Pidgin Alternatives for Android

Pidgin is not available for Android but there are plenty of alternatives with similar functionality. The best Android 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 many of them are available for Android so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Android alternatives to Pidgin are Beeper, Element X, Trillian and Conversations.

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Pidgin alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. Element icon
     803 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.

    320 Element alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Matrix.org
    • Flathub
    • F-Droid
    • Cloudron
    • Snapcraft
     
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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 Decentralized, Privacy focused and LightweightPidgin is not according to our users
  2. Matrix icon
     400 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.

    178 Matrix alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • WebRTC
    • Python
    • JavaScript
    • Go (Programming Language)
    • Cloudron
    • Java
    • Perl
     
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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 Decentralized, Privacy focused, Security-focused and LightweightPidgin is not according to our users
  3. Jami icon
     246 likes

    Open source decentralized communication platform supporting secure end-to-end encrypted calls, messaging, group conferencing, file and media sharing, SIP compatibility, multi-device sync, and strong privacy, available across desktop and mobile systems.

    167 Jami alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
     
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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 Decentralized and Privacy focusedPidgin is not according to our users
  4. Beeper icon
     77 likes

    Brings together messaging from 14 networks into a single inbox, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, and more, with strong privacy via on-device connections, cross-platform availability, chat reminders, scheduling, and unified notifications for all devices.

    23 Beeper alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
     
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    1
    Beeper vs Pidgin Comments
    belisimato
    Positive
    0

    Unifies text communication into one inbox

    • Beeper is Freemium and Open SourcePidgin is Free and Open Source
    • Beeper is Privacy focusedPidgin is not according to our users
  5. Trillian icon
     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)
     
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    1
    Trillian vs Pidgin Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    -17

    Pidgen supports multiple accounts from multiple services, while this is a single service. So instead of allowing you to use all your existing accounts it requires you to use their account. The beauty of Pidgen is that you can connect with your friends using the service they use instead of trying to sell them on the service you want to use.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Trillian is Freemium and ProprietaryPidgin is Free and Open Source
  6. Conversations icon
     103 likes

    Conversations is a privacy focused, open source XMPP Texting [Jabber] client for Android 4.0+ smart phones with wife-approved easy encryption [OTR, OMEMO, or GPG].

    160 Conversations alternatives

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
     
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    1
    Conversations vs Pidgin Comments
    Schnatt_App
    Positive
    3

    very good Alternative if you seek a client for android

    • Conversations is Free and Open SourcePidgin is also Free and Open Source
    • Conversations is Decentralized, Privacy focused and LightweightPidgin is not according to our users
  7. Messenger icon
     231 likes

    Provides comprehensive communication features including group video calls, voice calls, fast messaging, photo sharing, and location mapping. Access through mobile and web platforms with real-time notifications, ensuring seamless interactions using multimedia tools.

    203 Messenger alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Android Auto
    • Android Wear
     
  8. Cheogram icon
     5 likes

    Chat on the Jabber network (XMPP protocol); focus on features for gateway users The Cheogram Android app allows you to join a worldwide communication network.

    Cost / License

    Platforms

    • Android
    • F-Droid
     
  9. Kaidan icon
     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
     
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    1
    Kaidan vs Pidgin Comments
    riveravaldez
    Positive
    0

    Modern interface for XMPP communications. Implements OMEMO:2. Works fine.

    • Kaidan is Free and Open SourcePidgin is also Free and Open Source
  10. Xabber icon
     53 likes

    Open source Jabber (XMPP) client with multi-account support, clean and simple interface. Being both free (as in freedom!) and ad-free, Xabber is designed to be the best Jabber client for Android .

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Android
    • F-Droid
     
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    1
    Xabber vs Pidgin Comments
    Mister Hutchinson
    Negative
    0

    Only XMPP, while Pidgin works with multiple systems and protocols.

    • Xabber is Free and Open SourcePidgin is also Free and Open Source
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