The best chat protocols, according to hackers
4 chat protocols were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 2 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The two most recommended chat protocols with the badge. Each figure is 10 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Federated with independent implementations
A long-running, federated chat protocol with free clients and servers, encrypted calls and no phone number needed, though fragmented extensions and uneven clients make it rough.
Simple, lightweight protocol
People recommend IRC as a simple, lightweight, open chat protocol with no corporate strings and fun, engaged communities, but critics say it lacks modern features like history, images and mobile friendliness.
All 4 chat protocols, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matrix | 257 | 265 | 49% | 13 | 5 yrs35 owners | — |
| 2 | XMPP | 120 | 53 | 69% | 12 | 10 yrs9 owners | Approved |
| 3 | IRC (Internet Relay Chat) | 109 | 47 | 70% | 12 | — | Approved |
| 4 | Jabber (XMPP) | 9 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same chat protocol in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to chat protocols that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.