Trillian

CNET Editors' review

After nearly two years, Trillian is back to claim its rightful title as king of all chat clients. Version 3 offers a completely overhauled interface, tabbed chatting, enhanced messaging functionality, improved file transfers, and a new Instant Lookup feature. The program offers simultaneous access to the fab-five chat clients: Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, ICQ, mIRC, and AIM. By importing your passwords, buddy lists, and client preferences into its own interface, Trillian acts as a hub for all your chat traffic.

Installation and setup are simple, and the included features are useful. You can check supported e-mail accounts with one click, view detailed event logs for each client, and, of course, chat. Plus, each supported chat client has options such as video and voice messaging, SMS support, and file transfers. Trillian also offers skin support, although they can be a bit testy to install. While you'll occasionally lose contact with AIM, that's AOL's fault. Credit Trillian for fixing these blocks quickly.

The best thing about Trillian is that it's absolutely free--there's no adware or functionality limitations. So if you need help managing your schizophrenic chatting identity, this puppy's for you.

Trillian:

Publisher's Description

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All User Reviews
  • All versions:

    3.9 stars

    out of 1,835 votes

    • 5 star: 853
    • 4 star: 493
    • 3 star: 176
    • 2 star: 97
    • 1 star: 216
  • Current version:

    3.9 stars

    out of 63 votes

    • 5 star: 23
    • 4 star: 22
    • 3 star: 9
    • 2 star: 4
    • 1 star: 5
  • My rating:

    0 stars

    Write review

Results 1-10 of 58

  • 5.0 stars

    "Above all others!"

    October 2, 2008  |   By AppsJunkie

    Version: Trillian 3.1.10

    Pros

    Best IM and IRC Client

    Cons

    I don't really have any bad experiences with Trillian. As a person who changes their theme and wallpaper every two days (I'm crazy aren't I?) I can always re skin Trillian to blend in with my computer.

    Summary

    I originally started using AIM to talk to m friends. Then I started to get into instant relay chatting, and needed a way to talk without going on the website. After trying multiple clients such as Miranda, Pidgin, and Digsby, I came across Trillian. Trillian is very easy to use, fun to customize, and I can chat with my friends on AIM, Yahoo, and go into IRCs at the same time! If you do the same thing, then I definitely recommend downloading this. I mean it's free! What do you have to lose?

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  • 5.0 stars

    "Does what I need it to do"

    October 1, 2008  |   By Spooky953

    Version: Trillian 3.1.10

    Pros

    This program works well. It is easy to install and use, it has few bugs, if any, and helps me keep my various accounts and contact lists well organizes.

    Cons

    I wish it was a little easier to set up accounts for multipul users. I am not sure if this is even possible with basic.

    Summary

    I have been using Trilian for a long time, and will continue to use it in the future.

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  • 3.0 stars

    "Will always struggle to keep up"

    September 30, 2008  |   By stuartbkk

    Version: Trillian 3.1.10

    Pros

    free, basic functionality works

    Cons

    Just not as slick as the original apps from each provider. No video. No Skype. Much improved on past versions but still not 100% stable on a hard working system. Doesn't bring across customised contact names from Live Messenger.

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  • 5.0 stars

    "all in one simple as that"

    September 28, 2008  |   By kdehairy

    Version: Trillian 3.1.10

    Pros

    simple interface. you can do what ever you do in im or yahoo.

    Cons

    nothing till now

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  • 4.0 stars

    "Very good product. Works like it indicates it should."

    September 26, 2008  |   By mikedd0

    Version: Trillian 3.1.10

    Pros

    It brings together several IM engines into one user interface. It makes using this with all of your business and personal friends easy. It works well.

    Cons

    It lacks the inclusion of the Google IM product. They really need to get this integrated into their platform.

    Summary

    This is easy to use, easy to set up and overall works very well. The average user would be very happy with this and be able to accomplish their IM's easily. It lacks some of the extended features such as video, audio chat and file exchange that the individual products support, but for simple IM, it works great.

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  • 3.0 stars

    "Great for combining all IM's services into one place!"

    September 22, 2008  |   By lostpuma08

    Version: Trillian 3.1.10

    Pros

    It is easy to download, and manage all account in one place. I like the way that you can easily add a contact.

    Cons

    It does not have enough directions for set up of contacts. It is confusing on how to add all other providers into your trillian list. To download the program is easy but to get yourself all set up for using the program, it is very complicated!

    Summary

    I like the fact that you can put everything in one place and see everyone at one time. I dont like the fact that the icon's are so small it is hardly worth adding one. Plus the icons that others have are even smaller. There is not alot of glits and glamor to the site which I was hoping for something like MSN has for it's IM users. Not much of a way to add details to my contacts. Over all I am not as impressed as I thought I would be. There needs to be some updating to the over all ease of adding the different providers. I was confused between if I needed an e-mail address with the other providers or just a user log on, and Trillian did not specify either so that is where I became confused. I had all the different providers loaded on to my computer because I was trying to get them loaded into trillian and it became a big mess. Why can you just put the ability to become a user of the other providers through trillian some how? It would sure make it easier.

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  • 4.0 stars

    "what, no video?"

    September 21, 2008  |   By smileyflarinet

    Version: Trillian 3.1.10

    Pros

    I really liked Trillian, it seemed to work pretty well, loved that I was able to skin it, overall a great program.

    Cons

    Didnt like that I would have had to pay for video/audio chat... for that I may as well just go back to aim, yahoo, and gmail, since that's pretty much all I use IM for.

    Summary

    I downloaded this as a substitute for all of my im programs, since one, they tend to interfere with eachother, and two, I had aim for all of a week before it killed my system.

    ANYWAY... all in all an awesome program, if there was videochat in the free version it would be perfect, but that's just cause im cheap :P

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  • 4.0 stars

    "Its great to have all of the messengers in one place."

    September 18, 2008  |   By AngelLeia_21

    Version: Trillian 3.1.10

    Pros

    Its all in the same place.

    Cons

    It doesn't always stay connected to all of the messengers.

    Summary

    I like having the messengers on one program so it is less to run on my computer and less windows open.

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  • 4.0 stars

    "vearey good"

    September 18, 2008  |  

    Version: Trillian 3.1.10

    Pros

    lets me yous all my instet mesegs to gether

    Cons

    dont loge in to emails aortmatickley

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  • 5.0 stars

    "Knocks MSN Messenger into a cocked hat"

    September 17, 2008  |   By garesfield

    Version: Trillian 3.1.10

    Pros

    Does what YOU want, not what Microsoft wants.
    One program for all messenger services.

    Cons

    Emoticons are a bit naff, but that's about it.

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Results 1-10 of 58

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