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Free Plugin by Josh Pollock v1.0.14

Epoch

Epoch - 100% realtime chat and commenting in a tiny little package that is fully CDN and cache compatible.

Epoch

The facts

Rating
4.5★ from 21
Active installs
60+
Price
Free
Last updated
17 Dec 2015
Added
May 2015
Requires WP
3.9
Tested up to
WP 4.4.34
Downloads
32,911

Our analysis

AI-assisted

Epoch is a WordPress plugin designed to enhance the commenting experience on your site by using native comments with a focus on speed and privacy. It allows users to submit comments in real-time without needing to refresh the page, making conversations more fluid. The plugin is compatible with page caching and CDNs, ensuring that site performance is not compromised.

This plugin is suitable for site owners looking to improve user engagement through a modern commenting system while maintaining optimal site performance. It integrates well with various themes and other commenting plugins, making it a versatile option for those who want a better commenting solution.

Best for: This plugin suits WordPress site owners who want to improve their commenting system while ensuring fast performance.

What it does well

  • Uses native WordPress comments
  • Real-time commenting with minimal server load
  • Supports page caching and CDNs
  • Integrates with various themes and plugins
  • Front-end moderation with real-time updates

Where it falls short

  • Last updated in December 2015
  • Tested up to WordPress 4.4.34
  • Limited active installs

Verdict

Epoch offers a solid solution for enhancing the commenting experience on WordPress sites, though its age and limited updates may be a concern for some users.

From the developer

Josh Pollock's own description of Epoch, lightly tidied.

Epoch is a new plugin from the creators of Postmatic. The goal: To provide a realtime commenting/chat experience using fully native comments while being compatible with page caching, cdns, mobile, other comment plugins, and seo best practices. A tall order? For sure. Try it out.

Epoch provides an amazing commenting experience to your users while improving site performance at the same time.

Key Features

  • WordPress native comments
  • Realtime with minimal server load
  • Fully ajax commenting for both sending and receiving comments
  • Integrates with any theme while still blending in with your brand
  • Front end moderation with realtime updates. It’s insanely fast.

Epoch solves three big native commenting problems

User Experience

Comment forms and display are often neglected by theme developers. We’ve been there ourselves. The functions and templates involved in WordPress commenting are complicated, frustrating, and no fun to work with. Every day we see fantastic themes with ridiculously poor commenting experiences. So that’s the first thing Epoch fixes.

Speed and context

No more submitting comments and watching the page reload. All Epoch comments are submitted via ajax and post instantly in their proper place within the conversation.

And, as it should be, new comments from other users show up like magic automatically. It doesn’t matter if they are posted from the web, or from email via Postmatic. The conversation is instantly updated.

Cacheing, page load, and CDNs

Epoch is hands down the fastest commenting system available for WordPress, all the while supporting page cacheing and CDNs. Epoch comments lazy load into a placeholder container only when needed. This means your post will load instantly, your comments will load instantly, and your server won’t blink. Comments are magically injected into your page so your full SEO mojo stays in tact.

Success through compatibility

Epoch is built for compatibility. It uses fully native WordPress commenting, plays nicely with most all other commenting plugins, and employs WordPress coding standards. Use it with your favorite social login, voting, moderation, and other commenting plugins.

Epoch is fully integrated with Postmatic

When running Epoch along with Postmatic the magic really happens. The comment stream is updated in realtime with comments being posted from web as well as email. Subscribing to new comments is quick and simple while users are intelligently invited to become site subscribers as well. All without ugly checkboxes and obtrusive forms.

Read the full description on the official page →

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