Facebook Comments vs. Disqus vs. WordPress Comments – How to Choose?
As a website owner or administrator who works with WordPress, you know that what you get after a clean installation is only the starting point for the website. And just like you can change what people see when they visit your website by using, for example, a premium WordPress theme, you can just as quickly change the way people interact with your website via comments.
But even though changing the default WordPress comment system is usually only a bit more complex than installing a plugin, the whole process leading to the change might be more complicated. For one, you must navigate the “Disqus vs. Facebook comments” dilemma when choosing between the two foremost commenting systems.
But you also have to justify moving away from the native comment system in the first place. And if the three-way battle between commenting systems looks more like a Mexican standoff in your case, you’re precisely where you need to be.
In this article, we’ll help you figure it out using the tried and tested method of pros and cons lists. You’ll see:
WordPress’ native comments system comes ready with every WordPress installation. You don’t have to enable a third-party plugin or create an account on a third-party service to get started with it. The system is easy and intuitive to use. It’s great for mobile viewing because it’s responsive, and you have easy access to moderation options in your website’s backend.
Additional reasons to consider using the native WordPress comments system include:
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Good loading speeds because the comments are saved locally.
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You get additional content that’s indexed by search engines.
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It comes with a built-in checkbox for data storage opt-in, helping with GDPR compliance.
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You can further customize it with a variety of plugins.
Even though the native WordPress comments system has plenty going for it, there are a couple of things that can quickly turn users away from it. The major problem with the system is that it’s so vanilla — it lacks any defining features. It lacks most of the basic ones, too.
Some of the issues you might encounter when using native WordPress comments include:
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Lots and lots of spam comments, almost as if you’ve turned on a spam magnet.
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Comment moderation can eat up a lot of your time.
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You’ll have to use plugins for any feature you want to add to it.
The more features you want your comments to have, to more plugins you’ll have to install. At some point, you might as well consider ditching them altogether and installing one of the competitors.
You should consider using the native WordPress comments system if:
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You’re happy with an elementary set of features.
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You don’t want a comment system that eats up resources.
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You don’t mind other plugins eating your resources.
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You want a fast-loading comments section for SEO performance.
Are you ready to step into an app developer’s shoes so that you can enable Facebook comments on your WordPress website? You’ll have to, but don’t worry — it’s much easier than it sounds. You’ll have to create a Facebook app on the Facebook developers’ website. Then, you’ll need to either add the app ID into your website’s code, use Elementor Pro, or install it with a third-party plugin.
Why do it? Because Facebook comments might:
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Weed out the spammers for you.
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Make commenting more convenient because people are always logged into Facebook.
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Boost your comments reach with tagging in comments.
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Provide you with all the analytics you need to keep track of your comments.
It’s not all good news, though. Using Facebook comments on your website will turn off the people who don’t use Facebook from commenting. Plus, installing the plugin might not be a hassle, but it’s a step you might want to do without.
A couple of other reasons why Facebook comments might not be the right choice for you include:
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Facebook comments have their own, pretty much fixed style, which may clash with your website’s design.
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People can’t log in with their Google account.
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There’s no syncing with WordPress.
You get a mixed bag with Facebook — some of it is excellent, like access to analytics and shareability. But then again, it’s not the most inclusive commenting systems in the world.
You should consider using Facebook comments for your WordPress website if:
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You have an audience of Facebook users.
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You want to increase the reach of your content with Facebook.
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You want access to commenting analytics.
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You won’t miss comment syncing with native WordPress comments.
If you want more than you can get with either the native comments or the Facebook ones, Disqus is a natural choice. Chock-full of features, Disqus brings a good-looking comments section to any platform, not just WordPress. You must create an account with the service, though, but you can do it for free until you decide to commit to a paid plan. You’ll also find that adding Disqus to WordPress isn’t too difficult.
Here are some of the reasons you’ll want to consider using Disqus:
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It works wonders against spam comments, no plugins needed.
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It syncs with WordPress comments, so you’ll have everything backed up.
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It supports the most common types of social accounts for logging in.
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It provides live, rich-media-supporting comments.
That’s without going into the excellent moderation panel and potential monetization possibilities — Disqus is a system that just keeps on giving. But it comes at a cost.
There are some critical “cons” you should know when considering Disqus, including:
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You cannot disable ads with the free version.
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It can be resource-intensive at times.
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You might need a third-party plugin to speed it up.
All those great features are bound to cause some drain on your resource pool. It just so happens that they’ll cost you server resources as well as money, both of which can be perfectly fine for some websites and unacceptable for others. As for the ads, the “sponsored links” you see all around the web will appear on your website in the free version, but you’ll get some choice regarding their placement.
You should consider using Disqus on your WordPress website if:
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You want a feature-rich comments system.
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You don’t mind paying for it or if you’re okay with it being supported by ads.
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You can live with slightly slower loading speed.
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You want to use the comments section as real estate for advertising.
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Let’s Sum It Up!
There’s no such thing as a perfect WordPress commenting system that can do it all while having a minimal impact on your resources. None of them would be a complete disaster, either. They’re only better suited to different purposes.
Your choice might come down to a Disqus vs. Facebook comments competition. Or you might decide to give the native comments a chance in the ring, too. But remember that between the lightweight native system, the socially-savvy Facebook comments, and the heavyweight Disqus with its features, you’re bound to find a system that’s just right for your website and your budget.
