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mIRC vs The Lounge: catalog facts
mIRC	The Lounge
Paid Shareware that can be tried, with a paid registration from the official site.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
Windows	Web, Self-hosted
Mature client with over thirty years of development Still receiving releases	Always connected, no separate bouncer needed Responsive interface for phones and desktops
Windows only Proprietary shareware requiring registration	Requires running your own Node.js server IRC only
Downloadable app	Self-hosted
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	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 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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