Compare software

The Lounge vs Kiwi IRC: catalog facts
The Lounge	Kiwi IRC
Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.	Free Free to use online, with source code on GitHub.
Web, Self-hosted	Web, Self-hosted
Always connected, no separate bouncer needed Responsive interface for phones and desktops	Runs in any major browser with no download Embeddable chat widget for websites
Requires running your own Node.js server IRC only	News on the homepage has not been updated in years Depends on the IRC network you connect to
Self-hosted	Web application, Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Needs internet
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

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