Disqus Comment System
by Disqus · Email & Marketing
Disqus is the web's most popular comment system. Use Disqus to increase engagement, retain readers, and grow your audience.
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Health
B 75/100
no flags
Active installs
30K+
≈37K estimated
Momentum
+156%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “comments”, “email” and “engagement” for “system”, “comment” and “digest”. “comments” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “system” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “email” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “comment” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “engagement” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “digest” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
75 health vs 66 average across 2,124 Email & Marketing plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →0.7%
of downloads still active
At least 30K of 4.5M lifetime downloads are still running, in line with its category: the median Email & Marketing plugin keeps 0.9%, across 1,294 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Email & Marketing plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 3 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 11 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
2.7★ over 219 reviews, smoothed to 2.96★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
52
Momentum
Holding steady
+1.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
44%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
+0.9
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| comment system | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| disqus your tag | #1 | #1 | up 1 |
| disqus comments | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| threaded your tag | #4 | #5 | up 1 |
| system | #8 | #14 | up 7 |
| comments system | #3 | #6 | 0 |
| comment | #10 | #14 | up 5 |
| threaded comments | #4 | #4 | 0 |
| most comment | #6 | #14 | 0 |
| digest | #12 | #15 | up 3 |
| popular comments | #9 | #20 | down 1 |
| audience engagement | #9 | #16 | up 5 |
| moderation | #15 | #19 | 0 |
| discussion | #17 | #19 | up 2 |
| monetization | #24 | #16 | 0 |
| comment plugin | #17 | #21 | up 5 |
| wordpress comment | #18 | #22 | down 3 |
| custom comment | #18 | #20 | up 6 |
| email system users | #19 | #22 | up 4 |
| comments your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| email your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| engagement your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
221 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 19 listed. 202 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “comments”, “email” and “engagement” for “system”, “comment” and “digest”. “comments” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “system” sits at #8 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “email” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “comment” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “engagement” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “digest” sits at #12 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 51K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Occasionally updatedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
3
releases in the last 12 months
11d ago
latest release · v3.1.6 · 22 Oct 2026
68
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 60% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “30K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 3 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 75% of the way through.
Install history since 1 Dec 2021
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 3.1.4 Added dismissible admin notice explaining free version ads and paid plan options Fixed deprecation warning when syncing comments with null author name 3.1.4
- — Version 3.1.3 Fixed bug with Disqus SSO and Gravatar Images Switched DISQUSVERSION to constant (issue #139) Fixed comment data issue if post author is null (issue #140) Fixed various conditions missing type checks (issue #141) 3.1.3
- — Version 3.1.2 Add Disqus Polls Information 3.1.2
- — Version 3.1.1 Add WP 6.5 to Github Actions CI 3.1.1
- — Version 3.1 Disqus Embed now loads correctly on WordPress Block Themes. Improved visibility for latest plugin version and important changes. Added links to remove ads and clarified language around ad-supported plans. Modernized styl 3.1
- — Version 3.0.24.1 Add WP 6.4 to Github Actions CI and fixed dependency issues for WP 6.4 3.0.24.1
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 5 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (3.1.6). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2014-06-20 Improper Control of Generation of Code Affects < 2.76 Patched in 2.76
- 2014-06-09 CVE-2014-5345 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 2.76 Patched in 2.76
- 2011-12-11 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 2.68 Patched in 2.68
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
6 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 6 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 5 of 6 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Vimeo.
- ✓ Headings and lists 5 headings and 5 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 3,609 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-08-01 40K+ → 30K+ down after 280 days in tier
- 2025-10-25 50K+ → 40K+ down after 308 days in tier
- 2024-12-21 60K+ → 50K+ down after 202 days in tier
- 2024-06-02 70K+ → 60K+ down after 244 days in tier
- 2023-10-02 80K+ → 70K+ down after 171 days in tier
- 2023-04-14 90K+ → 80K+ down after 176 days in tier
- 2022-10-20 100K+ → 90K+ down after 1235 days in tier
- 2019-06-03 200K+ → 100K+ down
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
- S Subscribe to Comments 10K+ installs · 3.9★ · 2 shared tags B
- C Comment Email Reply 600+ installs · 4.3★ · 2 shared tags D
-
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 5M+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Disable Comments 1M+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Disqus Comment System into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/disqus-comment-system" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Disqus Comment System — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Disqus Comment System: 30K+ active installs, 2.7★ (219 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/disqus-comment-system
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