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HTML Comment Box VS giscus

Compare HTML Comment Box VS giscus and see what are their differences

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HTML Comment Box logo HTML Comment Box

HTML Comment Box widget for your website. Copy the HTML code and it just works!

giscus logo giscus

A comments system powered by GitHub Discussions. Let visitors leave comments and reactions on your website via GitHub!
  • HTML Comment Box Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-12-07
  • giscus Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-22

HTML Comment Box features and specs

  • Ease of Implementation
    HTML Comment Box can be easily integrated into any website by simply copying and pasting the provided code snippet. This makes it accessible for users who might not have advanced coding skills.
  • Cross-Device Compatibility
    The comment box works across various devices and browsers, ensuring that users can leave comments regardless of the platform they are using, enhancing the accessibility and reach of the discussion feature.
  • Customization Options
    HTML Comment Box provides basic customization options that allow users to match the comment section with the look and feel of their website, which can help maintain a cohesive design.
  • No Registration Required
    Visitors can leave comments without needing to register, lowering the barrier to engagement and potentially increasing the number of comments.
  • Simple Moderation Tools
    The service includes basic moderation tools that allow website administrators to delete unwanted comments, helping maintain the quality and relevance of discussions.

Possible disadvantages of HTML Comment Box

  • Limited Features
    Compared to more robust commenting systems, HTML Comment Box offers fewer features, which may not meet the needs of websites looking for advanced functionalities like rich text editing or social media integration.
  • Ads in Free Version
    The free version of HTML Comment Box displays ads, which could detract from the user experience and affect the aesthetic of the website.
  • No Account Management
    There is no account system for users, meaning commenters cannot edit or delete their comments after posting, which could be a disadvantage for user experience.
  • Potential for Spam
    The lack of an advanced spam filter can result in an increased volume of spam comments, requiring additional moderation efforts from website administrators.
  • Data Ownership
    As a third-party service, HTML Comment Box entails some loss of control over comment data, which is stored off-site, raising potential privacy and data sovereignty concerns.

giscus features and specs

  • GitHub Integration
    Giscus leverages GitHub Discussions for comment management, which means that it inherits all the collaborative features and ecosystem integration of GitHub.
  • Privacy-Focused
    Since it uses GitHub for comments, Giscus does not track users or show ads, making it a more privacy-friendly alternative to other commenting systems.
  • Open Source
    Giscus is open-source, allowing developers to inspect the code, contribute to its development, and ensure that there are no hidden functionalities.
  • Easy Integration
    Adding Giscus to a website is straightforward and well-documented, requiring minimal effort to get up and running.
  • Markdown Support
    Comments in Giscus support Markdown, which allows users to format their messages easily and include features like code snippets.

Possible disadvantages of giscus

  • GitHub Account Requirement
    Users need a GitHub account to participate in discussions, which might limit engagement from non-developer audiences or those unwilling to create an account.
  • Dependency on GitHub
    The system is heavily dependent on the availability and reliability of GitHub's services, making it vulnerable to outages or changes in GitHub's API.
  • Potential Complexity
    The need to manage comments through GitHub Discussions might introduce complexity for users who are unfamiliar with GitHub's interface.
  • Limited Customization
    Customization options for the appearance and behavior of the comment section are less extensive compared to some other commenting platforms.
  • No Anonymous Comments
    The requirement for a GitHub account means that anonymous commenting is not an option, which might deter some users from participating.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to HTML Comment Box and giscus)

HTML Comment Box

giscus

Project Management
29 29%
Project Management
71% 71
Social Networks
26 26%
Social Networks
74% 74
Feedback
35 35%
Feedback
65% 65
Commenting Service
33 33%
Commenting Service
67% 67

User comments

Share your experience with using HTML Comment Box and giscus. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, giscus should be more popular than HTML Comment Box. It has been mentiond 30 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.

HTML Comment Box mentions (4)

  • Comment system?
    Guestbooks work, but if you want it integrated into your site I suggest cbox or html comment box. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Building a custom online chat
    I have always wanted my own Instant Messager/Message Board. And I figure, with my new server I built, easy peasy right? Well no. Turns out I have 0 idea what I'm doing. I want anyone on the LAN to be able to pop a message to the whole board. It doesnt have to be great, just split bubbles of text and the ability to send messages, with a username if we really want to be fancy. No accounts or anything needed, like... Source: about 2 years ago
  • ive been thinking about adding a comment feature to my blog section, service recommendations?
    Https://htmlcommentbox.com/ has a good free plan. You can style it with css, it has a comment section per page, is moderateable, and lets you sign in to appear as a mod. Source: about 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: almost 3 years ago

giscus mentions (30)

  • Rewriting my blog in plain HTML
    3) No commenting feature, luckily I found your post here on HN. But it would be better to have comment blocks, like from https://giscus.app/ or just a link where readers can comment. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Ask HN: Best self-hosted wiki for local communities?
    If you're a developer, you might start by using a static site generator and GitHub Pages. Stick to Markdown and start collecting and writing stuff. Sooner or later you'll get comments and regular readers. Then you might start to add editing or simply give other people access to GitHub. The editing experience of Markdown files in GitHub is not too bad and you get started in no time. From my experience it's more... - Source: Hacker News / 4 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
  • A blog post is a long and complex search query to find people
    You might want to look into using giscus[1] for a commenting system on your blog. All it needs is a public GH repository to host the discussions, after which you simply embed a script into each blog post, and visitors will be able to leave a comment using their GH account. [1] https://giscus.app. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • What has your personal website/blog done for you?
    I first used basic google analytics but found it too invasive/heavy so I switched over to https://www.goatcounter.com/. For comments, most solutions were also too heavy, paid or had ads, but I finally found https://giscus.app/. So while I did add these 2 features, I'm happy with those variants that I managed to find. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing HTML Comment Box and giscus, you can also consider the following products

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

utterances - A lightweight comments widget built on GitHub issues.

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

IntenseDebate - IntenseDebate's comment system enhances and encourages conversation on your blog or website.

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

HashOver - HashOver is a PHP comment system intended as a replacement for services like Disqus.

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