Commenting tools to install on your blog

While there are several comment tool alternatives available on the market, if you've chosen to blog on Ghost (like this one), pretty much your only free option is the Disqus . But since it displays ads or charges $12 per month for the ad-free version, it's not my choice.

Disqus is quite complete, which is certainly a virtue. However, it may display so many features that your content takes a back seat. For instance Disqus has (1) a carousel to display your blog posts and advertising ; (2) an options box for emoji-style reactions; (3) a form to post your message; and much more. All of this is displayed before you see the comments themselves:

Disqus' leadership position is strengthened if we consider that there are few alternatives with a Portuguese interface . I imagine that the main alternative in Portuguese is the comment system of the Facebook . But I also imagine that if you're looking for an alternative to Disqus, you're most likely avoiding Facebook for the same reasons.

Although it does not have an interface in Portuguese, the Commentbox at least it's minimalist to the point that the language of the interface becomes something secondary. Plus, it's one of the few tools that offer a free plan (up to 100 reviews per month). Of course, we always think that our blog will have many comments, which is not always confirmed.

So starting with Commentbox is a smart strategy, especially if we consider that it allows you to install a free, lightweight and beautiful solution in "five minutes". None of the alternatives I tested were as easy to install.

If you prefer to keep the installation of an open source minimalist tool, the best option seems to be the Remark42 . What stands out about this alternative is that the support for translation is very prominent in its proposal . As far as I could research, it is the only open source alternative with support for sixteen languages. Unfortunately, no one has yet contributed to the Portuguese translation, but this is the closest we've come to having a commenting tool that is truly open to multiple translations.

With regard to Ghost, in recent times, an exclusive alternative for the platform, called Cove . It's a very neat solution, especially since it's integrated with Ghost. As a result, it does not require an additional login and offers the best experience I have found. But this comes at a price, which is approximately USD 10 per month. My impression is that Cove is the best solution for those who are making money with their blog and, therefore, makes a point of offering the best experience available.

Many Ghost users use the Hyvor Talk looking for a cost-effective solution, with plans starting at $5 per month. Personally I don't like the look of the app in the standard version, but it seems to be a robust option. Perhaps it is a suitable option for those looking for a more informal and fun look.

In the same price range, there is the FastComments , which has a more neutral look and support for automatic translation in seven languages:

For those considering also maintaining a forum (in addition to the comment tool itself), or Talkyard Offers a hybrid solution (comments and forum in one product) at a competitive price . The app costs just over USD 2 per month. I haven't tested Talkyard, but I was very curious, because it has a very different proposal of the competition, in addition to being open source. To get an idea of the price of a more traditional competitor, the Muut costs a minimum of USD 16 per month and offers a similar tool.

Talkyard's proposal is very honest in recognizing that You'll only need a forum the day your community no longer fits in the blog comments . Just for honesty makes you want to test the product. Another interesting aspect is that it follows the look of Discourse, which is the main tool for more robust forums. Unfortunately, it is also similar to Discourse in its use of features, as they are robust forums, and not mere commenting tools.

This ends up making hosting open source Talkyard very expensive, to the point that it is likely to become a deterrent to its adoption. In contrast, the paid plans, offered by Talkyard itself, are quite affordable and perhaps installing the service on your own server is not the cheapest option.

For a while, after considering all these options, I even used the Commento . I really like the look and performance of the tool. But its open source maintenance turned out to be costly, especially since installation requires a lot of configuration. Even the Simpler guidelines that I found still require the mastery of several prerequisites. That's why I don't see Commento as a very convenient alternative for most people.

In addition, in the open source version, you are not exempt from maintaining an email notification service. Thus, maintenance ended up being high and Today I no longer use the tool.

Despite the help provided by the community, you are likely to encounter mishaps in the installation of Commento. What I mean is that it is not enough for the application to be open source. It is also necessary that its installation does not represent a barrier, both in terms of cost and in technical terms. And what I realized is that the installation of Commento is really complex for a layman.

The alternative to installing and maintaining the app, by your own means, would be to subscribe to Commento's service, which costs $10 per month. The value is in line with what competitors charge, but for me it is still expensive:

Another unfavorable point of Commento is that it does not have a Portuguese version. The worst thing is that I really don't see a prospect that the product will be translated, because the developer has already said that this is not a priority for him. We know that there are advantages and disadvantages of using software from an independent developer. In this case, his lack of interest in Portuguese can create an insurmountable barrier for potential users.

The only thing that is certain is that as much as I feel that my search is not over, I no longer need to go back to Disqus . And that already satisfies me.