# Jabber (XMPP)

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/jabber/

9 people recommended Jabber (XMPP) in Hacker News comments and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 7 of 12 months, in 9 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Long-established open chat protocol with many clients and servers, often recommended as a self-hosted option for private conversations.

Summary written by Claude from 5 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Recommended as private alternative to mainstream chat (2 comments in the sample): "Consider instead using a code word or phrase to move sensitive conversations to something self hosted such as jabber" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47365724)) "Move to Jabber or Matrix." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48851275))

## Other chat protocols people recommend

- [Matrix](https://hackerapproved.com/p/matrix/): 154 recommend, 75 mixed, 232 criticize
- [XMPP](https://hackerapproved.com/p/xmpp/): 82 recommend, 27 mixed, 45 criticize
- [IRC (Internet Relay Chat)](https://hackerapproved.com/p/irc/): 82 recommend, 22 mixed, 44 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Jabber (XMPP)", https://hackerapproved.com/p/jabber/ (9 recommend, 0 mixed, 0 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.