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IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is probably not talked about as much as it used to be because social media has taken over. But there are still best IRC clients for Windows, Mac, Linux, and even Android, so it’s still alive and well. The most popular ways to chat today are collaborative systems like Slack and Discord, but sometimes you just want to use a plain text-based chat server.
IRC is all about doing this. It lets you join a number of channels that have been made for different subjects and interests. IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is a communication technology that has changed the way people talk and has kept its place in the world of technology. It’s a hub of chatrooms, and each chatroom is called a “channel.” These best IRC clients for Windows are hosted on servers, and each server takes care of its own network of channels.
This process lets you talk to different network systems that are all connected to the same servers and channels. The best IRC clients for Windows is a group of chat rooms that work together. Every chat room in this network is actually a server that runs its own network. Once you are connected to a server, you can connect with other people in the same network.
Best IRC Clients for Windows
WeChat is best IRC clients for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It is also open source. It can do a lot of different things and has detailed instructions for every feature and function. WeeChat is a free app, but it has a lot of premium features like smart filtering, a customizable interface, and support for multiple servers.
Even more impressive is that its scripts manager lets it work with 8 scripting languages, such as Python, C, Ruby, Lua, Javascript, and PHP. This means that there is an active community of people who make scripts for WeeChat.
mIRC
With its powerful features, mIRC is best IRC clients for Windows. It’s pretty easy to start using the software, and as soon as you enter some basic information and server details, you’re connected. mIRC is known for its main features, such as sharing, chatting, playing, or working with IRC networks worldwide, either one-on-one or in a group conference with multiple users.
This has a clean, easy-to-use interface that is very simple to set up. Other important features are real-time file transfers, connections to multiple servers, proxy support, buddy lists, UTF-8 display, system tray alerts, SSL coding, vocal messages, message logging, and more.
Nettalk
This is a German client for the IRC network. This best IRC clients for Windows is also free, like most of the others on this list. It works with any OS and is easy to use. The default layout is a good place to start for new users. Users can add plugins that make it easier to do more than one thing at a time.
You can chat and check your social media networks at the same time. Nettalk also stands out because it can be used in many different languages, such as German, Chinese, English, Russian, Hungarian, Spanish, and Dutch. The colours and background pictures can be changed, and there is also a feature that will automatically complete commands.
Foo IRC
Foo IRC is best IRC clients for Windows with a simple interface that works well on tablets. Even though the app is easy to install and doesn’t take up much space, it has a lot to offer. Foo IRC always does its main job: to make chatting as easy as possible. It does this by supporting multiple servers and IRC Cloud.
With the beta version, you can run the app in the background to do other important things simultaneously. The client lets you save your favourite servers and channels. Also, once you start it, it will automatically connect to your favourite servers and channels. Download Foo IRC from its officially website.
AndroIRC
AndroIRC is probably one of the best IRC clients for Windows. It has a lot of great features that make it a must-have for anyone who wants to use IRC on an Android phone.
It’s pretty easy to get started with AndroIRC, and the quick start wizard makes it even easier. Once you’re connected to a server, all you have to do to join a channel is tap the plus sign in the upper right corner and choose the channel you want to join. The two columns make it easy to switch between channels and servers.
Pidgin
Pidgin is another free, open-source IRC client built on libpurple that lets you connect to multiple messaging platforms at the same time. The software is always being improved, and new features are often added. This best IRC clients for Windows can run on all of the major operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, and Unix.
Also, it works with many chat networks, including Gadu-Gadu, Jabber, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger, AIM, and Lotus Sametime. You can use different tabs to join all of the chat networks at the same time. When you sign in to Pidgin and connect your chat networks, the Room List shows you a list of channels and users.
KVIRC
It is one of the best IRC clients for Windows that is still in use. Its features show what time period it was made in. KVIRC’s features have been added to, making it an IRC that is easy to use.
KVIRC provides extensive scripting support. This lets the user change a lot of things. One of the best things about KVIRC is that it can be taken anywhere. It doesn’t have to be set up by the user. It can be used from the drive itself. It can also run on Windows, Mac, and other platforms.
XChat Azure
XChat Azure is another powerful IRC client for Mac OS X that is easy to use and has a lot of features. It makes it easy to connect to the IRC networks on devices that run Mac OS X. It’s definitely best IRC clients for Windows, and if you have a Mac, you should definitely check it out.
The best thing about XChat Assure is that you can use it for free. XChat Assure is full of powerful features and lets you connect to multiple IRC servers and channels, allowing you to easily have public and private conversations.
Colloquy
Colloquy is a more popular client server for the IRC platform for chatting on iOS devices than other clients. This server is easy to use, and it’s good because it has a lot of features that make it great for IRC communication on an iOS device. This server has features like push notifications when working with retina devices and multitasking support for those devices.
More than that, when you type a nickname or an emoticon, the auto-correct feature has your back and finishes the command or word for you. It gives you an organised way to look at your chat list and vibrates when you get a new message. Colloquy is the best IRC clients for Windows for iOS users because it has modern features like being able to block strange users, search for a member in the list, and much more.
AndChat
Even though the interface looks a little old and clunky, AndChat is best IRC clients for Windows. If you want to connect over IRC networks with your Android device, you should check it out. Once you’re connected to a server, it’s easy to add channels so you can start talking.
AndChat has just about everything you’d want from a mobile IRC client, like the ability to connect to multiple servers, use SASL, and get notifications. Aside from that, there are also unique things like highlighting more than one nickname, chat logs, and other things.
Final Words
Even though the best IRC clients for Windows is an old idea that is becoming less and less popular, the idea of a chat room has become popular, and many people still use it. IRC clients make it easier for us to stay in touch with many different ways to talk on a single platform. So, we suggest that you choose one from our list and put best IRC clients for Windows.