user accounts, not only comment text, come out.
Confirm the import keeps threading and original timestamps.
What goes wrong most often when buying website commenting software
Picking a free ad-supported widget and discovering later that the ads sit inside the discussion your readers see.
Pricing a comment system from a quiet month and then hitting a comment or pageview limit during one popular article.
Choosing a GitHub-based comment box for a readership that has no GitHub accounts, so almost nobody can post.
Self-hosting a comment server without planning for patches, backups and spam, then losing the archive to a failed disk.
07
Frequently asked questions
8 answers
What is the best website commenting software in 2026?
CommentBox.io leads our ranking of 13. CommentBox.io is run by Forward Motion Technologies, LLC and sells comments as a plain hosted widget with no ads and no tracking, by its own account.
Page views are unlimited on every plan. The meter is comments: the entry plan stops at 100 a month with an overage charge, and heavier moderation, such as shadow-banning and thread locking, is a separate paid add-on.
Which website commenting tools publish their pricing?
7 of the 13, with the pricing model each one publishes:
CommentBox.io: Free plan to 100 comments a month; one paid plan, published.
HYVOR Talk: Monthly or annual plans on a credit allowance, published; 14-day trial.
GraphComment: Free plan; Starter and Pro plans per month, published.
Which website commenting tools can you host yourself?
Comentario, Isso, Remark42, Giscus, Talkyard, Coral. The other 7 are hosted by the vendor only.
What should you use instead of CommentBox.io?
ReplyBox and HYVOR Talk are the next two on this page. ReplyBox is for Several small sites that want to share one pageview quota; HYVOR Talk is for Publishers moving off Disqus who want moderation tools and a trial.
Who should not buy CommentBox.io?
Sites expecting thousands of comments each month on the entry plan. The entry plan allows only 100 comments a month, then charges an overage.
If your website commenting software product belongs among these 13, tell us what it does and who it is for. Inclusion is an editorial call; what a listing is and is not is set out under software advice.
