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Pidgin vs WeeChat: catalog facts
Pidgin	WeeChat
Free Free and open source under the GPL. The project states it is free and contains no ads.	Free Free software; the project accepts donations.
Windows, macOS, Linux	Linux, Command line
Signs in to several chat networks at once from one window XMPP, IRC, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, GroupWise, Sametime, SILC, SIMPLE and Zephyr built in	Full-featured IRC support including SASL and DCC Scripting in eight languages with a script manager
The interface is unmistakably from another era Support for modern commercial networks depends on plugins that break when APIs change	Terminal only, with a learning curve for new users IRC is the main built-in protocol
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.