When comparing sic vs Polari, the Slant community recommends Polari for most people. In the question“What are the best IRC clients for UNIX-like systems?” Polari is ranked 12th while sic is ranked 13th. The most important reason people chose Polari is:
The CSD-based UI is great to look at. No screen space goes entirely wasted and is presented neatly.
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Pros
Pro Great UI
The CSD-based UI is great to look at. No screen space goes entirely wasted and is presented neatly.
Pro Easy to use
Polari is very straight forward to use.
Pro GNOME-Integration
Polari integrates nice with GNOME, on a visual and technical level. It uses GNOME online accounts and runs empathy in the background.
Cons
Con Some advanced features are lacking
Polari's users will find some advanced features lacking, such as Direct Client-to-Client (DCC).
Con May seem too simple
Unlike Hexchat or other alternatives, it does not expose much of its functionality though some of it might really be present.