Disqus

Disqus has been the default web-comment system since 2007 and remains the most-installed third-party commenting platform by a wide margin. Drop in a script tag, get a hosted comment thread with sign-in, moderation, spam filtering, threading, and reactions.

Pricing in 2026: free Basic plan covers unlimited sites with ads served on every thread; Plus at $11/mo removes ads on a single site; Pro at $105/mo annual ($115/mo monthly) unlocks advanced analytics, deeper moderation tools, and enhanced branding; Business is custom-quote enterprise with SSO and account management. For podcast sites that publish episode pages with show notes, blog posts about episodes, or transcript pages, Disqus gives listeners a place to discuss — particularly useful if your audience skews older and won't engage on Discord.

The downsides are real and well-documented: the JavaScript payload is heavy and slows mobile page loads meaningfully, the free tier's ads make your site look down-market, and Disqus has been criticized over the years for ad tracking and data sharing. Modern alternatives like Hyvor Talk and Cusdis have shipped specifically as "Disqus but lighter and more private." Disqus still wins on reach (sign-in works because users have accounts) and feature breadth, but for new podcast sites in 2026 it's worth asking whether those advantages outweigh the trade-offs.