Kiwi IRC vs XChat

Kiwi's default interface is aesthetically modern, while keeping a classic two-column layout with chat window on the left and nicklist on the right. Unlike many other interfaces, a considerable amount of effort has been spent on making it easy on the eyes.

The interface offers common customization options including time format changes, choice of system messages and choice of laying out channels in a tabbed or list manner.

Kiwi IRC web client is available for free licensed under GPL with source available on GitHub.

Code can be generated that allows embedding the IRC client within a website.

Kiwi's front-end is available in more than 20 languages including Polish, Romanian and Russian.

While most clients allow changing the theme or style of a window, XChat gives complete control over what it looks like. It's possible to set a custom image as the background, changing font, or syntax colors.

XChat is an advanced IRC client that is good for beginners as well as those users who like to get under the hood. It is easy to get up and running, but has all the advanced features that a power user would need.

XChat has a great list of plugins and scripts. Most quality IRC clients support plugins but XChats library is incredibly extensive. There is a wide range of both useful and fun plugins. It's possible to add an RSS feed or play a game of chess. Or maybe you want to control an mp3 player via chat while translating everything you type to l33t speek. XChats Plugin Library is truly extensive.

XChat's default interface is clear, well-organized and intuitive. Channels can be laid out as both tabs and in a tree structure. All components such as user lists, topics bar or even menu bar can be hidden to provide a clean way to interact. Conversely the interface can be configured to show quick access buttons for changing channel flags, sending files or performing operator actions.