Comparison of instant messaging protocols

This list contains information about network protocols that describe the communication process and establishing a connection between software clients for instant messaging. Some protocols are directly linked to the software, in this case the name of the software is called.

A protocol is a standardized open if there is an (open ) standards body or an (open) standards process, which has published a protocol specification.

User distribution

  • AOL Instant Messenger: no data available about the active users, 195 million registered IDs ( January 2003).
  • Gadu -Gadu: 5.6 million ( June 2006).
  • ICQ: 140 000 000 total ( June 2003).
  • IRC: Multiple networks complicate the statistics, is expected to millions of users.
  • XMPP: 4 million total ( October 2003), actual numbers, however, can not be determined because of decentralization.
  • PSYC: about 1 million daily users ( February 2007), actual numbers but because of decentralization can not be determined.
  • Windows Live Messenger ( formerly MSN ): 241 million active 295.8 million total.
  • Yahoo Messenger: 19.2 million in May 2002.
  • QQ: 485 million active, up to 5.7 million simultaneous, 856.2 million total ( according to its own information, as of May 2010).

Intermediate ICQ and AIM as well as between MSN and Yahoo! can now also be communicated to the client of each other service.

A recent study has presented again in 2008 the number of users of each IMs percentage of the countries in the world. Accordingly, the Windows Live Messenger continues to be the most common among the IM and ICQ plays only in Russia and Germany a greater role. Messengers such as Google Talk are on the rise and QQ, and Yahoo! Messenger to share the Asian market among themselves.

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