Comparing Utterances to Waline
Compare Utterances with Waline for adding forms to your static site.
Utterances
A lightweight comments widget built on GitHub issues
Overview
Uses GitHub OAuth; bot creates issues per page; no database needed
+ Pros
- No ads
- no tracking
- open source
- data stored in GitHub issues
- Markdown support
- dark theme
- lightweight
− Cons
- Requires GitHub login for commenters
- no responses display widget
- tied to GitHub ecosystem
Waline
A simple and cute comment system with backend
Partial free
Overview
Fork of Valine with significant improvements; GDPR-compliant storage options
+ Pros
- Open source
- multiple deployment options
- email notifications
- spam protection
- Markdown support
- reactions
- page views
− Cons
- Moderate setup complexity
- requires Node.js knowledge for self-hosting
- free tier relies on Vercel