Miranda IM icon

Miranda IM

Miranda IM is a popular multi-protocol instant messaging client for Windows. It supports connecting to networks like ICQ, AIM, MSN, Yahoo, IRC, Jabber/XMPP. Miranda is lightweight, customizable, and offers features like tabbed chats, encrypted messaging, file transfers.

What is Miranda IM?

Miranda IM is a free, open source multi-protocol instant messaging client for the Microsoft Windows operating system. It is designed to be very lightweight and customizable, while still offering a rich feature set out of the box. Miranda supports connecting and chatting over popular IM networks and protocols including ICQ, AIM, MSN, Yahoo Messenger, Jabber/XMPP, IRC, Gadu-Gadu, and more.

Some of the key features of Miranda IM include:

  • Tabbed chat windows for handling multiple conversations
  • Plugin architecture for extending functionality through scripts and addons
  • Customizable interface with support for skins and icons
  • Secure messaging with plugins available for encryption
  • File transfers, SMS, message logging, notifications
  • Cross-protocol features like chatting over multiple networks

Miranda is a long-running project which continues to be actively developed by a community of open source contributors. It focuses on delivering a fast, full-featured yet tiny-sized instant messaging tool for Windows. If you are looking for something more lightweight than apps like Skype or Pidgin, but still want modern conveniences like smooth encryption and tabbed chats, Miranda IM warrants a look.

The Best Miranda IM Alternatives

Top Apps like Miranda IM

Franz, Facebook Messenger, mIRC, Pidgin, Adium, Trillian, Empathy, Quassel IRC, Hamsket, Jitsi Desktop, Ripcord are some alternatives to Miranda IM.

Franz

Franz is a free and open-source messaging application developed by Stefan Malzner. It brings all your messaging services like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Slack, Telegram, and more together into one application.Some key features of Franz include:Unified inbox for all your chats and messagesSupports major chat/messaging platforms including WhatsApp...

Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger is a messaging app and platform developed by Facebook. It was originally built into the Facebook app but was spun off into its own separate app in 2014.Messenger allows Facebook users to send messages, photos, videos, make voice and video calls, and more to contacts. Some key features...

MIRC

mIRC is one of the most popular Internet Relay Chat (IRC) clients for Windows. First released in 1995 by Khaled Mardam-Bey, mIRC allows users to communicate in real-time online chat rooms and private conversations.Key features of mIRC include:Connectivity to multiple IRC servers and networks simultaneouslyA customizable interface with skins...

Pidgin

Pidgin is a popular open source chat application used primarily for instant messaging. It supports multiple mainstream chat protocols and accounts including AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo, XMPP/Jabber, IRC, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, Novell GroupWise, Lotus Sametime, Zephyr, and more. This allows users to manage all of their instant messaging accounts and...

Adium

Adium is a free and open source instant messaging application developed specifically for the macOS operating system. It supports many popular chat networks and protocols including AIM, ICQ, Google Talk, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, and Jabber/XMPP.Some key features of Adium include:A simple and easy-to-use interface that can...

Trillian

Trillian is a popular multi-protocol instant messaging client developed by Cerulean Studios. It enables users to simultaneously use multiple IM services and protocols, including AIM, ICQ, Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, IRC, XMPP/Jabber, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, Novell GroupWise Messenger, Lotus Sametime, SILC, SIMPLE, and Zephyr networks all from one application...

Empathy

Empathy is a free and open source instant messaging client that is designed for the GNOME desktop environment. It supports many popular chat protocols out of the box, including XMPP/Jabber, Facebook Messenger, IRC, Telegram, and more.Empathy makes use of the Telepathy framework to providecapabilities like audio/video calls...

Quassel IRC

Quassel IRC is a feature-rich Internet Relay Chat (IRC) client developed by the Quassel Project. It is designed to be easy to use while also providing advanced capabilities for power users.Some key features and benefits of Quassel IRC include:Modern, streamlined user interface with tabbed conversations and customizable layoutsDistributed...

Hamsket

Hamsket is a free and open-source note taking application designed specifically for Windows. It provides a simple yet powerful platform for creating, organizing, and searching all your notes.Some key features of Hamsket include:Clean and intuitive interface - The app is designed to be very easy to use with...

Jitsi Desktop

Jitsi Desktop is a free, open source video conferencing application for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. It allows users to easily conduct encrypted video meetings with multiple participants.Some of the key features of Jitsi Desktop include:End-to-end encryption for secure video callsScreen sharing to present documents, slides, and...

Ripcord

Ripcord is a desktop chat application designed for efficient team communication and collaboration. It brings together messaging, voice and video calls, file sharing, and other essential communication tools into one easy-to-use app.Some key features of Ripcord include:Group messaging with threaded conversationsVoice and video calling for up to 10 participantsScreen...