Comparison of LAN messengers

Last updated

The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of notable LAN messengers.

Contents

General information

Basic general information about the LAN messengers: creator/company, license/price, among others.

ProtocolAuthor, creatorFirst public release dateLatest stable versionCost (USD) Software license Programming language
BeeBEEP [1] [2] BeeBEEP ProtocolMarco Mastroddi20105.8.6 (February 13, 2023;12 months ago) No cost GPL-3.0-or-later C++ and Qt
BORGChat ?Ionut Cioflan2002v1.0.0 b438 (March 31, 2007;16 years ago (2007-03-31)) [±] No cost [3] Proprietary ?
Briar Bramble ProtocolBriarproject.org20181.4.19 (January 4, 2023;13 months ago) No cost GPL-3.0-or-later Java
iChat Bonjour IM Protocol Apple Inc. 20026.0.1 (1002) (February 1, 2012;12 years ago)bundled with OS Proprietary Likely Objective-C
iptux [4] Windows Messenger service Jally, ManPT, others20080.51 (November 20, 2009;14 years ago) No cost [5] GPL-2.0-or-later ?
Miranda NG Windows Messenger serviceRoland Rabien20000.96.1 (June 2, 2022;20 months ago) No cost GPL-2.0-or-later C/C++
Pidgin [6] Bonjour IM Protocol Mark Spencer, others19982.14.12 (December 31, 2022;14 months ago) No cost GPL-2.0-or-later C
qTox Tox Protocol Tux3 ?1.17.6 (March 7, 2022;23 months ago) No cost GPL-3.0-or-later C++ and Qt

Operating system support

The operating systems the messengers can run on without emulators or compatibility layers.

ClientWindowsMac OSLinuxAndroidiOSBSDOther
BeeBEEPYesYesYesNoNoYesRaspberry OS
BORGChat YesNoNoNoNoNo
Briar NoNoNoYesNoNo
iChat NoYesNoNoNoNo
iptux
Miranda NG YesNoNoNoNoNo
Pidgin YesYesYesFreeBSD
NetBSD
OpenBSD
Solaris

Illumos
qTox YesYesYesNoNoFreeBSD

Features

Information on what features each of the clients support.

Toolkits or SDKsPrivate messagesPrivate chatPublic chatMessage boardEncryptionFile transferUnicode (UTF-8)Message filtrationGraphical smileys Message loggingWhiteboardTerminal Service CompatibilityUser base in Active DirectoryServerless (No server required)
BeeBEEPNoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesYes
BORGChat NoYesYesYesYesNoYesNoYesYesYesNoNoNoYes
Briar NoYesYesYesYesYesNoYesNoYesYesNoNoNoYes
iChat 1 NoYesYesYesNoNoYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
iptuxNoYesYesNoNoNoYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoYes
Miranda NG ?Yes????YesYes?YesYes???Yes
qTox NoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoYesYesNoNoNoYes

Note 1: Using Apple's Bonjour protocol

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AIM (software)</span> Instant messaging service

AIM was an instant messaging and presence computer program created by AOL, which used the proprietary OSCAR instant messaging protocol and the TOC protocol to allow registered users to communicate in real time.

ICQ New is a cross-platform instant messaging (IM) and VoIP client. The name ICQ derives from the English phrase "I Seek You". Originally developed by the Israeli company Mirabilis in 1996, the client was bought by AOL in 1998, and then by Mail.Ru Group in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Instant messaging</span> Form of communication over the internet

Instant messaging (IM) technology is a type of online chat allowing immediate transmission of messages over the Internet or another computer network. Messages are typically transmitted between two or more parties, when each user inputs text and triggers a transmission to the recipient(s), who are all connected on a common network. It differs from email in that conversations over instant messaging happen in real-time. Most modern IM applications use push technology and also add other features such as emojis, file transfer, chatbots, voice over IP, or video chat capabilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pidgin (software)</span> Open-source multi-platform instant messaging client

Pidgin is a free and open-source multi-platform instant messaging client, based on a library named libpurple that has support for many instant messaging protocols, allowing the user to simultaneously log in to various services from a single application, with a single interface for both popular and obsolete protocols, thus avoiding the hassle of having to deal with new software for each device and protocol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">XMPP</span> Communications protocol for message-oriented middleware

Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol is an open communication protocol designed for instant messaging (IM), presence information, and contact list maintenance. Based on XML, it enables the near-real-time exchange of structured data between two or more network entities. Designed to be extensible, the protocol offers a multitude of applications beyond traditional IM in the broader realm of message-oriented middleware, including signalling for VoIP, video, file transfer, gaming and other uses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yahoo! Messenger</span> Instant messaging protocol

Yahoo! Messenger was an advertisement-supported instant messaging client and associated protocol provided by Yahoo!. Yahoo! Messenger was provided free of charge and could be downloaded and used with a generic "Yahoo ID" which also allowed access to other Yahoo! services, such as Yahoo! Mail. The service also offered VoIP, file transfers, webcam hosting, a text messaging service, and chat rooms in various categories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kopete</span> Free multiprotocol messenger

Kopete is a multi-protocol, free software instant messaging client released as part of the KDE Software Compilation. Although it can run in numerous environments, it was designed for and integrates with the KDE Plasma Workspaces. Kopete was started because ICQ blocked Licq from their network in 2001. According to the original author, Duncan Mac-Vicar Prett, the name comes from the Chilean Spanish word copete, meaning "a drink with your friends". Kopete has been nominated for multiple awards. The designated successor is KDE Telepathy from the KDE RTCC Initiative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miranda NG</span> Free instant messenger for Microsoft Windows

Miranda NG is an open-source multiprotocol instant messaging application, designed for Microsoft Windows. Miranda NG is free software distributed under the GNU GPL-2.0-or-later.

The landscape for instant messaging involves cross-platform instant messaging clients that can handle one or multiple protocols. Clients that use the same protocol can typically federate and talk to one another. The following table compares general and technical information for cross-platform instant messaging clients in active development, each of which have their own article that provide further information.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BitlBee</span>

BitlBee is a cross-platform IRC instant messaging gateway, licensed under the terms of the GNU General Public License.

The following is a comparison of instant messaging protocols. It contains basic general information about the protocols.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skype for Business Server</span> Real-time communications server software

Skype for Business Server is real-time communications server software that provides the infrastructure for enterprise instant messaging, presence, VoIP, ad hoc and structured conferences and PSTN connectivity through a third-party gateway or SIP trunk. These features are available within an organization, between organizations and with external users on the public internet or standard phones.

The following tables compare general and technical information between a number of notable IRC client programs which have been discussed in independent, reliable prior published sources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skype for Business</span> Enterprise instant messaging and video conferencing software by Microsoft

Skype for Business is an enterprise software application for instant messaging and videotelephony developed by Microsoft as part of the Microsoft 365 suite. It is designed for use with the on-premises Skype for Business Server software, and a software as a service version offered as part of 365. It supports text, audio, and video chat, and integrates with Microsoft 365 components such as Exchange and SharePoint.

A LAN Messenger is an instant messaging program for computers designed for use within a single local area network (LAN).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Empathy (software)</span> Open source instant messaging and VoIP client

Empathy was an instant messaging (IM) and voice over IP (VoIP) client which supported text, voice, video, file transfers, and inter-application communication over various IM communication protocols.

Fetion was an instant messaging (IM) client developed by China Mobile, a Chinese telecommunications company. It allows users to send and receive SMS free of charge between PCs and mobile phones. China Mobile intends to develop Fetion into a comprehensive communications service which will focus on wireless communications and offer the Internet applications as a complement. D-media Communication Tech undertakes construction, operation and maintain of Fetion.

The following tables compare general and technical information between a number of notable IRC client programs for mobile devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayttm</span> Instant messaging client

Ayttm is a multi-protocol instant messaging client. It is the heir of the EveryBuddy project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ricochet (software)</span> Instant messaging software

Ricochet or Ricochet IM is a free software, multi-platform, instant messaging software project originally developed by John Brooks and later adopted as the official instant messaging client project of the Invisible.im group. A goal of the Invisible.im group is to help people maintain privacy by developing a "metadata free" instant messaging client.

References

  1. "BeeBEEP (Free Office Messenger)". SourceForge.net . Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  2. Wallen, Jack (2012-08-22). "Get LAN-based interoffice secure chat with BeeBEEP". techrepublic.com. TechRepublic . Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  3. "BORGChat". Softpedia . Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  4. Wallen, Jack (2010-09-17). "Instant message on your LAN with iptux". ghacks.net. Ghacks . Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  5. "iptux". freecode.com. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  6. "Use Pidgin for Chatting And Transferring Files on Local Network Without Internet Connection". ubuntubuzz.com. Retrieved 9 December 2016.