Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Discourse VS JustComments

Compare Discourse VS JustComments and see what are their differences

Discourse logo Discourse

Discourse is an open source discussion platform built for the next decade of the Internet.

JustComments logo JustComments

Easy to set up, ad-free and reliable comment system
  • Discourse Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-13
  • JustComments Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-22

A reliable, customizable and privacy-focused serverless comment system with no coding required. Top features:

  • Threads and reactions, login via social networks (Demo: https://just-comments.com/demo.html)
  • Spam Protection
  • Moderation
  • SEO
  • Create your own style
  • Bring own users and authentication
  • API
  • Open Source and self hosting
  • Multiple languages
  • Integration with Gravatar
  • Markdown
  • Suitable for Gatsby/Wordpress/Jekyll and others

Discourse

$ Details
paid Free Trial $100 / Monthly
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

JustComments

$ Details
paid Free Trial $5 / Monthly
Platforms
Browser REST API JavaScript
Release Date
2018 January

Discourse features and specs

  • Modern Interface
    Discourse provides a clean, intuitive, and responsive user interface that works well on both desktops and mobile devices.
  • Open Source
    Discourse is open source software, allowing for customization, self-hosting, and community contributions, which can reduce costs and increase flexibility.
  • Rich Features
    The platform includes a variety of built-in features such as threaded replies, real-time notifications, and community moderation tools.
  • Scalability
    Discourse is designed to handle small communities as well as large, active forums, making it suitable for a variety of use cases.
  • Security
    Regular updates and a dedicated security team help keep the software secure against vulnerabilities.
  • Integration and APIs
    Discourse offers extensive APIs and integrates well with various other services and plugins, facilitating seamless extensions and automation.

Possible disadvantages of Discourse

  • Resource Intensive
    Discourse can be resource-heavy, which may require significant server capacity and maintenance, especially for large communities.
  • Hosting Costs
    While you can self-host Discourse, the server and maintenance costs can be high. Managed hosting plans provided by Discourse can also be expensive.
  • Complex Setup
    Installing and configuring Discourse can be complex, particularly for those without technical expertise in server management and Ruby on Rails.
  • Learning Curve
    Users and administrators might face a steeper learning curve compared to more traditional forum software due to its modern interface and extensive features.
  • Limited Built-in Themes
    The default theme options are somewhat limited, and extensive customization requires knowledge of front-end development.
  • Dependency on PostgreSQL and Redis
    Discourse relies on PostgreSQL for its database and Redis for caching, which might complicate setup and maintenance compared to solutions that use simpler database architectures.

JustComments features and specs

  • Easy Integration
    JustComments is designed to be straightforward to integrate into websites, requiring minimal effort from developers.
  • No Tracking
    The platform emphasizes user privacy, promising not to track users or sell their data, which aligns with privacy-conscious sites.
  • Lightweight
    JustComments is lightweight, meaning it won't significantly impact page load times, which is beneficial for website performance.
  • Customizable Design
    It allows for customization of the comment section to match the website's design, maintaining aesthetic consistency.

Possible disadvantages of JustComments

  • Limited Features
    Compared to more established commenting platforms, JustComments may lack some advanced features or integrations.
  • Paid Service
    JustComments requires a subscription, which might be a downside for websites looking for a free commenting solution.
  • Smaller Community
    Being a less popular option, there might be fewer resources or community support available for troubleshooting and tips.

Discourse videos

Why We Chose The Discourse Platform For Our Forums

More videos:

  • Review - Why Discourse is the Best Forum Software Out There (No, Really) | Location Rebel
  • Review - A Grammar Review for Discourse Analysis

JustComments videos

No JustComments videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Discourse and JustComments)
Forums
100 100%
0% 0
Social Networks
72 72%
28% 28
Forums And Forum Software
Feedback
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Discourse and JustComments. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Discourse and JustComments

Discourse Reviews

20 Telegram Alternatives to Chat With in 2024
Discourse is a basic forum function that could be an alternative to Telegram if you want to stick to text discussions. It's pretty analog, missing both video and livestreaming tools. Instead, Discourse is a basic community that lets you organize discussions--it feels a bit like having your own reddit or Quora.
18 Best Discord Alternatives 2020 | Expert Reviews
Discourse comes in a couple of flavours. You can self-host it yourself in which case the software is free, and you simply need to sign up for server space, or you can pay Discourse for a hosted-for-you option, though self-hosting is a lot cheaper the premium option takes care of the technical side.
IndieHackers: Best forum software
I used Flarum when trying to get a community set up for my product (ended up abandoning it to revisit when we have a larger customer base). It worked fairly well and I enjoyed it but it's definitely beta and unless you're fairly tech savvy it's not quite worth the setup / maintenance. Lots of config changes, crashes, huge issues with plugins, and some features missing. I'd...

JustComments Reviews

We have no reviews of JustComments yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Discourse seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 23 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.

Discourse mentions (23)

View more

JustComments mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of JustComments yet. Tracking of JustComments recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Discourse and JustComments, you can also consider the following products

Flarum - Flarum is the next-generation forum software that makes online discussion fun. It's simple, fast, and free.

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

phpBB - Raspberry Pi. The Raspberry Pi is a cheap, credit-card sized computer. The official website uses phpBB for their discussion forums. phpBB is not affiliated with nor responsible for any of the sites listed on the showcase.

Hyvor Talk - The Best Commenting Platform For Your Website

Vanilla Forums - Build an engaging community forum using Vanilla's modern cloud forum software.

Thrive Comments - Thrive Comments is a comment system for Wordpress.