Developer Tools · 5 services
Developer Tools apps, all in one window
Developers rarely live in one tool. The code review is on GitHub, the upstream project coordinates over IRC, a library community chats on Gitter, and somewhere a self-hosted client keeps you connected to it all. Open each in a browser and your day turns into a hunt through tabs, with a review waiting on GitHub and a highlight sitting unread in a channel you forgot was open. Franz fixes that by running your developer chat and IRC tools side by side in a single desktop application, so the conversation about the bug and the code where it lives are one click apart in the sidebar instead of buried behind a dozen other tabs.
The services in this category cover the developer and IRC tools people actually keep open while they work: GitHub for reviews, issues, and notifications; Gitter for project and community rooms; IRCCloud for always-connected IRC with backlog; and the self-hosted IRC clients The Lounge and Glowing Bear, which you run on your own server and point Franz at. Each one is a first-class tab in Franz with its own login session, its own desktop notifications, and its own unread badge, so the signals that are easy to bury in a browser, a pending review or a channel highlight, stay visible in the sidebar.
People searching for "developer chat for desktop" or "IRC client for desktop" usually want the same things: every tool in one window, notifications they can actually trust, and an app that works the same on macOS, Windows, and Linux. That is exactly what Franz is built for, and developers have leaned on it to corral scattered tools since 2015, with more than 1,000,000 downloads to date. The point of grouping these tools is that the conversation about a piece of work sits next to the code it concerns, so you move between an IRC channel, a Gitter room, and a GitHub thread without breaking flow. You keep using the developer tools you already chose, including the IRC clients you host yourself. Nothing about those tools changes; Franz just stops them from sprawling across your screen. It is free to start, so you can have GitHub and your channels in one window from the first launch. Below you will find the most popular developer tools we support, the full list, and answers to the questions people ask most before they switch.
Popular
Frequently asked questions
Which developer tools does Franz support?
Franz supports the developer chat and IRC tools you keep open while you work, including GitHub for reviews, issues, and notifications, Gitter for project and community rooms, IRCCloud for always-connected IRC with backlog, and the self-hosted IRC clients The Lounge and Glowing Bear. Each runs as its own service tab with an independent login, desktop notifications, and its own unread badge, so a pending pull request or a channel highlight is visible without you remembering to go look for it.
Can I use my own self-hosted IRC client?
Yes. The Lounge and Glowing Bear do not live at a single public address, because every install runs on its own server. Franz lets you enter your own server URL when you add the service, so you point it at the address where your client lives, sign in, and your self-hosted IRC front end runs as a desktop tab just like any hosted service, while your client and your chat history stay on infrastructure you control.
Does my GitHub or Gitter notification actually reach me?
Yes. Franz surfaces native desktop notifications for these services, so a review request on GitHub or a highlight in a Gitter or IRC channel reaches you even when you are heads-down in your editor. Each service keeps its own unread badge in the sidebar, so the signals developers tend to miss in a browser stay in front of you.
Does it work on Mac, Windows, and Linux?
Franz is a native desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux, and the developer tools behave the same on all three. You get system notifications, a dock or taskbar badge, and keyboard-friendly switching between GitHub and your IRC tools regardless of platform, which matters when you develop across more than one operating system.
Is Franz free to use for developer tools?
Yes, you can use Franz for free and add several services to get started. The free plan covers the everyday "all my developer chat in one window" use case. Franz Pro adds extras like more services and additional features, but you do not need a paid plan to bring GitHub, Gitter, and your IRC clients together in one place.