Comments by FastComments – Live, Privacy-First Comment System
FastComments is the fast, privacy-first commenting system trusted by 4,100+ organizations serving over 541 million page loads per year. Drop-in replacement for WordPress default comments, Disqus, Jetpack Comments, and…
Solid choice
Comments by FastComments is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 40+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 10 hours ago, and scores 74/100 on our health check.
- Actively developed — last update 10 hours ago
- Small user base (40+ active installs)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & support
Daily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Comments by FastComments stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| comment form | >100 |
| commenting system | #11 |
| comments | >100 |
| Disqus | #20 |
| live comments | #13 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
Rating breakdown
★★★★★★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews
About Comments by FastComments
From the official readme · v3.19.5Description
FastComments is the fast, privacy-first commenting system trusted by 4,100+ organizations serving over 541 million page loads per year. Drop-in replacement for WordPress default comments, Disqus, Jetpack Comments, and wpDiscuz — with zero ads, zero data harvesting, and load times measured in milliseconds.
Why Site Owners Switch to FastComments
- No Ads, Ever — Unlike Disqus, FastComments never injects sponsored content or ads into your comment threads.
- No Data Harvesting — Your visitors’ data is never sold to third parties. Full GDPR compliance with optional EU data residency.
- Blazing Fast — Comments load in milliseconds. Users report significant reductions in page weight and fewer dependencies vs. other comment systems.
- Comments Stay In Sync — FastComments keeps your WordPress comment database in sync. Cancel anytime and your comments stay intact.
- Migrate In Minutes — One-click import from Disqus, Hyvor, WordPress native comments, and more. Avatars and images migrate automatically.
Live, Real-Time Commenting
- Comments appear instantly for all viewers — no page refresh needed
- Live moderation: approve, delete, and edit comments in real time
- Real-time reply notifications keep discussions active
- Streaming Chat mode for live events and AMAs
Powerful Moderation & Spam Prevention
- Automated spam detection blocks bot submissions before they appear
- Unverified/anonymous comments auto-removed after configurable period
- Full moderation dashboard with search, filter, and bulk actions
- Comment flagging and user blocking
Built for Engagement
- Threaded reply-to-reply conversations with unlimited nesting depth
- Upvoting and downvoting with smart duplicate prevention
- Image and GIF attachments in comments
- Full-text comment search for readers
- @mentions and reply notifications
- Commenter ranking system
Developer & Site Admin Friendly
- Single Sign-On (SSO) for seamless authentication with your existing users
- Works without JavaScript — accessible commenting for all visitors
- Full REST API and webhook support
- Custom CSS and JavaScript injection for complete design control
- LearnDash LMS compatibility
- Block-based theme support (FSE)
- Password-protected post support
Localization
Fully localized with automatic browser locale detection. Currently available in English, French, and Spanish. Community translations welcome.
Trusted By Many
- 4,100+ organizations
- 1,775,632+ registered users
- 541 million+ page loads served in the past year
- 5-star rating on WordPress.org
Pricing
FastComments offers flexible, traffic-based pricing starting well under $5/month for most sites. No per-comment charges. No surprise fees. See full pricing at fastcomments.com/traffic-pricing.
Support
Responsive, hands-on support from the development team. Migration assistance included. Most issues resolved within hours.
Frequently asked questions
Is FastComments free?
There is no official free tier. Pricing starts well under $5/month for most sites and is based on monthly page loads, not per comment. If you run an open source project with low traffic, or are adding comments to OSS documentation, reach out after signing up and we can make exceptions.
Can I migrate my existing WordPress comments?
Yes. The plugin includes a one-click import that brings over all your existing comments, including nested threads, author information, and timestamps. Migration completes in under a minute for most sites. Imports from Disqus, Hyvor, and other systems are also supported, and avatars and images migrate automatically.
Will my comments be lost if I uninstall the plugin?
No. FastComments syncs comments back to your WordPress database, so your comments stay intact in your database whether or not the plugin is active. You can cancel at any time without losing data.
How does FastComments compare to Akismet?
Akismet is a spam filter that sits on top of the default WordPress comment system. FastComments replaces the entire comment system with a purpose-built platform that includes multiple layers of spam protection (AI classifiers, trust scoring, bot blocking, profanity filters), plus real-time commenting, SSO, and a full moderation dashboard. It is a complete solution, not just a filter.
Will switching to FastComments affect my SEO?
No. FastComments syncs comments back to your WordPress database, so search engines continue to index your comment content. Comments are also rendered in a way that is accessible to crawlers, even without JavaScript.
Will FastComments slow down my site?
No. The widget loads asynchronously and is served from a global CDN, so it has no measurable impact on initial page load. Users report meaningful reductions in page weight after switching from Disqus or wpDiscuz because FastComments has fewer dependencies.
Do I need to add a cookie banner?
No. FastComments only sets functional cookies required for login. We do not set tracking cookies or any cookies that would personally identify your visitors, so no cookie banner is required for FastComments specifically.
Can I keep my data in the EU?
Yes. If your account resides on eu.fastcomments.com, all of your data stays in the EU. The plugin supports switching data location during or after setup.
Can I customize the look of the comments?
Yes. The widget is fully customizable via the plugin’s Custom CSS and Custom JavaScript settings. You can match it to your theme’s typography, spacing, and color palette.
What about my users who already have accounts on my site?
FastComments supports Single Sign-On (SSO), so your existing logged-in users do not need to register a second time. Roles like Admin and Moderator are preserved on their comments.
Can I cancel at any time?
Yes. You can cancel without any intervention from customer support. Your comments stay synced in your WordPress database, so nothing is lost on cancellation.
Changelog
3.19.5
- New “Sync Users” section on the SSO settings page. It creates a FastComments account for each of your WordPress users.
- After you enable SSO, the plugin now offers to sync your existing users.
3.19.4
- The initial upload of your existing comments to FastComments now completes on its own after you leave the plugin’s setup page. On sites with many comments it could previously stop partway through until the next scheduled sync.
- The “Upload Comments to FastComments” dialog now reports when an upload fails instead of showing the sync as complete.
3.19.3
- New “Sync Interval” option under Advanced Settings controls how often comments are pulled from FastComments into WordPress (every 5 minutes, 15 minutes, hour, or 24 hours; default 24 hours).
- Plugin updates no longer delay the next scheduled sync by 24 hours.
- Deactivating the plugin now removes the scheduled sync event.
3.19.2
- Fixed a fatal error while uninstalling a partially-installed plugin folder (missing core files), which could leave the plugin stuck and impossible to delete or reinstall. Uninstall now removes plugin data and completes even when core files are absent.
3.19.1
- Render comments in an amp-iframe on AMP pages (e.g. with the AMP or Newspack plugins), where custom JavaScript is stripped.
- Fixed a PHP warning (“Undefined variable $post”) when the comments widget renders via the block editor’s comments block.
3.19.0
- Adds new widgets available in block editor.
- Adds in-admin feedback prompt to ask long-time users to share their experience on WordPress.org.
- Plugin name, banner, and tag updates.
Screenshots
For developers
Is this your plugin? Show off the numbers.
Add a live badge to your site, docs or GitHub README. It updates on its own — no account needed.
Best Comments by FastComments alternatives
All comment form plugins →
FAQ
Comments by FastComments: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Oct 5, 2026
Is Comments by FastComments free?
Yes. Comments by FastComments is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Comments by FastComments safe to use in 2026?
Comments by FastComments is a solid plugin choice in 2026, with a few things worth checking first. It runs on 40+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 10 hours ago, and scores 74/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Comments by FastComments?
Comments by FastComments is active on 40+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 6,631 times since it launched in March 2020. It was downloaded 339 times in the last 30 days.
Does Comments by FastComments work with WordPress 7.1?
Comments by FastComments is officially tested up to WordPress 7.0.6, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Comments by FastComments need?
Comments by FastComments requires PHP 5.2.5 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Comments by FastComments last updated?
The latest version, 3.19.5, was released on October 4, 2026 (10 hours ago).
Who makes Comments by FastComments?
Comments by FastComments is developed and maintained by winrid.
What are the best alternatives to Comments by FastComments?
The most popular alternatives to Comments by FastComments are Comments – wpDiscuz (60K+ installs), No CAPTCHA reCAPTCHA (4K+ installs) and Advanced Comment Form (4K+ installs).
Powered by PageForge
Want thousands of pages that rank like these? Build them in an afternoon.
This directory runs on the same engine as PageForge. Turn any spreadsheet, CSV or API into thousands of fast, SEO-ready WordPress pages — with schema, internal links and AI-written copy baked in.
- CSV, Google Sheets & API data sources
- AI content, schema & internal links per page
- Works with Elementor, Gutenberg, Yoast & Rank Math
- Free on WordPress.org — no credit card
