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Pidgin vs mIRC: catalog facts
Pidgin	mIRC
Free Free and open source under the GPL. The project states it is free and contains no ads.	Paid Shareware that can be tried, with a paid registration from the official site.
Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows
Signs in to several chat networks at once from one window XMPP, IRC, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, GroupWise, Sametime, SILC, SIMPLE and Zephyr built in	Mature client with over thirty years of development Still receiving releases
The interface is unmistakably from another era Support for modern commercial networks depends on plugins that break when APIs change	Windows only Proprietary shareware requiring registration
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Closed source
License: GPL-2.0	License not stated
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 24, 2026

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