Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

CommentBox.io VS utterances

Compare CommentBox.io VS utterances and see what are their differences

CommentBox.io logo CommentBox.io

Imagine a cleaner, prettier Disqus, but without the ads, tracking, or sharing of personal data.

utterances logo utterances

A lightweight comments widget built on GitHub issues.
  • CommentBox.io Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-18
  • utterances Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-03-30

CommentBox.io features and specs

  • Ease of Integration
    CommentBox.io is known for its straightforward setup process. With just a few lines of code, you can integrate a comment section into your website, making it incredibly user-friendly for developers.
  • Customizable Design
    The platform allows for a high level of design customization, so you can match the comment section to the look and feel of your website. This enhances user experience and maintains brand consistency.
  • No Ads
    CommentBox.io is ad-free, which means you don't have to worry about intrusive advertisements disrupting the user experience or cluttering your site.
  • Privacy Focused
    It provides a privacy-friendly service, not tracking users unnecessarily, which can be a significant advantage in terms of compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR.
  • Moderation Tools
    Robust moderation tools are available, allowing you to manage and moderate comments effectively, preventing spam and ensuring a positive interaction environment.

Possible disadvantages of CommentBox.io

  • Limited Free Plan
    The free plan may have limitations in terms of features and scalability, which can be restrictive for larger sites or those needing advanced functionalities.
  • Dependency on Third-party Service
    Relying on an external service means that any downtime or issues on CommentBox.io's part can affect your site's comment functionality.
  • Feature Restrictions
    Compared to some competitors, CommentBox.io may lack certain advanced features or integrations that are important for some websites.
  • Pricing
    While there is a free version, accessing all features requires a paid plan, which might be a drawback for smaller sites with limited budgets.
  • Limited Language Support
    The platform may not support multiple languages as comprehensively as needed by sites catering to a global audience.

utterances features and specs

  • GitHub Authentication
    Utterances uses GitHub issues for comments, meaning users authenticate via GitHub. This can reduce spam and ensures that commenters have a verified identity.
  • Lightweight and Fast
    Utterances is designed to be lightweight and load quickly, benefiting site performance and user experience.
  • Markdown Support
    Since it leverages GitHub issues, users can write comments in Markdown, which many developers and technical users appreciate.
  • GitHub Integration
    Comments are managed through GitHub issues, making them easy to track, moderate, and integrate into your development workflow.
  • Open Source
    Utterances is open source, allowing developers to review the code, contribute, and customize it to their needs.

Possible disadvantages of utterances

  • Dependency on GitHub
    Comments are entirely reliant on GitHub's infrastructure, which means any downtime or issues with GitHub services can affect the commenting system.
  • Limited to GitHub Users
    Only users with GitHub accounts can comment, which may exclude or discourage participation from users who are not developers or familiar with GitHub.
  • No Anonymity
    Because commenting requires a GitHub account, users cannot comment anonymously, which might be a drawback for some communities.
  • Moderation Complexity
    Moderating comments requires managing GitHub issues, which can be cumbersome compared to dedicated comment moderation tools.
  • Feature Limitations
    Utterances is relatively simple and lacks advanced features found in other commenting systems, like rich media support, voting, or detailed analytics.

Analysis of utterances

Overall verdict

  • Utterances is generally considered a good option for integrating a commenting system.

Why this product is good

  • It is lightweight and doesn't add significant loading time to web pages.
  • Utterances uses GitHub issues to store comments, which integrates well for projects already using GitHub for version control.
  • Installation is straightforward, making it easy to implement on static sites, particularly those generated with Jekyll or Hugo.
  • The comments are stored on GitHub's infrastructure, which is reliable and robust.

Recommended for

  • Developers and bloggers already using GitHub for project hosting.
  • Technical blogs and sites generated with static site generators like Jekyll or Hugo.
  • Users who prefer a minimalistic and efficient commenting system over more feature-rich alternatives.
  • Those looking for an open-source, privacy-friendly commenting solution.

CommentBox.io videos

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utterances videos

SEMANTICS-7: Utterances, Sentences & Propositions

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to CommentBox.io and utterances)
Project Management
22 22%
78% 78
Social Networks
21 21%
79% 79
Feedback
26 26%
74% 74
Commenting Service
16 16%
84% 84

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, utterances should be more popular than CommentBox.io. It has been mentiond 51 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

CommentBox.io mentions (6)

  • Community Response Thread in Rise Course
    Could you embed a web object? Maybe use something like this: https://devilpenakut.medium.com/free-comment-widget-for-websites-and-blogs-574aca4341f (free) or this: https://commentbox.io/ (not free but fairly cheap and more control). Source: about 2 years ago
  • [Hobby Scuffles] Week of November 14, 2022
    Ooo, you even added in comment boxes, nice! It's the free Comment Box thing, right? I'm thinking of using that for my own neocities site once I get it started up. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Is there a chat or commenting option I can put on a page that doesn't require another login?
    You can use embed pages from community softwares like Discourse or Flarum or you can use HTML Commentbox or you can just build your own commenting system (it's not that hard). Another option can be Commentbox but it requires external login but only allows third-party auth and has lots of options like Twitter, FB, Google, Github etc. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Is there a way to add a comment section?
    For regular comments (and not like a guestbook/chat or something) I see a lot of people using commentbox https://commentbox.io/. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Launch HN: Typedream (YC W20) – WYSIWYG website builder
    - Not familiar with n8n.io, looks like it's similar to Zapier. We don't have any integration like this yet, but most functional components that you can add to your Typedream site (like forms, waitlist, etc) can be done using HTML embeds. For example, to add a form, you can embed an Airtable form in your Typedream site. This means that any automation supported by those tools can be used. With that said,... - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
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utterances mentions (51)

  • Add Utterances Comment System in Next.js App in App Router
    'use client'; Import { useEffect, useRef } from 'react'; Const Comments = ({ issueTerm }) => { const commentsSection = useRef(null); useEffect(() => { const script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://utteranc.es/client.js'; script.async = true; script.crossOrigin = 'anonymous'; script.setAttribute('repo', 'shade-cool/article'); script.setAttribute('issue-term',... - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
  • Converting BlogCFC blog to Eleventy
    Handling New Comments: There are excellent lightweight comment utilities available for managing comments on your eleventy blog. I personally use Utterances, but Giscus is also a great alternative. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Unleash Your Dev Blog: Write More with GitHub Issues as Your CMS
    We can use utteranc.es, a lightweight comment widget built on GitHub Issues to integrate authed comments in our blog. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Blog Comments
    Typically, a comment requires server side code and a lot of messy management. It’s a pain. These comments rely on a tool called utterances. Utterances uses GitHub’s issue tracker which was designed to track bugs, as part of that it includes extensive comment and discussion capabilities. If an issue doesn’t exist, utterances will automatically create that issue for you. It created this issue for the comments in... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • How do I use utterances on a static GitHub pages site with no custom theme?
    I've installed utterances on my GitHub repo. I've configured it and given it the appropriate permissions. At the end of setup, it provided me with an HTML script and the following instructions:. Source: over 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing CommentBox.io and utterances, you can also consider the following products

JustComments - Easy to set up, ad-free and reliable comment system

DISQUS - Disqus is a global comment system that improves discussion on websites and connects conversations across the web.

Commento - A fast, bloat-free comments system to foster discussion on your website

Cusdis - Open-source, lightweight comment system for your website

giscus - A comments system powered by GitHub Discussions. Let visitors leave comments and reactions on your website via GitHub!

Commenze - Fully customizable comment sections for any website