1. Home
  2. Computing & Technology
  3. Instant Messaging

The Best IM Clients of 2008

By , About.com Guide

4 of 7

Best Mac Instant Messenger - Adium

Adium duckUsed with permission.

Cast Your Vote NOW for the 2009 Best IM Awards on About.com! Submit Your Ballot Now.

Considered one of the most beautiful in addition to one of the most functional, Adium 1.2 packs brains and beauty for the Mac platform.

As a client, Mac users couldn’t ask for more; in addition to message tabbing, themed windows and a laundry load of personalization options which simplify Adium, it also includes a larger range of support from AIM and Yahoo! to Novell and QQ. Far more efficient than iChat, Mac’s native IM, Adium has so few issues to speak of that I cannot even think of any current problems to write about.

As one user wrote when nominating Adium, “Mac users do not know real IM freedom until they have experienced IM with Adium.” Download Adium for free.

Guide's Comments

Simply put, Adium is to Mac as Digsby is to Windows platform. If there was ever a client for Mac with the “IT” factor, it’s Adium; reading the comments on the client’s blog—and even that of Yahoo! Messenger for Mac—about this competition, it became abundantly clear why Adium was chosen in the end: overall user experience and the absence of major bugs means less troubleshooting and more instant messaging.

How Readers Voted

  • Adium 59 percent (1195 votes)
  • iChat Five percent (105 votes)
  • Yahoo! 35 percent (710 votes)
Explore Instant Messaging
About.com Special Features

Holiday Central

What to eat, where to go, fun things to do and how to save money on the perfect gifts. More >

Family Tech Center

Stay connected and entertained with reviews on tips on the latest HDTVs, cellphones and more. More >

  1. Home
  2. Computing & Technology
  3. Instant Messaging
  4. Reviews
  5. Adium -- Best Mac IM 2008 Adium

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.