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