# Trillian Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Trillian the right Employee Communication Tools solution for you? Explore 52 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/190684/Trillian/reviews --- Trillian 4.7 (52) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Trillian Ease of use 4.8 Customer Service 4.8 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews Umar A Project managerHospital & Health Care, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “In contrast to the feature-heavy and costly Slack, Trillian precisely meets our essential in-office communication needs.“ October 17, 2023 Adam G MgrInvestment Management, 2 - 10 employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “the interface is different than those too, it it's been hard to switch to it. “ August 9, 2021 Umar A Project managerHospital & Health Care, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: 1-2 years. “It undoubtedly deserves a five-star rating.“ October 17, 2023 Eduardo G Sr. Software DeveloperComputer Software, 1,001 - 5,000 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It was hard to find a way to do a group chat, especially when trying to communicate to broadcast messages for the entire team.“ February 23, 2021 MW Michael W PresidentPublishing, 11 - 50 employeesUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Trillian is perfect for our basic inter-office needs.“ July 28, 2021 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 52 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Renan A. Analista de TI Information Technology and Services Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Chat everyone" June 21, 2021 5.0 Experience valuable and fully meeting expectations for use in the company. Pros Lightweight software, easy to use, very practical chat for corporate or non-corporate use. Cons Software somewhat limited for denser communication cases. Review Source MW Michael W. President Publishing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great Alternative To The Bloated "Slack"" July 28, 2021 5.0 Trillian has been great. The alternative we looked at, Slack, just has too many features, is too expensive, and does way more than what I need. Trillian is perfect for our basic inter-office needs. They keep the client software regularly updated which is nice, and their server has excellent uptime. We rarely if ever experience outages. It's absolutely a five star product. Pros I have used Trillian since its days as a primarily IRC client. Then moved over to business use via AIM. When AIM shut down, we needed a solution for quick interoffice communication. Trillian had exactly what we needed without too many bloated features, and best of all it is extremely affordable per-user. Cons There's very little to dislike about Trillian. If I had a criticism at all, it would be that at times it's a bit to "cutesy" with audible "ha ha" sounds and animated emojis. They're fun on occasion, but in general I find them distracting in a work environment. It's a reach to criticize them, though. Alternatives considered [Slack](https://www.capterra.com/p/135003/Slack/) Reason for choosing Trillian Slack was far too expensive and had far too many extras which we didn't need. We simply needed to be able to pass files back and forth easily, and chat about things inside our office. Slack was just too much. Trillian was perfect. Review Source LS Luis S. IT Consumer Goods Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Simple to use" August 28, 2019 3.0 it is really fast and reliable Pros It is easy to set up users, and add new contacts to the list Cons it doesn't have a video chat or audio chat option Alternatives considered [Microsoft Teams](https://www.capterra.com/p/168668/Microsoft-Teams/) Reason for choosing Trillian It is easy to migrate from the old IM that we had Review Source JS Joe S. business manager Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "We love this platform!" August 28, 2019 5.0 This solved a very hard problem for us. Our practice management system has a communication module, but it only goes Tx to front desk, the front desk can't reply! We needed to have a running conversation between tx and the front, and also for different people to interact privately or without conversation. We love working with this. Setting up was easy easy easy and tech support has been great with everything. Pros We love the ease of communicating safely across the office and when we are out of the office. The HIPAA compliant feature makes this a great tool for staying connected in a place where we would otherwise be running around on foot! Cons The PC chat window is a little confusing for us at times. We use different chat groups for different purposes and if someone is looking at the wrong group window they may not see what they want or may write in the wrong setting. It's not bad, but a highlight of what the window is might help. Also, I'd love to be able to set different sounds for different groups and users so I know what I have to jump for and what I can ignore for a while. I have to monitor activity, but don't always need to respond so I'd like to set sounds so I know what's what. Alternatives considered [Google Meet](https://www.capterra.com/p/176572/Google-Hangouts/) Reason for choosing Trillian HIPAA HIPAA HIPAA! Security, ease of install and use, ease of adoption. HIPAA security. Oh, great price/value. Switched from [Microsoft Teams](https://www.capterra.com/p/168668/Microsoft-Teams/) Way too complicated for a very straight-forward communication problem. Review Source DP David P. Technology Operations Manager Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Good Product" August 28, 2019 5.0 Excellent. Pros Ease of use for employees, ability to pull archives for reports. Cons Unable to edit main group (we have two companies under the same umbrella), we'd like to change the name of the main default group to be more encompassing. Chat Disclaimer is sent with every message or none. We are wanting to send a disclaimer to each user at least once. Ideally, every time a new chat window between users is opened it should appear once. The price is steep, every year is getting harder and harder to justify the cost to my board with lesser costly options like Microsoft Teams, etc. Alternatives considered [Microsoft Teams](https://www.capterra.com/p/168668/Microsoft-Teams/)[Slack](https://www.capterra.com/p/135003/Slack/) Reason for choosing Trillian Easiest ability to use with tried and true track record. Review Source TP Thomas P. President Publishing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy To Use and train up" August 28, 2019 5.0 Needed a simple and easy to use app that didn't require my IT department to hand hold existing users and provide extended training for new users as we have many ever changing off-site contributors. Pros Very easy to use and new users pick it up quicker than most apps. Plus, continual upgrade & updates make Trillian the best instant messenger for business. Cons Do not believe Trillian has any functional flaws- Only suggestions have been minor cosmetic changes which they usually respond to in a timely fashion. Alternatives considered [Slack](https://www.capterra.com/p/135003/Slack/) Reason for choosing Trillian Ease of use and training for rotating off-site staff. Review Source JS Jeffrey S. COO Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Trilian for healthcare" August 28, 2019 5.0 The software is solid, secure, and easy to use. The support is phenomenal. Thank you Trillian! Pros The best solution for secure chat available. Works on desktop, laptop, and phone, so you can always get your messages. Cons Looking forward to voice calling. Everything else is wonderful Switched from [WhatsApp](https://www.capterra.com/p/180345/WhatsApp/) WhatsApp does not meet HIPAA, HITECH, and the final Omnibus guidelines. Also, Trillian is willing to sign a BAA which is essential for compliance. Review Source MD Marianne D. Hospital Administrator Veterinary Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Excellent Communications Software" August 28, 2019 5.0 We love Trillian at work and find it so easy to communicate across departments in a large facility and also communicate when I am away from the office but need to be available to the whole team. Group messaging is especially helpful. Pros Ability to share attachments, ability to customize login info and visibility, mobile option. Group communication options are excellent. Cons Would love more media content like gifs to spice it up! Reason for choosing Trillian Best features for the price. Not much else out there for similar price, at least when I researched. Review Source BB Barry B. General Manager Shipbuilding Used the software for: 2+ years ### "In 25 Years of Using Instant Messaging Software - Trillian is the BEST!" August 28, 2019 5.0 Great experience. Has greatly increased communication ability within the company! Great experience thus far! Pros Easy to use, small file size, quick, convenient Cons I haven't found any Cons in 2+ years of using this software. Reason for choosing Trillian Pricing, ease of use, customer service. Review Source PR Philip R. Account Manager Internet Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Trillian is a great way for a team to comminucate" March 17, 2020 5.0 Improved communication within a team. Pros Trillian is a great solution for a team to communicate. Cons Integration with third party apps was not easy to figure out. Switched from [Slack](https://www.capterra.com/p/135003/Slack/) Streamline team, department, and company-wide communications. Review Source ES Emma S. Director of Clinic Operations Health, Wellness and Fitness Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Great for our uses, but could do with a few feature updates" August 28, 2019 4.0 Our communication has improved, we were previously using walkie talkies, which while helpful, became distracting. Trillian is a more subtle way of communicating during clinic. Unfortunately, with this trillian is sometimes not noticed immediately by the user and so a way to distinguish urgency would be incredibly useful. Pros Ability to communicate in the moment with our team, ability to set up different groups, customization of notification sound/location Cons could do with a way to notify different levels of urgency in terms of sound and appearance Alternatives considered [TigerConnect](https://www.capterra.com/p/180133/TigerConnect/) Reason for choosing Trillian Price point, excess features that we were not using, inability to show message text in notification bubble Review Source RH Rich H. President Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Dependable and feature rich." January 13, 2020 5.0 It was easy to set up a few questions I didn’t have your answer very fast by the courteous staff. Pros Ease-of-use end it has all the features we needed our company. Cons No cons I can think of. It does everything we need and more. Reason for choosing Trillian Ease-of-use in and out all the features we were looking for. Review Source CM Caitlin M. Owner Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great for office communication!" August 28, 2019 5.0 I have used Trillian for years and it has been a game-changer for interpersonal communication in our office. Pros I love how easy this is as well as the ability to have group chats. Cons Nothing that I can think of. It's easy, the staff likes it, and we have never once had it "go down" when we needed it. Review Source cW cathy W. ops mgr Retail Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Easy to set up, and use" August 28, 2019 4.0 Pros Works great for the price. You can use on desktop and mobile phone which has helped me with being on call all the time. Cons I wish you could combine group chat histories - it wasn't clear in the beginning that group chats were saved, and multiples were created. :( Review Source SH Sherrie H. Accountant Automotive Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Usages" August 28, 2019 5.0 Pros Ease of use and setup was quick and easy. Cons The fact that you cannot just change the name on a user. You have to create a new user and the fact that you cannot (as the administrator) delete old messages Reason for choosing Trillian None Review Source HM Hesham M. Software Developer Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Trillian is a great tool with a lot of potential" August 14, 2019 5.0 So far I had a good experience using trillian, still trying to adapt from Slack which had more rich features. Pros Love the group chat feature and the simplicity in creating channels. Cons The multiple task manager tabs, and escaping characters in messages, as well as the auto copy on select feature. Switched from [Slack](https://www.capterra.com/p/135003/Slack/) Price Review Source JH James H. IT Specialist Legal Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Trillian Review" August 28, 2019 5.0 We use Trillian company wide on a daily basis. I have had little to no complaints about it. Pros It is simple to use File transfer group chats Cons Some small glitches, if a shared URL is very long, it freezes up Trillian Review Source KB Kayte B. Office managed Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Helpful for inter office communication " August 8, 2019 5.0 Pros This program was very easy to install and implement. It has helped increase our office communication and increased productivity. Cons If anything, it is a very basic program but that is not terrible. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Project manager Hospital & Health Care Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Excellent Substitute for "Slack"" October 17, 2023 4.0 Our experience with Trillian has been outstanding. In contrast to the feature-heavy and costly Slack, Trillian precisely meets our essential in-office communication needs. They consistently update their client software, ensuring reliable performance, and their server boasts excellent uptime, resulting in minimal outages. It undoubtedly deserves a five-star rating. Pros I've been using Trillian since its days as a primarily IRC client and transitioned to it for business use via AIM. When AIM ceased its service, we sought a solution for efficient interoffice communication. Trillian offered exactly what we needed without unnecessary bloat, and it's incredibly cost-effective on a per-user basis. Cons There's little to criticize about Trillian. If I were to find fault, it would be the occasional use of "cutesy" audible sounds and animated emojis, which, while fun at times, can be distracting in a professional setting. However, this is a minor concern and not a significant drawback. Review Source MW Margy W. Legal Assistant/Executive Assistant Legal Services Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Looking for Good Chat Options? Trillian May be For You!" November 20, 2019 5.0 Trillian was a simple way for my teammates and me to communicate, stay on top of projects and tasks, and collaboratively discuss happenings in our various offices. It helped us keep connect personally, which in turn helped us grow as a team professionally. Pros I want to be up front - I no longer use Trillian. It was the chat software of choice at my office five years ago when I began working there, but we eventually cycled through two options before landing where we are now (RingCentral, which is another ballgame). I though Trillian was a great option for chatting with team members in various locations (or within the same office without getting up). Working in a remote office, it is imperative that I remain in touch with my teammates. Trillian helped me do that in a simple, effective way with an easy-to-use, pleasant interface. I was pleased with the ability to toggle between chat streams easily with Trillian, and was also really grateful for the search function in each conversation. I find that chatting is very useful for intra-office communication, but without the ability to search (or archive) within chat streams, it's USELESS. We all need to be able to refer to our comments, questions and answers in order to properly do our jobs, and Trillian was aces in that regard. I also really appreciated the simplicity of the interface. I don't want to have to search and spend time figuring out HOW to chat with people. I just want to be able to chat. Trillian does exactly that. Cons When I was using Trillian, it did not have a very robust document collaboration function. My guess is that by now, Trillian has addressed this issue and has grown into cloud computing in the same way that other chat/collaboration tools have. Besides this one observation, I'd say I had no complaints about Trillian, and in fact truly enjoyed using the software. Review Source KC Katie C. Digital Services Director Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Simple, Does the Job, Few Features, But Reliable" August 21, 2019 5.0 The marketing company that I work for as several "older" souls who aren't too savvy with Project Management Chat Software quite yet. Having this tool as a way to keep in touch and ping teammates has been helpful. Pros At first, I thought Trillian was just a sad AIM wannabe that the company I am working for wanted to relive the 90's with. As I got acclimated, I got used to the chat service. It's pretty simple to use, I enjoy the emojis, and having the historical chat messages archived has been a life saver. Cons I am patiently waiting a gif search and embed feature. Sometimes words and emojis just don't do the trick, and you need to harness the Michael Scott saying "NO NO NOOOO" gif to get your point across. I do occasionally have some issues with cross-platform synching. (when I chat via my desktop, the message isnt viewable on my iPhone/iMac), and since I switch hit from device to device, this can be pretty inconvenient. Review Source SH Stephanie H. IT Specialist Mental Health Care Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Great IM Platform" August 28, 2019 4.0 Whenever I've contacted Trillian support, I've received fast responses and resolutions. The software is also fast and easy to use which means less training time for new hires. Pros I like you can choose to have your different chats in 1 window or separate. I like you can set your own status to something customized. I love the search function - it's quick to find people. I also like there's a mobile app. Cons When I sign into Trillian on my cell phone, my status resets to Online then I have to change it back to Away. I often keep my desktop up but need to walk away from my desk and use my mobile phone. I would like to have to option of your status showing in chat history. We put a lot of info in our status's. I would also like to see a few things merged such as Google calendar (so status's are updated automatically) and video conferencing. Review Source DD Danny D. Partner Marketing and Advertising Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Messaging and More Done Right" August 28, 2019 5.0 \[SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN\] and the team are amazing. They've listened to our feature requests and delivered! We love trillian and our business depends on it heavily every day. Pros Trillian is a solid messaging app. The feature we use most is the pier to pier file transfers. No upload/download... just send a file straight to the person you need to. We send a LOT of messages and a LOT of files on a daily basis. Mostly large files. Trillian has been the most solid messaging app we have ever used. Cons The only thing I don't like about the software is you need to activate the mobile app (even if it's running in the background) when you step away from your desktop if you want to receive messages. I would prefer it just go to both locations simultaneously. Reason for choosing Trillian The pier to pier file transfer and familiarity of the interface. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Sr. Software Developer Computer Software Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Trillian: Great Instant messaging tool for cross messaging platforms" February 23, 2021 5.0 Overall the experience with Trillian was positive and it helped with communication with team-members but mostly on the 1-on-1 level. Pros I liked Trillian mostly for the ability to interact with different messaging platforms such as IRC, AIM, google chat, and many others. Cons It was hard to find a way to do a group chat, especially when trying to communicate to broadcast messages for the entire team. Review Source GR Gregg R. Operations Director Individual & Family Services Used the software for: 2+ years ### "A tried and True IM App that greatly facilitates communication in our organization." August 28, 2019 5.0 Trillian has streamlined communication in our organization making it easy to reach out to people for quick questions or answers, pass phone calls , know people's status and presence, and just keep us all connected. We have built in messaging in our phone system but find Trillian a stand-out, stand-alone tool for intra office messaging. Pros ease of set up and use under multiple IM protocols. Simple for users to work with. Great support from developer. Cons The latest version for mac seems to take longer to get connected to its network than the older versions. Review Source Talk to a Capterra advisor for free and get results within 15 minutes.