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Halloy vs The Lounge: catalog facts
Halloy	The Lounge
Free Free and open source under the GPL-3.0 licence.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
Windows, macOS, Linux	Web, Self-hosted
Broad IRCv3 support including chathistory and soju bouncer features Native cross-platform app from one codebase	Always connected, no separate bouncer needed Responsive interface for phones and desktops
Configuration is done by editing a text file IRC only; no other chat protocols	Requires running your own Node.js server IRC only
Downloadable app	Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-3.0	License: MIT
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.