Keeping up with friends and family members can be challenging. This is especially true if you have more than one messenger client. Running various messenger clients simultaneously is possible with multi-client messenger software.

For a minimal price (and in most cases for free) you can purchase or download software that allows you to chat with many people via many messaging services at once.

Meebo -- Free

Meebo makes the top of the list, since it’s unlike any other multi-client messaging software out there. Meebo is Internet-based, which means that it can only be accessed through the Internet. Meebo comes in handy when you need to access your messenger list from any remote location. With Meebo, you can keep in-touch with friends while you are away on business or vacation. Meebo can support a number of messenger clients including MSN, ICQ, Yahoo! Messenger, AOL, Jabber, and Fixster. MySpace and Facebook are also supported with Meebo.

Adium -- Free

Adium is one of the few multi-client messenger tools that work with OS X. Apple users will find Adium highly efficient, easy to use, and helpful. Adium supports many messaging clients including Yahoo, MSN, AIM, and Gtalk, but its main claim to fame is that it supports Apple messaging clients – something that most other multi-client software tools don’t do. In addition, Adium can support Skype through a specific plugin.

Digsby – Free

Digsby is one of the most popular multi-client messenger tools available. This tool supports Facebook chat, MSN, AIM, Yahoo, Gtalk, ICQ, Jabber, and many others. Digsby also allows users to set up email notifications and social networking notifications. The one drawback (for some people) to Digsby is that it only works on Windows. Otherwise, Digsby is a near perfect multi-client messenger tool.

Trillian Astra – Free

Even though Trillian Astra has one of the snazziest interfaces available, it is also user-friendly. Trillian supports Yahoo, MSN, IRC, AIM, and ICQ. Trillian really makes it easy to manage multiple messenger clients at once. Many will find Trillian’s interface simple and concise, which is one of the reasons why Trillian has such a strong following. The one drawback to Trillian is that users will have to log into this service before each use, though this isn’t really a large problem.

Pidgin – Free

Pidgin is another free multi-client messenger manager that many will enjoy using. Unlike other tools of its kind, Pidgin is simple and uncomplicated. There’s nothing fussy or snazzy about Pidgin’s interface, and this makes Pidgin entirely user-friendly. Pidgin is also slightly customizable and it does not come laced with too many pop-ups.