Despite being overshadowed by other forms of social media, there are people who still use IRC. It's been one of the most resilient forms of conversation in the history of online communication, and while it's certainly past its prime, IRC is still alive and kicking today. It's so alive that dozens of clients are still being actively developed.

Here are some of the best Linux IRC clients to choose from today.

What Is an IRC Client?

An IRC client is an internet client that connects to an Internet Relay Chat network. Introduced in the late 1980s, IRC became more popular in the '90s and early '00s before being replaced by modern social media for most users. IRC was originally developed for Unix systems, but as more OSes received internet capabilities, clients were written for them, including Linux.

IRC is similar to a chat room, but an IRC server is open to anybody. A server can have many channels devoted to some topic.

While most people have moved on to modern chat apps like Discord, there's still an important group that regularly communicates over IRC: open-source developers. Many developers of major open-source apps and Linux distros coordinate development over IRC channels.

If you have trouble, you can reach out to these developers to help fix your problem. You don't get this kind of access with proprietary programs. This is one reason to keep an IRC client around on your Linux system.

Here are some of the best IRC clients that are still in active development.

1. HexChat

XChat was a top contender in the realm of cross-platform graphical IRC clients. It was so good that many Windows users switched over from the reigning shareware giant at the time, mIRC, and most Linux users considered it the de facto standard. Then tragedy struck: XChat stopped being maintained. The last release came out in 2010.

HexChat running in Linux

Thankfully, because XChat was open source, a successor named HexChat filled the void with an IRC client that was even better, faster, and more polished.

It was originally developed as a Windows port of XChat because the original XChat developers were refusing to make a Windows version available. This move caused the fork of XChat. The lightweight aesthetic design won over a lot of users, but just because it looks minimalistic doesn't mean it's lacking in features.

In addition to a customizable interface, with many custom themes available on the project's website, which you can tweak according to your tastes, you can code scripts for HexChat using either Python or Perl—a big step up from mIRC where scripting was limited to the outdated mIRC scripting language.

It has a handful of other advanced features, like multi-network support, and bugs are squashed regularly thanks to active development.

2. Quassel

Like HexChat, Quassel is an open-source, cross-platform graphical IRC client.

Quassel IRC client in Linux

What's unique is the ability to attach and detach the client from a central server. You can set up this server somewhere, either in the cloud or on a local machine, and stay connected to IRC forever. This way, you never miss any conversations because the server stays permanently connected. You can do this with a terminal-based client such as the Irssi or WeeChat covered below with tmux or GNU Screen, but this client lets you do so graphically.

The "Q" in the name gives a clue that it's built with the Qt toolkit, the same as the KDE desktop, so this client will fit in with any KDE users' other apps.

3. Smuxi

Smuxi is a graphical IRC client with a detachable back end like Quassel. The main difference is that it uses the GTK toolkit, as does GNOME, so it will fit in aesthetically with other apps. If you use the GNOME desktop, Smuxi is a good option.

Smuxi Linux IRC client

It also integrates seamlessly with GNOME desktop notifications and Ubuntu's messaging menu. It's not just for IRC either. Smuxi can tap into Twitter, Facebook, GTalk, Jabber, and more.

Smuxi is also extremely configurable. You can customize so much of its functionality in the configuration menus, including support for multiple networks and multiple identities, plus full control over keyboard shortcuts and interface theming.

4. Irssi

For a long time, Irssi (pronounced like IRC) was the most popular terminal-based IRC client for Linux and was most used amongst Linux veterans. After all, it wasn't until recently that Linux became detached from the stigma of being "that difficult operating system that forces you to use a command line."

Irssi running in the Linux terminal

The disadvantage of Irssi is its reliance on the terminal. With a GUI client, you can browse the menu to figure out what options you have. With Irssi, you either have to memorize the commands or have the documentation handy. You configure the client through text commands. This can be daunting for Linux users who are unaccustomed to text-based programs.

Irssi also has a theming system that lets you change up the various colors and formatting used in the interface. It's surprising how much a terminal-based layout you can alter. You can also script it through Perl. It's this kind of flexibility that endears Irssi to so many hardcore Linux and IRC users.

5. WeeChat

WeeChat is a terminal-based IRC client that's more accessible to newbies than Irssi. Everything about its interface is more intuitive than its predecessor. The layout is simpler and easier on the eyes as well.

Weechat running in the Linux terminal

It's also built as a modular program, so the core is lightweight but can be extended through plugins written in C, Python, Perl, Ruby, Lua, Tcl, or even Scheme. WeeChat provides a central website where WeeChat users can upload and share their scripts.

If you're looking to use IRC on the command line, WeeChat is the best option. You cannot go wrong with it, even if you've never used a terminal-based IRC client before.

Lots of Choices of Linux IRC Clients

IRC may have fallen from the height of its use in the '90s, but it's still an important support channel for Linux and open-source support. You can keep it strictly traditional at the terminal or use a modern GUI client.

IRC's not the only chat protocol out there. If you use older instant messaging services, there are some great clients you can still use. A lot of them work with IRC, too.