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Textual vs Pidgin: catalog facts
Textual	Pidgin
Paid Sold directly by the developer; no longer available in the Mac App Store.	Free Free and open source under the GPL. The project states it is free and contains no ads.
macOS	Windows, macOS, Linux
Native macOS interface with dark and light modes IRCv3, IPv6 and client certificate support	Signs in to several chat networks at once from one window XMPP, IRC, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, GroupWise, Sametime, SILC, SIMPLE and Zephyr built in
macOS only, requiring Monterey or later Paid, and no longer in the Mac App Store	The interface is unmistakably from another era Support for modern commercial networks depends on plugins that break when APIs change
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-2.0
No account needed	Account needed
Needs internet	Needs internet
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026

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