aMSN is a free open source MSN Messenger clone, with features such as:

Offline Messaging
Voice Clips
Display pictures
Custom emoticons
Multi-language support (around 40 languages currently supported)
Webcam support
Sign in to more than one account at once
Full-speed File transfers
Group support
Normal, and animated emoticons with sounds
Chat logs
Timestamping
Event alarms
Conferencing support
Tabbed chat windows

aMSN is full of features, but you can extend its functionality even more now, getting extra features by installing Plugins, or completely change it’s look with different Skins.

Windows 98/NT/2000/XP/Vista/7, Linux, OS X, FreeBSD

Download: aMSN 0.98.3

Miranda IM client. Smaller, Faster, Easier

Miranda IM is a multi protocol instant messenger client.

Miranda IM is designed to be resource efficient and easy to use. It uses very little memory and requires no installation. Just unzip and run! This also makes it ideal for users that want to run their messenger client from a removable storage such as an USB memory stick. It can even be stored on a floppy disc if not too many plugins are used.

The powerful plugin system makes Miranda IM extremely flexible. Only the most basic features are built in, but there are currently more than 350 plugins available for download that allows users to extend the functionality in Miranda IM. Plugins can be installed to add support for AIM (AOL Instant Messenger), Gadu-Gadu, IAX (Inter-Asterisk Exchange), ICQ, IRC (Internet Relay Chat), Jabber, MSN, Netsend, Tlen, Yahoo and other protocols.

Miranda IM is published under the GPL license and is free of charge.

Miranda IM supports Windows NT4, 95, 98, Me, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista and 7.

Download: Miranda IM 0.8.17

Free Calls, Chat, Messaging and more on your mobile phone

Nimbuzz lets you call, chat, message, and send files on the go, for free.

Download Nimbuzz on the iPhone via the iPhone AppStore and call, chat and do more with all your friends on Skype, Yahoo IM, AIM, Google Talk, MSN, Facebook, MySpace, StudiVZ, Hyves and GaduGadu. Broadcast your life with personal message and use landscape mode chat!

Download: Nimbuzz 1.5.2 for iPhone and iPod Touch | Nimbuzz for PC

Send messages to your friends and family instantly.
Lifestream helps you stay in touch with your AIM, Facebook and Twitter
friends and more. AIM is faster, lighter with a fresh look, and it’s free!

AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) for Windows.

Lifestream
Keep Tabs On Your Buddies

The new Lifestream feature lets you stay on top of what your AIM Buddies are doing by allowing you to add a variety of accounts such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Get status updates from your AIM Buddies, post photos and leave comments to stay connected.

Comments
Post Real Time Comments

Leave comments for your friends instantly. When you leave a comment on a friend’s AIM Lifestream, the comment will post back to Facebook, Twitter and others.

A Fresh Look and Feel
Change Up Your Color Theme

The new AIM offers tons of new color schemes to choose from, as well as a redesigned user interface that allows you to view Buddy Icons and status messages more clearly.

Mobile
AIM On the Go

AIM is available on most Mobile phones. Get the newest version of AIM on your iPhone, Blackberry or Windows Mobile.

Faster and Lighter Performance
We’ve Stepped It Up a Notch

This new version of AIM will run faster and use less of your PC’s resources.

Buddy Icon Cropper
Upload a Picture Instantly

It’s easier than ever to change up your Buddy Icons by uploading a picture off of your PC, creating your own avatar or browsing through our Expressions library.

System Requirements:
· Windows: 2000 or higher, , optimized for Windows XP, Vista and 7
· Internet Explorer 6, optimized for Internet Explorer 7+
· 128MB RAM and 512MB for Enhanced IM functionality
· Macromedia Flash
· Microphone/speaker or headset for Talk functionality
· Broadband recommended for Live Video Chat

Download: AIM 7.2.6.1 for Windows

Download: AIM Beta

Xfire is a free tool that automatically keeps track of when and where gamers are playing PC games online and lets their friends join them easily. It works regardless of game type, server browser, or gaming service that a player is using. Xfire eliminates the hassles of running multiple programs like IRC, instant messengers, or in-game friends lists to keep track of when and where a gamer’s friends are playing. It supports the best and the latest online PC games including server and non-server-based First Person Shooters, Real Time Strategy, and Role Playing Games.

Xfire combines instant messaging, a server browser, peer-to-peer file downloads, in-game messaging, screenshot and video capture and one of the most active gaming communities in the world into a small, simple package. Best of all, it’s free!

Requirements: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or Windows 7

Download: Xfire 1.122

Do more than just IM with Yahoo! Messenger.

Yahoo! Messenger allows you to communicate via text, audio and video in real time for free. Listen to LAUNCHcast Radio and challenge friends to Yahoo! Games. Express yourself with Audibles, Emoticons and Avatars.

Features
· Instant message with one friend, or conference in a bunch
· Send text messages (SMS) to friends’ mobile phones for free*
* Your friend will incur carrier charges for receiving your text messages.
· Easily find or invite friends from other services to come chat with you
· Make free PC-to-PC calls and PC-to-phone calls for as low as 1¢ a minute (plus free voicemail!)
· Use the built-in media player to watch web videos and view photos with friends
· Show your style with emoticons, Avatars, audibles and IMVironments
· Share securely with automatic file scanning for users of Norton AntiVirus or Internet Security 2007/2008
· See more updates from your friends in the detailed Messenger list
· Easily add links and emoticons to your status messages
· Share videos from popular sites and watch them with friends right in your IM window

System requirements: Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7.

Download: Yahoo! Messenger 10.0.0.1241

Download: Yahoo! Messenger Beta

Miranda IM IM is a multi-protocol instant messaging client for Windows. Very light on system resources and extremely fast, Miranda IM requires no installation and can be made to fit on a single floppy disk or USB drive. Featuring a powerful plugin-based framework and boasting over 350 plugins, Miranda IM is one of the most flexible and customisable messaging clients on the planet.

Protocol Support

· AIM (AOL Instant Messenger)
· Gadu-Gadu
· IAX (Inter-Asterisk Exchange)
· ICQ
· IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
· Jabber
· MSN
· Netsend
· Tlen
· Yahoo
· And more…

Miranda IM is published under the GPL license and is free of charge.

Miranda IM supports Windows NT4, 95, 98, Me, 2000, XP, 2003, Vista and 7.

Download: Miranda IM 0.9.0 Alpha Build 6

QIP is a freeware program for online communication.

Features

· Multi-Tabbed chat window.
· No advertisements
· Large set of skins
· Fast and light

Download: QIP Infium Build 9034

Download: QIP 2005 Build 8095

Download: QIP for Mobile

Pidgin (formerly Gaim) is a multi-protocol instant messaging (IM) client for Linux, BSD, MacOS X, and Windows. It is compatible with AIM, Bonjour, Gadu-Gadu, Google Talk, Groupwise, ICQ, IRC, MSN, QQ, SILC, SIMPLE, Sametime, XMPP, Yahoo!, Zephyr.

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.

Pidgin supports many features of the various networks, such as file transfer, away messages, typing notification, and MSN window closing notification. 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, iconify on away, spell checking, tabbed conversations, and more.

Pidgin runs on a number of platforms, including Windows, Linux, and Qtopia (Sharp Zaurus and iPaq).

Download: Pidgin 2.6.6

ICQ is the first internet-wide instant messaging service launched in 1996. Today, with over 150 million registered users, ICQ stands for messaging on any platform, incredible global reach, one of the largest and most active global communities, and by far the coolest way to find, meet people & connect.

Prep all your senses to experience a whole new world of communication: Facebook, Twitter… With ICQ, you are the creator of your own experience. You can spin it, twist it, and show what you’ve got.
ICQ – it’s your show!

Runs on Windows XP/Vista/7

Download: ICQ 7.0 Build 1211

Yahoo! Messenger allows you to communicate via text, audio and video in real time for free.

· New look and feel for OS X
· Have fun with emoticons, Avatars, and display images
· Instant message with Yahoo! and Windows Live™ Messenger friends

Features:

Webcam
· Enjoy voice calls and webcam video

Emoticons
· Express your feelings over IM with these animated smiling faces.

File Transfer
· Swap photos and monster files (up to 2GB) in real-time.

Take Yahoo! With You
· Stay connected with your IM friends from your mobile phone.

Also includes:

· Stealth settings
· Conferencing
· “New IM” indicator in the OS X dock
· Organize your contact list into groups
· Unicode support

System requirement: Mac OS X 10.4 – 10.6. Intel and Power PC Macs

Download: Yahoo! Messenger for Mac 3.0 Build 192773 Beta

digsby is a multiprotocol IM client that lets you chat with all your friends on AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk, and Jabber with one simple to manage buddy list.

digsby is an email notification tool that alerts you of new email and lets you perform actions such as ‘Delete’ or ‘Report Spam’ with just one click.

digsby is a social networking tool that alerts you of events like new messages and gives you a live Newsfeed of what your friends are up to.

digsby is coming soon for Mac and Linux!

Download: digsby Build 76 r26321

Chat on Windows Live, Yahoo!, MySpaceIM, AIM, Google, ICQ, Jabber, Skype, IRC, and manage your Email, Facebook, and Twitter!

… available for Windows, iPhone and Web!

Since 2001, Trillian has been a powerful part of the effort to bring interoperability to IM. We are proud to bring you our latest and fourth major version, Trillian Astra, our best yet!

The Trillian Army

Trillian is now available on many devices and platforms – and they work together as a whole.
Connect to IM & Social Networks

Trillian lets you connect to multiple IM and social networks at the same time, managing contacts and real time status feeds efficiently.

Available for All Editions
Astra, AIM, Yahoo!, ICQ, Windows Live (MSN), MySpaceIM, Google Talk, Jabber/XMPP.

Available for Windows Currently
Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Bonjour, IRC, POP3 Mail, IMAP Mail.

Operating system: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or 7.

Download: Trillian Astra 4.1.0.24

ooVoo is the next evolution in online communication — a remarkably easy way to have a face-to-face video conversation with friends, family or colleagues, no matter where they are in the world.

ooVoo is remarkably easy to use: easy to download, easy to install, and best of all: it’s FREE!

ooVoo is the new way to communicate online: More expressive face-to-face conversations come alive with high-quality video and audio, making mere talk, email or chat a thing of the past.

ooVoo…now you see!

System Requirements: Windows 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7

Download: ooVoo 2.6.0.20 for Windows

Recover Lost Instant Messenger Passwords

MessenPass is a password recovery tool that reveals the passwords of the following instant messenger applications:

· MSN Messenger
· Windows Messenger (In Windows XP)
· Windows Live Messenger (In Windows XP/Vista/7)
· Yahoo Messenger (Versions 5.x and 6.x)
· Google Talk
· ICQ Lite 4.x/5.x/2003
· AOL Instant Messenger v4.6 or below, AIM 6.x, and AIM Pro.
· Trillian
· Trillian Astra
· Miranda
· GAIM/Pidgin
· MySpace IM
· PaltalkScene
· Digsby

MessenPass can only be used to recover the passwords for the current logged-on user on your local computer, and it only works if you chose the remember your password in one of the above programs. You cannot use this utility for grabbing the passwords of other users.

Download: MessenPass 1.30

ClicksAndWhistles is a free IRC client for Windows. Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a form of real-time Internet text messaging allowing you to communicate with others in IRC channels (chat rooms) and one-to-one communication via private messages. You can also connect directly with another user to chat or send/receive files.

There are hundreds of IRC networks and thousands of IRC servers providing channels covering a wide variety of topics; you can even start your own channel with little or no fuss. Websites such as Search IRC and irc.netsplit.de let you search for channels on specific topics.

The latest version has the following features:

- Support for multiple “identities”
- Support for multiple server connections
- Channel favourite list
- Floating (desktop), MDI and tabbed windows
- Connection Tree and Connection Monitor
- Themes, PNG image backgrounds and outline fonts
- Pop-up and sound event notifications
- Unicode (UTF-8) support
- Text formatting (coloured and bold/italic/underline fonts) with format bar
- Keyword highlighting and sound notification
- Channel and user logging
- File transfers (DCC SEND) and direct chat (DCC CHAT)
- “Connection scripts” (a simple list of commands to run once connected)
- Macros (use one command to automatically run a series of other commands)
- Customizable message text

Works on Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7.

Download: ClicksAndWhistles 2.7.15

Palringo is a free Rich Messaging Service where you can express yourself in an instant. Palringo is the first Instant Messaging Service where you can seamlessly chat or exchange voice messages and pictures on your mobile or computer.

Palringo is different from other IM services. You can
· Send voice clips
· Group chat
· Share pictures
· Exchange group voice messages

And much more…. All for free

With Palringo you can with your friends and family on who are on Windows Live Messenger, Google Talk, AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, Gadu Gadu, Jabber, and iChat.

Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista, Mac OS X, Linux, Windows Mobile, Symbian phone, BlackBerry.

Download: Palringo 2.1 | Palringo Beta

WinSent Messenger – instant messenger for LAN

WinSent Messenger is a program, intended for instant messaging within local area networks (LAN). It will allow you to conveniently and instantaneously exchange short text messages with other users of your network, send and receive personal messages to and from them, send broadcast messages to a group of users or to all users of the network.

WinSent Messenger can be used within home LAN as well office, enterprise or corporate LAN. With WinSent’s help your company’s employees or home users will be able, for example:

 · Exchange messages with collegues and coworkers at work, chat with friends at home
 · Send announcements and tasks to collegues or subordinates
 · Remind employees about a meeting
 · Receive alerts from network administrator
 · and much more…

Using this software does not require any special knowledge. WinSent Messenger is easy-to-use, have friendly and comfortable interface. WinSent Messenger does not require dedicated server and is fully compatible with WinPopup, Messenger Service (net send).

It works with any versions of Windows (9x/NT/2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7). Besides, WinSent is absolutely free.

Download: WinSent Messenger 2.0 Beta 5

AIM Ad Hack has fast become one of the most popular downloads for Aol Instant Messenger.

With this small file you can effectively remove all the ads from AIM

Download: Aim Ad Hack 6.15

Nimbuzz PC lets you call, chat, swap files, and much more, on your PC. It combines all your buddies from Windows Live Messenger (MSN), Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, AIM, Google Talk and other popular IM communities. One login, one contact list, all accounts.

Save Money: Make free international calls to your buddies. You can also register your VoIP account to call your friends on landlines and mobile phones.

Make yourself heard: If your buddies are offline, let them know you’re trying to get in touch by sending them a “Buzz”. It will start Nimbuzz Mobile on their mobile phone.

Manage your Contacts: Use the Phonebook to back up or restore your contacts, and synchronize them with Nimbuzz Mobile. Contacts will be backed up online. Comes in handy when you have lost your mobile phone.

No adware, spyware or malware

Supports Window XP, Vista and 7 (32-bit and 64-bit)

Download: Nimbuzz PC 1.0.1 | Nimbuzz for iPhone and iPod Touch

ChatZilla is a clean, easy to use and highly extensible Internet Relay Chat (IRC) client, built on the Mozilla platform, which provides all the usual features: multiple servers, a built-in list of standard networks, easy searching and sorting of available channels, logging, and DCC chat and file transfers, plus easy customization with JavaScript plug-ins and CSS styling.

Requires Firefox, Mozilla Suite or SeaMonkey. ChatZilla does not work on “native” Mozilla embeddings such as Galeon and K-Meleon. Same goes for Internet Explorer.

Download: ChatZilla 0.9.86