Best Linux IRC Clients: Command Line, Desktop and mIRC Alternatives

Updated: 4 November 2026 · Applies to: WeeChat 4.6 to 4.10 and irssi 1.4.5 (installed on Debian 13, Ubuntu 26.04 and AlmaLinux 10; Libera.Chat connection tested with WeeChat 4.6.3); HexChat, KVIrc, Konversation, Polari and Pidgin package versions checked on Debian 13, Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04, AlmaLinux 9 and 10, Fedora 44

mIRC does not run on Linux, so Linux users pick another client. For the terminal (and for servers), use WeeChat or irssi. For a desktop window like mIRC's, use KVIrc or Konversation (HexChat still works but is no longer developed). For a modern interface, use Halloy, or The Lounge if you want IRC in a web browser. All of them are free.

Quick picks

• Command line, actively developed: WeeChat (4.10.1 is the current release).
• Command line, small and stable: irssi (1.4.5 is its latest release).
• Closest to mIRC on the desktop: KVIrc or Konversation; HexChat still works but is no longer developed.
• Modern desktop client: Halloy, with many IRCv3 features such as chat history.
• Always online, in a browser: The Lounge, self-hosted on a server.

Can you run mIRC on Linux?

No. The mIRC FAQ answers this directly: "mIRC is only available for Windows. mIRC also does not work on Macs, Linux, or other systems. We have no plans to make mIRC versions for these systems in the future either." If you want a desktop window with channels and a nick list like mIRC, start with KVIrc or Konversation (see the desktop clients below). If you relied on mIRC scripts, WeeChat runs scripts in Python, Perl, Ruby, Lua, Tcl, Guile and PHP (each is a separate plugin package on Debian, such as weechat-python), but mIRC scripts themselves need rewriting.

Command line IRC clients

A terminal client is the best choice on a server: run it inside tmux and it stays connected after you log out, so you can reattach from anywhere.

WeeChat

1. Install it:

   sudo apt install weechat                                  # Ubuntu, Debian
   sudo dnf install weechat                                  # Fedora
   sudo dnf install epel-release && sudo dnf install weechat   # AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux

   The repositories offer 4.1.1 on Ubuntu 24.04, 4.6.3 on Debian 13, 4.8.1 on Ubuntu 26.04 and 4.10.1 on Fedora 44 and on AlmaLinux 9 and 10 (EPEL).
2. Start weechat, set your nickname, add the network with TLS and connect:

   /set irc.server_default.nicks "yournick"
   /server add libera irc.libera.chat/6697 -tls
   /connect libera

3. WeeChat confirms each step. From our test on Debian 13 (shortened):

   irc: server added: libera -> irc.libera.chat/6697 (TLS: enabled)
   irc: connecting to server irc.libera.chat/6697 (TLS)...
   gnutls: peer's certificate is trusted
   irc: connected to irc.libera.chat/6697
   Welcome to the Libera.Chat Internet Relay Chat Network r23kbtest

4. Join a channel with /join #channel. To rejoin channels automatically, run /set irc.server.libera.autojoin "#channel1,#channel2". Leave with /quit.

irssi

sudo apt install irssi      # Ubuntu, Debian
sudo dnf install irssi      # Fedora, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux (no EPEL needed)

irssi 1.4.5 is in every distribution we checked except AlmaLinux 9, which has 1.2.2. Its default configuration already contains a liberachat network with TLS on port 6697 and certificate checks, so after starting irssi you only need:

/connect liberachat
/join #channel

For any other server, add -tls: /connect -tls irc.example.net 6697. Switch between windows with Alt+1, Alt+2 and so on (or Ctrl+N and Ctrl+P), and leave with /quit.

Desktop IRC clients

• KVIrc: a Qt desktop client, still maintained (5.2.10 is the latest release). In Debian 13, Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04 and Fedora 44; not packaged for AlmaLinux or Rocky.
• Konversation: the KDE client. In Debian, Ubuntu and Fedora, and in EPEL for AlmaLinux and Rocky 9 and 10.
• Polari: the GNOME IRC client. In Debian, Ubuntu and Fedora.
• HexChat: the successor of XChat. Its GitHub project has been archived, with 2.16.2 as the final release, so it gets no more fixes. It is still packaged in Debian 13, Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04, Fedora 44 and AlmaLinux 9, but not in AlmaLinux 10.
• Pidgin: a multi-network chat program that also speaks IRC. In Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora and EPEL 9.

Install any of them with sudo apt install or sudo dnf install and the lower-case name, for example sudo apt install kvirc.

Modern IRC clients

• Halloy: a simple, fast client for Linux, macOS and Windows, written in Rust, with a long list of IRCv3 features (chat history, read markers, multiline messages, SASL). On Linux it is published on Flathub and the Snap Store (sudo snap install halloy; version 2026.9 at the time of writing).
• The Lounge: a self-hosted web client. It runs on a server and stays connected to IRC while you are offline, so you can "resume where you left off on any device", phone or laptop. According to The Lounge documentation, it needs a current Node.js release, installs from a .deb file or with yarn global add thelounge, listens on port 9000 and starts in private mode (user accounts). Put it behind HTTPS before using it over the internet.

A small KVM VPS is enough to keep WeeChat, irssi or The Lounge online around the clock.

Register your nickname

Registering protects your nickname, and some channels only let registered users talk. On Libera.Chat (TLS ports 6697, 7000 and 7070):

/msg NickServ REGISTER YourPassword you@example.com
/msg NickServ IDENTIFY YourNick YourPassword

Libera.Chat emails you a verification command to finish the registration. To log in automatically, use SASL: in WeeChat, /set irc.server.libera.sasl_username "yournick" and /set irc.server.libera.sasl_password "yourpassword". Always connect with TLS; plain ports send your password unencrypted.

Official documentation: WeeChat documentation, irssi documentation, Halloy, The Lounge documentation and Connecting to Libera.Chat.