Irssi

Spec sheet

Product

Irssi is a modular text mode chat client with IRC support built in.Read 11 Oct 2026 · irssi.org

Supported platforms

Linux; Windows via Cygwin or WSLRead 20 Sep 2026 · irssi.org

Integrations

IRC,ICB,SILC,XMPP,PSYC,Quassel,Matrix,Rocket.Chat,RobustIRCRead 20 Sep 2026 · irssi.org

Support

User support is offered through the volunteer-based #irssi channel on Libera.Chat, and the site cautions that no one may be available immediately.Read 11 Oct 2026 · irssi.org

Founded

1999Read 28 Sep 2026 · irssi.org

Authentication

The manual describes SASL login configuration and notes that some networks have special login requirements.Read 11 Oct 2026 · irssi.org

Automation

Users can configure automatic server connections and channel joins, and use scripts to manage channels.Read 11 Oct 2026 · irssi.org

Build requirements

Building from source requires Ninja 1.5 and Meson 0.49, according to the download instructions.Read 11 Oct 2026 · irssi.org

Channels

YesRead 20 Sep 2026 · irssi.org

Download integrity

The download page provides a signature file and recommends verifying it with gpg --verify to check that the download was not tampered with.Read 11 Oct 2026 · irssi.org

Linux support

Irssi runs on Unix-like systems, and the site points to distribution packages and binary builds for Linux distributions including Debian and Fedora.Read 11 Oct 2026 · irssi.org

Project history

The homepage gives Irssi's estimated start year as 1999.Read 11 Oct 2026 · irssi.org

Protocols

The project says Irssi can be used with IRC, ICB, or SILC through protocol modules.Read 11 Oct 2026 · irssi.org

Scripting

Irssi provides a scripting API with signal handling and lists existing user scripts as an extension resource.Read 11 Oct 2026 · irssi.org

Security reporting

The security page asks users to report security issues to [email protected] and lists past issues and affected versions.Read 11 Oct 2026 · irssi.org

Themes

Irssi is themeable, including the ability to theme every message and use true colours.Read 11 Oct 2026 · irssi.org

Third-party modules

The modules page says third-party modules come without support or warranty from Irssi developers and should be used at the user's own risk.Read 11 Oct 2026 · irssi.org

Windows support

The site describes using Irssi on Windows through Cygwin or Microsoft WSL.Read 11 Oct 2026 · irssi.org

Plans and prices

Every Irssi plan and price →

Where Specifiction places it

• Team chat apps#53 of 637.5