Top pick · highest health
Weechat
Fast, light and extensible chat client.
★ 3.4k 430 commits / 90d ⟳ yesterday GPL-3.0 Docker
Category
Open source communication - irc
IRC communication software. 11 self-hosted IRC tools are listed here, ordered purely by a repository health score that Repoly recomputes nightly. Weechat leads at 94/100 with 430 commits in the last 90 days and 3.4k stars, followed by InspIRCd (93) and Ergo (86). 4 of the 11 score 70 or above, 4 publish a Docker image, and the median health is 56. GPL-2.0 is the most common licence, carried by 4 of them. The score weighs commits in the last 90 days, release recency, stars, archive status and Docker support; a low number means low measurable activity, not low quality, so a finished, stable tool can legitimately sit lower down.
updated Oct 2026 11 tools ★ 21k stars 4 with Docker median 56
Best for…
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Most starred
6,361 stars on GitHub, the largest community in the category.
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Most active
430 commits in the last 90 days, the fastest-moving codebase here.
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Most permissive
MIT licence with health 86/100: the strongest option if you need to embed or fork commercially.
Ranked by health
Table view
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InspIRCd
Modular IRC server written in C++ for Linux, BSD, Windows, and macOS.
★ 1.4k 85 commits / 90d ⟳ 6 days ago GPL-2.0 Docker
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Ergo
Modern IRCv3 server written in Go, combining the features of an ircd, a services framework, and a bouncer.
★ 3.4k 23 commits / 90d ⟳ 8 days ago MIT Docker
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UnrealIRCd
Modular, advanced and highly configurable IRC server written in C for Linux, BSD, Windows, and macOS.
★ 527 88 commits / 90d ⟳ 7 days ago GPL-2.0
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ngircd
Portable and lightweight Internet Relay Chat server for small or private networks.
★ 582 5 commits / 90d ⟳ 6 days ago GPL-2.0
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Kiwi IRC
Responsive web IRC client with theming support.
★ 989 0 commits / 90d ⟳ 4 months ago Apache-2.0
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Quassel IRC
Distributed IRC client, meaning that one (or multiple) client(s) can attach to and detach from a central core.
★ 792 0 commits / 90d ⟳ 4 months ago GPL-2.0
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Robust IRC
IRC without netsplits. Distributed IRC server, based on RobustSession protocol.
★ 194 0 commits / 90d ⟳ 5 months ago BSD-3-Clause
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Weechat Docker | 3.4k | 430 | GPL-3.0 | yesterday | |
| 2 | InspIRCd Docker | 1.4k | 85 | GPL-2.0 | 6 days ago | |
| 3 | Ergo Docker | 3.4k | 23 | MIT | 8 days ago | |
| 4 | The Lounge Docker | 6.4k | 21 | MIT | yesterday | |
| 5 | ZNC | 2.1k | 66 | Apache-2.0 | 2 days ago | |
| 6 | UnrealIRCd | 527 | 88 | GPL-2.0 | 7 days ago | |
| 7 | ngircd | 582 | 5 | GPL-2.0 | 6 days ago | |
| 8 | Glowing Bear | 981 | 2 | GPL-3.0 | 3 months ago | |
| 9 | Kiwi IRC | 989 | 0 | Apache-2.0 | 4 months ago | |
| 10 | Quassel IRC | 792 | 0 | GPL-2.0 | 4 months ago | |
| 11 | Robust IRC | 194 | 0 | BSD-3-Clause | 5 months ago |
How the IRC tools compare
Weechat edges InspIRCd 94 to 93, and most of the difference is stars: 3.4k stars against 1.4k stars. The Lounge has the largest following at 6.4k stars, yet ranks #4 of 11, held back mostly by commit activity (21 commits in 90 days).
The most recent release is InspIRCd v4.12.1, published 1 month ago. ZNC, UnrealIRCd and Robust IRC publish no tagged releases, which costs up to 25 of the 100 points. Glowing Bear, Kiwi IRC, Quassel IRC and 1 more score under 40, so check recent activity before adopting them. By stack, C (3), C++ (3) and Nodejs (3) are the most common. Ergo, The Lounge, ZNC and 2 more are permissively licensed; Weechat, InspIRCd, UnrealIRCd and 3 more are copyleft.
Communication - IRC: common questions
What is the best open source IRC tool?
By Repoly's GitHub health score, Weechat at 94/100 (430 commits in 90 days, v4.10.1 from 2 months ago). InspIRCd is next at 93; Weechat's lead comes mostly from stars. The score measures maintenance, not features, so shortlist the top few and try them.
Which IRC tools are the most actively developed?
Weechat (430 commits in 90 days), UnrealIRCd (88 commits in 90 days) and InspIRCd (85 commits in 90 days). Commit activity is 35 of the 100 health points, the largest single term.
Which IRC tools can I run in Docker?
4 of 11 publish a Docker image or Compose file, led by Weechat, InspIRCd, Ergo and The Lounge.
Which IRC tools have a permissive licence?
5 of 11: Ergo (MIT), The Lounge (MIT), ZNC (Apache-2.0), Kiwi IRC (Apache-2.0), Robust IRC (BSD-3-Clause). 6 are copyleft.