Blogger Comments vs Haloscan: Which to Use (and What Changed)

Back in 2005, every Blogger user had to decide: use the built-in Blogger comments or switch to Haloscan, a free third-party service that added comments and trackbacks to Blogger blogs. This article looks at that choice, why I switched back to Blogger comments, what happened to Haloscan, and how to manage comments on a Blogger blog today.

Quick answer: Haloscan no longer exists. It was bought by JS-Kit in 2008, users were moved to the Echo service in 2009, and Echo later dropped its comment modules. For a Blogger blog today, the built-in Blogger comments are the simplest choice, with moderation and email notifications in Settings. Disqus is the main third-party option.

Haloscan vs Blogger comments in 2005

Trackbacks were an essential part of blogging then, and Blogger did not support them. Haloscan gave you trackbacks by adding a small piece of code to your template. While you were at it, you could also use its comments system to replace Blogger comments.

What Haloscan did better

• Good free comment features, plus powerful paid comment management.
• You could edit comments. Blogger only let you delete them.
• Comments opened in a pop-up window by default, keeping them separate from the post. Blogger showed all comments on the post page.
• A premium membership, for a donation of $12 or more for 12 months, added comment export, mass deletion, email notification, comment search and longer comments.

Why I switched back to Blogger comments

I kept using the excellent free Haloscan trackback and ping service, and it worked very well. I first converted to Haloscan comments too, but then switched back to Blogger. Why?

The main drawback was that Haloscan would not email you new comments for free, and it was hard to track which post a comment was made on. Blogger emailed every new comment with the URL of the post, which made it easy to manage and delete unwanted comments. Blogger had also started using captchas to stop comment spam, and I expected Blogger comments to keep improving. Moving all comments from Haloscan back to Blogger later would have been difficult, so it made sense to stay with Blogger.

What happened to Haloscan

That decision turned out well. JS-Kit bought Haloscan in 2008, and in 2009 Haloscan users were asked to move to JS-Kit’s Echo service. In 2012 Echo said it would end its comment-hosting services and withdraw support for the JS-Kit, Haloscan and Echo comment modules. Blogs that relied on Haloscan had to export their comments or lose them.

How to manage Blogger comments today

Blogger comments are free, built in and tied to your blog, so you don’t depend on an outside service. In your Blogger dashboard, open Settings and scroll to the Comments section. There you can:

• Choose who can comment on your posts.
• Turn on comment moderation, so comments wait for your approval.
• Add an email address to get new comments and moderation requests by email.

Old Blogger word verification has also changed; see our guide to Blogger word verification.

Third-party comments for Blogger

Disqus (external site) is the best-known comment system that still works on Blogger and many other platforms. It adds features like threaded replies and cross-site profiles, but the free plan shows ads, and you depend on an outside company, just as Haloscan users did. If you ever outgrow Blogger, you can move from Blogger to WordPress without losing traffic and keep your comments.

FAQ

Does Haloscan still work?

No. Haloscan was absorbed into Echo in 2009, and Echo later ended its comment modules, so old Haloscan code no longer loads comments.

Can I edit comments on Blogger?

Blogger lets you publish, delete or mark comments as spam from the Comments section of your dashboard. If you need to change a comment, the usual approach is to delete it.

Should I use Blogger comments or Disqus?

Blogger comments are free, simple and stay with your blog. Choose Disqus only if you need its extra features and accept ads on the free plan.

Does Blogger support trackbacks?

Trackbacks have largely died out because of spam. Most bloggers today rely on links, social shares and comments instead.