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Remark42 vs giscus: catalog facts
Remark42	giscus
Best for: Blog owners replacing Disqus with comments they host themselves	Best for: Website owners who want comments backed by GitHub Discussions
Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.	Free Free to use; the project says it has no ads or tracking.
Self-hosted	Web
No external database; data lives in one embedded file Imports existing comments from Disqus and WordPress All 4 strengths for Remark42 No external database; data lives in one embedded file Imports existing comments from Disqus and WordPress Many login options plus optional anonymous comments Multi-site mode from a single instance	Uses GitHub Discussions instead of a separate comment database Supports comments and reactions All 3 strengths for giscus Uses GitHub Discussions instead of a separate comment database Supports comments and reactions Offers configurable themes and languages
Requires running and maintaining your own server Comments only; not a full forum	Visitors need GitHub authorization to comment Requires a public GitHub repository with Discussions enabled
Self-hosted	Web application, Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: MIT
Not stated if an account is needed	Account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Needs internet
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for Remark42 remark42.com github.com/umputun/remark42 Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for giscus giscus.app Catalog checked October 8, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.