As well as basic functions such as chat, checking your mail and send and receiving files, it lets you make phone calls worldwide and send and receive faxes at rates comparable to Skype. In addition, there's an easy to use RS reader and the overall feel and design is quite nice. The PC-to-Phone rates are low and the audio quality is usually very good. I also liked the fact that you can setup call forwarding to any landline or mobile phone, free voicemail to e-mail service and record your own personal voicemail greetings. The PC-to-phone service is known as BuzzOut while the phone-to-PC service is named BuzzMe and enables subscribers to receive unlimited calls on Vbuzzer. You get a free area 416 BuzzMe number that can be reached from any phone and they usually have introductory offers with a range of free calls on offer.

I wouldn't change to this from Skype but if they could lower the rates a bit, I'd definitely consider it.

Download Vbuzzer Messenger 2.5.410 in Softonic

However, things have changed quickly over the last few years. Companies have grown really fast, not only in financial terms, but also in number of workers. New people join the staff everyday and it's harder to make new friends. Those five-minute breaks begin to be scarcer, until one day there's not a single one during a whole working day.

When communication reaches a non-existence level, you know it's time for a change. Most office managers reject the idea of using traditional instant messaging tools such as MSN or Yahoo, mostly because workers end up chatting with friends outside the office instead of answering the dud from accounting. This is why local network based IM applications like Neos have become a more popular solution: they allow workers to exchange messages, files, even media streams... without the temptations of the outer world.

However, Neos is no walled garden. It allows you to gather all your contact lists from different messaging networks (ICQ, MSN, Yahoo and Jabber) into a single window -but that depends exclusively on the plug-ins you install on the server, so everything remains under the Administrator's control. That means you can use it just as an internal communication tool and add support for other networks as it is needed.

Despite being "local", Neos does its job, and does it pretty well. I dare say you will not miss any of the main features found in other instant messaging tools, that is, not taking into account the sometimes useless options offered lately by some of them. You can reach out by one-to-one chat, chat room, VoIP, video conference or even share a whiteboard to have a laugh at your artistic abilities. Neos also allows you to share files, though this functionality may still need some work, because transfers are unsuccessful too often. One little detail I like is the fact that Neos shows you when your chat partner is typing, so you know that they are in the process of responding.

Managing your contacts is really easy: split them into groups, block them if they become a pest, or even rename them to whatever you want (but be careful not to let your boss see his politically incorrect office nickname on your list).

However, Neos is not flawless. Apart from the small bugs which get fixed version after version, the developers need to improve the tool's design. The interface is fine and so is the menu system, but the problem is the default emoticon pack. My goodness, they look so ugly! I’m simply not able to express my feelings with such a limited repertoire. At least you can download new packs from their webpage, but still, this is something they really need to improve since emoticons are a staple of any good IM program.

In short, Neos is a great tool for inner office messaging, which can be adapted to other external IM networks, and also a nice way of going back to those good old chats next to the water cooler, taking a break from work and gossiping a little for five minutes (just five minutes, I promise!).

Download Neos 1.2.1 in Softonic

Trillian supports multiple chat networks, such as Live Messenger, AOL Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, Facebook, MySpaceIM, Skype, Jabber, IRC, Twitter, e-mail accounts (POP3 and IMAP) and Bonjour, besides the Trillian proprietary network.

This means that the program's interface can get quite bloated with contacts from a dozen different IM platforms. Luckily, you decide which networks to load on Trillian startup, and also temporarily hide certain lists or merge contacts into one single entry per person, which may help organize things a bit.

The new version of Trillian has improved many aspects of the program. Initial setting is now much quicker and easier, and the interface has totally been redesigned not only for a better integration with Windows 7, but also to provide you with a more compact, easily manageable window.

In a way, Trillian is not just a multi-platform instant messaging tool anymore, but a complete social timeline where you can chat with your friends – either by text, voice or video - and also see what they’re up to on Facebook or Twitter.

Trillian is back with an even more powerful mult-platform IM client, featuring support for a dozen protocols and an attractive, intuitive design.

Download Trillian 5.1.0.18 in Softonic

Picture the situation. You love Google Talk. Your family is stuck on Windows Live Messenger. Your friends in Poland all love Gadu-Gadu and, for some strange reason, your best friend insists on ICQ. You obviously have an IM crisis, and in the interests of peace and friendship, you need to sort it, fast.

When you install Pidgin, it will ask you for the details of the accounts you want to add. Pidgin can remember your passwords for you, but if you do not enable this option you'll have to sign in every time. Once you're set up, you can do all the things you would expect - change your icon, create groups, configure alerts, send files and even add bunches of Pidgin plug-ins.

For the more technically minded, one of Pidgin's best features are the configuration options. These are much easier to access than in other applications and allow you to manage certificates, toggle advanced settings for your accounts, individually or together, set up proxy servers and even join chat rooms. Sounds too complicated? Don't worry, that's the beauty of Pidgin - you can get as technical or as simple as you like. It's the perfect client for everyone.

Simple, effective and multi-protocol - what more could you ask for?!

Download Pidgin 2.10.4 in Softonic

Try Pidgin portable if you are tired of heavy instant messengers and if you would like multi account application that can run from a USB pen drive, without any installation on the computer you’re using.

Download Pidgin Portable 2.10.4 in Softonic