HexChat AlternativesIRC Clients & Instant Messengers like HexChat

HexChat is described as 'IRC client based on XChat for Linux , but unlike XChat it’s completely free for both Windows and Unix-like systems' and is a very popular IRC Client in the social & communications category. There are more than 50 alternatives to HexChat for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Windows, Mac, Self-Hosted and Web-based apps. The best HexChat alternative is Pidgin, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like HexChat are SeaMonkey, Adium, WeeChat and mIRC.

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HexChat alternatives page was last updated Feb 19, 2024

Pidgin
1529 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.
118 Pidgin alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application types
Instant Messenger
Group Chat
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Flathub
PortableApps.com
+4
Is Pidgin a good alternative to HexChat?

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3comments
Comments about Pidgin as an Alternative to HexChat

AntumDeluge
Positive commentDec 11, 2017
3
It has a fully featured IRC client functionality.
artyhedgehog
Negative commentMar 2, 2017
1
Pidgin is more for IM protocols in general like XMPP, ICQ etc., while HexChat is for IRC chat.
Guest
Negative commentOct 7, 2020
1
Pidgin has IRC features, but it is a very poor implementation due to the entire program being focused on Instant Messaging
Review by a new / low-activity user.
Pidgin is Free and Open SourceHexChat is also Free and Open Source
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.
184 SeaMonkey alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Web Browser
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
PortableApps.com
+3
Is SeaMonkey a good alternative to HexChat?
Adium
338 likes
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. Based on the libpurple protocol library, Adium can connect you to any number of messaging accounts on any...
68 Adium alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
Instant Messenger
Origin
United States
Alerts
Discontinued
Platforms
Mac
Is Adium a good alternative to HexChat?

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2comments
Comments about Adium as an Alternative to HexChat

twisted_code
Negative commentMar 2, 2022
2
Hexchat is an IRC client, this is not and is useless to anyone trying to connect to an IRC server (i.e., an overwhelming majority of HexChat users)... the matching algorithm seems to be oblivious to this detail.
Guest
Negative commentOct 7, 2020
1
Is an instant messenger, not an IRC client
Review by a new / low-activity user.
Adium is Free and Open SourceHexChat is also Free and Open Source
Adium is CustomizableHexChat is not according to our users
WeeChat
38 likes
WeeChat is a free chat client, fast and light, designed for many operating systems. It is highly customizable and extensible with scripts.
54 WeeChat alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Application types
IRC Client
Instant Messenger
Origin
France
EU
Platforms
Mac
Linux
BSD
Haiku
Xfce
Is WeeChat a good alternative to HexChat?
mIRC
97 likes
mIRC is a popular Internet Relay Chat client used by individuals and organizations to communicate, share, play and work with each other on IRC networks around the world.
60 mIRC alternatives
Cost / License
Paid
Proprietary
Application type
IRC Client
Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
Windows
Is mIRC a good alternative to HexChat?
Quassel IRC
51 likes
Quassel IRC is a modern, cross-platform, distributed IRC client based on the Qt5 framework. Distributed means that one (or multiple) client(s) can attach to and detach from a central core that stays permanently online -- much like the popular combination of screen and a...
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
IRC Client
Origin
International
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Is Quassel IRC a good alternative to HexChat?

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1comment
Comments about Quassel IRC as an Alternative to HexChat

AntumDeluge
Positive commentDec 11, 2017
1
It is a full IRC client, just like HexChat.
Quassel IRC is Free and Open SourceHexChat is also Free and Open Source
XChat for Linux
103 likes
XChat is an IRC chat program for both Linux and Windows. It allows you to join multiple IRC channels (chat rooms) at the same time, talk publicly, private one-on-one conversations etc. Even file transfers are possible.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
IRC Client
Origin
Australia
Alerts
Discontinued
Platforms
Windows
Linux
Is XChat for Linux a good alternative to HexChat?

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1comment
Comments about XChat for Linux as an Alternative to HexChat

AntumDeluge
Positive commentMar 8, 2018
-1
HexChat is a fork of XChat. They are both fully featured IRC clients.
XChat for Linux is Free and Open SourceHexChat is also Free and Open Source
irssi
86 likes
Irssi is a terminal based IRC client for UNIX systems. It also supports SILC and ICB protocols via plugins.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application type
IRC Client
Origin
International
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Cygwin
Is irssi a good alternative to HexChat?
AdiIRC
29 likes
c#/csharp IRC CLient. AdiIRC stores all its settings in text files, this way you can grab the adiirc folder and put in on a usb device or external harddrive. Take all your settings and servers with you everywhere!
Cost / License
Free
Proprietary
Origin
Norway
Platforms
Windows
Wine
+3
Is AdiIRC a good alternative to HexChat?

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1comment
Comments about AdiIRC as an Alternative to HexChat

Guest
Positive commentDec 31, 2016
-1
Hexchat crashes and have some bugs. also AdiIRC has a portable version
Review by a new / low-activity user.
AdiIRC is Free and ProprietaryHexChat is Free and Open Source
KVIrc
45 likes
Free open-source IRC client offering cross-platform support, Qt interface, rich scripting, customizable themes, Unicode, SSL encryption, logging, multi-server connectivity, DCC file transfers, plugin system, event automation, proxy and IPv6 compatibility, and localization.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-2.0)
Application type
IRC Client
Origin
Italy
EU
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
PortableApps.com
Is KVIrc a good alternative to HexChat?
Kiwi IRC
28 likes
A hand-crafted IRC client that you can enjoy. Designed to be used easily and freely. More friendly than other webirc clients giving the general public an easy option to connect to any IRC network.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (Apache-2.0)
Application type
IRC Client
Origin
United Kingdom
Platforms
Online
Self-Hosted
Google Chrome
Is Kiwi IRC a good alternative to HexChat?

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1comment
Comments about Kiwi IRC as an Alternative to HexChat

badon
Positive commentJan 26, 2017
0
KiwiIRC is a good alternative to HexChat because it's browser-based, easy to use, and ready to go. I use it often, and I put in on my websites for other people to have easy access to IRC, even if they're totally new to IRC. Basically, HexChat is for power users, and KiwiIRC is perfect for beginners while still being good enough to please the power users. That's a rare combination.
Kiwi IRC is Free and Open SourceHexChat is also Free and Open Source
Smuxi
31 likes
Smuxi is an irssi-inspired, flexible, user-friendly and cross-platform IRC client for sophisticated users, targeting the GNOME desktop.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-2.0)
Application type
IRC Client
Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
+2
Is Smuxi a good alternative to HexChat?