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Pidgin vs Gajim: catalog facts
Pidgin	Gajim
Free Free and open source under the GPL. The project states it is free and contains no ads.	Free Free and open source, funded by donations.
Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, 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	Works with any XMPP provider and interoperates with other XMPP apps End-to-end encryption including OMEMO and OpenPGP
The interface is unmistakably from another era Support for modern commercial networks depends on plugins that break when APIs change	Needs an XMPP account from a provider or your own server Contacts must also use XMPP to reach them
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0	License not stated
Account needed	Account needed
Needs internet	Needs internet
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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