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Comments, community and blogging guides for site owners

50 free guides from CommentCamp, the $0 comment system and community spaces for independent sites: comment systems compared, how to stop comment spam, community platforms with real prices and how to start a blog, updated October 2026.

01 Pick a topic

0215 guides

Comment systems

Comment systems compared, from Disqus alternatives to static-site comments, and how to add comments to any website.

  1. Start hereThe best free comment systems for websites in 2026Compare 10 free comment systems for websites in 2026, from CommentCamp and WordPress comments to giscus and Disqus: free plan limits, ads, logins and prices.
  2. Disqus alternatives: 10 comment systems without adsCompare 10 Disqus alternatives without ads in 2026, from free CommentCamp to Hyvor Talk, on price, free plans and Disqus import, then move your comments.
  3. What is Disqus? Pricing, ads and privacy explainedWhat Disqus is, what Basic, Plus and Pro cost in 2026, how ads and data sharing work, why it won't load, and CommentCamp, a free alternative with no ads.
  4. Hyvor Talk alternatives and pricing comparedHyvor Talk costs from EUR 5/month billed yearly, with no free plan. Compare 9 alternatives, from free CommentCamp to FastComments, and see how credits work.
  5. Facebook comments plugin is gone: what to use insteadMeta retired the Facebook Comments plugin on February 10, 2026. What happened to old comments, and 7 replacements like CommentCamp for WordPress and HTML sites.
  6. Comments for static sites: CommentCamp, giscus and moreCompare CommentCamp, giscus, utterances, Isso, Remark42, Comentario, Staticman and webmentions for Hugo, Jekyll, Astro, Next.js and Eleventy sites.
  7. How to add a comment section to any websiteAdd a comment section to any website in 3 ways: a hosted embed like free CommentCamp, your CMS's built-in comments, or open source self-hosted from $4/month.
  8. Comment section HTML template with CSS and JavaScriptFree comment section HTML template with CSS and JavaScript, or a free CommentCamp embed, plus an accessible, XSS-safe comment box and 6 ways to store comments.
  9. How to add a guestbook to your websiteAdd a guestbook to your website with free CommentCamp or 4 hosted guestbooks like Atabook, plus Neocities setup steps, a DIY HTML route and spam defenses.
  10. Blogger comments: settings, spam and better optionsBlogger comment settings explained: 4 locations, 3 who-can-comment levels, moderation, spam control and CommentCamp's free, ad-free embed as a better option.
  11. Best WordPress comment plugins in 20268 WordPress comment plugins compared for 2026: free CommentCamp, wpDiscuz and Jetpack, Thrive Comments from $49, Disqus, Hyvor Talk and two spam filters.
  12. wpDiscuz alternatives for WordPress commentswpDiscuz review and 6 alternatives: CommentCamp ($0, no ads), native comments with Akismet, Thrive Comments ($49 first year), Jetpack, Disqus and Hyvor Talk.
  13. Jetpack Comments: what it does and how to set it upJetpack Comments is free with Jetpack (3+ million installs); CommentCamp is a free alternative. How to turn it on, where comments are stored and fixes.
  14. How to disable comments in WordPress (every method)Turn off WordPress comments on new posts, existing posts, pages and media, or keep them on with CommentCamp's free spam filtering and moderation queue.
  15. WordPress comment settings explainedEvery WordPress Settings > Discussion option with its default and recommended value, plus CommentCamp's free spam filtering and fixes for missing comments.

036 guides

Spam and moderation

Stop comment spam, moderate fairly and handle trolls, with the tools and plugins that do the heavy lifting.

  1. Start hereComment moderation: tools, rules and workflowsHow to moderate comments: pre- vs post-moderation, queues, keyword filters, trust levels and classifiers, plus CommentCamp's free built-in spam filter and queue.
  2. How to deal with trolls and toxic commentsHow to deal with trolls: clear rules, CommentCamp's free moderation queue, not feeding them, a hide-delete-ban ladder and new-account limits, backed by research.
  3. Comment spam: what it is and how to stop itWhat comment spam is, why you get it and how to stop it: CommentCamp's free built-in filter, link limits, honeypots, Akismet, Antispam Bee and Turnstile.
  4. Best WordPress anti-spam plugins compared8 WordPress anti-spam plugins compared: CommentCamp ($0, built in), Akismet, Antispam Bee, CleanTalk, WP Armour, Turnstile, hCaptcha and OOPSpam, on price and data.
  5. Is Akismet free? Akismet pricing explainedAkismet is free only for personal, non-commercial sites; CommentCamp's built-in spam filter is free on any site. Akismet Pro costs $9.95/month, billed yearly.
  6. Profanity filters for comments: how they workHow profanity filters work: word lists vs ML classifiers, CommentCamp's free moderation queue for review, the Scunthorpe problem, leetspeak and moderation APIs.

0418 guides

Community platforms

Community platforms with real prices, forum software, and how to build a community people come back to.

  1. Start hereDiscord alternatives in 2026: 10 options comparedCompare 10 Discord alternatives for 2026 on price, voice and self-hosting: CommentCamp, Stoat, Element, TeamSpeak, Telegram, Slack, Zulip, Discourse and more.
  2. Best online community platforms in 2026Compare CommentCamp (free), Circle, Skool, Mighty Networks, Discord and Discourse: real 2026 prices, free plans, transaction fees and which platform fits you.
  3. Free community platforms: what you get for $0CommentCamp, Discord, Facebook Groups, Telegram and Discourse's new Free plan cost $0. See their limits, hidden costs and which 'free' platforms are only trials.
  4. Skool pricing in 2026: plans, fees and real costsSkool costs $9 or $99/month plus fees and a 30% Growth Boost cut; CommentCamp's community on your own site is $0. See what 100 members really cost.
  5. Skool alternatives: 8 community platforms comparedCompare 8 Skool alternatives, from free CommentCamp to Circle, Mighty Networks, Kajabi, Discord and Discourse: 2026 prices, fees, courses and gamification.
  6. Skool vs Circle vs Mighty Networks comparedSkool vs Circle vs Mighty Networks, plus CommentCamp's $0 community on your own site: 2026 prices, fees, courses, gamification and custom domains compared.
  7. Mighty Networks pricing: plans and hidden costsMighty Networks costs $29 to $354/month billed annually plus 0.5% to 5% fees; CommentCamp's community on your own site is $0. See what 100 members cost.
  8. Discourse alternatives and pricing comparedDiscourse pricing explained: Free, Pro $100/mo and Business $500/mo vs self-hosting, plus 8 alternatives including CommentCamp, Flarum, NodeBB, phpBB and XenForo.
  9. Facebook Groups alternatives for your communityLeaving Facebook Groups? Compare 8 alternatives on price and member data, including CommentCamp, Discord, Circle, Skool and Discourse, plus a plan to move.
  10. Community guidelines template and examplesCopy-paste community guidelines for your forum or a free CommentCamp community: 10 rules, a blog comment policy, a 4-step enforcement ladder and 10 real examples.
  11. How to build an online community from zeroBuild an online community from zero, free on your own site with CommentCamp: recruit founders by hand, reach critical mass in 0 to 9 months, track the 90-9-1 rule.
  12. 15 online community examples and what they do well15 real online community examples and the one lesson from each for your own free CommentCamp community, from Stack Overflow and Wikipedia to LEGO Ideas and Strava.
  13. Community gamification: examples that workCommunity gamification examples that work: CommentCamp's levels and quests, Stack Overflow reputation, Discourse trust levels and Duolingo streaks, plus pitfalls.
  14. Best forum software in 2026: free and paidThe 11 best forum software options for 2026 compared on price, hosting and stack: CommentCamp, Discourse, Flarum, NodeBB, phpBB, XenForo, Invision and more.
  15. How to create a free forum websiteCreate a free forum website: 5 routes compared on cost, setup time and control, from CommentCamp, ProBoards and Discourse to phpBB, bbPress, Discord and Reddit.
  16. Best WordPress forum plugins comparedCompare 8 WordPress forum plugins: CommentCamp ($0 community spaces), bbPress, wpForo, Asgaros Forum, BuddyBoss, PeepSo and WP Discourse, by price and installs.
  17. WordPress community plugins: CommentCamp and moreCompare 7 WordPress community plugins: CommentCamp ($0), BuddyPress, BuddyBoss, PeepSo, Ultimate Member, Youzify and wpForo, with prices, installs and hosting needs.
  18. phpBB alternatives: modern forum software comparedphpBB alternatives compared: CommentCamp ($0), XenForo ($195), Discourse, Invision Community, Flarum, MyBB, NodeBB and Vanilla on price and phpBB importers.

0511 guides

Blogging and publishing

Start a blog, pick a platform and grow an audience that actually talks back.

  1. Start hereHow to start a blog in 2026: step-by-step guideStart a blog in 8 steps: pick a platform, get a domain and hosting ($46.96 for year one) or start at $0, add free CommentCamp comments, get found and grow readers.
  2. Best blogging platforms in 2026: free and paidCompare 10 blogging platforms for 2026, plus free CommentCamp comments for your blog: prices, free plans and custom domains on WordPress, Ghost, Substack and Wix.
  3. How to make a WordPress website step by stepBuild a WordPress website in 6 steps: hosting prices, installing WordPress 7.1, block themes, free CommentCamp comments and other plugins, key settings and launch.
  4. Best WordPress plugins for a new site in 202615 free WordPress plugins for a new site in 2026, led by CommentCamp's $0 comments and community, plus SEO, backups, security, caching, forms and spam picks.
  5. Best newsletter platforms and Substack alternativesCompare 6 newsletter platforms, plus free CommentCamp comments for your site's archive: Substack, beehiiv, Ghost, Kit, Buttondown and MailerLite prices and fees.
  6. Medium alternatives for writers in 20269 Medium alternatives for 2026: your own site with free CommentCamp comments, Substack, Ghost, WordPress.com, Hashnode, DEV, Write.as, beehiiv and Blogger.
  7. How to build a community around your newsletterHow to build a newsletter community: reply culture, free CommentCamp comments on your site's archive, Substack Chat, Ghost comments, Discord or Circle, and metrics.
  8. How to increase reader engagement on your website12 ways to increase reader engagement on your website, from free CommentCamp comments to answer-first intros, plus how GA4 measures engaged sessions.
  9. What is dwell time and how do you increase it?Dwell time explained: 8 ways to raise it, from free CommentCamp comments to answer-first intros, plus Bing's 2011 definition, bounce rate and what Google says.
  10. WordPress vs Wix vs Squarespace: which to chooseWordPress vs Wix vs Squarespace in 2026: prices, year-one costs, free CommentCamp comments, export limits, plugins, custom code, SEO and native blog comments.
  11. Ghost vs Substack: fees, ownership and featuresGhost vs Substack in 2026: 0% vs 10% fees, Ghost(Pro) from $15/month, free CommentCamp comments for Ghost, custom domains, discovery, exports and migrating.