Best Omegle alternatives in 2024
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Omegle was a leading chat service for talking to strangers from anywhere in the world. But the issues that followed it brought it to an end 14 years after launch. It left many users scratching their heads about where to go next.
Even at the very end, Omegle had over three million active users every day. That alone proves that numerous people wish to connect with others online. That’s why we selected multiple Omegle alternatives that will appeal to its loyal user base.
These sites and apps share many of the positive features of Omegle. We will discuss the pros, cons, and help you find the perfect alternative. You will also find handy tips on how to use Omegle chat alternatives safely and avoid their potential dangers.
10 sites like Omegle for chatting with strangers: tested, working, and safe
If you’re ready to jump straight into live chatting, it’s worth checking this list first. We selected free and tested Omegle alternatives ready for your picking. To make it even more convenient, we reviewed them so you could pick the one that would suit you best. Each Omegle-like site has been assigned a category that could help you narrow your search even further.
But while they are safe to use in terms of not immediately flooding your device with viruses, each poses its own dangers. Most sites and apps like Omegle collect user data, which can be used for marketing or sold to malicious third parties. So, we highly recommend using a VPN to protect your location and identity.
1. Ome.tv – best Omegle alternative for privacy
Currently, OmeTV is the most popular Omegle alternative. It attracts almost 8 million visitors a month – more than any of its competitors. While its differences from Omegle are noticeable, some similarities are apparent. Those include 1-on-1 chats, random pairing, and even partnerships with celebrities.
But the greatest feature OmeTV offers is anonymity. While you need to register to use it (using Facebook or VK), the website prides itself on not keeping any data about its visitors. The only exceptions are when law enforcement requests information. But even then, they could only allow monitoring, as they keep no logs of your previous activity.
If you choose to register with your Facebook or VK account, you should definitely get a VPN, too. Both of the social media sites hold a lot of your sensitive information that you wouldn’t want to get into the wrong hands. A reliable VPN could help protect that information and prevent threat agents from getting data about you that you definitely wouldn’t want to share.
On a plus side, using OmeTV is pretty simple to use. OmeTV has opposite-sex pairing, so it’s a good way to connect with various people. There are options for both live chat and messaging, including image uploading. But you should know that the website has strict rules against adult content or nudity. It also prohibits minors from using its service.
OmeTV is free to use. And when connected through Facebook or VK, it is also ad-free. But it does include non-essential in-app purchases. You should also know that if you are unsatisfied with your purchase or get a ban before you use it, you will not receive a refund.
2. Monkey.app – best for young adults
Monkey presents itself as an alternative to both Omegle and OmeTV. It attempts to interest younger crowds, especially those who like TikTok and Snapchat. However, it is not available to minors, and users are encouraged to report anyone who might be underage.
The great thing about Monkey is that it includes 1-on-1, duo, or group chats. It opens a wide variety of opportunities to socialize, even with an established group of friends. To start chatting, you should register first. You can do it through Google, Facebook, Apple, or email. Then, it’s simply a matter of selecting gender preferences and pressing a button to start the call. Using the Monkey app is another way to socialize through this platform.
Both the Monkey app and website chat are free. But there are also in-app purchases for extra features. It’s worth noting that Monkey, like most Omegle alternatives, monitors your activity and logs your data. However, those who use a VPN would probably have nothing to worry about.
Monkey app uses machine learning and unique AI algorithms to track chats 24/7. It means that even if no one reports inappropriate behavior, Monkey could still punish those who break the rules.
3. Camfrog.com – best for people with a hearing impairment
Camfrog is the main deaf-friendly app-only free chat service with 100M downloads. Chatting with tens of millions of people may sound appealing, but the number of users active at any given time is about 200K. While people with hearing impairment are not their main demographic, Camfrog gives them an opportunity to communicate non-verbally like no other live chat service.
Camfrog also has the advantage of chat rooms. You can join one randomly or narrow the search by selecting specific categories. You can also type in a topic into a search bar and see if anything pops up that could interest you. With close to 3000 chat rooms to choose from, you are sure to find like-minded people to talk to.
There are multiple chat rooms designed specifically for those with a hearing impairment. Each of them has their Talk buttons automatically disabled. It also means that a person with a hearing disability will never be paired with someone who cannot understand them. But deaf people are certainly not limited to their own chat rooms – those exist only to provide more inclusive spaces to socialize.
You should also know that Camfrog collects its users’ data and can even send out communication to users’ email addresses. But anonymity, in general, tends to be a rare feature in live chat services, unless you were to use a VPN that would hide your IP address.
4. Chatrandom.com – best for chat rooms
Chatrandom is a free live chat platform with 3.6M users worldwide. In many ways, it works like most Omegle alternatives, but those who have difficulty initiating conversations might prefer Chatrandom.
After registering, there are two ways to initiate conversations on this platform. One is to select your gender and press Start. Another is to use chat rooms. There are a lot of topics to choose from, but there's quite a bit of scrolling needed to get past all the adult-themed ones.
Chatrandom also offers an Android and iOS-compatible app and handy filters. Those include gender, country, and interests. While there are many countries and languages to choose from, the main user base is in Italy, India, and the US. There is also a Cam4 option, which permits chats with up to 4 people.
There are several reasons why you should be careful on this platform (or any for that matter). While recording is not permitted, it is possible to record your conversations. It's exceptionally important to be aware of if you were to join chat rooms that promote sexual interactions.
Chatrandom also tracks your IP address and GPS location. In this case, using a VPN is practically a must to maintain some anonymity.
5. Chatroulette.com – best for user control
Chatroulette is an alternative to Omegle that does not need registration. It’s free and available via a website or an app (available on the App Store and Play Store). While there are some extra purchases, those are non-essential.
Chatroulette gives its users a lot of control over who to chat with. There are ways to sort people by country, but you can also accept or decline calls based entirely on someone’s profile picture. There is also a way to rank users, which encourages positive behavior. As someone who is just starting, you can add a “Top Users” filter to chat only with those who are ranked highest. But don’t be upset if someone rejects your call – both sides must consent to a conversation.
Chatroulette is a 1-on-1 live chat service that also includes a text window for non-verbal communication. It is also very strict about its rules. All chats are moderated either by expertly trained AI or human moderators, and the website has zero tolerance for rule-breaking.
Despite not requiring registration, Chatroulette still requires its users to agree to the Terms and Conditions, including user monitoring. The website not only monitors any rule-breaking activities but also tracks its users’ IP addresses and locations. That’s not really an issue if you have a VPN.
6. Emeraldchat.com – best for interest-based matches
Emerald presents itself as the new Omegle. It’s a chat service that appeals to those seeking purely friendly interactions with people of different nationalities and backgrounds. It’s free, minus some extra feature purchases, and requires users to register.
Emerald offers many ways to filter potential matches. You can find people with similar interests or sort them by gender, karma points (website’s internal user rating system), and more. Chat options also vary. You can select 1-on-1 messaging, 1-on-1 video chatting, and group chatting.
While Emerald allows photo and video sharing, it is also strictly moderated. It also has anti-bot systems installed, so you can rest assured that your chat partner is certainly human. But because of those features, the website collects data about you and your activity.
While Emerald is quite strict about its users not interacting in any romantic way, it also prohibits minors. And while Emerald works great on all devices, it doesn’t yet have an app. However, Android and iOS-compatible apps seem to be in progress.
7. Bazoocam.org – best for old-school internet experience
If you ever find yourself wishing for the internet of the early 2000s to make a comeback, Bazoocam is here to bring the nostalgia back. Opening its main page, you can't help but smile, especially if you ever experienced the internet at its peak.
While it may not look so, it is younger than Omegle, but both share core founding values. Bazoocam requires no registration, so you can jump to chatting right away. But if you want to save your matches as friends, registration is needed. The chats are moderated, so make sure to read the rules before using the service. You can also tick the box that would pair you with people closest to you, allowing the website to track your location. If you want to prevent that, you should get a reliable VPN.
Bazoocam offers its users cute little perks, such as the possibility to play games with their matches. Those include classics like Tetris, Tic Tac Toe, and more. Playing games could be a great way to break the ice if you're quite shy to initiate a conversation.
8. Tinychat.com – best for forming groups
Tinychat is a highly organized chat service. It requires its users to register and is mainly navigated through chat rooms. You can either create your own or join an existing one. Some chat rooms are ranked higher than others, some are invitation-only, and others focus mostly on casual live chatting. You can also choose to be placed in a random room.
Tinychat offers messaging, live chat, and voice chat options, so some level of anonymity can be maintained. However, the website collects a lot of data about its users. Potential logs that its privacy policy include are your chat recordings and even your phone data – such as the contact list. But a good VPN service can encrypt your connection and protect your data.
9. Camsurf.com – best Omegle alternative for simplicity
While it’s great that many chat services offer extra features to keep users engaged, sometimes you want something fast and basic. Camsurf offers exactly that. It does not need registration – only if you want to unlock special features. So, to begin chatting, you only need to agree to the Terms and Conditions, select your gender, and press Start.
You’d need to sign up through Google or any other email to access extra features. The website states that there are over 9M registered users, but there are about 700K monthly active users. The extra features include location and language filters, so it’s easier to narrow your search.
However, a peek into their privacy policy reveals that the website collects a lot of user data, including their GPS location, and uses that data for promotional offers. Another thing that caught our attention is webcam troubleshooting guidelines. The website suggests turning off your Firewall if you’re having issues with it. Needless to say, it’s a big no-no in terms of cybersecurity.
10. Meetme.com – best for meeting people in your area
MeetMe took the core principle of Omegle and put an extra dating app twist to it. It's mainly designed to pair people who live in approximately the same area. You should remember that if you're using a VPN, the app will pair you with people from your virtual location.
MeetMe also tracks its users' activity and location. Not just the IP address but actual GPS location, too. It is also a must to download the app, so it can collect your phone data. Some VPN services have mobile apps, too. By having one installed you could protect your private information. MeetMe offers both free live chats and a subscription service. Subscribers receive more features, but overall subscription is optional.
The app is not available for minors, but there's also no age verification. It's a little odd, given the app's dating feature. However, if you do spot someone who is underage or any other type of rule-breaking, you are encouraged to report it.
Omegle alternative selection criteria
To present this list, we looked over 30 live chat services. Only 18 of them were legitimate. To narrow it down even further, we applied the following criteria:
- Safety. We aimed to avoid websites that had poor security protocols or flooded their users with crazy numbers of pop-up ads.
- Price. We selected websites or apps that were completely or at least partially free to use.
- Number of users. You don’t want to connect to a live chat and see the same five people. That’s why, for our list, we picked only the ones with at least 100K monthly users.
- Ease of use. The best part of Omegle was its simplicity. So, when looking for alternatives, we aimed to find ones that wouldn’t be difficult to master.
- Live chat function. It may seem like an obvious feature for Omegle-like sites and apps. Still, not all online chat services offer a video chat function. All live chat services on our list have one or more video chat options.
Best VPN for safe talking with strangers on apps and sites like Omegle
NordVPN is the best VPN service for using live chat services. On top of basic features like identity protection and restricted access to malware sites, it also has ad blocking. So, it protects you from malicious activity and helps hide your identity and location.
If a website is restricting your access, you can jump to another location and bypass geo-blocking. With thousands of servers available worldwide, IP protection is practically watertight. And if safety is your priority, NordVPN currently offers the best protection out of all VPN services in the market today.
NordVPN also notifies you if a certain website is harmful. Chatting with strangers online already makes you vulnerable to secret recording or harassment. NordVPN could protect your location and identity from dangerous people, who, unfortunately, might also use live chat services.
| Speed: | Speed retention 90% |
| Server locations: | 6000+ servers in 61 countries |
| Supported devices: | Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Security features: | DNS, IPv6, and WebRTC Leak Protection, Malware Detection |
Why do you need a VPN when chatting to strangers?
- To protect your personal data. A lot of live chat services collect your IP address, location, and more. A VPN could mask your IP address location, protecting you against potential data leaks.
- To prevent security breaches. A lot of live chat services are available on the go. If, at some point, you’ll end up using an insecure network, a VPN could help prevent hacking and data leaks.
- To access geo-blocked pages. Some Omegle alternatives limit access to their live chat services to only a handful of countries. If your preferred live chat app or website is not available in your location, a VPN could help you gain access.
- To maintain privacy. Some live chat services limit your opportunity to socialize only with nearby users. If you don’t want a stranger to know that you live in the same area, a VPN could help you virtually move to another city or country.
To summarize
There are many alternatives to Omegle, each offering something different. Chatting with strangers online can be an exciting and eye-opening experience. But it also has a lot of hidden dangers. However, those dangers could be successfully avoided if you remember not to reveal too much and use a VPN to secure your connection and protect your identity.
NordVPN is the best VPN currently available for staying secure in live chat pages. It offers significantly more security features and opens up a lot of server locations. As someone who is using a free online chat service, you could benefit greatly from a VPN. It could hide your IP address, warn you about malicious content that one of the chat partners might send, and help bypass geo-restrictions. Avoid data leaks and increase your resistance to live chat scammers by using NordVPN.
FAQ
Is there a better site than Omegle?
Yes. In a way it depends what you personally consider to be best, but there are many sites like Omegle that don’t come with the same issues that caused it to end its operation. As for which one to pick – it depends on what kind of live chat service you want.
Why did Omegle shut down?
Omegle officially ended its 14-year operation in November, 2023, following multiple lawsuits. Omegle was sued for pairing a then-underage user with an adult abuser. While it was founded to help people who are lonely or want to explore foreign cultures, dangerous individuals, such as child predators, abused the system that paired them with potential victims.
What is the Omegle alternative for kids?
There are no live chat services for kids. There were many attempts to introduce child-safe spaces for kids to meet and chat with other kids, but all of them eventually had to limit the service to either automated responses or got rid of chat rooms altogether.
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