Hosted guestbook or self-hosted script
If your web host runs PHP, or your site runs on WordPress, you can install a guestbook of your own instead of using a hosted service. This page sets out who should, what it costs in time, which scripts and plugins we found maintained, and what a hosted service such as UltraGuest does for you instead. Facts about each script were read on its own page or repository in September 2026 and are reported without judgement; versions move on, so please check each project. UltraGuest is not affiliated with any of them.
Who should self-host
Self-hosting suits you if you want the messages and the pages on your own server under your own domain, if you are comfortable uploading files, setting permissions and editing a configuration file, and if your host runs the language the script needs: PHP for most of them, Go for Meadow's guestbooks. It does not suit a static host: Baccyflap's page says its script "won't work on Neocities, Nekoweb, or similar hosts without PHP", and the same goes for every script below. WordPress users are the clearest case: Gwolle Guestbook is a plugin with more than 20,000 active installs, tested with WordPress 7.1, whose version 5.1.0 was released on 21 August 2026.
What it costs in time
Installing is the small part. A self-hosted guestbook is yours to keep running: PHP versions change (the Lazarus Guestbook download page names 1.24 as the current stable version and does not state support for PHP 8), a plugin can be closed for security reasons (the WordPress plugin Comment Guestbook was closed on 28 September 2022 for a security issue), spam arrives whether or not you have set up the captcha, honeypot or Akismet key the script offers, and backups, updates and the moderation queue are your job. Actively maintained scripts make this easier; the table says when each was last released or committed to, so you can judge for yourself.
Scripts and plugins found in September 2026
| Script or plugin | Runs on | Version or last activity | Licence or price | Moderation and spam features stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwolle Guestbook | WordPress 4.1+, PHP 7.0+ | 5.1.0, 21 August 2026; 20,000+ active installs | GPL | Honeypot, form timeout, Akismet, Stop Forum Spam, custom quiz; approval; admin replies; CSV export and import; 19 languages; several guestbooks |
| Lazarus Guestbook | PHP | Download page: stable 1.24; PHP 8 support not stated | Free (donations) | Not stated on its download page |
| BellaBook | PHP, flat file | 3.7 (copyright 2004–2008) | GPL-3.0 | Moderation, captcha, IP and bad-word blocking, flood control, emoticons, pagination |
| guestbook-csv (Kalechips) | PHP, CSV storage | Updated 3 August 2026 | GPL-3.0 | Admin panel, optional approval, replies, anti-spam; strips all HTML from messages |
| Have a Guestbook (Shannon Kay fork) | PHP | Last commit 23 February 2025 | Public domain | Honeypot; optional e-mail; mobile-friendly; CSS variables |
| GuestBook Script PHP (SimplePHPscripts) | PHP 7.4–8.5, MySQL | 2.3, 28 January 2026 | $54.99 single site, $224.99 extended | Approval, four captcha options, banned words, owner answers, RSS, star rating, multi-language, responsive |
| MGB OpenSource Guestbook | PHP, MySQL | 0.7.1.1, 1 May 2026 | GPLv2/LGPLv2 | Admin backend, anti-spam, 7 languages |
| Meadow's guestbooks | Own server (Go, Docker) | Last commit 10 July 2026 | Open source (Codeberg) | Script-tag embed; proof-of-work check; approval with bulk approve; admin replies; e-mail |
| Kami's Guestbooks | Own server (PHP/Laravel) | 2026 | AGPLv3 | Approval-only mode; captchas without JavaScript; export as JSON, CSV and HTML |
Also found: Simple Guestbook for WordPress (1.0.0, built on WordPress comments, hCaptcha), Phoca Guestbook for Joomla ("8 types of Captcha"), Baccyflap's public-domain script from 2015, the free PHPJabbers guestbook script (1.0; no moderation or captcha stated), Gästebuch-Script.de 3.0 (free; approval, optional captcha, word filter), YellaBook, and RicarGBooK, VX Guestbook and Advanced Guestbook, whose pages show no recent version. GitHub lists 179 public repositories under the "guestbook" topic; of those we looked at, nanobook was archived in July 2026 and OpenGuestbook has been removed.
What UltraGuest gives instead
A hosted guestbook takes the running out of your hands: we host the page, keep the software current, check every post with Cloudflare Turnstile, refuse links, apply rate limits and automatic content rules, and give you approval, a word filter, IP blocking, private messages, e-mail notifications, an RSS feed, 24 languages and custom CSS, with nightly backups and an export of everything as JSON or CSV whenever you want it. You need no PHP, no database and no updates, and a link works on every host, static ones included. The trade-offs are real: the guestbook lives at ultraguest.com rather than under your domain, there is no embed code, messages are plain text without links, and there are no owner replies.
Which one is for you?
If you run WordPress, Gwolle Guestbook gives you a maintained guestbook inside your own site with export, import and replies, and self-hosting is the better choice; the same goes for anyone who wants the data on their own server and enjoys keeping a script alive. If you would rather write nothing but a link, never think about PHP versions or spam plugins, and still be able to take your data with you at any time, a hosted guestbook such as UltraGuest is the better fit; it is free and shows no ads.
Script and plugin details were checked on their own pages and repositories in September 2026 and may have changed since; please verify current versions, licences and prices there. The names belong to their respective owners; UltraGuest is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.
See also: guestbooks and comment systems, guestbooks for Neocities, free guestbook services compared, all comparisons, or create a free guestbook.