HexChat Alternatives for Mac

    There are many alternatives to HexChat for Mac if you are looking to replace it. The most popular Mac alternative is Small Pidgin iconPidgin, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to HexChat and many of them are available for Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to HexChat are Small Adium iconAdium (Free, Open Source), Small irssi iconirssi (Free, Open Source), Small Quassel IRC iconQuassel IRC (Free, Open Source) and Small WeeChat iconWeeChat (Free, Open Source).

    The list of alternatives was last updated Oct 6, 2020
    HexChat info, screenshots & reviewsAlternatives to HexChat
    • 65 alternatives
    •  21 showing

    • Pidgin

      Pidgin is an easy to use, multi-protocol chat client client used by millions. Connect to AIM, MSN, Yahoo, XMPP, and more chat networks all at once.
      Some users think this is a great alternative to HexChat, some don't.
      • Free • Open Source
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • BSD
      • PortableApps.com
      • Xfce
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      AntumDeluge It has a fully featured IRC client functionality.
      Positive comment • about 3 years ago • 6 users agree and 5 don't

      Pidgin has IRC features, but it is a very poor implementation due to the entire program being focused on Instant Messaging
      Negative comment • 5 months ago • 1 users agree

      artyhedgehog Pidgin is more for IM protocols in general like XMPP, ICQ etc., while HexChat is for IRC chat.
      Negative comment • almost 4 years ago • 9 users agree and 9 don't

    • Adium

      Adium is a free and open source instant messaging application for Mac OS X, written using Mac OS Xs Cocoa API, released under the GNU GPL and developed by the Adium team.
      • Free • Open Source
      • Mac
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      Is an instant messenger, not an IRC client
      Negative comment • 5 months ago

    • irssi

      Irssi is a terminal based IRC client for UNIX systems. It also supports SILC and ICB protocols via plugins.
      • Free • Open Source
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • BSD
      • Cygwin
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    • Quassel IRC

      Quassel IRC is a modern, cross-platform, distributed IRC client based on the Qt4 framework.
      • Free • Open Source
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • Self-Hosted
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      AntumDeluge It is a full IRC client, just like HexChat.
      Positive comment • about 3 years ago • 1 users agree

    • WeeChat

      WeeChat is a fast, light and extensible chat client. It runs on many platforms (including Linux, BSD and Mac OS).
      • Free • Open Source
      • Mac
      • Linux
      • Android
      • BSD
      • Xfce
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    • KVIrc

      KVIrc is a free portable IRC client based on the excellent Qt GUI toolkit. KVirc is being written by Szymon Stefanek and the KVIrc Development Team with the contribution of many IRC addicted developers around the world.
      • Free • Open Source
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • BSD
      • PortableApps.com
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    • Textual

      Textual is the world's most popular application for interacting with Internet Relay Chat (IRC) chatrooms on macOS.
      No screenshots yet
      • Mac
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      JackVegas If you have a Mac, Textual is the best IRC experience you can get, hands down. The UI is extremely polished and beautiful, and the program is perfectly stable and rock-solid.
      Positive comment • 11 months ago

    • ZeroChat

      An IRC-like internet chatroom hosted on ZeroNet, a distributed network. 0rc is a fully distributed website, and messages are shared through peers using the ZeroNet stack.
      • Free • Open Source
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • Online
      • Self-Hosted
      • Python
      • JavaScript
      • ZeroNet
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    • Smuxi

      Smuxi is an irssi-inspired, flexible, user-friendly and cross-platform IRC client for sophisticated users, targeting the GNOME desktop.

      Discontinued

      The last activity in the Smuxi project was in 2015

      • Free • Open Source
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
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    • Glowing Bear

      Glowing Bear is a sleek, modern web frontend that securely connects to a running instance of WeeChat using its built-in relay protocol.
      • Free • Open Source
      • Mac
      • Windows
      • Linux
      • Online
      • Android
      • Android Tablet
      • Self-Hosted
      • Google Chrome
      • WeeChat
      • Firefox OS
      • Google Play Store
      • Firefox
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