Comentario vs Isso
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Comentario
Privacy-friendly, self-hosted web comments engine
VS
Isso
Lightweight self-hosted commenting server
| Feature | Comentario | Isso |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 700 | ★ 5,309 |
| First released | 2023 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Disqus | Disqus |
What are Comentario and Isso?
Comentario
Comentario is a fast, privacy-conscious commenting platform that you can embed on any website. It is a lightweight self-hosted alternative to Disqus written in Go.
- Embeddable comments widget
- No tracking or ads
- Multiple identity providers
- Moderation dashboard
Isso
Isso is a small, self-hosted commenting server written in Python that serves as a Disqus alternative for blogs. It uses SQLite and embeds a tiny JavaScript widget into pages.
- Tiny embeddable comments widget
- SQLite storage
- Comment editing and moderation
- Markdown support
Comentario vs Isso: key differences
Comentario is written in Go, while Isso is built with Python. Isso is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Comentario. Isso is the more established project (first released 2012), while Comentario arrived in 2023. Isso has the considerably larger community, at 5,309 GitHub stars versus 700.
Why pick each one
Choose Comentario if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
Watch out for
- Comments only, not a forum
- Younger project
Choose Isso if…
- Very lightweight
- Easy to integrate with static sites
Watch out for
- Comments only
- Minimal anti-spam built in
Frequently asked questions
Is Comentario or Isso better?
Neither is universally better. Isso has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Comentario and Isso free and open-source?
Yes. Comentario is licensed under MIT and Isso under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Comentario and Isso with Docker?
Comentario: yes. Isso: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Comentario or Isso?
Isso has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Comentario. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.