Chatous Alternatives: Text Chat With Strangers in 2026

Chatous was one of the best-known apps for texting strangers. You picked a few interests as hashtags, got matched with someone anonymous, and chatted. It was downloaded more than 10 million times on Android.

But the app has stood still. Its Google Play listing shows the last update on 29 August 2023, and when we searched the US App Store in October 2026 we couldn't find it. Many of the "Chatous alternatives" lists that rank today are out of date too: some still name Omegle, which closed in November 2023, as the best replacement.

This page compares alternatives that actually work in 2026, with a focus on text chat for adults.

Olu is an independent app, not affiliated with Chatous, Omegle, Slowly, InterPals or any app named here. Product names are used only for comparison. Apps change often; check each one yourself.

Why people look for a Chatous alternative

• No updates. An app that hasn't been updated in years tends to collect bugs, lose new members and fall behind on moderation.
• Bots and spam. A common complaint in reviews is meeting bots, or accounts selling pictures, instead of real people.
• Unwanted explicit content. Reviewers describe being sent explicit images by strangers with no warning.
• No age or identity checks. Reviewers point out that anyone can join, which is a worry on any anonymous chat app.
• Paid extras. Some reviewers called the in-app coins a waste of money.

What to look for in a replacement

Before you move to a new app, check these four things:

1. Text first. Video chat with strangers carries risks text doesn't. See why text-only random chat is safer.
2. Adults only. An app that asks for your age and refuses minors is a better place for adults to meet.
3. Filtering before delivery. The best apps stop sexual content and requests for your phone number before they reach you, not after you report them.
4. Talking is free. If you have to pay to keep a conversation going, it isn't a real replacement.

The alternatives at a glance

	How you meet people	Text only	Translation	Free to chat
Chatous	Random match by interests	Text, video added later	Not a core feature	Yes, coins for extras
Olu (18+)	One tap, random country	Yes	Both ways, original visible	Yes, no ads
InterPals	You search and message	Yes	Not a core feature	Yes
Slowly	Matched by interests, letters	Yes	No	Yes, optional Slowly Plus and coins
Reddit / Discord	Post or join a server	Mostly	No	Yes

Olu

Olu is a text chat app for meeting people in other countries. You tap to take off, land somewhere on Earth, and chat one-to-one with a real person who is online now.

• Every message is translated both ways, and the original is a tap away. You write in your language, they read theirs, so you can talk to someone in Brazil or Japan without sharing a language.
• Adults only. Olu asks for your birth year when you join and refuses anyone under 18.
• Filtered before it arrives. Sexual content, abuse and requests for phone numbers or social handles are stopped before they reach the other person. Profile photos are checked before anyone sees them.
• You stay in control. Leave any chat and skip to someone new. Block someone and you'll never be matched again. Reporting ends the chat and the other person isn't told who reported them.
• Free, no ads, nothing to install. It works in a browser, and nothing you need to talk to someone costs money.

Honest limits: there is no video or voice, and no group rooms. You can't pick a specific country. And when nobody from the country you land in is online, you may meet an AI local instead, which is always clearly labelled as AI.

InterPals

InterPals has been around for years as a pen-pal and language-exchange site. You browse profiles and send messages, so it suits people who want to choose who they write to. It is slower than a random match. See InterPals alternatives for how it compares.

Slowly

Slowly is a pen-pal app where letters take hours or days to arrive, depending on distance. It is the opposite of a quick random chat, and that's the point: people use it for long, thoughtful friendships. See apps like Slowly.

Reddit and Discord

Communities like language-exchange subreddits and Discord servers let you meet people around shared interests, much like Chatous hashtags did. You post first and arrange chats yourself, and each community sets its own rules.

Which one to pick

• You miss quick one-to-one chats with someone new: Olu, with translation if you don't share a language.
• You want to choose who you write to: InterPals.
• You want long, slow letters: Slowly.
• You want group conversations around one hobby: a Discord server or subreddit.

Whatever you pick, a few habits keep you safe: keep chats inside the app, never share your address or send money, and leave any chat that feels wrong. Our random text chat safety tips cover the rest. And if you want to meet people across languages, see how to talk to strangers from other countries, or simply try Olu.