What is Isso used for?

Isso is a lightweight self-hosted commenting server written in Python and JavaScript, designed as a drop-in alternative to Disqus for websites. It is a good fit for adding comments to a personal blog and moving off Disqus.

Yes. Isso is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at isso-comments/isso and is written mainly in Python.

Yes. Isso is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Isso?

Yes. Isso can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What is Isso an alternative to?

Isso is an open-source alternative to Disqus, Hyvor Talk and FastComments. Other open-source alternatives to Disqus include Remark42, Discourse and Talkyard.

Is Isso actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Isso was on 15 September 2026, and the latest release is 0.14.0, published on 26 March 2026. The project has 5.3k stars on GitHub.

Isso: open-source alternative to Disqus, Hyvor Talk

About Isso

Isso is a lightweight commenting server that lets you add a discussion section to your own website without relying on a third-party service. It is written in Python and JavaScript and aims to be a drop-in replacement for Disqus, with comments stored in a local SQLite database.

Visitors write comments in Markdown, and can edit or delete their own comments within a time window that is 15 minutes by default. Comments can be held in a moderation queue so they stay hidden until approved. Existing discussions can be brought over by importing from Disqus or WordPress, and the site embeds a single configurable JavaScript file of about 20 kB gzipped.

Isso is licensed under MIT and requires Python 3.8 or later and SQLite. It can be installed from PyPI or run from a Docker image published on GitHub's container registry, with a quickstart guide and full documentation online. A live demo is available on the project website.

Key features

Markdown comments
Moderation queue for new comments
Edit and delete own comments within a time limit
Disqus and WordPress comment import
SQLite storage
Single embeddable JavaScript client

Good fit for

→Adding comments to a personal blog
→Moving off Disqus

Built with: Python; JavaScript
Tags: comments; commenting; disqus-alternative; self-hosted; python; sqlite; markdown; moderation

Isso: questions and answers

What is Isso used for?: Isso is a lightweight self-hosted commenting server written in Python and JavaScript, designed as a drop-in alternative to Disqus for websites. It is a good fit for adding comments to a personal blog and moving off Disqus.
Is Isso open source?: Yes. Isso is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at isso-comments/isso and is written mainly in Python.
Is Isso free?: Yes. Isso is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Isso?: Yes. Isso can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What is Isso an alternative to?: Isso is an open-source alternative to Disqus, Hyvor Talk and FastComments. Other open-source alternatives to Disqus include Remark42, Discourse and Talkyard.
Is Isso actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Isso was on 15 September 2026, and the latest release is 0.14.0, published on 26 March 2026. The project has 5.3k stars on GitHub.