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Some of the best IRC clients are listed below. An IRC (Internet Relay Chat) client is a programme that can be installed on a computer and sends and receives messages to and from an IRC server. It just hooks you up to a global network of IRC servers and lets you talk to people one-on-one or in groups.
The best IRC clients have a reputation for being old, reliable, and the most difficult to understand when it comes to online chat software. What keeps people interested in IRC is that it can be logged, scripted, and is free in every way.
But the first learning curves may seem very steep, especially for people who are just starting out. So, if you are new to its world, you should be smart about how you learn about it. You might find that some clients work best on Windows and others work well on other operating systems. With that in mind, here are some of the best IRC clients, sorted by how well they work with your favourite OS.
Best IRC Clients
mIRC
A lot of Windows users use this IRC client. There are many parts that have changed over time. Since twenty years ago, the IRC client has been working. It lets people share and talk with other people who use it. Users can now also play games with other people on their IRC network. does not require you to know as much as a pro.
Many features include tray notifications, spoken messages, buddy lists, connections to multiple servers, message logging, file transfer, and buddy lists. The scripting language is one thing that makes this client stand out. It can be used to automate mIRC and make apps for communication or gaming.
WeeChat
WeChat is a free IRC client that works on 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.
Weechat is an IRC client for Windows that is fast, free, and not too heavy. It can be changed in many ways and comes with proxy support, authentication, DCC, a nick list, and connections to multiple servers. A built-in manager and support for 8 scripting languages make it easier to write scripts.
HexChat
XChat was one of the best IRC clients that worked on different platforms. It was so good that many Windows users switched from mIRC, which was the most popular shareware programme at the time, and most Linux users thought it was the standard. Then disaster happened: XChat stopped being updated. Because XChat was open source, it was quickly replaced by HexChat, which was an even better, faster, and more polished IRC client.
It started out as a Windows version of XChat because the original developers of XChat wouldn’t make a Windows version. XChat split because of this change. Many people liked how it looked and how light it was, but just because it looks simple doesn’t mean it doesn’t have any features. You can download Hexchat from here.
Quassel
Quassel is an open-source, cross-platform, graphical IRC client, just like HexChat. What makes it different is that you can connect and disconnect the client from a central server. You can set up this server anywhere, in the cloud or on your own computer, and stay connected to IRC indefinitely.
So, you don’t miss any conversations, since the server is always connected. You can do this with a client that uses a terminal, like Irssi or WeeChat, tmux, or GNU Screen, but this client lets you do it graphically. The “Q” in the name lets you know that it was built with the same Qt toolkit as the KDE desktop.
X-Chat
X-Chat is an IRC client that is easy to use and has some good features. It was one of the first to compete with mIRC. It is free, open source software that lets you connect to IRC networks on all major platforms, including Windows.
Using this client, you can connect to multiple IRC chat rooms at once, in public or private, and connect to multiple IRC servers (one-tone). You can also easily send files to other people. Some of the things that make it a good IRC client are SSL support and keyboard shortcuts.
IceChat
IceChat is a great IRC client that cool people should definitely use. This easy-to-use client will get you started chatting in the blink of an eye. You have to come up with a nickname, choose an IRC server, and connect. The best part is that you can connect to multiple servers and channels simultaneously.
This makes it easy to talk to your friends and family on your preferred channels. If you want to learn more, you can also use its different techniques to change how the client looks as a whole. With the IceChat Editor, you can do a lot of things, like change the theme, write your own commands, and make your own pop-ups.
Textual
Textual is easy to use and is one of the most powerful IRC clients for Mac OS X. Textual has a beautiful, well-thought-out multi-column user interface. The dark and light versions of the interface are a real treat to look at, especially on Retina devices. But Textual is more than just pretty pictures. The full-featured but lightweight application has all the modern IRC features, such as native IPv6 support, full compatibility with IRCv3 specifications, and client-side certificate authentication.
That’s not all, either. Textual also has a variety of keyboard shortcuts, the ability to sync preferences with iCloud, auto-completion for nicknames and commands, full text formatting, and ZNC integration. One of the best things about Textual is that it cares about user privacy. This is shown by the fact that it uses Off the Record Messaging.
XChat Azure
XChat Azure is a good way to connect to IRC networks on OS X devices. It is easy to use and has a good number of features. It’s a pretty good IRC client app, and Mac users should definitely check it out. And the best part is that it’s free. That’s so cool! XChat Azure has a pretty good list of features, making it easy to connect to multiple IRC servers and channels.
This makes it easy to have both public and private conversations. You can also send and receive files with no problems. With regular features like strong SSL support and a lot of useful keyboard shortcuts, XChat Azure makes a strong case for being a good IRC client for Mac OS X computers.
Pidgin
Pidgin is a free, open-source IRC client for Windows that works well and has a lot of cool features. The app lets you sign in to multiple chat accounts at once and talk to your friends. Pidgin works with many popular chat networks, such as Bonjour, Jabber, XMPP, Zephyr, SILC, Novell, Gadu-Gadu, etc. You can also transfer files, make your own smileys and buddy icons, and get notifications when someone is typing, which adds a fun layer to your user experience.
One of its best features is the way it is being made. With contributions from users all over the world, Pidgin is often updated with new features and fixes for bugs quickly. Ping only works with Windows, Linux, and Unix-based operating systems right now. Overall, you can think of Pidgin as a hub for plugins. It has a huge number of built-in plugins and plugins made by developers outside of Pidgin.
Lime Chat
LimeChat is probably what you’ll find if you’re looking for a fast and stable IRC client for your Mac. Written on a very advanced RubyCocoa framework, the client connects to multiple servers without any problems and uses SSL encryption to keep everything safe. The client stays busy in the background for 10 minutes. That is, you can minimise the client and do other things without losing the connection.
It also has an easy-to-use interface that is light and fast. You can move between channels by using the mouse or the arrow keys on your keyboard. You will also get real-time alerts about new messages or highlights, even if you are on a different channel. Since the app also has an auto-lock feature, you can go get a cup of coffee or go to the bathroom without worrying about your phone.
Final Words
Some of the best IRC clients are available. The IRC works on Windows, Linux, Mac, and Haiku, among other platforms. It is fully documented and can be used in many languages. It is a free programme that can be added to in many ways. You can use a browser, Android device, Emacs to connect to the IRC. So, you can always stay in touch with the chat groups and other users.