Disqus was easy to set up. That was the whole appeal.
One script tag and you had comments. But over time, ads started appearing at the bottom of your blog — ads you didn't add, on a page you own.
The bigger issue is the business model. Disqus's free plan is ad-supported. Their privacy policy explicitly permits visitor data to be used for behavioral advertising and shared with third parties. Your readers came to read your writing. They're being tracked in the process.
What to use instead
Here are five alternatives worth considering.
| Tool | Type | Cost | Reader login | Data ownership | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cusdis | Hosted / Self-host | Free to self-host | Not required | ✅ | Technical solo bloggers |
| Utterances / Giscus | GitHub-based | Free | GitHub account required | ✅ | Developer blogs |
| Commento | Hosted / Self-host | Free to self-host | Not required | ✅ | Bloggers comfortable self-hosting |
| Remark42 | Self-host only | Free | Not required | ✅ | Communities needing full control |
| Joey | Hosted SaaS | Free plan available | Not required | ✅ | Newsletters, events, personal blogs |
Cusdis
Lightweight and open source. Free if you host it yourself. There's a hosted plan, but the feature set is minimal. Development has been slow, which is worth keeping in mind for the long term.
Utterances / Giscus
Comments are stored as GitHub issues or discussions. Popular with developer blogs. The catch: readers need a GitHub account to comment, which rules out most non-technical audiences.
Commento
Clean UI. Free if self-hosted via Docker. Worth considering if you're comfortable running your own server.
Remark42
The most fully featured self-hosted option. Telegram and Slack notifications, moderation tools, OAuth logins. Setup is involved — you'll need Docker and some comfort with configuration.
Joey
A hosted service with nothing to install. Readers can comment without signing up, which turns out to matter more than most tools acknowledge. You can also collect subscriber emails alongside comments. Everything exports to CSV. No ads, no visitor tracking.
Two things matter most when picking a comment tool: whether readers can comment without logging in, and whether the data is yours. Any tool that clears both bars is a better choice than Disqus.
