Compare software

Pidgin vs Chatty: catalog facts
Pidgin	Chatty
Free Free and open source under the GPL. The project states it is free and contains no ads.	Free Free and open source under the GPLv3.
Windows, macOS, Linux	Linux
Signs in to several chat networks at once from one window XMPP, IRC, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, GroupWise, Sametime, SILC, SIMPLE and Zephyr built in	SMS and MMS through the phone modem Matrix and XMPP in the same app
The interface is unmistakably from another era Support for modern commercial networks depends on plugins that break when APIs change	Linux only XMPP support is optional and depends on libpurple
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0	License: GPL-3.0
Account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Needs internet	Needs internet
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

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