title: Services (Protocols)
date: 2019-08-08T04:51:42.000Z
lastmod: 2019-08-08T04:51:42.000Z The most unique feature of Pidgin compared with other instant messaging clients
is that Pidgin enables users to log into their accounts on multiple chat
networks (also known as services or protocols) simultaneously, all from a single
Pidgin supports a variety of protocols out of the box. In this group of pages
you will find answers to the most common Service-specific questions.
In case you have questions about a protocol plugin[1] that you found in our
[
plugins](
{{< ref "plugins" >}}) section, then our advice is to ask it's authors
(usually you can find a method to reach out to a project authors in the
repository where its code is hosted). These plugins have been developed by third
parties and thus we don't have the knowledge or capacity to support them.
[1] A protocol plugin is what allows Pidgin to support a protocol that doesn't
come out of the box with it.
