Caprine is an elegant Facebook Messenger desktop app
Publisher’s description
What is Caprine?
Caprine by Sindre Sorhus is open-source Windows software in the chat & messaging category. It ranks 13th by popularity among chat & messaging in this catalogue. It is written in TypeScript. Besides Windows, it is available for Linux.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides EXE (NSIS) installers for 32-bit Windows. It can be installed for the current user only, without administrator rights. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches.
Updates and version history
The current version is 2.61.0, released on January 2, 2026. The version history goes back to April 3, 2017: 105 releases, all linked to the official files. That is about 12 releases a year.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 18,088 times. The source code on GitHub (sindresorhus/caprine) has 7,404 stars. Similar programs include Signal, Telegram Desktop and Slack.
Project description on GitHub: “Elegant Facebook Messenger desktop app”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
- Installs without administrator rights
- Frequent updates (about 12 a year)
- Also runs on Linux
- Large user base
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
- 32-bit only
In short: Caprine is an open-source chat & messaging tool for 32-bit PCs. It is actively maintained. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Is Caprine safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
0EF4BB19F540D87356BD33D8D8D8341BE279CF4B160A700B6B3D56148D73F8F5· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the sindresorhus/caprine repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- No binaries in the repository10
- No dangerous workflows10
- Licence declared10
- Published packages10
- Pinned dependencies5
- Code review0
- Actively maintained0
- Restricted token permissions0
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Fuzzing0
- Branch protection0
- Security policy0
- Signed releases0
- Static code analysis0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 105 versions ›105 versions over 9 years · about 12 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.61.0Latest | January 2, 2026 | — | 32-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.60.3 | December 1, 2024 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.60.1 | April 9, 2024 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.59.3 | February 20, 2024 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.59.1 | October 11, 2023 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.59.0 | September 26, 2023 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.58.3 | September 25, 2023 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.58.2 | September 24, 2023 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id Caprine.Caprine -echoco install caprine -yCaprine-Setup-2.61.0.exe /SRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
flatpak install flathub com.sindresorhus.CaprineInformation
- Publisher
- Sindre Sorhus
- Category
- Chat & messaging
- Licence
- MIT
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/sindresorhus/caprine
- Written in
- TypeScript
- Content rating
- 15+
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 32-bit
- Installer
- EXE (NSIS)
- Other platforms
- Linux
- Version
- 2.61.0
- Released
- January 2, 2026
- Added to the catalogue
- March 30, 2021
- Versions listed
- 105
- Updates / year
- 12
- Chocolatey downloads
- 18,088
- GitHub stars
- 7,404
- GitHub forks
- 618
- Website
- github.com
- winget ID
- Caprine.Caprine
- Chocolatey package
- caprine
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
Alternatives to Caprine
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Open source3.4M ↓ -
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Proprietary9.8M ↓ -
Rocket.Chat4.18.5Rocket.Chat is the leading open source team chat software solution. Free, unlimited and completely customizable with on-premises and SaaS cloud hosting.Open source973K ↓ -
Proprietary882.4K ↓ -
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Pidgin2.14.14Pidgin is a universal chat client, allowing you to consolidate all your different messaging apps into a single tool.Open source175.4K ↓ -
Open source97.4K ↓
Frequently asked questions
Is Caprine free?
Yes. Caprine is open-source software under the MIT licence.
Is Caprine safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install Caprine with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can Caprine be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does Caprine run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 32-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of Caprine?
The versions page lists all 105 versions with links to their official installer files, back to April 3, 2017.
Can I use Caprine without administrator rights?
Yes, there is a per-user installer that does not need administrator rights.
What are alternatives to Caprine?
Signal, Telegram Desktop, Slack, Rocket.Chat and Discord. The alternatives page compares them.
