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gamja vs The Lounge: catalog facts
gamja	The Lounge
Best for: Running a lightweight browser-based IRC client for yourself or a community	Best for: IRC users who want a persistent connection usable from any device
Free Free and open source under the AGPLv3.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
Web, Self-hosted	Web, Self-hosted
Lightweight, simple interface Configurable by file or URL parameters All 3 strengths for gamja Lightweight, simple interface Configurable by file or URL parameters Works well alongside the soju bouncer	Always connected, no separate bouncer needed Responsive interface for phones and desktops All 4 strengths for The Lounge Always connected, no separate bouncer needed Responsive interface for phones and desktops Push notifications and link previews Multi-user support
Requires an IRC server or proxy with WebSocket support You must host the files yourself	Requires running your own Node.js server IRC only
Web application, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License: AGPL-3.0	License: MIT
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Needs internet	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for gamja codeberg.org/emersion/gamja Catalog checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for The Lounge thelounge.chat github.com/thelounge/thelounge Catalog checked September 23, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.