- Quick specs
- Price: Free
- Operating system: Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
- Date added: April 01, 2008
- Total Downloads: 568,198
- Downloads last week: 1,054
- See full specifications
A newer version of Pidgin is available.
(Download doesn't provide access to previous versions of this program.)
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 218 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
Your mother uses AOL Instant Messenger. Your spouse prefers MSN. Your office insists on Yahoo. What are you going to do? You could run all those chat clients at once, or you could use Gaim, now renamed Pidgin. Like Trillian, Fire, and other third-party IM clients, this open-source messaging application lets you access multiple IM networks from one window, including Google Talk and MySpaceIM as well as lesser-known protocols such as Jabber and Gadu-Gadu.
Pidgin's biggest change is the redesigned interface. The Buddy List can be viewed in Basic or Advanced mode, and the most important features, including the Plug-in List, have been graduated from the Preferences window into their own panes. Twenty-two plug-ins come prepackaged as Pidgin repositions itself as a highly extensible chat client.
The IM features are unimpeachable: smileys (you can find tons of emoticons on the developer's site), file transfers, and multiperson chats. The Buddy Pounce feature lets you automatically perform certain actions (play a sound, execute a command, open an IM window) when a contact signs on or off. Pidgin also gets lots of intangibles right: logging and time-stamping, for instance, are well-executed and easy to access. However, it lacks IP telephony and video conferencing, and there are still some bugs--most notably in the Help menu. Still, Pidgin remains a highly recommended text-only messaging app.
Publisher's description
From Pidgin :Pidin (formerly known as Gaim) is a multi-protocol instant messaging client for BSD and Windows. It is compatible with AIM (Oscar and TOC protocols), ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo, IRC, Jabber, Gadu-Gadu, and Zephyr networks. Pidgin users can log in to multiple accounts on multiple IM networks simultaneously. This means that you can be chatting with friends on AOL Instant Messenger, talking to a friend on Yahoo Messenger, and sitting in an IRC channel all at the same time. It also goes beyond that and provides many unique features. A few popular features are Buddy Pounces, which give the ability to notify you, send a message, play a sound, or run a program when a specific buddy goes away, signs online, or returns from idle; and plugins, consisting of text replacement, a buddy ticker, extended message notification, and iconify on away.
Version 2.4.1 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.
What's new in this version:
Version 2.4.1 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.
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User reviews of Pidgin 2.4.1
- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 218 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 7 user reviewsSee all 7 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
Version: Pidgin 2.4.1
"Good but it keeps getting bigger.."
Pros: I like this IM client. It's very easy to use once you start getting used to it, it has a lot of plugins, there are many changes you can make to customize the look of your buddy list, you have a history and chat logger, all capabilities that Trillian's paid version would probably have. I praise that it doesn't consume system resources.
Cons: Doesn't view correct fonts, I put "tahoma" but my friends told me it shows up as "time new roman" for them. This program also keeps getting bigger everyday. I don't understand what changes they could make...it started out below 20MB and now it's growing like crazy. The DirectIM also isn't helpful since it doesn't tell you what file or file size you or your friend is sending you. The buddy icons don't refresh exactly when you change it. Needs GTK to ruin but Cnet decided not to put that as a requirement. That's about another 20MB which will make the whole package 50MB. IMO, not worth it for something that's suppose to be small and easy to use. I hope they stop cluttering the product because it's very good, and I'd hate to stop using it.
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Version: Pidgin 2.4.1
Pros: EXCELLENT - BETTER THAN TRILLIAN
Cons: No Complaints
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Version: Pidgin 2.4.1
Pros: Extremely stable, light on resources. You can connect to all chat protocols. I've been a long time fan of Pidgin(Gaim). There are also a lot of add ons available to increase it's functionality. Pidgin also comes in a portable version (usb key) and Linux flavors; both of which I use.
Cons: Webcam/Audio support are no where to be found.
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Version: Pidgin 2.4.1
"Pidgin is Cool, and much better then Trillian"
Pros: Very nice program, Cool and much better than Trillian, why It's FREE! It's the only program I use now.
Cons: None
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Pidgin 2.4.1
Pros: The interface is very clean and it's easy to add acounts. It's very user friendly. Much better than the bloated clients of the respective companies.
Great software.
- See all 7 user reviews Write review
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