Disqus Comment System vs Vanilla Forums
Compare WordPress plugins and tools side by side. Pick products with “Compare” in the software directory.
| Feature | Disqus Comment System v3.1.6 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 2.7/5 Visit Details | Vanilla Forums v1.3.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free · ★ 2.8/5 Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 30,000+ | 100+ |
| Last updated | October 22, 2026 | July 3, 2020 |
| Editions | Disqus for WordPress · Disqus paid plan (ad-free) ($) | Vanilla Forums |
| Pros | Hosted commenting with threads and comment counts; Optional single sign-on for commenters; Comments sync through the Disqus API | Embeds the forum or replaces blog comments with forum threads; Forum widgets for discussions, activity and active users; Single sign-on through jsConnect |
| Cons | Comments and commenter data are stored on Disqus servers; Free Disqus accounts can show ads in the comment section | Needs a Vanilla forum, hosted or self-hosted, to connect to; Last tested with WordPress 5.3 per the readme; Replaces native comments once a forum URL is set |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | 1 |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Disqus comment thread in posts, Comment counts on archive pages, Single sign-on for commenters, Manage Disqus webhooks from WordPress | Embed the Vanilla forum inside a WordPress page, Replace native blog comments with Vanilla threads, Discussion, activity and active-user widgets, Single sign-on with jsConnect, Choose forum category for embedded content and widgets |
| Integrations | ||
| Other | Disqus hosted comments | Vanilla Forums |
| Requires WordPress | 4.4 | 3 |
| Requires PHP | 5.6 | — |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | 5.3 |
| Phones home | No | No |
| External services | disqus.com | — |