Top 12 Open-Source Alternatives to Pidgin

Product categories

Chat Communication Group Chat & Notifications Group Messaging Instant Messaging Internet Calls Messaging Productivity Text Messaging Video Chat

Summary

The top open-source alternatives to Pidgin are Telegram, HexChat, and Signal. One of the criteria for ordering this list is the number of mentions that products have on reliable external sources. You can suggest additional sources through the form here.

Telegram Landing Page
1

Telegram

Telegram is a messaging app with a focus on speed and security. It’s superfast, simple and free.
Pricing:
- Open Source
#Communication #Messaging #Instant Messaging 129 social mentions
HexChat Landing Page
2

HexChat

HexChat is a fork of XChat with bug fixes and new features.
Pricing:
- Open Source
#Group Chat & Notifications #Messaging #Communication 7 social mentions
Signal Landing Page
3

Signal

Fast, simple & secure messaging. Privacy that fits in your pocket.
Pricing:
- Open Source
#Communication #Group Chat & Notifications #Messaging 180 social mentions
irssi Landing Page
4

irssi

Irssi is a terminal based IRC client for UNIX systems.
Pricing:
- Open Source
#Group Chat & Notifications #Messaging #Communication 6 social mentions
Element.io Landing Page
5

Element.io

Secure messaging app with strong end-to-end encryption, advanced group chat privacy settings, secure video calls for teams, encrypted communication using Matrix open network. Riot.im is now Element.
Pricing:
- Open Source
- Free
#Group Chat & Notifications #Communication #Chat 1 social mentions
Tox Landing Page
6

Tox

Send messages, files, create groups and make Tox to Tox audio and video calls. Securely.
Pricing:
- Open Source
#Communication #Group Chat & Notifications #Instant Messaging 28 social mentions
Franz Landing Page
7

Franz

Franz is your messaging app for WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Slack, Gmail, Telegram and many many more.
Pricing:
- Open Source
- Freemium
- €4.0 / Monthly
#Group Chat & Notifications #Messaging #Communication 28 social mentions
KVIrc Landing Page
8

KVIrc

KVIrc is a free portable IRC client based on the excellent Qt GUI toolkit.
Pricing:
- Open Source
#Group Chat & Notifications #Messaging #Communication
WeeChat Landing Page
9

WeeChat

WeeChat is a fast, light and extensible chat client.
Pricing:
- Open Source
#Group Chat & Notifications #Messaging #Communication 17 social mentions
Discord Landing Page
10

Discord

Step up your game with a modern voice & text chat app. Crystal clear voice, multiple server and channel support, mobile apps, and more.
Pricing:
- Open Source
#Communication #Group Chat & Notifications #Messaging 122 social mentions
Kiwi IRC Landing Page
11

Kiwi IRC

A hand-crafted IRC client that you can enjoy. Designed to be used easily and freely.
Pricing:
- Open Source
#Group Chat & Notifications #Messaging #Communication 6 social mentions
The Lounge Landing Page
12

The Lounge

The Lounge is a web IRC client that you host on your own server.
Pricing:
- Open Source
#Group Chat & Notifications #Messaging #Communication 38 social mentions