Pidgin (software)
| Pidgin | |
|---|---|
Screenshot Pidgin's buddy list window in Trisquel | |
| Initial release | December 31, 1998 (as Gaim) |
| Stable release | 2.14.14
/ 23 January 2025 |
| Preview release | 3.0.0 Experimental 2 (1 April 2025) [±] |
| Repository | |
| Written in | C (C#, Perl, Python, Tcl are used for plugins) |
| Platform | Linux macOS (unofficial) Microsoft Windows Solaris(unofficial) FreeBSD NetBSD(unofficial) OpenBSD(unofficial) |
| Available in | Multiple languages |
| Type | Instant messaging client |
| License | GPL-3.0-or-later |
| Website | pidgin |
Pidgin (formerly named Gaim) is a free and open-source multi-platform instant messaging client, based on a library named libpurple that has support for many instant messaging protocols, allowing the user to simultaneously log in to various services from a single application, with a single interface for both popular and obsolete protocols (from AIM to Discord), thus avoiding the hassle of having to deal with new software for each device and protocol.
As of 2007, the number of Pidgin users was estimated to be over three million.
Pidgin is widely used for its Off-the-Record Messaging (OTR) plugin, which offers end-to-end encryption. For this reason it is included in the privacy and anonymity focused operating system Tails.