All Instant Messaging

The Bottom Line: Meetro beta is useful for letting you chat by text with users of all the major IM apps, but the location-based features that set it apart from the crowd aren't so alluring.

Specs: Free, Windows, Mac

The Bottom Line: AIM Triton 1.2 preview lets you easily chat via text, audio, or video and share photos and files with other users. However, while it provides a free phone number, you'll have to pay to make outbound calls.

Specs: Free, Windows, Phone

The Bottom Line: Easy, free services make ICQ 5.04 a fine choice for voice, keyboard, or Webcam chats, but MSN Messenger 7.0 and Yahoo Messenger 7.0 offer more features.

Specs: Free, Pocket PC, Mac, Windows, Forum, Request form

The Bottom Line: Yahoo's next IM app lets you make free voice calls and leave voicemail, and it adds search and antispam tools.

The Bottom Line: A fun and feature-packed IM applet, MSN Messenger 7 is a great upgrade for version 6.2 users, but we prefer the less intrusive Yahoo Messenger 6 and ICQ 4.1.

The Bottom Line: The free, legendary chat client just keeps getting better; ICQ is the best pick, along with Yahoo Messenger, for features and versatility.

The Bottom Line: Relentless offers for premium (fee-based) services turn MSN Messenger into a big advertisement rather than a useful communication tool. For the most free features, use Yahoo or ICQ instead.

The Bottom Line: The best and most versatile free IM client we reviewed, if you can do without e-mail tech support.

The Bottom Line: Despite several business-oriented add-ons, AIM 5.5 is a free and versatile instant messenger that's best suited for AOL home users. That said, we like Yahoo and ICQ even better.

The Bottom Line: Consolidate all of your chat buddies into Trillian Pro 2.012. Perfect for students and office workers alike.