AltCatalog
Catalog Personal messaging AIM
Discontinued AIM was discontinued in December 2017. The alternatives below are active products you can switch to. All discontinued →

Alternatives to AIM

AOL Instant Messenger

None of its 12 checklist rows are verified yet.

AOL Instant Messenger. AIM has been discontinued; the active alternatives listed here are maintained products you can switch to.

Most compared with BeeperDelta ChatJami
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Who it's for

Casual home computer users and early internet chatters, particularly teenagers and young adults, who wanted to message friends and family online in real time.

What you get

AIM offered instant text messaging with a customizable buddy list showing who was online, away messages and status notes, buddy icons, and group chat rooms. Later versions added file transfer, voice and video chat, and third-party plugin support. It ran as a free desktop client (and later mobile app) tied to a unique AIM screen name.

How it works

Users created a free screen name, added contacts to a buddy list, and saw in real time who was online, idle, or away. Clicking a buddy opened a chat window for instant text messaging, or users could join topic-based chat rooms.

Why people leave AIM

Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.

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Ranked alternatives

Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.

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01

Unified inbox for many chat networks on Matrix.

Proprietary iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
02

Chat over email with Autocrypt encryption.

GPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
03

Fully distributed P2P messenger from GNU.

GPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
04

Onion-routed messenger with no phone number.

GPL-3.0 WindowsmacOSLinuxiOS +1
05

The reference E2E encrypted messenger, nonprofit-run.

AGPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
06

Messenger without any user identifiers at all.

AGPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
07

Cloud messenger with huge groups; E2EE optional.

GPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +2
08

Paid Swiss messenger usable without a phone number.

AGPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +2
09

Consumer messenger popular in Eastern Europe.

Proprietary iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
10

Meta's E2E encrypted messenger tied to phone numbers.

Proprietary iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +1
11

E2E encrypted team messenger from Switzerland.

GPL-3.0 iOSAndroidWindowsmacOS +2

FAQ

Yes. Beeper, Delta Chat and Jami have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.

Delta Chat, Jami and Session — every license claim links its source.