Gajim for Windows

A free instant messaging client

Gajim is an XMPP client, allowing users to send messages, transfer files, join chat groups, etc. This instant messaging client uses the GTK+ toolkit. It’s released under the GNU general public license — it’s free to download and use. With this app, you can connect to your contacts using a server of your choice. You can use multiple IDs on different networks using one application. However, Gajim is focused only on Jabber protocol. It can communicate on other networks, but only if your current Jabber allows you.

What can you do with Gajim?

Gajim is a handy communication tool that has impressive features and customization options. Making an account is easy; it only needs an ID and a password. There are more connection options available, each with a dedicated field concerning personal information. The app has a simple interface, but its functions are rather scattered. The upper section of the main windows has three buttons: Actions, Edit, and Help. Meanwhile, the middle section lists the accounts. Finally, the button part contains the selector for setting the user's status.

The chat window is tabbed, enabling you to handle multiple conversations simultaneously. Each window is minimalist, with a border at the top showing your contact's ID, status messages, and three buttons at the bottom for the actions menu. The conversation section in the middle takes the bulk of the window, making reading messages easy. The app supports file transfer by right-clicking on the username and selecting ‘Send File’ through the chat window or homepage. Be warned, though: file transfers often fail to work.

The app offers extensive customization options. It allows users to set status messages, customize appearance, and change the themes and skins in a few clicks. Its setting tab enables you to configure almost everything, including positions, colors, preset messages, spell checkers, sounds, and notifications. You can even change the port used for file transferring and emoticons. Furthermore, it is fast and stable. It also uses minimum hardware resources and works regardless of the Windows version running on your system.

Verdict

All in all, Gajim is clearly one of the top IM clients on the market. It is a full-featured program that comes with an easy-to-use interface. It also has enough documentation so users can utilize its features. Moreover, it is stable and works on various OSs. However, it doesn't support multiple protocols and comes with a few privacy risks.