Open Source XChat for Linux AlternativesIRC Clients and other similar apps like XChat for Linux

The best open source alternative to XChat for Linux is Pidgin. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to XChat for Linux and many of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to XChat for Linux are HexChat, SeaMonkey, WeeChat and irssi.

Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard
XChat for Linux alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. Pidgin icon
     1530 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.

    120 Pidgin alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
     
  2. HexChat icon
     222 likes

    HexChat is an IRC client based on XChat for Linux , but unlike XChat it’s completely free for both Windows and Unix-like systems.

    65 HexChat alternatives

    Cost / License

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • MacPorts
    • XQuartz
     
    |
    1
    HexChat vs XChat for Linux Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Based off of the XChat codebase.

    Updated and actively developed.

    It is a near "drop in" replacement.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • HexChat is Free and Open SourceXChat for Linux is also Free and Open Source
  3. SeaMonkey icon
     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
     
  4. WeeChat icon
     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

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    • Xfce
     
  5. irssi icon
     86 likes

    Irssi is a terminal based IRC client for UNIX systems. It also supports SILC and ICB protocols via plugins.

    58 irssi alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Cygwin
     
  6. Quassel IRC icon
     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...

    53 Quassel IRC alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  7. KVIrc icon
     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.

    53 KVIrc alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
     
  8. Kiwi IRC icon
     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.

    63 Kiwi IRC alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    • Google Chrome
     
  9. Konversation icon
     27 likes

    Konversation is an IRC client which gives you speedy access to Freenode network's channels, where you will find support for most distributions.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    • Haiku
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
     
  10. Ergo icon
     Like

    Ergo (formerly known as Oragono) is a modern IRC server written in Go. Its core design principles are:

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Self-Hosted
    • FreeBSD
    • Docker
    • OpenBSD
     
  11. Colloquy icon
     34 likes

    Traditionally, chat clients on the Mac have been anything but glamorous. Colloquy is an advanced IRC, SILC & ICB client which aims to fill this void. By adhering to Mac OS X interface conventions, Colloquy has the look and feel of a quality Mac application.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  12. LimeChat icon
     16 likes

    LimeChat is an IRC client for Windows, Mac OS X and iOS.

    Features

    Can connect to multiple servers in a window By key operation was rich, achieve a sense of comfortable operation Customization capabilities over the details Stable operation at light Search and comfortable log in.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • iPhone
    • iPad
     
12 of 42 XChat for Linux alternatives