giscus is an open-source comment widget that stores each thread as a GitHub Discussion in a repository you own. You add it with one script tag and there is no server or moderation backend to run, since GitHub holds the data. It loads no ads and no tracking scripts, and it is free for any public repository.
Reviewed by Gabriel Bachmann
Rate giscus: No account needed
Threat level
Covered
A covered pick. Anyone can use it as a private drop-in, with no setup or know-how. Enough for most people. Threat levels
Our take
For a static site or a developer blog, giscus is close to free in every sense: no server to maintain, no bill, and threads that live in a repository you already control. It loads no ad trackers and no profiling cookies, so your readers are not sold to anyone. The honest catch is the sign-in. Every commenter needs a GitHub account, which Microsoft owns, so you are routing both the identity and the stored comments through one large company, and a general audience will bounce off the login wall. Pick giscus when your readers are developers who are signed into GitHub anyway. For a wider readership that should be able to reply without an account, a self-hosted engine like Remark42 or Isso fits better.
Website at a glance
giscus.app
B score 70
Solid website security headers
Graded by Mozilla HTTP Observatory, tested today
Inspect this site yourself
Measures the security configuration of the tool's own website, not the privacy of the product itself. A strong tool can still score low here.
giscus alternatives
Remark42 Self-hosted comment engine that adds threaded discussions to any site with no trackers, no ads, and no third-party scripts loaded on your readers.
Cusdis A tiny open-source comment widget that uses no cookies and needs no reader sign-in, with a self-hosted option and a hosted one for sites that do not want to run a server.
Isso The classic self-hosted Disqus replacement: a small Python server on a SQLite file that adds comments with no tracking and no third-party scripts.
Frequently asked
- Is giscus free?
- Yes, completely. It is open source and runs entirely on GitHub Discussions, which you already get for free with a public repository. There is no server bill and no paid tier to remove ads, because there are no ads.
- Does giscus track my readers?
- giscus itself loads no advertising trackers and sets no profiling cookies. The trade is that comments live in GitHub Discussions, so the data and the sign-in sit with GitHub, which Microsoft owns. That is a different model from a self-hosted engine where you hold everything.
- Do readers need an account to comment on giscus?
- Yes. Because comments are stored as GitHub Discussions, a reader has to sign in with a GitHub account to post or react. That makes it a natural fit for a developer or technical audience and a poor fit for a general readership.
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