1. ChatHub
Similar to Omegle, ChatHub is a completely free anonymous chatting site where you can text or video chat with random people. It’s exceedingly easy to use and requires no registration to get started. There are two types of chatrooms. The Main room is geared toward just having a friendly talk with someone, while the Adult room is meant for flirting and the like. There are also some advanced settings that allow you to only match with people who appear on camera or speak to people using only voice. There’s also a genre filter, although you’ll need to pay for a Plus subscription ($14.99/month) in order to use it. Highlights:
Language and country filter: you have the ability to filter out potential partners based on the language they speak or the country they’re from. This allows you to express yourself better and find more things in common. Currently, there are only three languages to choose from: English, Spanish, and Arabic, though the list of countries much more impressive.Great mobile compatibility: despite not having an official mobile app, the ChatHub website is highly compatible with smartphones and tablets and can be accessed via your mobile browser, allowing you to text or talk comfortably from the convenience of your mobile device.Avoiding multiple matches: you can toggle this filter to prevent ever matching up with the same user multiple times.
2. Chatroulette
Chatroulette has been around almost as long as Omegle and is certainly one of the simplest chat sites around. The site has a currency system in place, which provides you with 30 coins to start with, and you’ll garner 30 more with every minute you spend in chat. You get another 8 if someone chooses you, and you’ll lose 5 every time you search for another user. Highlights:
Easy-to-navigate design: the site is incredibly no-nonsense and gets you started right away. In the beginning, you’ll get a quick recap of the currency system, then you can dive right into a chat.Simple currency system: Chatroulette has a very basic currency system in place to weed out trolls and other users who will happily jump from chat to chat. Basically, you earn coins the longer you stick with a chat and spend some when hopping onto a new one.Image recognition algorithm: this complex piece of code automatically filters out indecent content and flags the person who broadcast it in the first place, making for a friendly platform overall.
3. LiveMe
LiveMe (Web | Android | iOS) can help you get your video chatting kicks – but from a different perspective. It’s a popular live-streaming social network that allows you to broadcast yourself to millions of users worldwide. It’s much like the immensely popular game-streaming platform Twitch. If you don’t feel like broadcasting yourself, you can always browse the different streamers and interact with them or other people watching the broadcast via chat. It’s an app-based platform that you can download for free on your mobile device, though you can watch videos on a desktop if you’d like. However, if you want to broadcast, it has to be from your smartphone or tablet. LiveMe has an in-app currency called Coins which can be earned based on activity and from the app store in exchange for cash. 69 coins costs $1.19 and can buy you VIP privileges that unlock a host of additional features such as VIP badge, ID label, group chat box, replay, and more. Highlights:
Live chat and video call: you can invite your friends to join you on a video call or chat or even start a group call with up to nine members through the Multi-beam feature.Group creation: you can start groups about a particular topic in the hopes of having like-minded people join you for a fun chat.Plenty of stickers and filters: you can add fun stickers or change the overall filter of your broadcast or video call, giving you a more personalized and enjoyable experience.
4. Tinychat
Tinychat (Web | Android | iOS) is an online chat site that allows users to instantly create a room. Here you can can talk to other people via text, voice, or video chat. The room can be about any topic you’d like to discuss with others. It’s a fairly straightforward platform that works just as well on mobile devices as it does on a computer. Most rooms do not allow simple guests in, so you’ll want to create an account whether you plan on being a room creator or a joiner. You can also share your room on your social media feeds, like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc., to attract more participants. Tinychat comes with three membership tiers that start at $4.14 per month. The entry-level tier is called Pro and it grants you a green nickname highlight, high-quality videos, no ads, and Pro badges. The Extreme tier nets you the same things plus a purple name, Extreme badges, priority listing, and the ability to join more than one room at a time. Finally, the Gold tier gets you all of the above plus a gold nickname, badges, and unlimited video viewing in your room. Highlights:
Virtual store: here you can purchase a wide variety of gifts for other users and membership upgrades for a month or year.Find people near you: the service easily allows you to find people near you by offering a separate category that can be accessed from the main screen.
5. EmeraldChat
EmeraldChat has no qualms about being a straightforward Omegle alternative. A signup is very much recommended, so you can pick a nickname and add extra info on your profile. EmeraldChat has an intuitive matching system that pairs you with people who share common interests. Just like with the original Omegle website, on EmeraldChat you can chat via text only, if this is what you prefer. A video chat option is also available. For $3.89, you can unlock Emerald Gold and get access to genre and karma level filters, and more. Highlights:
Constant moderation: the site is actively moderated and includes a smart point system to ward bots and unsavory users. Aside from moderators, the website features an automated system that enforces regulations when users step out of line. Karma system: all users start with zero karma points. They can give others a positive or negative point after every chat. Earn too many negative points, and the system or moderator may end up placing restrictions on your account. Also, giving another user a negative point will force a CAPTCHA on their account, thus stopping bots in their tracks.
6. CamSurf
CamSurf (Web | Android | iOS) is an excellent substitute for Omegle that’s super user-friendly and boasts an inviting interface. Setting up an account is easy and you can immediately plunge into chatting. You can filter chatters by country, so if you’d like to speak to someone from a particular region you can do that with CamSurf. Don’t forget to set your genre, before you start chatting. CamSurf offers a paid tier ($19.99 per month) as well which unlocks a gender filter and private chat and reconnecting options. It also allows you to link your Instagram account to the service to get more followers. Highlights:
Personalized interactions: CamSurf lets you add your interests, so that you can connect with people who share your passions. Don’t forget to add them before you start chatting.
Fast servers: the website utilizes premium servers to allow for speed connections and high-quality videos.
7. Shagle
Shagle is a stylish chatting platform that instantly connects you to users from around the globe. Just select your genre and start chatting. If anonymity is what you’re after, then you’ll find that Shagle doesn’t require you to use the camera if you don’t want to. You can go for the text-only version, which is a lot safer. A lot of the features of Shagle are accessible to free users — for instance, the genre and country filters. If you decide to pay for a subscription, you’ll also be able hide your location, sport a verified badge, and use a reconnect option. All for $19.99 per month. Highlights:
Virtual gifts: meet someone you like and fancy sending them something to help them remember you? Shagle offers tons of virtual gifts that you can send to the people you chat with.Private chats: although it’s a paid feature, it’s worth mentioning here. Shagle supports encrypted and unmoderated chats for maximum privacy.Interests-based selection: Shagle promotes personalized interactions, by allowing you to add interests in the My Account area.
8. ChatRandom
We’re capping off our list with ChatRandom (Web | Android | iOS). It connects you to random people from all corners of the world. The platform provides a guide on how to chat with strangers, as well as various tips. ChatRandom allows you to choose your gender and type out your interests before jumping in so that the other person knows a little more about you. Like most of the services on this list, ChatRandom lets you upgrade to premium to unlock more features including gender filters, hiding your location, and a “verified” badge. Highlights:
Catchy UI: ChatRandom is very easy on the eyes with its mix of baby blue, dark blue, and white. It’s bright and inviting and includes many helpful messages right from the homepage.Masks: don’t want to show your entire face? There are a bunch of fun masks you can switch between to make your video chats more interesting.
9. Meetzur
Meetzur might not boast a dazzling user interface, but it’s still a pretty great Omegle alternative. It’s solely text based, so you won’t be able to connect with your camera. Starting a chat is super easy – you don’t need to sign up with an account or do other tedious stuff. Just press the “Chat Now” button and you’ll be connected with a stranger in mere seconds. Meetzur’s minimalist look can be a breath of fresh air for people who prefer anonymous interactions with no faces involved. Highlights:
Enhanced chat: Meetzur lets you spice up your conversations by allowing you to send emoji and pictures. Nicknames: chat as Stranger or add a personalized nickname. You can also state your genre if you so desire.No registration necessary: you don’t have to share your email or phone number with Meetzur; just press a button and chat.
10. Y99
Y99 is another web chatting service that doesn’t require you to register to start chatting. You’re encouraged to set a nickname though, but the good news is that doesn’t require you giving away your email or other information. Of course, you can do so if you decide it’s worth the effort. Y99 focuses on chat rooms. There are various rooms you can join based on various topics and interests, or you can create a room yourself. Then you can start talking to room members who appear interesting. However, if you’re after the experience of talking to randomly assigned strangers, Y99 has you covered there as well. Highlights:
Extended chat experience: when chatting with random strangers on Y99, it’s possible to send emoji, pictures, as well as voice messages. If you’ve managed to get comfortable with the person, go ahead and call them if you want. Meme hub: if you ever find yourself getting bored with your chats, you can quickly pop into Meme chat rooms for some welcome distractions.
11. Ablo
Ablo (Android | iOS) is a chat app that connects you with random people across the globe. It benefits from a fun interface that’s designed as a map. Once you’re ready to start chatting press the pink button (with the paper plane icon) in the middle and Ablo will find you a chat buddy. You can choose between text and video chatting. Unlike most of the chat platforms we talked about in this article, Ablo saves your chat history with strangers, so you can access it later via the “Messages” tab even if the other participant left the conversation. You can try your luck again by sending them a new text. Ablo is available only as a mobile app, so if you wish to chat on your PC you’ll have to opt for one of the above apps which also offer a web version. You can use Ablo for free, but if you want to access genre or country filters you’ll need to buy in-app currency. For instance, you can get 100 for $0.99. Or you can get 5 free in exchange for watching an ad. Highlights:
Discover tab: you can discover people on the app and watch them video chat with others. Other individuals can join the party and you can interact with them via messages. If you’d like to chat with any of them, including the person who is doing the video chatting, you can message them by tapping on their nickname.Send gifts: Ablo has an in-app currency which you can spend to purchase gifts for people you wish to impress. You can gain this currency by chatting in the app, but if you don’t have enough you can always buy more using real world cash.
Image credit: Freepik | Screenshot by Alexandra Arici To protect yourself from scams and other issues, always abstain from sharing any identifying or private information with any of the strangers you meet online. Even if some of these chat platforms are heavily moderated, bots, scammers and other malicious individuals are still quite common. Moreover, there’s also the privacy issue to take into consideration as most of these services require camera access in order to function; only a handful offer just the text-based version. To protect your privacy, you can always opt to use a chat service such as ChatRandom (where you can easily hide your identity with a virtual mask) or Meetzur (which relies only on text-based interactions). Such chat platforms aren’t really recommended for younger users (under 18), as this might easily expose them to inappropriate content and online predators. Some of these apps do have a 18+ policy in place, but unfortunately this measure is quite easy to bypass.
