IRC networks in 2026: which ones matter and how to connect

There are several hundred public IRC networks, but a handful host the large majority of users. The top 100 networks together serve over 160,000 concurrent users in 2026. This overview covers the ones worth knowing — what each is for, roughly how big it is, and how to connect. All addresses below expect TLS on port 6697.

Libera.Chat — the open source hub #

• Connect: irc.libera.chat
• Size: ~30,000+ concurrent users, ~22,000 channels — the largest network.
• Focus: free and open source software and peer-directed projects.

Founded in May 2021 by Freenode's former volunteer staff after the Freenode ownership dispute, Libera is where the open source world lives: Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, Python, PostgreSQL and thousands more have their official channels here. Policy notes: registration uses email verification, VPN and Tor access is restricted for unregistered users, and the network's bot rules were tightened in 2026 — bots (including LLM-driven ones) require channel-operator permission to join channels. Help channel: #libera.

OFTC — the other FOSS network #

• Connect: irc.oftc.net
• Focus: free software projects; long associated with Debian and Tor.

Smaller and quieter than Libera, run under the umbrella of Software in the Public Interest. Some projects deliberately keep their channels here.

EFnet — the original #

• Connect: irc.efnet.org
• Focus: general chat; the direct descendant of the first IRC network.

EFnet's defining trait is what it lacks: no nickname or channel registration. Nicks and channels are held by whoever is present, which made EFnet the wild west of IRC for decades — a culture some users would not trade for anything.

IRCnet — the European giant #

• Connect: irc.ircnet.net (regional servers across Europe)
• Size: roughly 20,000–25,000 daily users.

Forked from EFnet in 1996 by European admins, IRCnet remains one of the largest networks, particularly strong in northern Europe — for Swedish users this is often where the old channels live. Like EFnet, it has no services; channel control is protocol-level only.

Rizon — anime, fansubs and beyond #

• Connect: irc.rizon.net

The cultural home of anime and fansub communities, also hosting plenty of general and tech channels. Runs anope services, so registration works much like on Libera.

Undernet and DALnet — the 90s mainstays #

• Connect: irc.undernet.org / irc.dal.net

Both were giants of the late 90s and remain mid-sized general networks today. DALnet's claim to history: it introduced NickServ/ChanServ-style services, which most networks later adopted. Undernet's X service plays the same role.

QuakeNet — gaming heritage #

• Connect: irc.quakenet.org

Born from Quake clans, QuakeNet was the largest IRC network in the world around 2004 with 240,000+ users. Esports moved on, but the network still serves a loyal European gaming crowd. Services are Q and L rather than NickServ.

hackint — hackers and CCC #

• Connect: irc.hackint.org

The network of the European hacker scene, closely tied to the Chaos Computer Club and its events.

Smaller and special-purpose networks #

Hundreds more exist: regional networks, language communities (some of the largest channels on IRC today are on regional networks you have never heard of), retro-computing nets, and single-community servers. The statistics site netsplit.de tracks sizes and trends across all of them. Modern self-hosted servers (Ergo in particular) have also made single-community networks fashionable again — running your own is a future article of its own.

Choosing a network #

You rarely choose a network in the abstract — you follow a community. The channel you want determines the network, so search first (how to find channels), connect second. And remember that identities are per-network: register your nickname everywhere you intend to stay.