Please help us update this page by trying out different clients.
Features to look for
- OTR? If yes, this client has built in support for Off-the-Record Messaging which provides end-to-end encryption of chat messages and has perfect-forward-secrecy.
- OMEMO? If yes, this client has support for end-to-end encryption that supports multiple clients and offline chats.
- Jingle? If yes, this client can used for voice or video chat.
- Proxy? If yes, this client may connect through a proxy and that the client obeys the proxy settings.
- TLS? If yes, this client support secure connections with the chat provider.
- Tor? If yes, this client can correctly use Tor to circumvent censorship and to access services anonymously. If no, then the client should not be used with Tor.
- MUC [dead link]? If yes, this client can be used for Multi-User Chat (chatrooms XEP-0045)
Recommended clients
Client |
Supported OS |
OTR? |
OMEMO? |
Jingle? |
Proxy? |
TLS? |
Tor? |
MUC? |
Comments |
Gajim |
GNU/Linux, Windows, FreeBSD |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Open source. Nice cross-platform chat client written in Python and GTK+. |
Gajim 0.16.x |
GNU/Linux, Windows, FreeBSD |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Open source. Nice cross-platform chat client written in Python and GTK+. |
Psi |
GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes (Linux) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Open source. Nice cross-platform chat client written in C++ and Qt. |
Psi+ |
GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS, Haiku, FreeBSD |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes (Linux) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Open source. Nice cross-platform chat client written in C++ and Qt. Development version of Psi |
CoyIM |
GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Open source. Secure-by-default chat client for GNOME. Has built-in support for Tor, OTR and TLS. |
ChatSecure |
Android, F-Droid, iOS |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
? |
Open source. A very good chat client for iOS. Native Tor support. |
Conversations |
Android |
No |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Open source. A very good chat client for Android. Supports encrypted group chats! |
Conversations Legacy |
Android |
Yes |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Open source. A very good chat client for Android. Supports encrypted group chats! |
Other clients
Client |
Supported OS |
OTR? |
OMEMO? |
Jingle? |
Proxy? |
TLS? |
Tor? |
MUC? |
Comments |
Adium |
macOS |
Yes |
Yes (Plugin) |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Partial |
? |
Open source. Lack of updates cause for security concern. DNS and URL hovering information leaks. |
Jitsi |
GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
? |
Yes |
? |
? |
Open source. Written in Java. |
Miranda |
Windows |
Yes |
No |
No |
? |
? |
? |
? |
Open source. Stable client with many plugins. |
Miranda NG |
Windows |
Yes |
No |
No |
? |
? |
? |
? |
Open source. Stable client with many plugins. |
Pidgin |
GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS |
Yes (Plugin) |
Yes (Plugin) |
Yes (Linux) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
? |
Open source. Stable with many features. Make sure to use most the current version! |
Spark |
GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS |
Yes |
No |
Yes |
? |
? |
? |
? |
Open source. Written in Java. |
Clients to avoid
Client |
OS supported |
OTR? |
OMEMO? |
Jingle? |
Proxy? |
SSL/TLS? |
Tor? |
MUC? |
Comments |
Beem |
Android |
No |
No |
No |
? |
? |
? |
? |
Open source. Stable native android app. Does not support group chats. |
Empathy |
GNU/Linux |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes (GNOME) |
Yes (GNOME) |
? |
? |
Open source. Stable and easy to use. |
iChat |
macOS |
No |
No |
No |
? |
? |
? |
? |
Apple’s built-in chat application has limited XMPP support. |
Pandion |
Windows |
No |
No |
No |
? |
? |
? |
? |
Open source. Nice stable windows XMPP client. |