sitealternatives
Team chat · 9 alternatives

Instead of Pidgin, try one of these 9.

Every alternative is lined up against Pidgin on what people actually switch for: price, open source, self-hosting, offline use and platforms. Pidgin sits in the first row, so you can see what you give up.

Show onlySorted by likes · 9 of 9
Alternative
Price
Open source
Self-host
Offline
Platforms
PidginWhat you have now
Desktop client that connects many chat networks at once.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
Jitsi Meet#1
Free, open-source video calls with no account required.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostYes
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web · iOS · Android
Element#2
Decentralised, encrypted chat built on the Matrix protocol.
PriceFree
hosting from $5
Open sourceYes
Self-hostYes
OfflinePartial
Platforms
Web · Win · Mac · Linux · iOS · Android
Matrix#3
Open federated protocol powering decentralized chat and calls.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostYes
OfflinePartial
Platforms
Web · Win · Mac · Linux · iOS · Android
Jami#4
Decentralized encrypted calling, messaging, and file sharing.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux · Android · iOS
Beeper#5
One inbox combining fourteen chat networks.
PriceFreemium
Open sourceYes
Self-hostYes
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux · iOS · Android
Psi XMPP Client#6
Customizable XMPP desktop client with strong encryption.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
Miranda NG#7
Lightweight Windows messenger with pluggable protocols.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win
Instantbird#8
Mozilla-based multi-network chat client, now discontinued.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
WeeChat#9
Fast terminal chat client extended by scripts.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Mac · Linux

How to read this. “Yes” means fully supported by the maker. “Partial” means it works with caveats. Likes reflect community popularity; vendors can’t pay for them or for placement. How we compare.

Pidgin alternatives at a glance

Pidgin is a free team chat app. We compared 9 alternatives: 9 are open source, 8 are completely free, 4 can be self-hosted and 6 work fully offline. The most popular is Jitsi Meet, with 2.9k likes.

Most liked overallJitsi Meet

Free, open-source video calls with no account required.

Free · Open source · Self‑hostable
Best free optionElement

Decentralised, encrypted chat built on the Matrix protocol.

Free · Open source · Self‑hostable
Best open-source optionMatrix

Open federated protocol powering decentralized chat and calls.

Free · Open source · Self‑hostable
Best to self-hostBeeper

One inbox combining fourteen chat networks.

Freemium · Open source · Self‑hostable · Works offline

More team chat apps

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