brew / rank 3337

Install pidgin with Homebrew, apk, chocolatey, apt, dnf, MacPorts, zypper, scoop, winget

Multi-protocol chat client. Version 2.14.14 via Homebrew; verified 2026-09-22. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install finch.

Install command Security notes

install

Additional install commands

macOS

Homebrewverified · 100%

brew install pidgin

local Homebrew formula metadata

MacPortsverified · 94%

sudo port install pidgin

MacPorts ports tree · net/pidgin/Portfile · source: api.github.com

Linux

Alpine Linux apkverified · 92%

sudo apk add pidgin

Alpine Linux edge package indexes · pidgin · source: dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org

Debian aptverified · 92%

sudo apt install pidgin

Debian stable package indexes · pidgin · source: deb.debian.org

Fedora dnfverified · 92%

sudo dnf install pidgin

Fedora Rawhide package metadata · pidgin · source: dl.fedoraproject.org

openSUSE zypperverified · 92%

sudo zypper install pidgin

openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata · pidgin · source: download.opensuse.org

Windows

Chocolateyverified · 92%

choco install pidgin

Chocolatey community package catalog · pidgin · source: community.chocolatey.org

Scoopverified · 92%

scoop install extras/pidgin

Scoop official bucket manifest trees · bucket/pidgin.json · source: api.github.com

Windows Package Managerverified · 92%

winget install --id Pidgin.Pidgin -e

Windows Package Manager source index · Pidgin.Pidgin · source: cdn.winget.microsoft.com

overview

Package summary

Multi-protocol chat client

Project links

Commands and aliases

finch
pidgin

history

Project history and usage

Pidgin is an open-source, multi-protocol chat client for Windows and Unix-like systems. It combines a GTK graphical interface with libpurple and is distributed alongside the Finch terminal client.

Project history

Mark Spencer created the project in November 1998 as GAIM, initially a GTK client for AOL Instant Messenger's TOC protocol.

Following a legal settlement concerning its AIM-related name, the project renamed GAIM to Pidgin, libgaim to libpurple, and gaim-text to Finch. Pidgin 2.0.0 formalized those identities and completed the core/UI split in May 2007.

The project moved its primary source repository to the Instant Messaging Freedom infrastructure in 2020 while shifting new-feature development toward Pidgin 3 and retaining the 2.x line for maintenance.

Adoption history

Pidgin gained relevance when users commonly maintained accounts on several incompatible chat networks. Its multi-protocol design and plugin system let one client cover XMPP, IRC, and numerous contemporary messaging services.

The separation of libpurple from its user interfaces extended the project's reach: Pidgin supplied the GTK interface, Finch supplied a terminal interface, and third-party applications such as Adium reused libpurple's protocol support.

How it is used

Users configure multiple chat-network accounts in one client, join conversations such as XMPP chats and IRC channels, transfer files, and extend functionality through plugins. Account details and optionally stored passwords reside in `accounts.xml` under the `.purple` configuration directory.

Why package nerds care

Pidgin is notable to package maintainers as a long-lived desktop application that also delivers the reusable libpurple core and the Finch terminal client. Its history captures the packaging challenges of protocol plugins, GUI dependencies, account-data migration, and maintaining compatibility with changing proprietary chat services.

Timeline

1998-11: Mark Spencer created the project as GAIM.
2007-04: The project announced the Pidgin, libpurple, and Finch names.
2007-05-03: Pidgin 2.0.0 completed the public rename and core/UI split.
2020: The primary repository moved to keep.imfreedom.org.

Related projects

libpurple is Pidgin's reusable protocol and account-management core.
Finch is the ncurses-based terminal interface built on libpurple.
Adium is a native macOS messaging client that uses libpurple for much of its protocol support.

Sources

security posture

Risk level: blue

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal.

Risk classifier

blue risk · medium confidence · tool

Why

broad file, network, media, or database tool signal

Signals

text:client

Install behavior

No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 7 platform targets.
Installs with 16 runtime dependencies.
Build metadata lists 3 build dependencies.

Recommended review

Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.

local files

Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.

Configuration files

Config paths the tool may read or write during local use.

Unix: ${HOME}/.purple
Windows: %APPDATA%\.purple

Credential files

Credential-bearing paths to review before unattended agent runs.

Unix: ${HOME}/.purple/accounts.xml
Windows: %APPDATA%\.purple\accounts.xml

executables

Installed executables

Command	Kind	Exposure	Note
`finch`	cli	global executable
`pidgin`	cli	global executable

freshness

Version and freshness

These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.

page generated2026-11-04

manager version2.14.14

manager updated2026-09-22

local dataok

upstreamnot checked

latest detectednot detected

https://pidgin.im/

infoRelease/tag comparison is only available for GitHub repositories.https://pidgin.im/none confidence

install metadata

Package metadata

Package key	brew:pidgin
Version	2.14.14
Package manager	Homebrew
Package manager page	https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/pidgin
Homepage	https://pidgin.im/
Upstream docs	https://pidgin.im/
License	GPL-2.0-or-later
Source archive	https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/pidgin/Pidgin/2.14.14/pidgin-2.14.14.tar.bz2
Last updated	2026-09-22T15:09:55-04:00
Pulse	updated
Dependencies	at-spi2-core, cairo, gdk-pixbuf, gettext, glib, gnutls, gtk+, harfbuzz, libgcrypt, libgnt, libgpg-error, libidn, libotr, ncurses, pango, tcl-tk@8
Build dependencies	gettext, intltool, pkgconf
Uses from macOS	cyrus-sasl, expat, libxml2, perl
Bottle	available (on arm64_golden_gate, arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux)
Homebrew post-install	not defined
Service	none declared

registry facts

Source database details

Source Database	Homebrew formula API
Tap	homebrew/core
Full Name	pidgin
Version Scheme	0
Revision	3
Head Version	HEAD
Bottle Stable Root URL	https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core
Deprecated	yes
Disabled	no
Keg Only	no
URL Keys	head stable

source database matches

Other package-manager records

Matches are pulled from external package-manager indexes and kept separate from local Automic Vault package links.

Debian apt95%

finch 2.14.14-1

text-based multi-protocol instant messaging client