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Pidgin vs Halloy: catalog facts
Pidgin	Halloy
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 GPL-3.0 licence.
Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, 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	Broad IRCv3 support including chathistory and soju bouncer features Native cross-platform app from one codebase
The interface is unmistakably from another era Support for modern commercial networks depends on plugins that break when APIs change	Configuration is done by editing a text file IRC only; no other chat protocols
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0	License: GPL-3.0
Account needed	No account needed
Needs internet	Not stated if it works offline
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.