Instantbird Alternatives for Linux

There are many alternatives to Instantbird for Linux and since it's discontinued a lot of people are looking for a replacement. The best Linux alternative is Telegram, which is free. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to Instantbird and 19 are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to Instantbird are Pidgin, Zulip, Trillian and Gajim.

More about Instantbird
Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
Instantbird alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. Telegram icon

    Telegram

     2102 likes

    Maximize your messaging experience with efficient communication, speedy delivery, and optional end-to-end encrypted Secret Chats. Engage in unlimited channels and groups up to 200,000 members. Enhance chat management and media sharing with Telegram Premium and its exclusive benefits. All core features remain free.

    301 Telegram alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    • iPad
    • Apple Watch
    • Android Auto
    • Linux Mobile
    • Android Wear
    • PortableApps.com
    • FreeBSD
    • Apple Car Play
    Telegram Desktop
     
  2. Pidgin icon

    Pidgin

     1531 likes

    Pidgin is a chat program which lets you log into accounts on multiple chat networks simultaneously. This means that you can be chatting with friends on XMPP and sitting in an IRC channel at the same time.

    121 Pidgin alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    For accounts on multiple chat networks
     
  4. Zulip icon

    Zulip

     271 likes

    Threaded group conversations combine live and asynchronous messaging, separating topics for organized collaboration, supporting open-source, cloud, and self-hosted deployments, secure communication with encryption, and multi-platform access for diverse teams.

    235 Zulip alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • F-Droid
    Zulip screenshot 1
     
  5. Trillian icon

    Trillian

     280 likes

    Trillian is an instant messaging app that works on phones, tablets, and desktops while keeping your chats neatly synchronized between all of them! We think conversation should be easily shared between all of your devices, not trapped as text messages on your phone.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Blackberry
    • iPad
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Trillian screenshot 1
     
  6. Gajim icon

    Gajim

     68 likes

    The goal of Gajim is to provide a full featured and easy to use XMPP client. Gajim works nicely with GNOME, but does not require it to run. It is released under the GNU General Public License.

    65 Gajim alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Xfce
    • Flathub
    Gajim tabbed chat
     
  7. Kopete icon

    Kopete

     72 likes

    Kopete is an instant messenger supporting AIM, ICQ, Jabber, Gadu-Gadu, Novell GroupWise Messenger, and more. It is designed to be a flexible and extensible multi-protocol system suitable for personal and enterprise use.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Kopete screenshot 1
     
  9. Kaidan icon

    Kaidan

     4 likes

    Kaidan is a simple, user-friendly Jabber/XMPP client providing a modern user interface using Kirigami and QtQuick. The back-end of Kaidan is written in C++ using the QXmpp XMPP client library and Qt 5.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Android
    • Ubuntu Touch
    • Plasma Mobile
    • Flathub
    Kaidan screenshot 1
     
  10. qutIM icon

    qutIM

     27 likes

    qutIM - free open-source multiprotocol ( ICQ, Jabber/GTalk/Ya.Online/LiveJournal.com, Mail.Ru, IRC )

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Symbian S60
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    Chat Window
     
  11. Brosix icon

    Brosix

     13 likes

    Brosix is a secure communication tool for businesses that need a functional way to organize their internal communication.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Text chat
     
  12. Coccinella icon

    Coccinella

     17 likes

    Coccinella is a free and open-source cross-platform instant messaging client with a built-in whiteboard for improved collaboration with other people.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Coccinella screenshot 1
     
  13. Caprine icon

    Caprine

     18 likes

    Caprine is an unofficial and privacy focused Facebook Messenger app with many useful features.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Caprine screenshot 1
     
  14. Chatty App icon

    Chatty App

     1 like

    A simple-to-use messaging app for 1:1 communication and small groups supporting SMS, MMS, matrix and XMPP through libpurple.

    49 Chatty App alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    • Linux Mobile
    Chatty App screenshot 1
     
12 of 19 Instantbird alternatives