Textual is one of a few truly modern Mac IRC clients, as it uses the App Store, supports Notification Center, Retina displays, and is still being updated regularly (latest release as of this review was November 2012). Textual 2.1.1Īvailable from Mac App Store for $4 (trial version disconnects you every 2 hours). It is based on the Xchat 2 code base and therefore Open Source and Free Software. XChat Aqua/Azure is OS X native front-end of xchat2 written on Cocoa rather than GTK2. This is more than most users will need, as you can transfer files, chat on multiple networks, plaster your screen with mIRC colors, and handle scripting via Applescript. They’ve been around since 2004 or so, and have grown from a lightweight client into a stable, full-featured one that supports not just IRC but also SILC and ICB. Good for novices and advanced users alike. Open source freeware, available for Mac OS X and iOS. All of these apps are stable and usable, and that reflects not only the multi-year track record of these particular programs, but the overall maturity of IRC itself. This is a radical change from just a few years ago, when the best apps were shareware worth $30 or more.
Most apps in this list are free or just a few dollars. Mac IRC clients are all grown up and have entered the new era of free cloud computing and the Mac App Store.
