Everything Convocept does, free.
A complete comment system for any single site: fast, native to WordPress, and built to bring readers back. No locked panels, no upgrade teasers.
Fast by construction, not by configuration
Server-rendered thread
Comments are part of your page HTML, rendered by WordPress. No framework, no client-side rendering, no layout shift.
Loads on approach
The interaction script (≤ 8 KB) and styles load only as readers near the thread. Readers who never scroll there pay 0 KB.
Page-cache safe
Cached HTML never contains per-user data. Anything personal, like your own pending comment, loads lazily over the REST API.
Big threads, small cost
The first page of a 2,000-comment thread renders in ~57 ms with 10 queries. Replies and more comments load on demand.
A thread readers actually want to use
Modern composer
A safe subset of Markdown with live preview, and a short edit window after posting. Guests and logged-in users alike.
Threaded replies
Nested replies with a sensible depth limit, deep links to any comment, and "load more" instead of page numbers.
Sort and upvote
Readers sort by oldest, newest or top. Optional upvotes bring the most useful comments forward.
Works without JavaScript
The composer is a real form. With scripts blocked or failed, it falls back to core WordPress posting.
Turn commenters into returning readers
Reply notifications
Commenters can ask to be emailed when someone replies to them — the most effective reason to come back.
Post subscriptions
Readers follow a whole discussion, with or without commenting, from the thread or a Subscribe block.
Double opt-in
Every subscription is confirmed by email first. One-click unsubscribe in every message, and a page to manage them all.
Sends at scale
Notifications go out in background batches, tested with 5,000 subscribers on a single post.
Keep it civil without extra work
Front-end tools
Moderators approve, mark as spam, trash and pin right in the thread. Everything else stays on the core Comments screen.
Pins and author badge
Pin the comment that answers the question. Your replies carry an author badge so readers spot them.
Spam protection
Core checks, Akismet passthrough, a honeypot, a timing check and rate limits — without a CAPTCHA.
Security first
Capability checks, nonces and escaping on every endpoint, written against a checklist built from real-world plugin vulnerabilities.
Part of WordPress, not bolted on
Core storage
Comments live in wp_comments. Exports, backups, the REST API and every plugin that reads comments keep working.
Structured data
Comments carry schema.org markup in your HTML, validated with zero errors and zero warnings.
Any theme
Replaces the comment output in classic and block themes. Override any template from your theme folder.
Privacy by default
No tracking and no third-party requests (Gravatar avatars only while WordPress’s Show Avatars is on). Personal data exporters and erasers, and a clean uninstall.
Reply where the conversation is
Coming to the free core
Insights
A free comment statistics dashboard, built only from data you already have.
More importers
Subscribe to Comments Reloaded, and wpDiscuz votes and subscriptions.
Comments screen
Moderate inside the Convocept app, beside the core screen.
Reactions
A small, fixed set of emoji reactions.
AI spam check
Opt-in, through the WordPress AI Client with your own provider.
Abilities API
Let AI agents read and moderate comments through core WordPress.
Questions, answered
Are any features locked behind a paid plan?
No. Every feature on this page is in the free plugin. Paid add-ons, when they arrive, will add new things like AI moderation and digests — never features taken out of the core.
Does Convocept work with Akismet?
Yes. New comments pass through the normal WordPress checks, so Akismet and other anti-spam plugins see them exactly as they would with core comments.
Can I change how the thread looks?
Yes. The thread has its own clean design that looks the same in every theme: choose Light, Dark or the reader’s device setting and your accent colour, and it uses your theme’s font. CSS custom properties change the rest, and every template can be copied to your theme and edited.
What are the requirements?
WordPress 6.5 or later and PHP 7.4 or later.
Your readers have things to say.
Give them a place that loads instantly. Free on WordPress.org.