Disqus vs IntenseDebate vs JS-Kit

There are three big names in blog comment systems; Disqus, IntenseDebate and JS-Kit.

The first question you may ask is “Why do I need to look at a third party comment system when comments are built-in to WordPress?”. Or, “Why do I want remotely stored comments when my CMS either has local comments built-in, or I can use a plugin for my CMS to do local comments?”.

All three of the systems I mentioned bring a lot to the table. One, they all have very nice styling and look great on your web pages. Two, it doesn’t hurt to have a recognizable interface for comments. If your readers have used the system that handles your comments before, they are comfortable with the interface.

Most importantly, these systems allow you to create a profile that follows you around the web, on all the sites that utilize them. To me that is the single most important benefit these remote comment systems offer. You create a history of communication on the web that is stored in one place. People can follow your discussions around the web if they so choose. It also forces you to be responsible for your comments, because if you’re a jerk on the web these systems make it easy for people to spot you as being such.

The administration interface of these three systems is similar, and similar to the administration interface of just about any comment system you are used to dealing with. Another advantage offered by these systems is that if you are managing multiple sites you have one place to go to administer the comments for all of them.

The benefits clearly outweigh the misgivings. In my experience the network performance of all three systems is good, so if you are having a problem with one of them making your pages load slowly, more often than not you can blame your plugin, not the service.

I’ve used all three, and they all have their upside and downside. Let’s take a closer look at the services:

• Disqus Disqus, used on Connected Internet, appears to be the most widely used of the three solutions. It’s quite common on both WordPress and Joomla! sites. Disqus, like IntenseDebate, allows you to login either through Disqus, or through other services you may be using, like OpenID, Facebook, Twitter, etc.. One big plus on the Disqus side is that Disqus allows you to set a default avatar for guest commenters, if you allow guest comments. This is a nice feature, and integrates with your page much better than a nondescript “Mystery Man” avatar. I also like that Disqus scans social networking services like Twitter and lists reactions to your articles in addition to comments and trackbacks. Nicely done.
  

  Disqus comment interface

  I used to use Disqus on my personal blog. I changed the SEF URL for an article, and it completely broke Disqus on that site. I figured out a dirty fix to get Disqus to start injecting its interface back onto my article pages, but all comments afterwards were attributed to article URL instead of article title, which bothered me so much I eventually quit using it. After several pleas for assistance, I finally was contacted by Disqus, and I am awaiting their response at this time to see if we can sort the issue out.

  Currently I do like Disqus the best of the three systems. Hopefully they can figure out what happened to my site on their database and I can go back to using it.

• IntenseDebate This is the system I currently use on my personal blog. IntenseDebate and Disqus are very similar. They both started around 2007, so I have no idea who is copying who.
  
  One thing I like about IntenseDebate over Disqus is the avatar popup when viewing comments. I just think it’s a nicer execution than Disqus. Also, whereas Disqus allows you to add Twitter, Facebook etc. broadcasting of your comments, IntenseDebate has a plugin API that allows developers to create custom plugins for the system. Existing plugins include Twitter, Facebook and AddToAny integration, with more to follow one would assume.

  

  A small issue or two is all that makes my preference lean toward Disqus over IntenseDebate. I will say that Disqus’ network performance appears to be a little more consistent. If IntenseDebate were to add the ability to set a site specific default avatar and adds reactions my preference would switch.

  A big bonus for IntenseDebate is that a year ago they were purchased by Automattic, the concern that owns WordPress, Gravatar and Akismet. That is huge, and that alone may eventually propel them to an unshakable claim to number one. All WordPress has to do is make IntenseDebate the default comment system for WordPress, and there will be more IntenseDebate users than Disqus users overnight. That is why while my immediate preference leans toward Disqus, I am putting my money on IntenseDebate and hoping they add the functionality I like from Disqus.

  Customer service on their forum is very quick and you never feel like you’re on your own when using IntenseDebate. Another great feature.

• JS-Kit JS-Kit Echo claims a lot of users, but you sure don’t see it around too much on the web. It is the only solution of the three that isn’t free. JS-Kit is available as a $12 annual subscription.
  
  The JS-Kit interface is not similar to Disqus and IntenseDebate. In some ways it has the most powerful interface of the three, but it’s different to the point that I feel less savvy users won’t even realize what they can do with it. For instance, for guest commenters to set a name they click on Guest. There is nothing to hint that Guest is editable, and unless you click on it you’d never realize you can change the name for guest comments. Same goes for setting an avatar. While this is a cool feature of JS-Kit, they need to work on their interface. It just isn’t intuitive.

  Other than that, JS-Kit does pretty much everything that either IntenseDebate of Disqus do. One fatal flaw of JS-Kit is the limited moderation capabilities. I know JS-Kit doesn’t allow a moderator to edit a user’s comments, and I think I remember that it also does not let a moderator edit a comment’s timestamp. I can see the possible logic behind that behavior, but ultimately it means that from an administrator’s perspective JS-Kit is less powerful.

  What kills JS-Kit for me, and it’s a big one, is that it simply doesn’t produce valid HTML. This may not bother everyone, but I can’t sleep at night if my markup isn’t perfect. This is an incredible oversight on the part of JS-Kit, and they need to fix it if they want people to take them seriously.

  Their customer service is excellent however, and if you have an issue you won’t be waiting long for a response. They will refund your money if JS-Kit isn’t for you.

All three of these solutions provide great features for the reader and the blog owner. Creating a public profile of your internet conversations is a great idea, and forces the participant to think about the legacy they are creating with their comments.

Disqus has a very good product, probably better than what IntenseDebate is offering at this time. This balance could swing very quickly as IntenseDebate adds new functionality, and the 900lb gorilla in the corner (Automattic) can’t be ignored. I am putting my money on IntenseDebate due to this alone.