Install Vuukle on WordPress

The Vuukle WordPress plugin is the fastest way to ship Vuukle. It’s free, it’s in the official WP plugin directory, and it handles every widget plus the article-ID plumbing automatically — no template edits required.

Install in one click

1. In your WordPress admin, open Plugins → Add New.

2. Search for Vuukle. Look for Free Comments For WordPress – Vuukle.

3. Click Install Now, then Activate.

4. Open Settings → Vuukle (left sidebar after activation).

5. Paste your public API key from the Vuukle dashboard → Integration. See getting your API keys.

6. Click Save Changes.

7. Visit any post — Vuukle comments replace native WordPress comments automatically.

That’s it. The plugin handles per-article articleId (uses the WP post ID), passes title/URL/image into VUUKLE_CONFIG, and toggles individual widgets via checkboxes.

Install via FTP (alternative)

If the WP plugin directory isn’t reachable from your hosting (some enterprise / self-hosted setups):

1. Download the latest plugin ZIP from wordpress.org/plugins/free-comments-for-wordpress-vuukle.

2. Extract it locally — you’ll see a folder named free-comments-for-wordpress-vuukle.

3. Upload that folder to /wp-content/plugins/ on your server via FTP/SFTP.

4. In WordPress admin, Plugins — Vuukle now appears in the list. Click Activate.

5. Open Settings → Vuukle and paste your API key.

What the plugin enables

Once active, every widget can be toggled from Settings → Vuukle:

Widget	Setting	What it does
Comments	Enable comments	Replaces native WP comments globally. Threaded, social/email login, GIFs, moderation.
Emotes	Show Emote at the end of each post	6 reaction icons under each post.
ShareBar	Show Share Bar	Horizontal or vertical sticky social share bar.
Newsletter	Show Newsletter subscribe	Email-capture box. CSV export from dashboard.
Comment count	Show comment count on listings	Replaces native WP comment count on archives, category pages, tags.

For the full options reference (every checkbox), see WordPress plugin options.

Scope: which post types get Vuukle

By default, Vuukle replaces comments on every public post type. If you want it on blog posts only — keeping native comments on WooCommerce product pages, bbPress forums, custom post types — use Settings → Vuukle → Post types and uncheck what you don’t want.

WooCommerce / BuddyPress / bbPress users

Vuukle on a product page is unusual but works. Vuukle on a forum thread is not recommended — bbPress threads use their own data model, not WP native comments. Keep Vuukle scoped to post for the cleanest experience.

Migrating existing comments

If you already have native WordPress comments or a Disqus thread history, you can import them all in one click:

From native WordPress

Settings → Vuukle → Import comments → Import existing WordPress comments.

Vuukle reads wp_comments, matches by post URL, and re-keys them under each article’s Vuukle ID. Large databases (10k+ comments) take a few minutes — you’ll get a confirmation banner when done. New comments continue under Vuukle from the import point forward.

See import comments to WordPress.

From Disqus

1. Disqus admin → Discussions → Export → Export Comments. They email you a .xml.gz.
2. Vuukle dashboard → Settings → Import comments → From Disqus.
3. Upload the .xml.gz. Confirmation comes within minutes.

See import from Disqus.

Customization without code

Most customization happens in two places — the WP plugin settings page (per-site defaults) and the Vuukle dashboard (per-site + per-article).

What you want to change	Where
Toggle individual widgets	WP admin → Settings → Vuukle
Change comment character limit	Vuukle dashboard → Site Settings → Comment widget
Replace emote images	Vuukle dashboard → Site Settings → Emote settings
Set auto-moderation thresholds	Vuukle dashboard → Site Settings → Comment widget
Block IPs or words	Vuukle dashboard → Site Settings → Block list
Add a moderator	Vuukle dashboard → Site Settings → User Management

For per-article overrides via VUUKLE_CONFIG, add a small filter to your theme:

functions.php

add_filter('vuukle_config', function ($config, $post) {
  if (has_tag('exclusive', $post)) {
    $config['comments']['commentingClosed'] = true;
  }
  return $config;
}, 10, 2);

Common issues

Native WP comments still appear alongside Vuukle. Some themes hard-code the comment template. In WP admin → Settings → Vuukle, toggle Aggressive replace on — this removes the native comment block via JavaScript even when the theme inlines it.

Vuukle widgets appear in a weird place. Position is controlled by Settings → Vuukle → Position (above or below content). For pixel-perfect placement, switch to manual mode: disable Auto-insert and add <div id="vuukle-comments"></div> directly in your theme’s single.php where you want it.

Comments work for guests but logged-in WP users see nothing. The plugin has a Disable on logged-in users option — useful while testing, but if you’ve left it on, that’s why. Toggle off.

WooCommerce reviews disappeared. Vuukle replaces ALL native comments by default, which includes product reviews. Scope the plugin to post only under Post types.

What to do next

WordPress plugin options

Every setting in the plugin, explained. Plugin options reference →

Customize widgets via the dashboard

No-code widget customization. General settings →

Moderate the conversation

Approval queues, auto-moderation, blocklists. Moderation overview →

Migrate from Disqus

One-click import of your Disqus thread history. Disqus import →