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The Lounge vs Textual: catalog facts
The Lounge	Textual
Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.	Paid Sold directly by the developer; no longer available in the Mac App Store.
Web, Self-hosted	macOS
Always connected, no separate bouncer needed Responsive interface for phones and desktops	Native macOS interface with dark and light modes IRCv3, IPv6 and client certificate support
Requires running your own Node.js server IRC only	macOS only, requiring Monterey or later Paid, and no longer in the Mac App Store
Self-hosted	Downloadable app
Open source	Closed 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 September 24, 2026

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