Miranda IM

Miranda IM may not be the best-looking candidate in this Group Test but it provides support for an impressive number of networks.

You can access email from networks that have an associated webmail service but the process is not entirely intuitive and ends up being a rather long-winded operation. Messaging itself is a little basic, with no support for emoticons or text formatting, and you can’t perform audio or video chats.

The program takes a little getting used to and the expansive options dialogue can be confusing at first. However, persevere with Miranda and you’ll find it to be a competent program. Like Pidgin, the service accommodates a range of plug-ins which can be used to extend the program.
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