Best IRC clients for Android in 2026

The hard part of IRC on Android is not the client — it is that Android kills background connections, and plain IRC forgets everything when you disconnect. Every good Android setup solves persistence somewhere. Here are the ones that work in 2026.

goguma — the modern choice #

goguma is built by the soju developer around the modern protocol: IRCv3 chathistory, proper unread tracking, and deep soju bouncer integration. Against a soju (or Ergo server with history), it behaves like a contemporary messenger — scrollback loads on demand, notifications arrive, multiple networks managed from the app. Open source, available on F-Droid and Play. If you have or are willing to run a bouncer, this is the recommendation, full stop.

It even works without one — maintaining its own connection where Android allows — but like every direct-connection client, it is then at the mercy of the OS's battery manager.

IRCCloud — zero infrastructure #

IRCCloud moves persistence to their cloud: the app is a window onto a connection that lives on their servers, so history and push notifications work perfectly with no setup. Free tier disconnects after inactivity; the subscription keeps you permanently online. The trade-off is the obvious one — a company in the middle — but as the "it just works" option it is unmatched.

Quasseldroid — for Quassel people #

If your desktop setup is Quassel (the split core/client architecture), Quasseldroid attaches your phone to the same core: one connection, shared backlog, native Android UI. Excellent in its niche; pointless outside it.

The web-client route #

A self-hosted The Lounge added to the home screen is a legitimate Android client: PWA with push notifications, history on your server, no app store involved. For households already running one, the phone setup is literally "open URL".

Recommendations #

• Have/want a bouncer: goguma + soju — the best mobile IRC currently gets.
• Want zero maintenance: IRCCloud, paid tier.
• Already on Quassel: Quasseldroid.
• Already running The Lounge: add it to your home screen and stop.

Whatever you pick, set up SASL and a registered nick — on a connection that may reconnect often, automatic identification is not optional.