MIRC was once the best IRC client for Windows and still remains as one of the most downloaded and most used clients today. Having been in development for over a decade, this client is full of advanced features – like scripting – that outshine its competitors. The Quassel IRC client is a cross-platform chat client for the next generation, and it has a lot of impressive features. The main feature that puts Quassel so high up on the list is the Quassel Core. With it, users can install a central “core” on a remote server.
What client does everyone use when hanging out on irc? Do any of them support OSX features like the spelling check while typing?
Comments
I think most people use either Snak or Ircle. I hate both. They fill your desktop with teensy-weensy windows that excell in hiding their true nature. And they're payware. I use X-Chat Aqua. It's a port, I believe, of some Unix app. Yet, it's not all that bad looking, and it has the great advantage of restricting itself to one window (with tabs, but you cán split the windows). It does what Ircle does, and does it well. There might be more to look for in an IRC client, but I wouldn't know what. Connect to several channels, DCC, ... There doesn't seem to be a check spelling as you type though. Maybe I should also mention 'Fire', which is a chat client that deals with IRC, AIM, MSN and stuff like that (ICQ?). I have no experience with that, however.
iRC hands down. If anyone disagrees, I'll see them outside in the parking lot.
Another vote for iRC. Here's what I've tried: 1. Ircle - Used this back when I had OS 9. It worked, but it was a major kludge. Also it would do something freaky and annoying after I had it for 30 days. Like it would pop up a big annoying window every minute to get me to pay for the crap that was put before me. 2. AthenaIRC - Just as bad of a kludge for OS X. Lots of tiny meaningless floating windows. 3. JediKnight - Promising, looks like it has a very simple and easy to understand interface. Then I learned that it doesn't work with / statements, like '/me eats an orange' which basically defeats the purpose of IRC. At least it's free. 4. X-Chat Aqua - This is pretty good for one of those always-in-beta UNIX kludge applications. When I say always-in-beta I don't mean always in development like all open source applications... I mean it's always full of bugs and interface woes that are never resolved. Anyway, X-Chat Aqua is kind of strange and there are a few cases when only right-clicking can get you to certain functions (like adding a new preset server). See, just proof that having only one mouse button DOESN'T force software developers to design their applications for use with one button mice. Once you get into a groove with it, X-Chat is easier to use than the others, and it doesn't clutter up your screen with floating windows, but it's still fairly bad. 5. iRC - Finally someone got it right. This application has a very easy to understand interface, is all in cocoa (complete with customizable toolbar), and although it's shareware it's not 'annoying' shareware. My favorite part of this app - BUTTONS for many different functions, such as kicking/op/deop if you're an operator, as well as file transfer (complete with a graphical file browser to select which file you want). I hate that IRC has the most confusing file transfer system EVAR, but this makes it simple. Get iRC if you want a good IRC client. None of the other ones even come close. 6. GAIM - Oh yeah, a bunch of the guys I know use GAIM. That's because they're Linux geeks who enjoy punishment and pain as long as all their software is in the early stages of alpha testing and has a penguin for an icon. I don't get it. Apparently, GAIM is a messaging client that can handle a number of different networks. But whenever I'm talking with them, they're always complaining that it can't read special characters (like parentheses or quotes) or it does this or it does that. Sounds like the worst piece of crap on the planet, and it's probably really confusing too. But I guess if you want to be a l337 1i//uX h4XoR, you have to put up with that sort of crap.
Quote:
Originally posted by Luca Rescigno 6. GAIM - Oh yeah, a bunch of the guys I know use GAIM. That's because they're Linux geeks who enjoy punishment and pain as long as all their software is in the early stages of alpha testing and has a penguin for an icon. I don't get it. Apparently, GAIM is a messaging client that can handle a number of different networks. But whenever I'm talking with them, they're always complaining that it can't read special characters (like parentheses or quotes) or it does this or it does that. Sounds like the worst piece of crap on the planet, and it's probably really confusing too. But I guess if you want to be a l337 1i//uX h4XoR, you have to put up with that sort of crap.
Ahahahahah!
Quote:
It's funny because it's true.
In the decades following the invention of the Internet, dozens of programs and protocols have been developed to facilitate communication between computers. For example, we have instant messaging protocols, email clients, chatroom networks, and more.
For most of us, chatrooms might seem like a relic of the past, but they’re still around. If you’re interested in that sort of thing, you’ll want to look into the IRC protocol. For those of you who are already familiar with IRC, you can jump past the next section to the list of awesome IRC clients for Windows 7. For those of you who have never heard of IRC, here’s a quick crash course.
What is IRC?
In the simplest of terms, IRC is a network of chatrooms where each individual chatroom is called a channel. Channels are hosted on servers, and each server maintains its own network of channels. Using an IRC client, you can connect to a server and join the channels on that server. By doing so, you’ll be able to chat with other users who have connected to the same channels on those same servers.
IRC first arrived on the scene in 1988 and experienced its peak popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Prior to the current prevalence of Internet forums and message boards, IRC was one of the best ways to foster community and chat with people of similar interests.
Today, IRC is still running strong, though it tends to be used as more of a supplement to web communities that have already been established through websites and forums.
mIRC
mIRC was once the best IRC client for Windows and still remains as one of the most downloaded and most used clients today. Having been in development for over a decade, this client is full of advanced features – like scripting – that outshine its competitors.
The downside to mIRC is that it is shareware – it comes with a 30-day free trial. When the trial runs out, you’ll still be able to use the program, but you’ll need to put up with an annoying splash screen that lasts for a few seconds every time you start up the program.
X-Chat
X-Chat was one of the first real contenders to mIRC. Today, it is one of the most well-known IRC clients on the web. The project is open source so not only can X-Chat be used on Windows, it can be used on Linux, too.
Like mIRC, the original X-Chat has since become shareware with a 30-day free trial. Unlike mIRC, X-Chat cannot be used past the initial 30 days. If you aren’t willing to shell out the one-time registration fee of $19.99, then you should look elsewhere.
If you like X-Chat and cannot afford to register it but wouldn’t mind using an older, stripped-down version, you may want to look into X-Chat 2. This is a free build of X-Chat for Windows meant to circumvent the shareware nature of its predecessor.
HydraIRC
HydraIRC is an IRC client that was designed to make the whole IRC experience as easy and painless as possible. Whereas IRC was once usable only by the tech-literate, HydraIRC has constantly worked towards making IRC easy for the newest beginners while still retaining the advanced settings that power-users desire.
The client is free and open source and packed full of awesome features, like themes, plugins, notifications, and reg-ex highlighting.
KVIrc
One of the oldest IRC clients around, KVIrc has been in development for over 10 years – and its feature set reflects the time spent in development. In particular, this client has extensive scripting support that allows for user customization. Unlike most full-featured IRC clients, KVIrc is portable, meaning it can be used without first having to install it. Run it straight off of a thumb drive if you wish.
Since KVIrc is built on the Qt GUI toolkit, it is cross-platform. In addition to running on Windows, KVIrc has official binaries for Mac, FreeBSD, and certain flavors of Linux.
Nettalk
Coming out of Germany is Nettalk, a free and open source IRC client with a smart interface built on the Windows standards. The default layout is simple and intuitive, allowing beginner IRC users to grab hold of the reins quickly with ease.
One of the great things about Nettalk is its out-of-the-box support for multiple languages – English, Spanish, Dutch, Russian, Chinese, Hungarian and German. On top of that, it has many of the features that IRC clients are now expected to have – plugin support, scripting support, easy customization, and more.
Quassel
The developers describe Quassel as a modern, cross-platform, distributed IRC client: modern, meaning full of the features that you would expect from an IRC client today; cross-platform, meaning available on Windows, Mac, and Linux; distributed, meaning something that is uniquely awesome.
Quassel’s defining feature is its distributed nature. As a distributed client, Quassel attaches and detaches itself from a central core that runs permanently online. The core keeps track of your session, so you can detach when you need to leave and reattach when you’re available again – and you won’t have missed a single thing!
Quassel IRC is both free and open source.
ThrashIRC
Some might find ThrashIRC to be overly prideful because the development team has self-proclaimed their client to be the “best IRC client for Windows.” Whether or not that’s true is up to you to decide.
ThrashIRC comes equipped with all of the modern features expected of an IRC client with a few extra bonuses. The best thing it has going for itself is that it’s feature-filled while using very few system resources. No adware, no spyware, and lots of stability.
Best Irc Client For Mac
But what’s their best feature? According to their website, ThrashIRC has the “best smileys.”
Conclusion
So there you have it. These are 7 of the best IRC clients for Windows 7. Each of them has its own community of fans and supporters, so it’s hard to say whether any of them are any better than the others. If nothing else, give them all a shot, see how they meet your requirements, and come to your own conclusions.
Do you know of any other IRC clients that deserve to be on this list? Feel free to share them in the comments.
Free Irc For Mac
Image Credit: Speech Bubble Via Shutterstock
Explore more about: Chat Client, Instant Messaging, IRC, Online Chat, Windows 7.
The first 2 clients you listed are not free? Fail master flex at his best I see.
I really enjoy the Lounge, a self-hosted web IRC client (like a FOSS version of IRCCloud)
You said 'The Top 7 Best Free IRC Clients for Windows 7'
but there is 5 free and 2 not free software.
are you really that bad at math ?
i read the article and it says
about mirc : 'The downside to mIRC is that it is shareware – it comes with a 30-day free trial. When the trial runs out, you’ll still be able to use the program, but you’ll need to put up with an annoying splash screen that lasts for a few seconds every time you start up the program.'
about xchat : Like mIRC, the original X-Chat has since become shareware with a 30-day free trial. Unlike mIRC, X-Chat cannot be used past the initial 30 days. If you aren’t willing to shell out the one-time registration fee of $19.99, then you should look elsewhere.
but you need to understand that 1 - shareware is not freeware 2 - correcting things is not same as being aggressive. 3 - only reason that i argue about this, i am bored and plenty of time. 4 - 6 is not 7.
Euhm, what about Ice chat? That's also free!
Definitely, its very easy to install and configure in windows..
Not to mention, you include mIRC, but they're too stupid to distinguish between Mac and Windows. GJ delivering a Windows executable to Mac clients.
DUHHHHHHHHHHHH
? this is irc chat programs foe windows and mIRC is for windows, what is your problem?
This isn't the only way you can find mIRC.
'Top 7 best' doesn't make sense.
It's the top 7, or the 7 best. Not both. When you have 'best' in the title, you already mean 'the ultimate.' WTF is 'top' doing in there then?
My all-time favorite is, and will always be, Konversation. It's not stand-alone, so you will need to install the KDE suite, but it is an excellent client nonetheless...
What about Invision and Polaris??
invision and polaris are mIRC skins
So far I like this one. Easy to install and configure.
A bit late to the game, but worth to check this one: AdiIRC - http://www.adiirc.com IMHO, it is better than all clients listed in this page.
ATicle said free clients...But the first two are not. Deceptive.
Shareware is not free. You should get your facts straight.
Article title says 'free'. First two are mIRC and X-Chat which cost money. Seriously ?
Why is mIRC a paid IRC client anyway? hmmm, doesn't make sense... I guess I will have to take a different pick... Smuxi looks alright.
people want to make money XD
I use hexchat. Its a fork of x chat, and is completely free.
and is crap because doesn;'t work properly - strange colors, no highlighting of messages, can't copy - it worked for some time then crashed. Nothing I can do, its not supported for XP anymore.
icechat rox
- for mirc. It isn't free and you can't use it indefinately now - it locks you out after a time.
I am really inspired along with your writing skills and also with the structure to your blog. Is this a paid theme or did you modify it your self? Either way stay up the excellent high quality writing, it is rare to see a nice blog like this one nowadays..
This is a winner in my book, http://www.smuxi.org/main/
First-class info it is actually. My teacher has been seeking for this information.
I am also using mIRC 6.34 with NoName Script 4.2 Suddenly expired today, iunnrng the freebot on 6.35 this copy has also expired. can you post the fixed exe's as I do not have all the programs you are using.I attempted registering for $20 though they force the use of credit card through paypal which I only have e-cheque.
thanks for the input
irssi is hands down the best IRC client. Extremely minimal, keyboard friendly, and very fast.
how can an irc client be slow?
Ychat. the best and is FREE.
You could have included the full form of IRC ( Internet Relay Chat ). LoL, just kidding. I still use mIRC, it has been the best since its release.
Thanks for the list. Personally, I find KVIrc the best.. it has great features, with great interface. You missed IceChat ... its free, and it has some good features too.
A bnc is a proxy program ( ululsay ran on linux ) Depending on your network there may be a free provider. For example on Swiftirc #bnc is a free provider. To see if there are any providers on your network type /list *bnc*
There's also XChat-WDK, a free alternative to the shareware version
Chatzilla rocks!
Noobs don't know how to install as standalone program instead of add-on.
ice chat works well and has some great features
I would like to recommend Pidgin, a personal messenger client that's able to connect through multiple account including IRC.
I agree, Pidgin is excellent!
all people can use my doammncs.i wont this.my script have this command: If ( $me isop $chan || $nick isop $chan) .But again normal users can use my doammncs,How to fix? this?