EchoThread is a lightweight, privacy-first comment system — a modern Disqus alternative that doesn’t sell your readers’ data or inject ads. This plugin drops EchoThread into any WordPress theme with no code: enter your site key, choose where comments appear, and you’re live.
It’s a thin wrapper around the hosted EchoThread widget (~55 KB gzipped, loaded async from a CDN). All storage, rendering, moderation, and spam filtering happen in the hosted service, so the plugin adds no tracking, no database tables, and no page-weight beyond the widget script.
Why EchoThread
- Privacy-first — no ad tech, no third-party trackers, no data resale. GDPR-friendly.
- AI / ML spam filtering — machine-learning moderation catches AI-generated comment spam that keyword filters miss.
- Real moderation controls — a per-site restricted-word list, ban or trust individual commenters in one click, and auto-close discussions on older posts.
- Threaded replies & reactions — a modern discussion UX, not a flat list.
- Fast — one async script, zero render-blocking, no jQuery.
- Free tier — get started without a credit card.
- Disqus migration — import your existing comments via WXR so no conversations are lost.
How it works
- Create a free account and a site at echothread.io.
- Install and activate this plugin.
- Go to Settings EchoThread Comments, paste your shortname and API key.
- Choose placement — Replace the theme comments (recommended), Append below content, or Manual via the
[echothread]shortcode.
That’s it. Comments render on your posts immediately.
Privacy
This plugin loads https://cdn.echothread.io/widget.js on singular posts/pages where comments are enabled. The widget communicates with the EchoThread API to load and post comments. The plugin itself sets no cookies and collects no personal data. See the EchoThread privacy policy for how the hosted service handles comment data.
Screenshots
The whole setup: paste your shortname and API key, choose where comments go, save. No code, no database tables.
EchoThread on a post — threaded replies, emoji reactions, and one-tap Google or GitHub sign-in. No ads anywhere in the thread.
The hosted moderation queue: ML spam filtering flags the junk before readers see it, and you can approve, reject, ban, or trust a commenter in one click.
The same thread on a phone — the widget is responsive out of the box and inherits your theme's light or dark mode.