Before you get into this review you have to understand that I work a desk job where Instant Messaging is a big part of my daily communication.

Digsby – Quick description Digsby is a multi-network IM client that is capable of connecting to all the big IM networks: AIM, ICQ, Yahoo, GTalk and Jabber. It can also integrate with your email (I use Gmail), Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter accounts. The install is simple and you can customize the interface to be 2.0 sexy. They also have a feature that will allow you to send SMS messages right from the IM window. But the main thing I love about Digsby which I thought was totally smart was the fact when you log into your account it sync all of your contacts. So for example if you’re like me and use IM at work, at home, and on your laptop you don’t want to have to add all of your contacts back into the system over and over again. Digsby handles all of that for you. The download is FREE.

Pidgin – Pidgin is pretty awesome also. I first heard of Pidgin when I was test driving Fedora. I think it could be jazzed up a bit though. I think they are still stuck in the 1.0 era. The only reason Digsby is kicking their but is because of the customization options. You can really pimp out the Digsby interface, but with Pidgin not so much. The download is FREE.

Trillian – For many years I was a big fan Trillian. I really don’t have much to complain about except for the lack of options. If it wasn’t for the massive amount of features that Digsby includes I would probably be still using Trillian. They have two versions of the software FREE and PAID.

GTalk - Light weight, great voice and video chat. But it’s the whole “Google owns your data” thing that spooks me out. The download is FREE.

Yahoo! Messenger – Simple old school, and doesn’t support other clients. Plus it seems like when you’re using Yahoo instant messenger, everyone you know is using AIM. And when you’re using AIM everyone you know is using GTalk. The download is FREE.

AIM – Same as above, everyone you know is not on AIM. It’s been awhile since I have used AIM, but if I recall I think their client included advertisement. The download is FREE.

You should try them all out for yourself.