Being one of the most widely used IM applications, MSN Messenger has always had a large base of users keen on developing plugins with which they could personalize their favorite chat client. Amateur programmers released plugins to discover who had erased you from their contact list, to start more than one MSN session, to log conversations... until MSN Plus! was launched.

MSN Plus! soon became the most popular MSN plug-in, collecting together all the extra options users could ask for into one program. Even now Plus! is still an excellent pack of tools which heavy Messenger users consider as essential and which certainly improves your IM experience. During all these years it has been able to adapt to every new Messenger version, including the name change and the new interface design. In fact, Plus! is now seamlessly integrated into Live Messenger: it launches with the program and the only way you can tell it's there it by two tiny buttons on the main interface.

When Plus was launched, its main feature was the ability to record "chat logs", that is, create text files with all your conversations. However, as this has been already included in the IM app itself, Plus! has had to widen its range of extra functions. These tools can be divided into two groups: those dedicated to chatting improvement and those devoted to contact management. As for the first group, you'll enjoy tabbed chat windows, support for custom text format (bold, italics, font, color) and the so-called quick messages, personal keyboard shortcuts you can assign to sentences or expressions used on a regular basis. The second group of tools allows you to create custom status messages, have your favourite contacts right on the Windows desktop (as an icon) and gather all kinds of stats about contacts, like the last time they logged on or whether they have recently changed their nickname, which I personally find kind of excessive, but hey, to each his own.

Besides all this, Live Messenger Plus still offers its popular chat log tool, which is said to be more powerful and flexible than the default function featured in Windows Messenger Live. Actually, it looks much better thanks to the use of HTML, the ability to record emoticons and winks and the possibility to customize its appearance with CSS formatting.

The list of improvements Plus brings to Windows Live Messenger doesn't end here. You can, for example, hide the application in the system tray under an almost invisible icon (in case you're chatting at work, something we completely disapprove of) or password protect access to the program, amongst others. The good thing though is that you can create your own extra functions, that is, if you know how to code scripts. Plus already features a nice bunch of them, allowing you to display the name of the song you're listening to, send screenshots, use sticky notes and other nice extras.

All in all, Live Messenger Plus is probably the only plug-in you'll ever need, especially if you like customizing every single detail of your Messenger.

Download Messenger Plus! Live 4.70.334 in Softonic

Windows Live Messenger, previously known as MSN Messenger, was renamed as part of Microsoft's move towards the Live online community. So far, the most popular IM app in the world had already gone through a bunch of updates, but this new name also meant important changes that would somehow start a new period in Messenger's history.

Windows Live Messenger includes some outstanding characteristics that are well worth a mention. Firstly, its all-new interface features a completely different design from traditional Windows applications, which you can also customize by choosing your own color scheme. In order to maintain this neatness, the menu bar has been hidden under a single top right corner button but this makes it a bit uncomfortable to browse through options. Luckily, the most common actions (send email, call a contact, access MSN Spaces and view shared folders) have been implemented as nice little buttons right under your username, so they're easy to access. Another thing we liked is that you can hide side tabs in the main interface window (right click on any of them and check the "Hide tabs" checkbox). However, there's apparently no way to hide the bottom ad.

Windows Live Messenger offers plenty of emoticons and winks to cheer up your conversations with. You can expand both collections by easily adding new sets which you'll find by the hundred on the Internet. Customization possibilities include changing the chat window background or even adding a personal message to your nickname, but not creating custom status messages. At least this new version features the longed-for offline messaging tool, enabling you to leave a message to any of your contacts even if they're not online.

The two most important features in this new Windows Live Messenger are the ability of sharing folders and making free PC-to-phone calls. As for the first one, it proves as a very handy way to share pictures, while the second feature allows you to save some pennies on your phone bill. However, this service is currently only available in certain countries (United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Ireland, Finland, Belgium, Spain and Italy) and requires a subscription to the Verizon Web Calling system.

In any case, you can always make use of the PC-to-PC call feature, which provides excellent sound quality. In fact, we must say this feature has been pretty well implemented in Windows Live Messenger. Its ease of use makes it a great alternative to written conversations: just click on the phone icon and your friend will instantly receive an invitation to answer the phone call on the chat window itself. A simple wizard will guide you through audio configuration and a couple of sliders enable you control the volume of your speakers (or headphones) and mic. You can still use the chat window while you talk, for instance to send a web link or a handwritten message.

Summing up, the main issue with Windows Live Messenger is that it has taken it too much time to offer tools that were already found in other IM apps, such as the VoIP calls mentioned above. However, its attractive design plus the huge number of people who are already MSN Messenger users (and who will eventually upgrade their client) will probably help this Live version reach the top.

Download Windows Live Messenger 2009 14.0.5027.908 Beta in Softonic

aMSN is an alternative to the classic MSN Messenger, with more features yet a much weaker interface. The chat client looks very similar to Microsoft's product yet differs on a number of points. aMSN developers have delved into the preferences menu, adding extra little features like event alerts and sounds, conferencing support or autoaway messages. Like with MSN Messenger you'll be able to transfer files and organize all your contacts into groups.

Audio/Video support is the number one function that users look for in IM clients nowadays, yet an area which aMSN doesn't particularly focus on. Webcam support is fairly weak and unstable, and instead of integrating into your chat window will open up in a new Quicktime window.

One of the biggest pet peeves of users with aMSN is the interface. It simply doesn't compare with more sleeker, more recent IM clients. To the developer's defense though you can download all sorts of skins from the program's website. Similarly it offers up a range of plugins, to customize your client to your liking. Chat addicts will also appreciate the animated emoticons on hand.

In terms of performance, you have to keep in mind that aMSN is still a Beta product, so still liable to some crashes and bugs. We did have some trouble when opening up new chat window and noticed that the client tended to use a lot of CPU.

In a few words, aMSN is a good alternative to MSN for users looking to add more plugins, skins and delve into the preferences menu.

Download aMSN Messenger 0.97.2 in Softonic

This nifty app lets you automatically log everything you do in MSN Messenger 6.x/7.x. This includes instant messages, winks, emotion icons, hand writing, text font and colors, the online status of your contact, and all the activities like sent and received files, audio/video invitations in MSN Messenger.

Major features:

• Record MSN chat automatically and completely including
• Monitor MSN chat secretly. It is completely undetectable!
• Easy-to-use interface makes recording and monitoring simple
• Suitable for parent control and other monitoring purpose
• Suitable for your company to record custom supports, provided via MSN Messengers
• Accessing and setting are all password protected
• Save, search and edit log easily and efficiently
• Exporting the rich text messages to a RTF file easily
• Import logs from previous version of MessengerLog series
• Date time stamp

Download MessengerLog 6.72 in Softonic

Mercury Messenger, also known as MM or dMSN, is a free alternative to MSN Messenger offering almost all the same features.

The IM client allows you to connect to your live or hotmail account and chat with your contacts. You can organize them by groups, use emoticons, send files and activate your webcam during chats. The interface itself is highly similar to that of MSN Messenger albeit a much less attractive one. I found that the different elements are placed a little clumsily here and there, making Mercury Messenger slightly unintuitive. Luckily the interface is interchangeable so if you find a good skin you can use that instead.

A big difference with MSN Messenger is RSS support. Mercury allows you to add and preview RSS feeds. I was a little skeptic of the idea at first, as I much prefer previewing RSS feeds on a whole screen, however I found it very similar to feed reading on a mobile device, which works in some way. Mercury Messenger has a tabbed interface which allows you to open and work with multiple accounts. Beware that having too many open simply ends up confusing though.

Although missing the most recent features of MSN Messengers and despite a weaker interface, Mercury Messenger is a good alternative with RSS and multiple account support.

Download Mercury Messenger 1.9 in Softonic

Bring the mystery of Indiana Jones’ new adventure, the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, to your MSN messenger. This theme is based on the new film release and only works on Windows Live Messenger 8.5 (it also requires Messenger Plus! Live 4.60).

Strangely enough, when I tried to install the Plus! Add-on - required to add themes on messenger - the application asked me if I wanted to install advertisements on the messenger. Although it is stated as not being compulsory, and let me choose if I wanted them or not, the add-on didn’t work until I had them installed.

Looking at the theme itself, the graphics and resolution are very good and the main frame, where you have all your contacts, is transformed into a kind of temple entrance with Maya or Aztec style ornaments and of course the frightening gold skull which hides secrets and mysterious Soviet plots. In terms of usability though there are some downsides. With this setting in fact it will be more difficult to understand which contacts are online, and which are not.

Whether you like the adventures of Indiana Jones or, why not, just like archaeology, try this theme for Messenger and feel like you’re part of the latest adventure.

Download Indiana Jones 4 Messenger Skin 1.0.0 in Softonic

Software for the backup and installation of Moods, Winks, Emoticons, Backgrounds and User Tiles from Microsoft MSN Messenger 7, 7.5 Live 8.0. With MSN Backup you can see the image preview and the flash preview for the Winks (soon the flash preview for the Moods).

Download MSN BackUp 1.3.3 in Softonic

This Messenger clone has been developed to be run from a portable memory device. It's also the perfect solution for those occasions in which you need an IM client and don't want to install anything on the computer.

Emesene Messenger Portable is a standalone executable file that doesn't require installation and displays a clear, slick interface that makes it very simple to use.

The program offers a bunch of the MSN Messenger options -or at least the most important ones, such as setting a personal message, choosing your status and several ways to organize your contacts, amongst. I specially liked the possibility of setting an autoreply in case you're away. However, some functions don't seem to work properly, like the avatar selection window or the ability to set a personal message with the music you're listening to. Let's hope they fix those flaws in future versions.

Download Emesene Messenger Portable 1.0 in Softonic

Most users of Live Messenger (previously known as MSN Messenger) love to customize their IM with new graphic content. If you're one of them, you'll love this tool: it helps you to find and download new winks and dynamic display pictures for your Messenger in no time. MSN Content Crazy Show already includes a large number of them and promises to widen its offer in the future.

On the downside, we must say that many of the winks are in Japanese (so we completely missed the joke) and that the program sometimes is hard to manage, as the window can't be resized and the layout breaks up, cutting texts and contents.

Download MSN Content Crazy Show 5.2 in Softonic

Do you use Live Messenger? If so, there are probably loads of things that you'd like to change about it. Now you can, thanks to Mess Patch. This very simple extra lets you modify as much as 77 various settings.

Grouped in three catagories: General Options, start window and conversation window; you will find all kinds of adjustments such as enabling Messenger 'poligamy' or deactivating extensions of blocked files, or even installing new games!

Whats more, if you don't fancy going through every option one by one, you can try any of the six pre-defined combinations that come with Mess Patch.

Download Mess Patch for Windows Live Messenger 8.5.1235.517 G5 in Softonic

With a new (beta) version of Windows Live Messenger (8.5) comes a new and improved A-Patch. If you've had problems running Messenger Plus! with the new version, then A-Patch is probably what you need.

It makes patching Messenger easier than ever before. Not only are there tonnes of options to choose from, but now there's a (rough) Preview which lets you see the changes as you select them.

Download A-Patch 1.40 RC1 For Windows Live Messenger 8.5 in Softonic

Would you like to customise Windows Live Messenger? Then this is the program for you. MessengerDiscovery Live offers management of your contacts, lots of enhancements for message writing and even “protection” from invaders.

One of the best options is one that allows you to open more than one copy of “Messenger” simultaneously, capture webcam images and protection against people you do not trust. You can even see which contacts have erased you from their list and also tells you how many messages a certain person has sent you.

Download MessengerDiscovery Live 1.1.0155 in Softonic

Clean Messenger is a small program which makes it possible to mask/post practically all the elements of the interfaces of MSN Messenger. It is a very simple tool with a very specific function and doesn't require any install. All you have to do is run it and immediately you have access to hide whatever elements you want.

Download Clean Messenger 2.7.0106 in Softonic

This pack contains a total of 50 fun emoticons that you can add to your personal collection in MSN Messenger (and Windows Live Messenger).

Free MSN Emoticons Pack includes large graphics with fabulous designs that you are sure to find use for in your instant messaging chats, to express your moods in a light hearted way. Run the executable and the will install automatically.

Download Free MSN Emoticons Pack 3 in Softonic

MSN Winks Plus allows you to preview, automatically download and install additional Winks for MSN Messenger. It has hundreds of MSN Messenger winks. you can select a favorite wink to install into your MSN Messenger account. We will add more winks in the future. You can check the new Winks and install it when we add them. The registered user can download more Winks and other MSN Content Packs such as Moods, Backgrounds and Emoticons and install them by only double click them.

Download MSN Winks Plus 5.0 in Softonic

This pack contains a total of 26 varied emoticons to add to your personal MSN Messenger collection (and Windows Live Messenger). Free MSN Emoticons Pack includes graphics of large size with very distinctive and polished designs that you will want to start using in your conversations immediately.

To install couldn't be easier, all you have to do is click the executable and you will have the new emoticons in the menu of MSN Messenger.

Download Free MSN Emoticons Pack 2 in Softonic

Messenger Jump! Free MSN Emoticons Pack is a collection of 27 great emoticons for MSN Messenger. These excellent smileys install directly to your Messenger (you must be connected). They copy over, one by one and are very quickly transferred.

Download Messenger Jump! Free MSN Emoticons Pack 1.081 in Softonic

MSN Spy & sniffer is a network utility to sniffer MSN chat on local network and save to file. It can record any conversation from any PC on the network automatically. No additional program installation is needed on the monitoring target computers.

Features:

• Sniff msn chat from network packet, rebuild MSN conversation automatically
• Work with share hub or switch hub
• Chat will be recorded to file automaticly
• Start automatically when windows is startup, then stay in system tray and began to work

Download MSN Spy & Sniffer 1.6 in Softonic

Mess Patch allows you an unprecedented amount of control of how your MSN Messenger looks and functions through a simple to use interface.

Mess Patch allows you to patch MSN Messenger with the following options:

• Enable polygamy
• Install custom games
• Disable nudges
• Remove and add contact label
• Remove msn search bar
• Remove banner ad
• Remove msn today button
• Fix nickname length
• Remove white (text ad) space from conversation windows
• Distinguish Idle from Away status (English version only)
• Remove MSN logo (from main and conversation window)
• Remove premium services (what's hot)
• Remove conversation window search button
• Remove email button
• Remove my space button
• Remove all contact card buttons
• Disable nudge protection
• Remove user is writing message
• Remove Winks/packs and/or nudges buttons
• Change handwriting tab images to text
• Multi-language support
• Enable/remove Winamp support in Personal Messages
• Boost Personal Messages to 500 characters
• Remove blocked extensions in file transfers
• Remove font button
• Remove backgrounds button
• Remove billing information menus
• Disable MSN Spaces integration in contact cards
• Enable multi-line nicknames
• Sign-in status in system tray menu
• Remove gleams, disable MSN Music song links
• Add always on top main/conversation window button
• Remove user is typing message
• Winamp support in Personal Messages with TheBlasphemer's Winamp plugin
• Swap now playing artist and song title when using iTunes
• Windows Media Player or Winamp
• Add sign-out button to upper panel which displays the new Passport.net logo
• Hide personal messages in contact list
• Remove webcam icon from To: bar
• Switch Tabs To Right Side
• Sign-in window DP removal option
• Option to remove the bottom links in the sign-in window
• Fixed 'Hide Personal Messages' to work when viewing large DP thumbnails
• Remove the 'Messenger' title/caption
• Remove Yellow Infobar' in contact list

Download Mess Patch for MSN Messenger 7.5.0322 G3 in Softonic

MSN Messenger has been perhaps the biggest hitter of the IM world for some time now and this update adds a range of cool new features designed to make your chatting experience even better. Additions include an interactive video conversation tool, "winks" - small animations that you can download and send to your pals - and dynamic display pictures that will change emotions based on the emoticons you send.

Of course, all the features that we've come to know (and in most cases, love) are still housed within MSN Messenger 7.5, such as a plethora of emoticons, the ability to check and send Hotmail directly from the client, and a slick contacts organizer.

Although the new version has improved video chat and contains the ability to send SMS messages, we can't help feeling that Microsoft has fallen behind in terms of technology. For instance, Skype allows you to perform most of the things that MSN Messenger does, as well as letting you make and receive PC phone calls. You also have the age-old problem of MSN taking over your client, as it's filled with even more ads, and a barrage of links to other areas of the MSN portal. A great client for beginners but it doesn't beat Skype for the more Net-savvy user.

Download MSN Messenger for Windows XP 7.5.0322 in Softonic