Guest commenting is not Pro-only. It shipped in free Commentify 4.0. Pro adds the spam net, API/SDK fields, and guests.stricter_spam.
When enabled:
- The composer shows name and email for logged-out visitors (Livewire Tailwind/Bootstrap, React, Vue)
- Email is required unless
guest.require_email is false
- Avatars use Gravatar when an email is present
- Rows store
guest_name, guest_email, ip, and user_agent
- Guests cannot edit or delete
- Pair with
require_approval to hold guest posts before they appear
Logged-in users keep edit, delete, mentions, and bans.
API
api.guest_comments (default true) allows JSON creates without a session when allow_guests is on. Set it false to keep guests on Livewire only.
GET ui → features.guests and guest.require_email so the SDKs show the same fields.
Likes and reports from logged-out visitors are separate flags: api.guest_likes, api.guest_reports (IP + user agent).
Stricter spam
Heuristic then denies missing emails, holds any guest comment that contains a link, and matches duplicates on guest email + IP. Details: Spam pipeline.
Blade helpers
Do not assume $comment->user exists:
The API maps guests to user: { id: null, name, avatar }.
Imports
Disqus and WordPress importers require allow_guests because imported authors become guest comments. See Import. Last modified on September 12, 2026