Azar Alternatives: Free Filters and Translation, October 2026

Azar is one of the biggest random chat apps in the world: you swipe, a stranger from another country appears on video, and the chat is translated. But two things send people looking for something else. Choosing who you meet by gender or country costs money, and in 2026 the app spent weeks missing from Apple's App Store.

The short answer, as of October 2026: for random video with a free country choice, try OmeTV. For text or video with interest matching, try Emerald Chat or Thundr. For a language partner with translation built in, try HelloTalk. To text one person in another country right now, with every message translated both ways, try Olu: free, no ads, text only, for adults (18+), and it works in the browser.

Text someone abroad now, one tap, free

Comparison checked October 2026.

Olu is an independent app, not affiliated with Azar, Hyperconnect, Match Group or any other app named here. Product names are used only for comparison. Features, prices and age rules of third-party apps change and differ by country; check each one yourself.

What Azar is today

Azar was made by Hyperconnect, a company founded in Seoul in 2014, and Match Group bought Hyperconnect in 2021. It's a random one-to-one video chat app with text chat too, AR face filters, and translation of messages and live speech.

• It's free to start. On the US App Store, gem packs cost from $0.99 to $37.99, and the listing says optional premiums unlock "additional gender and country filters".
• It's 18+. The US App Store rates it 18+.
• It left the App Store for a while. Match Group's annual report says Apple removed Azar on 22 February 2026; the web and Google Play kept working. Its next quarterly report describes a new version being reinstated, and the US listing was live again when we checked in October 2026.
• It's blocked in some countries. A Turkish court blocked access to Azar in August 2025.

If you came to Azar from Ablo, which closed in 2022 and pointed its users to Azar, see Ablo vs Azar for how the two differ.

Why people look for an Azar alternative

• Paid filters. Matching by gender or country is the main reason people pay for Azar. Many look for an app where that's free.
• Video first. Azar starts with a face on screen. Plenty of people would rather type first, or only type.
• The App Store gap. iPhone users who couldn't find Azar in early 2026 went looking for something that would stay put.
• Slow country matching. Some paying users write in App Store reviews that country matches are slow or fail to connect.

What to look for in an Azar alternative

• Free filters, or none you need. Check what's free before you get attached: country, gender and language filters are where most apps charge.
• Translation. If you want to talk to people who don't speak your language, translation decides whether the chat goes anywhere.
• Text or video. Video is faster to judge, but text is calmer and keeps your face and room off a stranger's screen.
• Adults only, really. Most of these sites are 18+, but many only ask you to tick a box.
• Moderation and reporting. A report button that leads somewhere, and filtering that stops abuse before it reaches you.

The apps at a glance

Nine options, as of October 2026. We list a price only where the vendor publishes it; otherwise we just say how the app makes money.

	How you talk	Choose a country	Choose a gender	Translation	Age	Free to use
Azar	Random video, plus text	Paid premium	Paid premium	Yes	18+	Yes, gems from $0.99
OmeTV	Random video	Yes, free on its site	Check the app	Yes, built in	Adults only, by its rules	Yes, app sells a VIP subscription
Chatroulette	Random video, plus text	Country filter, check current rules	Paid extras	Not found	18+	Yes, paid extras
Emerald Chat	Random text or video, group channels	Paid tiers	Paid tiers	Not found	18+, self-declared	Yes, Gold adds filters
Thundr	Random text or video, by interests	Location filter	Gender filter	Not found	18+, self-declared	Yes, coins for extras
Joingy	Random text or video	No	No	No	18+	Yes
Chatous	Matched by interest tags, text first	No	No	Not a core feature	17+ to 18+, depending on store	Yes, coins for extras
HelloTalk	Browse partners: text, voice, video	VIP only	Check the app	Yes, built in	13+ on the App Store	Yes, VIP $12.99/month
Olu	One tap, one person online now, text only	No single country; continents unlock free	Unlocks free	Both ways, original visible	18+	Yes, no paid plan, no ads

We left out apps aimed at teens (such as Monkey), dating apps, Omegle (closed in November 2023) and gift-driven live-streaming apps, which are a different thing from one-to-one chat.

Random video, like Azar

OmeTV

OmeTV is the app most often named as an Azar alternative. You start a random video chat, and its website says you can choose your country, set your gender, and use an in-built translation feature, all free of charge. The app sells a VIP Lounge subscription on Google Play.

Strengths: the closest thing to Azar with the country choice included. Weak spots: its rules ask for the age of majority, but there's no real age check, and Apple and Google removed the app from their Australian stores in October 2025 after action by Australia's eSafety Commissioner. It suits adults who are fine with fast video and a mixed crowd.

Chatroulette

The original random video site, still running, now with AI moderation that screens video. It's for adults (18+), it asks you to register, and its homepage has offered a country filter that shows which countries have people online. Reviews say gender matching is a paid extra.

Strengths: a long-running site with automated moderation. Weak spots: we couldn't confirm its current filter rules from the site itself, so check them before you rely on them. It suits people who want simple random video.

Text and video, by interest

Emerald Chat

Emerald Chat matches you with strangers by shared interests, by text or video, and has group channels. You make an account with an email and password, or Google or Facebook. Its site says subscription tiers unlock gender, country and language filters, and it uses AI plus human moderators and a karma score. More in Emerald Chat alternatives.

Strengths: text mode, interest matching and a karma system that rewards good behaviour. Weak spots: every filter is paid, and age is self-declared. It suits people who want an Omegle-style site with more structure.

Thundr

Thundr pairs you with strangers by interests, by text or video. Its site describes gender and location filters, and it sells coins for extras. It's 18+, by self-declaration.

Strengths: you can stay in text and still match by interest. Weak spots: age is self-declared, and the filters cost coins, so try it free first. It suits people who like interest matching.

Joingy

Joingy is a plain random chat site with text and video, and you can start chatting straight from the site. It's 18+ by its own rules.

Strengths: fast and simple. Weak spots: no country filter and no translation, so it's not for meeting people in one place or in another language. It suits quick, casual chats.

Chatous

Chatous matched strangers by interest hashtags, text first. It's still on Google Play, but its listing hasn't been updated since August 2023. See Chatous alternatives.

Weak spot: an app that hasn't been updated in years tends to fall behind on moderation, so it suits people who already know it.

Language partners, with translation

HelloTalk

HelloTalk isn't random chat. You find language partners by their profiles and chat by text, voice notes, calls or group Voicerooms, with translation and corrections built in. It's free to use, and the US App Store lists VIP at $12.99 a month or $79.99 a year. Searching partners by country or region is VIP only, according to its FAQ.

Strengths: the best in-chat translation tools here, and people who want to keep talking. Weak spots: you browse and message, and many messages go unanswered. It suits people who want to practise a language. See HelloTalk alternatives.

One-to-one text, translated

Olu

Olu is a text chat app for meeting people in other countries, with every message translated both ways, so you can talk with someone in Brazil or Japan without a shared language. It works in any phone or computer browser, with nothing to install and no phone number, and it's for adults (18+).

• One tap, one person. You tap to take off and you're matched with a member who is online right now, somewhere else in the world. No swiping through faces.
• Translated both ways. You write in your language, they read in theirs, and the original is always visible.
• Free filters. Choosing a continent (Europe, Asia, Latin America and so on) or who you meet costs nothing: it unlocks once one friend you invite joins and finishes a first chat. Staying in your own country is always free.
• Free, no ads. There's no paid plan.

Honest limits: text only, with no voice, video or photos in chats, so it's not a like-for-like swap for Azar. You can't pick one specific country. It launched in September 2026 and the community is small, much smaller than Azar's, so some hours are quiet; when nobody is online you're told. On a regular flight you may be offered an AI partner, and it's always labelled AI. It's for friendship and conversation, not dating.

Which one to pick

• You want Azar, but with a free country choice: OmeTV.
• You want text or video with people who share your interests: Emerald Chat or Thundr.
• You want the quickest possible random chat: Joingy.
• You want a language partner and the best translation tools: HelloTalk.
• You want to type, not show your face, and talk across languages: Olu.
• You came from Ablo and miss the text-first, translated chats: Olu, and see apps like Ablo.

If the country is what matters most, our guide to Omegle alternatives with a country filter compares which sites let you choose and which charge for it.

Staying safe on random chat apps

• Keep personal details back. Your full name, address, school or workplace and social accounts can wait until you really trust someone.
• Be careful on video. Anything you show on camera can be recorded. Text keeps your face and your room private.
• Never send money. Anyone who asks for money, gift cards or crypto is a reason to block and report.
• Use the tools. Skip, block and report. A good app acts on reports.
• Check the age rules. If you only want to talk with adults, use an 18+ app that asks.

More in random text chat safety tips.