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Web and desktop apps, Live

Hejj Messenger

A nostalgic instant messenger for Mac and the web

Purple windows, a buddy list, smileys, away messages and BUZZ!!!, in two versions: on the web, built into hejj, and as a free Mac app in your menu bar.

Get it for macOS: Hejj Messenger (opens in new tab)Open on the web: Hejj Messenger (opens in new tab)
The Hejj Messenger for Mac page recorded live: the headline "Your old buddy is back, right on your desktop", an animated Mac desktop where the purple buddy list and instant-message windows with sara and noah pop up over a night sky with a Dock badge, then the feature cards, the three install steps, the FAQ and the Download for Mac banner.
Hejj Messenger for Mac

Sketch to Ship

Buddy list and chat windows, like the messengers of 2004.

The shipped Hejj Messenger on a Mac desktop: purple chat windows with sara and noah, smileys and Send buttons, and the buddy list with Friends and Family groups.Shipped
Hand-drawn sketch of the Hejj Messenger buddy list and chat windowsSketch

Stack

  • Tauri
  • macOS
  • Next.js
  • React
  • TypeScript
  • SQLite
  • Server-sent events
Status
Live
Type
Web and desktop apps

The problem

The early-2000s instant messengers, with their buddy lists, away messages and BUZZ!!!, are gone. Hejj Messenger brings that feel back for the people you chat with.

What it does

Hejj Messenger is a text messenger modelled on the messengers of the early 2000s: a purple sign-in window, a buddy list, smileys, away messages, the sign-in chime and BUZZ!!!. It comes in two versions: on the web, built into hejj, and as a free Mac app that puts your buddy list in the menu bar, opens every chat in its own desktop window, and shows notifications and a Dock badge for unread chats.

How it's built

The messenger lives inside hejj (Next.js, React, TypeScript), with its own SQLite database for messages and real-time updates over server-sent events. The Mac app is built with Tauri. You sign in through hejj in your browser, with no new password, and your chats are kept encrypted on your Mac.

Key features

On your Mac

  • The buddy list sits in your menu bar and Dock; close the window and your buddies stay a click away
  • Every chat in its own desktop window: drag, stack, or move it to another screen, and it comes back where you left it
  • BUZZ!!! shakes the chat window and bounces the Dock icon
  • Mac notifications for new messages, and a Dock badge that counts unread chats
  • Start at Login keeps you online all day, and the app updates itself quietly

The messenger

  • Purple windows, smileys, away messages and the sign-in chime
  • 52 original emoticons, each with a small animation
  • Pictures in chats
  • Contacts only: you can message, buzz or see the status of people who accepted you

Getting started

  • One disk image for every Mac: macOS 13 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel
  • Drag it to Applications, then sign in with your hejj account in the browser
  • Free, and also available in the browser as part of hejj

Mac app

Hejj Messenger

Requires
macOS 13 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel
Version
0.4.0
Built with
Tauri
Hejj Messenger on hejj.net/mac (opens in new tab)

Screens

  • Hejj Messenger for Mac on a mock macOS desktop: a purple hejj! Messenger buddy list with friends and family, instant-message windows with sara and noah, and the smiley app icon with an unread badge in the Dock.
    Buddy list and chat windows on the Mac
  • The Hejj Messenger for Mac feature cards styled as retro purple windows (menu bar and Dock, every chat in its own window, BUZZ!!!, notifications and a badge, always on your desktop, sign in with your hejj account) above the three install steps.
    Mac app features

Contact

Want something like this built?

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