IRC Clients - Freeware and Shareware

Clients for Windows

Hydra IRC (Freeware) Hydra IRC
HydraIRC is an open-source IRC client with an attractive and easy to use interface. It supports DCC Chat and File transfers, Connecting to multiple servers, Dockable Floating Tabbed Windows, Autohiding Windows, DLL Plugins, Channel Monitoring, Message Logs, Event Viewer, Themes, Color schemes, Buddy groups, Audible and Visual Notifications , Reg-Exp Highlighting, Favorites and much more.

Icechat (Freeware) Icechat
IceChat can connect to many IRC Servers, has full scripting support and customizable popup menus, and a unique, easy to use Interface. It has emoticon support, skins, Full DCC Support, Easy to setup for Multi Servers.
IceChat is in constant development, and is aimed at the Novice to Intermediate IRC User.
It allows multi profiles and has many options that most major irc clients have to offer.

jIRCii (jIRCii requires Java 1.4.2 or later. ) (Freeware) jIRCii
jIRCii is an Internet Relay Chat client (IRC) for Windows, MacOS X, and Linux.
jIRCii provides an irc experience similiar to ircii, hADES, and BitchX with the advantages of a solid user interface. Features include DCC/CTCP support, multiple serverconnections, IRC over SSL support, tab key nickname completion, and over 75 built-in commands. jIRCii is fully scriptable using sleep, a Perl-like language.

kvirc-3.2.0 (Freeware) KVIRC
KVIrc is a free portable IRC client based on the excellent Qt GUI toolkit. KVIrc is being written by Szymon Stefanek and the KVIrc Development Team with the contribution of many IRC addicted developers around the world.

mIRC 6.21 (Shareware, Does not stop working after the trial) mIRC
mIRC is a shareware IRC client for Windows. It is developed and copyrighted by Khaled Mardam-Bey. mIRC is a highly configurable IRC client with all the goodies other clients on UNIX, Macintosh and even on windows offer, combined with a *nice* and clean user interface. mIRC offers full color text lines, DCC File Send and Get capabilities, programmable aliases, a remote commands and events handler, place sensitive popup menu's, a great Switchbar, World Wide Web and sound support, and... a lot more. mIRC is shareware but not crippled in any way... [mIRC Donations Page]

X-Chat 2.6.9b (Freeware) xChat
XChat is an IRC chat program for both Linux and Windows. It allows you to join multiple IRC channels (chat rooms) at the same time, talk publicly, private one-on-one conversations etc. Even file transfers are possible.

Clients for Macs

jIRCii (jIRCii requires Java 1.4.2 or later. ) (Freeware) jIRCii
jIRCii is an Internet Relay Chat client (IRC) for Windows, MacOS X, and Linux.
jIRCii provides an irc experience similiar to ircii, hADES, and BitchX with the advantages of a solid user interface. Features include DCC/CTCP support, multiple serverconnections, IRC over SSL support, tab key nickname completion, and over 75 built-in commands. jIRCii is fully scriptable using sleep, a Perl-like language.

KVirc-3.2.0 (Freeware) KVIRC
KVIrc is a free portable IRC client based on the excellent Qt GUI toolkit. KVIrc is being written by Szymon Stefanek and the KVIrc Development Team with the contribution of many IRC addicted developers around the world.

X-Chat_Aqua.0.16.0 (Freeware) xChat
X-Chat Aqua is X-Chat with an Aqua interface for MacOS X. X-Chat Aqua uses the irc engine from X-Chat, and is designed to look and feel like the GTK+ front end.
XChat is an IRC chat program for both Linux and Windows. It allows you to join multiple IRC channels (chat rooms) at the same time, talk publicly, private one-on-one conversations etc. Even file transfers are possible.

Clients for *nix

Irssi-0.8.10 (Freeware) Irssi
Irssi is a terminal based IRC client for UNIX systems. It also supports SILC and ICB protocols via plugins. Supports Autologging, Formats and themes, Configurable keybindings, Paste detection, Perl scripting, Irssi-proxy.

kvirc-3.2.0-i386 (Freeware) KVIRC
KVIrc is a free portable IRC client based on the excellent Qt GUI toolkit. KVIrc is being written by Szymon Stefanek and the KVIrc Development Team with the contribution of many IRC addicted developers around the world.

X-chat-2.6.8 (Freeware) xChat
XChat is an IRC chat program for both Linux and Windows. It allows you to join multiple IRC channels (chat rooms) at the same time, talk publicly, private one-on-one conversations etc. Even file transfers are possible.

Clients for Mobiles/PDA

PocketIRC (Windows Mobile) (Freeware) PocketIRC
Pocket IRC aims to become the premier IRC client for Pocket PC, Pocket PC 2002, and Pocket PC 2003 PDAs. Pocket IRC has many of the features you've become accustomed to from desktop IRC clients like mIRC, such as full colour code and formatting support, custom background images, built in IDENT server and more!
Pocket IRC has also been designed with the Pocket PC in mind, and that means the less typing the better! All of the most commonly used IRC commands are just a tap away, no need to type more than necessary.

upirc-3.8.3 (for Palm OS) (Shareware) UPIRC
upIRC (formerly apIRC) is a fully RFC-compliant client for Internet Relay Chat (IRC) servers, packed with a wide range of features.
Features: Hi-res support for Sony and Handera devices, Up to 30 display windows (10 channels, 20 private conversations),Palm OS® 5 compatible, DCC chat support, Custom font support (uses FontHack-compatible fonts), Command auto-completion, Log to DOC database or VFS memory card. (Registration Page to Remove Limitations)

wmirc (Windows Mobile) (Shareware) wmirc
wmIRC is one of the first IRC(Internet Relay Chat) client for Windows Mobile that works on both Smartphone and Pocket PC devices. With clear and straightforward user interface wmIRC is much faster and easier to use than it's competitors. wmIRC contains only the required and minimum set of functionality, so that even novice IRC users can work with it without any problems. wmIRC is optimized for mobile IRC users who use IRC messaging a lot. (wmIRC Registration Page)