Pidgin is a free open source instant messaging client based on libpurple library. It is written in C using GTK+ library and supports almost all popular instant messaging protocol. You can chat with multiple accounts by being online at the same time.
Table of Contents
Feature Summary – Pidgin
- Protocol Support: AIM, Bonjour, Facebook Chat, Google Talk, Yahoo, MSN, IRC, ICQ, XMPP and many more.
- New email notification
- Customised buddy icon
- Third party plugin support
- Smiley, Math fomula support on chat
- Tabbed chat window
- Integration with system tray (GNOME and KDE)
- Popup display for new messages
How to install
To install Pidgin in Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, elementary OS using terminal run below commands in sequence. Enter password when prompted.
sudo apt-get install pidgin
Install pidgin on Fedora
sudo yum -y install pidgin
Install pidgin on Arch
Run
- Type Pidgin in dash. Click the launcher icon.
- For Gnome, go to Applications -> Internet -> Pidgin

Links
- Website: pidgin.im
- Source: Pidgin
- PPA: Launch Pad
How to Uninstall
To uninstall Pidgin from Debian, Ubuntu, Mint, elementary OS run below commands in terminal.
sudo apt-get remove pidgin
Image Credits
Pidgin