IRC-Client

What is an IRC Client

An IRC client is an application/program used to connect to an IRC server. It is used to communicate with other users on an IRC network. There are all sorts of IRC Clients, ranging from extensive standalone applications that run on your Windows, Mac or Linux computer, to minimalistic clients that use Java, Android or iOS on your mobile phone, or applets and widgets that run within your browser using just HTML, CSS and Javascript/AJAX or Flash or Java.

Windows Free to Use Clients

This list is in alphabetical order.

1. Are You Talking To Me?
2. Babbel
3. HydraIRC
4. Icechat
5. irssi (via CygWin)
6. Pidgin (formerly known as Gaim)
7. Quassel IRC
8. savIRC
9. Trillian Basic
10. Vortec IRC
11. weechat (via CygWin)
12. X-Chat Unofficial Silverex Windows Build

Windows users can also look at the Webbased Clients list

Windows ShareWare/Payware Clients

1. mIRC
2. Trillian Pro
3. X-Chat for Windows

Linux-Unix Clients

1. Are You Talking To Me?
2. BitchX
3. irssi
4. Konversation
5. Pidgin
6. Quassel IRC
7. weechat

Linux users can also look at the Webbased Clients list

Mac OS X Clients

1. BabbleIRC
2. Colloquy
3. LimeChat
4. Linkinus
5. Pidgin
6. weechat
7. X-Chat Aqua

Mac OS X users can also look at the Webbased Clients list

Mobile Devices Clients

Discussion on Mobile IRC'ing can be done at the Chat4All Forum in the Proud Mobile IRC Addicts Topic

Java

1. WireLess IRC v1.x
2. WireLess IRC v2.x
3. jmIrc
4. UtaIRC
5. Virca

Windows Mobile

1. PocketChat
2. PocketIRC
3. SmartIRC.Net
4. wmIRC
5. zsIRC

Webbased Clients

Java Applets

#PJIRC

All IRC Clients

Overview

Insert Table Here

AYTTM

Download from:	Are You Talking To Me?
Wikipedia	No
License	GNU General Public License (GPL)
Distribution Model	unknown
SSL Support	Built-in
Platform	Available?
Windows	NT/2000 platforms
Linux	Source (RPM,bz2,gz) and .deb
BSD	No
Intel Mac	unofficial builds available
PPC Mac	No
iOS (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad)	No
Android	No
Windows Mobile	No
Java J2ME	No
Browser	No
Other	No

Babbel

Download from:	Babbel
Wikipedia	No
License
Distribution Model	unknown
SSL Support	SSLv2, SSLv3, SSLv2/3 (auto-sensing) and TLSv1
Platform	Available?
Windows	XP/Vista/7
Linux
BSD	No
Intel Mac	10.2 and up
PPC Mac	10.4 and up
iOS (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad)	No
Android	No
Windows Mobile	No
Java J2ME	No
Browser	No
Other	No

BitchX

Download from:	{{{name}}} SourceForge Project Page Mirror
Wikipedia	English BitchX article name=BitchX
License	Revised BSD license
Distribution Model	unknown
SSL Support	SSLv2, SSLv3, SSLv2/3 (auto-sensing) and TLSv1
Platform	Available?
Windows	9x/2000/NT (with Cygwin)
Linux	SVN and src tar.gz available
BSD	BSDI 2.0, 2.1, 3.1, 4.0, FreeBSD 2.x, 3.x, 4.0, NetBSD 3.x, 4.x
Intel Mac	Available in DarwinPorts and Universal Binary available from SoftPedia
PPC Mac	Maybe using the above SoftPedia Universal build
iOS (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad)	No
Android	No
Windows Mobile	No
Java J2ME	No
Browser	No
Other	SunOS 4.1.4, 5.x and above, IRIX 5, 6, HP-UX 9.x, 10.x, OSF/1 (DEC Alpha), Ultrix, AIX, OS/2 (with EMX), QNX

Platform support taken from BitchX INSTALL doc in SVN trunk

Its main website is rather outdated. The SourceForge project page looks more useful. Be aware that some distributions, such as Slackware, have removed BitchX from their repositories due to unresolved security issues.

Colloquy

Download from:	Colloquy Mobile Colloquy for iOS
Wikipedia	English Colloquy article
License	GPL
Distribution Model	unknown
SSL Support	yes
Platform	Available?
Windows	No
Linux	No
BSD	No
Intel Mac	10.4 or higher
PPC Mac	10.4 or higher (or the older Colloquy 2.1 for 10.3.9)
iOS (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad)	Yes, as Mobile Colloquy
Android	No
Windows Mobile	No
Java J2ME	No
Browser	No
Other	No

Mobile Colloquy

Download from:	Mobile Colloquy for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch
Wikipedia	English Colloquy article
License	BSD Licenses
Distribution Model	unknown
SSL Support	yes
Platform	Available?
Windows	No
Linux	No
BSD	No
Intel Mac	See Colloquy instead
PPC Mac	See Colloquy instead
iOS (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad)	Available in App Store (and as source for jailbroken devices)
Android	No
Windows Mobile	No
Java J2ME	No
Browser	No
Other	No

zsIRC

1. AYTTM (Are You Talking To Me) Multi-platform and Multi-protocol Instant Messaging Client (also available for Linux/*BSD/Windows(NT/2000/XP))
2. BabbelIRC an IRC client developed in RealStudio with support for Windows XP/Vista/7 and MacOS X 10.2 and up (both PPC and Intel-based). (Alpha stage)
3. HydraIRC A freeware IRC client which is quite fully featured, even though there doesn't seem to be active development anymore.
4. Icechat (Screenshot)
5. irssi (OpenSource) (Can only be used on Windows through CygWin). Also available for Linux, *BSD, MacOSX)
6. Pidgin Multi-platform and Multi-protocol Instant Messaging Client (also available for Linux/*BSD/MacOS X/Windows/QTopia) (used to be called Gaim)
7. savIRC (also available for *NIX/Windows)
8. Trillian Multi-platform and Multi-protocol Instant Messaging Client (Basic Version is Freeware, Pro version is Payware)(Comparison between Basic and Pro)
9. Vortec IRC (Beta Client)
10. X-Chat Unofficial build for Windows by Silverex (Screenshot)

1. mIRC (Windows) (Shareware)
2. Trillian Multi-protocol Instant Messaging Client (Pro Version is Payware)
3. X-Chat Official Build The official build has become Payware as of August 23, 2004. For freeware builds (of which some are equally good or better), see above.

1. BitchX (Freeware Command Line IRC Client for *NIX)
2. Pidgin Multi-protocol Instant Messaging Client (also available for Linux/*BSD/MacOS X/Windows) (Formerly known as Gaim)
3. AYTTM (Are You Talking To Me) Multi-protocol Instant Messaging Client (also available for Linux/*BSD/Windows(NT/2000/XP))

http://quassel-irc.org/

1. Colloquy Graphical IRC and SILC client (Screenshot)
2. LimeChat IRC client for Mac OS X written on RubyCocoa (Screenshot)
3. Linkinus (Payware)
4. Pidgin Multi-protocol Instant Messaging Client (also available for Linux/*BSD/MacOS X/Windows) (Formerly known as Gaim)
5. X-Chat Aqua Freeware X-Chat build for Mac OSX

1. WLIrc 1.x WireLess IRC client 1.x branch
2. WLIrc 2.x WireLess IRC client 2.x branch (requires MIDP 2.0!)
3. jmIrc Rewrite of WLIrc.

http://www.getjar.com/mobile/17589/utairc/

1. Virca :> (not under active development; last update 2004)

1. zsIRC Free-ware IRC Client. Highly recommendable! Logging, supports multi-windowtabs, wide command range, identd (limited). Automatic On-connect and On-Join commands. SmartPhone + PocketPC!!
2. wmIRC 2.x Pay-ware IRC Client. Highly recommendable! Logs, supports multi-windowtabs, wide command range, colours and SSL + identd (limited). SmartPhone + PocketPC!!
3. SmartIRC.Net a (Free!) dotNet client for Windows Mobile. Good compatibility, stable, single window, startup commands supported. SmartPhone + PocketPC!!
4. PocketIRC A (payware) PocketPC Only!!! Client
5. PocketChat A (Free!) PocketPC Only!!! Client

1. PJIRC One of the most widely used Java IRC Applets.

External Links

1. More Clients for UNIX
2. More Clients for UNIX/X
3. More Clients for Windows
4. Index of IRC Client Reviews by IRCReviews.Org (Might be out of date some of the times..)
5. mIRCScripts.com Useful site for extending your mIRC with scripts and learn about mIRC Scripting
6. mIRCScripts.org Another mIRC Scripting resource site
7. TCL Plugin for X-Chat 2.x
8. TCL Developer Xchange Site More info about TCL Scripting
9. ScriptKitties Handy Site for Scripting in TCL for X-Chat.
10. LinuxQuestions.ORG - X-Chat Linux Documentation of X-Chat