Trillian Astra was voted “Best Instant Messenger” client in a recent poll conducted by Lifehacker.  Astra’s 17,025 votes placed it 12% above Digsby, the second place finisher.  Rounding out the top five were Pidgin, Adium and Meebo, which actually placed below “Other”.

In a strange twist, Lifehacker said, “we are slightly dubious with how things turned out” referring to their own poll.  They apparently took issue with some of the companies encouraging their users to vote, just as Lifehacker did earlier this year.  However, they clearly stated that no lines were crossed and no rules were broken by the contenders.

Wikipedia has a very detailed comparison of instant messaging clients.  The document may not be fully up to date so it’s best that you check each product’s website for the latest information. If you are new or unfamiliar with instant messaging, you can learn more about it here at Wikipedia.