Open Source Pidgin Alternatives for Linux

There are many alternatives to Pidgin for Linux if you are looking for a replacement. The best open source Linux alternative is Element. It's not free, so if you're looking for a free alternative, you could try Element or Matrix. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Pidgin and loads of them are open source and available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source Linux alternatives to Pidgin are Jami, SeaMonkey, Franz and Psi XMPP Client.

filter to find the best alternatives

Pidgin alternatives are mainly Instant Messengers, but if you're looking for IRC Clients or Group Chat Apps you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Android, Android + Free, Linux and iPhone. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Pidgin.
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Alternatives list

  1. Element icon

    Element

     790 likes

    Provides secure collaboration with end-to-end encryption, supporting chat, voice, and video calls. Available on all major platforms, it enables digital sovereignty with a decentralized design and interoperability through bridges to systems like Slack and Teams. Includes enterprise-grade SaaS.

    314 Element alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Matrix.org
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Cloudron
    • Snapcraft
    Video calls for desktop and mobile
     
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    1
    Element vs Pidgin Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    9

    Pidgin is a universal IM client. Riot is a Matrix client with integrations providing weak bridging for other protocols.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Element is Free Personal and Open SourcePidgin is Free and Open Source
    • Element is Privacy focused and LightweightPidgin is not according to our users
  2. Matrix icon

    Matrix

     392 likes

    Open standard protocol enabling decentralized, encrypted instant messaging, VoIP signaling, IoT device connectivity, and persistent data management across federated servers without central control or single points of failure, bridging communication platforms.

    172 Matrix alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • WebRTC
    • Python
    • JavaScript
    • Go (Programming Language)
    • Cloudron
    • Java
    • Perl
    Main Page
     
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    2
    Matrix vs Pidgin Comments
    alttojb
    Positive
    0

    Matrix does allow multi-protocol chat via "bridges". https://matrix.org/bridges/

    Guest
    Negative
    -1

    It's not a universal messaging platform

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Matrix is Free and Open SourcePidgin is also Free and Open Source
    • Matrix is Privacy focused, Security-focused and LightweightPidgin is not according to our users
  4. Jitsi Desktop icon

    Jitsi Desktop

     488 likes

    Jitsi Desktop (previously SIP Communicator) is a legacy audio/video and chat communicator with full encryption, precedessor of Jitsi Meet .

    77 Jitsi Desktop alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • BSD
    • Self-Hosted
    Message window
     
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    3
    Jitsi Desktop vs Pidgin Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    4

    It's only focused on video chat, no more Xmpp Support

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    1

    Jitsi is now a video-chat only application, with no support for XMPP/Jabber functionality.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    it does not support Jabber/XMPP anymore

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Jitsi Desktop is Free and Open SourcePidgin is also Free and Open Source
    • Jitsi Desktop is Privacy focusedPidgin is not according to our users
  5. Jami icon

    Jami

     238 likes

    Jami (formerly GNU Ring, SFLphone) positions itself as a potential free Skype replacement

    165 Jami alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    Jami video conference OS X
     
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    1
    Jami vs Pidgin Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    5

    Pidgin more focused on text and mutiprotocol messaging. While Ring more focused on a distributed non-multiprotocol service.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Jami is Free and Open SourcePidgin is also Free and Open Source
    • Jami is Privacy focusedPidgin is not according to our users
  6. SeaMonkey icon

    SeaMonkey

     241 likes

    Web-browser, advanced e-mail, newsgroup and feed client, IRC chat, and HTML editing in one application. Itis built on the open source Mozilla Gecko engine, the same code which underlies Thunderbird and is the base for the Firefox browser.

    185 SeaMonkey alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    SeaMonkey screenshot 1
     
  7. Franz icon

    Franz

     120 likes

    Franz is a free messaging app / former Emperor of Austria and combines chat & messaging services into one application. Franz currently supports Slack, WhatsApp, WeChat, HipChat and many more. You can download Franz for Mac, Windows & Linux.

    71 Franz alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Franz screenshot 1
     
  9. Psi XMPP Client icon

    Psi XMPP Client

     92 likes

    Feature-rich XMPP client for advanced users offering strong customization options, secure encrypted messaging (TLS, OpenPGP, OTR, OMEMO), file transfers, audio/video calls, support for animated emoticons, modern themes, group messaging, and multi-platform compatibility.

    45 Psi XMPP Client alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    Psi XMPP Client screenshot 1
     
  10. Empathy icon

    Empathy

     157 likes

    Empathy is a messaging program which supports text, voice, video chat, and file transfers over many different protocols. You can tell it about your accounts on all those services and do all your chatting within one application.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • BSD
    Empathy screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Empathy vs Pidgin Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Both free and open source and works in Linux Support many protocols

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Empathy is Free and Open SourcePidgin is also Free and Open Source
  12. Dino icon

    Dino

     23 likes

    Dino is a modern open-source chat client for the desktop. It focuses on providing a clean and reliable Jabber/XMPP experience while having your privacy in mind. Using GTK+/Vala.

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    Dino screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Dino vs Pidgin Comments
    riveravaldez
    Positive
    0

    Simple and modern interface, secure protocols be default (OMEMO, OpenPGP), available in many distros and through Flatpak/Flathub, audio and video call.

    • Dino is Free and Open SourcePidgin is also Free and Open Source
    • Dino is Privacy focused and LightweightPidgin is not according to our users
  13. 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.

    63 Gajim alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Xfce
    • Flathub
    Gajim tabbed chat
     
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    2
    Gajim vs Pidgin Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    3

    It's a Jabber client only, not a multi-protocol / multi-channel chat client. Similar to Pidgin on it's root purpose can only by another multi-protocol client. Gajim is not.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Guest
    Positive
    -1

    Supports more XMPP features and has it already integrated in the base.

    Pidgin needs a lot of plugin to have a similar support for features.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Gajim is Free and Open SourcePidgin is also Free and Open Source
    • Gajim is Privacy focusedPidgin is not according to our users
  14. 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
     
12 of 61 Pidgin alternatives