8 WordPress Comments Plugins To Drive User Engagement

WordPress is the most popular publishing platform in the world. While publishing might seem like a one-way activity, it is essential for publishers to connect with their readers through comments. Commenting systems help publishers with audience engagement and work as a great medium to gauge response and get feedback from their readers. WordPress has a default comments plugin. However, it lacks certain features and doesn’t allow for much in terms of integration with other website features.

Limitations of Default WordPress Commenting System

1. Lack of customization: The default commenting system is quite bare-bones, with very few customization options. This means that publishers cannot add additional features to the system, such as polls, ratings, or others that could enhance the reader experience. 
2. Limited user engagement: The default commenting system does not provide users with an easy way to interact with other users or to engage in discussions. This limits the user experience making it difficult for users to start meaningful conversations. 
3. Poor moderation: Lack of any moderation options makes it hard for publishers to easily delete or moderate comments that are inappropriate or offensive. This can result in a less-than-optimal user experience and can also lead to other users being exposed to inappropriate or offensive comments. 

Why Should You Consider Adding a WordPress Comments Plugin 

• Customization options for better reader experience 
• Social Media integration for comments
• Better spam protection and controls
• Improved comment moderation

If you felt the need for any of the above features, it's time for you to consider a comment plugin for your WordPress website. Here’s our curated list of the best comment plugins for WordPress.

1. Disqus

Disqus is a powerful WordPress comment plugin that offers powerful moderation, social media integration, and analytics. Disqus offers many features, including comment voting and moderation, content discovery, and user profile management. Comment voting allows readers to vote useful comments to the top of the thread increasing visibility and motivating other readers to comment constructively.

Since Disqus uses internally created API’s the functionality can go beyond WordPress. This plugin also allows readers to use their social media handles for commenting. It also offers users an option to create a Disqus account where they can see their previous comments. It also offers commenters to get a notification via email when someone replies to their comment. 

Disqus Key Features

• Easy integration
• User registration
• Moderation tools
• Lazy Loading
• Flexible customization
• Social media integration

Disqus Pricing

• Basic: Free for Everyone
• Plus: $11 per month 
• Pro: $105 per month 
• Business: Custom Pricing

For a basic website, Disqus offers a free plan. For more advanced websites, Disqus offers paid plans that include additional features like analytics and moderation tools.

2. Jetpack Comments 

Jetpack Comments is a free WordPress comments plugin that offers a simple interface and powerful features. It is easy to set up and integrates with WordPress features like custom post types and post formats. It allows users to easily post comments and engage with each other within your website.

Jetpack also allows you to keep all the comments and reader information in the website database. Guest login allows readers to add comments without signing up, alternatively they do have the option to use social media platforms to log in from. Jetpack is good at filtering spam and can verify without needing CAPTCHAs. 

Jetpack Comments Key features

• Threaded comments and reply notifications
• Comment moderation
• Login/signup options
• Commenter tracking
• Lazy Loading 
• Comment form customization
• Spam filtering
• Social media integration

Jetpack Pricing

Jetpack Comments is free to use. It is bundled with other features in the same plugin which can conflict with other plugins you are using. 

3. wpDiscuz

wpDiscuz is a comment system plugin for WordPress that allows users to leave comments on posts, pages, and custom post types. It features a drag-and-drop form builder, comment moderation, and real-time notifications. It also has built-in upvoting and downvoting, allowing users to rate each comment.

wpDiscuz offers a new inline question and feedback feature that allows the post author to ask readers a question in the article and seek feedback without having to make the reader scroll all the way to the comment section. This is a great way of increasing user engagement for articles. 

wpDiscuz Key Features

• Notifications
• Rating System
• Upvoting system (Symbols can be customized)
• Moderation of Comments Section
• Lazy loading
• Inline questions and feedback feature
• Social commenting

wpDiscuz Pricing

• Core Plugin : Free
• Add-ons are charged additionally. 
• Add-on Basic Bundle: $120 
• Add-on Full Bundle: $190

4. Thrive Comments

This is a WordPress plugin that helps bloggers and website owners to build and manage an engaged community around their content. It encourages readers to interact with your content by allowing them to comment, upvote, and share it with their friends. Thrive adds two comment boxes in the comment section, one at the beginning and the other at the end of the comments thread. This enables users to jump into the conversation without needing to scroll till the end. 

Thrive comments rewards readers with badges next to their name when they post comments and reply frequently. It also allows you to hand over moderation duties to a teammate. Thrive Comments was earlier bundled in a Thrive Suite but it is now also offered as an individual plugin. 

Thrive Comments Key Features

• Easy Moderation
• Customizable Email Notifications
• Threaded Conversations
• Upvoting and downvoting
• Subscription options 
• Post comment actions for user interaction
• Comments from Social Media account

Thrive Comments Pricing

Thrive Comments Plugin (standalone): $47/ year.

5. GraphComment

GraphComment is a comment platform that provides a modern commenting experience for websites. It has a Bubble Flow graphical interface allowing users to react and reply to each comment.

Its algorithm determines relevant discussions and comments and shows them at the top. Just like some of the other comment plugins on this list GraphComment also allows for social media integration for comments. designed to make commenting on websites more engaging, secure, and efficient.

GraphComment Key features

• Moderation tools
• Embeddable widgets
• Social media integration
• Automatically displays relevant discussions at the top
• Shareable discussion thread
• Upvoting and downvoting feature

GraphComment Pricing

• Basic: Free
• Starter: $7/ Month (Billed Annually)
• Pro: $74/ Month (Billed Annually)

6. Yoast Comment Hacks

Yoast Comment Hacks is from the makers of Yoast SEO, a popular SEO plugin for WordPress users. Yoast has based it on the native WordPress comments and has a few features added on top. This is also the reason for the “hacks” in the name. 

Some of the features are a default minimum comment length to prevent spam. It also emails readers a URL link to reply to their commenters. It also adds a button in the WP Toolbar to send an email to each commenter on a particular post.

Key Features of Yoast Comment Hacks

• Basic like the default WordPress Comment System
• Comment Customization Forms
• Integration
• Custom Comment Templates
• Sort comments by date or score
• Automatic spam blocking

Yoast Comment Hacks Pricing

Free 

7. Super Socializer

Super Socializer is a social media plugin that helps you easily integrate social media sharing, commenting, and login features into any WordPress website. It helps you improve user engagement and drive more traffic to your website.

Super Socializer allows you to allow comments to be approved automatically for comments made after social login. Users can log into Facebook, Disqus and Google+ to comment, these comments are separated based on the social media platform a user has logged-in from. 

Super Socializer Key Features

• Add social share buttons
• Commenting System
• Login through Social Media System
• Social Media Profile Widgets
• Follow Buttons for Social Media
• Social Auto Posting on Social Media

Super Socializer Pricing

Free

8. WpDevArt Facebook Comments

Facebook Comments enable readers to leave comments on a WordPress website using their Facebook login. This is convenient for a reader since it doesn’t require them to create a different account for posting comments. If your primary audience are Facebook users this plugin will be beneficial for you. 

This plugin also allows you to show comments posted on Facebook right on the website. The plugin is easy to set up and can work with most themes. However, readers not using Facebook don’t have an alternative means of commenting.

WpDevArt Facebook Comments Key Features

• Easy to install plugin 
• Can show Facebook Comments on WordPress
• Makes it super convenient for Facebook users to comment

WpDevArt Facebook Comments Pricing

• Basic Plan: Free
• Personal: $10
• Business: $21
• Developer: $31

Conclusion 

Comments Plugin on WordPress is an invaluable tool for creating a sense of community and engagement among users of your website. Because of its ease of use and powerful features, it can help increase user engagement, improve user experience and build reader loyalty.

The comments section on your website is a great place to encourage people to share their thoughts and ideas. That said, it is important to have a good comments plugin in place to make sure you have a great comments section.

Looking for different plugins for your website? Check out the best WordPress plugins for you blog.