Sites like Omegle for text chat that are worth using
Omegle is gone. Here is an honest look at what replaced it for text chat with strangers, what to watch for, and when a room-based app is the better choice.
Omegle shut down in late 2023, and nothing has replaced it exactly. There are plenty of copies that pair you with a random stranger, and there are apps built around rooms and topics instead. My honest advice: if you want the old random-stranger roulette, expect a mixed experience and be careful. If what you actually want is to talk to interesting people in text, a room with a topic and a verified crowd usually works better. I built Hashti for that second kind of chat, so I will tell you where it fits and where it does not.
Why people still search for this
Omegle was simple. You opened a page, you were matched with someone, you typed. No profile, no friends list, no waiting. That simplicity is what people miss.
It was also the problem. Anonymous one-to-one matching with no checks meant you could get anyone. Some conversations were funny and strange and great. Many were spam, bots, or people who were rude on purpose. The site closed because moderating that at scale was not working, not because people stopped wanting to talk.
The kinds of sites that came after
I will describe types rather than name and grade specific sites, because these sites change fast, appear and vanish, and I have not tested all of them. What I can say is stable.
Random-pairing clones
These copy the Omegle format: click, get matched, type. They are the closest thing to the original. The trade-off is the same as before. Few or no identity checks, lots of bots, and moderation that depends on the site's budget. Some are fine. Some are clearly run to push ads or lead you elsewhere.
If you try one, treat it like a public street at night. Do not give your real name, your workplace, your school, your phone number or your address. If someone pushes you to another app right away, that is usually a sign you are talking to a bot or a scammer.
Interest-based matching
A step up. You say what you like, such as music, films or a language, and you get matched with someone who picked the same thing. The talk is better because there is something to talk about. Safety is still only as good as the site's rules.
Chat rooms
Rooms are the old internet idea that never died. A room has a name and a topic, and people come and go. You can read for a minute before you say anything. If it is not for you, you leave. If it is, you stay and the same faces show up tomorrow.
For text chat with strangers, I think rooms beat random pairing for one reason: a room has a shape. A topic keeps the talk from starting at zero every time, and a group is harder to be cruel in than a one-to-one with no witnesses.
Big platforms with public servers
Large community apps have public servers about almost any topic. They are good, and many are well run. They are also built around communities you join and stay in, not quick text chats, and the experience depends heavily on the particular server. Some need a bit of setup before you can say anything.
What to check before you use any of them
Here is the list I would use myself.
1. Is it for adults? If a site is open to everyone with no real age rule, it is not a place I would spend time. Hashti is 18+ and says so. 2. Does it check who people are? Nothing is perfect, but a site that checks identity once makes bots and repeat troublemakers much harder. 3. What happens when someone breaks the rules? Look for a report button and a stated consequence. A site with no reporting is a site that does not care. 4. Does it want your phone number? Some apps need one. Many people would rather not give it to a service they are only trying out. It is fair to check this first. 5. Is the money clear? If it is free, how does it stay alive? Ads are fine. Hidden subscriptions are not. 6. Does it send you somewhere else? If every conversation ends with "add me on another app," that is the business model, and it is not about you.
Where Hashti fits
I am the person who built it, so weigh this accordingly.
Hashti is a free app for iPhone, out now on the App Store. Android is in its closed test. It is for adults only, 18 and over.
The main thing is rooms: public rooms with names and topics that you can join and leave. There are also private chats, calls and a walkie-talkie. So it is not a random-stranger roulette. It is closer to the old chat rooms, with some modern tools.
The safety design is where I spent the most time, and you can read the details on the safety page. In short:
- Identity is checked once against a government document. The photo of the document is deleted. A fingerprint of it stays, so the same document cannot be used to open a second account.
- Unverified accounts cannot host rooms, speak in voice rooms, or message strangers.
- Twelve verified reports closes an account permanently.
I did it this way because I watched what happened to open platforms with no checks, and I did not want to build another one.
What Hashti does not do
Being honest matters more than selling you something, so here are the limits.
It is not instant. You will not click one button and be matched with a stranger in two seconds. You pick a room, or you start a chat.
It is newer and smaller than the big apps. A room is only as lively as the people in it, and some rooms will be quiet at some hours. If you want thousands of people at 3 a.m., a giant platform is a better bet.
The interface is in English today. A Farsi version is being built. Live translation covers 29 languages and is part of Hashti Plus, which is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year. Everything else is free. If you want to chat across languages, see how translation works.
It also has no anonymous roulette mode, on purpose. If that is the only thing you want, Hashti is not the answer, and I would rather say that than have you download it and be let down.
So which should you pick
If you want the old random-pairing feel, and you accept the risk, use a clone carefully, keep your details private, and leave the moment anything feels off.
If you want text chat that feels like a place rather than a lottery, pick an app built on rooms, with real checks and real consequences for bad behavior. Hashti is one. There are others, and it is worth trying more than one.
Whatever you use, a few habits help:
- Use a nickname, not your full name.
- Keep location details vague.
- Do not send money or gift cards to anyone you met in a chat.
- Do not click links from people you just met.
- Report and leave when someone is rude. You do not owe anyone a conversation.
Omegle was a strange and sometimes wonderful part of the internet, and its end left a hole. I do not think one app fills it. But the thing people loved, talking to someone new with no setup, still exists. It just works better when the room has a topic and the people in it are real.
If you want to see what a room-based chat feels like, start with the rooms page. If safety is your first question, start with how Hashti handles it.
Hashti is free, and it is 18+. Hashti Plus — live translation, writing help and catch-ups — is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year, and nothing else costs anything. How rooms work is on the rooms page, and how reports and the ID check work is on the safety page.