Emerald Chat Alternatives: Text and Video Chat Compared (2026)

Emerald Chat became one of the best-known Omegle replacements after Omegle closed in November 2023. It matches strangers by shared interests, by text or video, and adds group channels and a karma score. People look for alternatives for a few reasons: the gender and country filters cost money, you need an account before your first chat, and there's no translation when you match someone who writes in another language.

The short answer, as of November 2026: for text or video with interest matching, Thundr is the closest match. For the quickest random chat, try Joingy. For random video with a free country choice, try OmeTV. To choose a pen pal by country, try InterPals. 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 November 2026.

Olu is an independent app, not affiliated with Emerald Chat 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 Emerald Chat is

Emerald Chat is a free random chat site, with apps for iPhone and Android. Its site describes text and video modes, group channels and interest matching. You make an account with an email and password, or Google or Facebook. It says it uses AI plus human moderators, and a karma score rewards people who chat politely.

Its site says subscription tiers unlock extras like gender, country and language filters. Third-party listings describe the Gold plan as adding a karma filter, a gender filter, a way to filter out accounts marked "stranger", a verified tick and a priority queue. We found no official price list, and third-party prices differ, so prices vary; check in the app.

Why people look for an alternative

• Paid filters. Choosing a gender, country or language is part of the subscription.
• An account first. Some people want to try a chat before handing over an email.
• No translation. If you match someone who writes in another language, you're on your own.
• Video in the mix. Some people only want to type, and would rather a site where video isn't one tap away.
• Too broad. Interest tags help, but some people want a clear purpose: language practice, pen pals or someone in another country.

What to look for

• A text mode, or text only, if you'd rather not be on camera.
• Which filters are free, and what the paid ones cost.
• Translation, if you want to talk across languages.
• Real age rules. Most of these sites are 18+, but the age is usually self-declared.
• Moderation and reporting that you can actually find.

If you mostly used Emerald's text mode

Many people on Emerald never turn the camera on. If that's you, the choice is simpler than most "Omegle alternatives" lists make it look, because most of those lists are about video.

• You want the same fast, random text chat: Thundr and Joingy both have a text mode. Expect the same mix of good chats and quick skips.
• You want fewer skips and longer chats: a one-to-one app where you're matched with one person at a time, and stay with them, tends to give longer conversations than a site built around the next button.
• You want people from a particular part of the world: look for a free country or continent choice, not a paid one.
• You want to talk across languages: without translation, you'll mostly meet people who write in English. With it, the whole world is open, as long as both of you write simply.

Whatever you choose, give a new site a few chats before you judge it. Quiet hours and busy hours feel very different on every one of them.

The facts, side by side

Here's what we found, as of November 2026. We list a price only where the vendor publishes it.

	How you talk	Filters	Translation	Age	Free to use
Emerald Chat	Random text or video, group channels	Gender, country, language: paid tiers	Not found	18+, self-declared	Yes, Gold adds filters, prices vary
Thundr	Random text or video, by interests	Gender and location, coins for extras	Not found	18+, self-declared	Yes, coins for extras
Joingy	Random text or video	None	No	18+	Yes
Chatroulette	Random video, plus text	Country filter on its site; gender paid	Not found	18+	Yes, paid extras
OmeTV	Random video	Country free on its site	Yes, built in	Adults only, by its rules	Yes, app sells a VIP subscription
Chatous	Matched by interest tags, text first	Interest tags	Not a core feature	17+ to 18+, depending on store	Yes, coins for extras
InterPals	Pen-pal messages	Search by country, free	No	13+ on the App Store	Yes
HelloTalk	Browse partners: text, voice, video	Country search VIP only	Yes, built in	13+ on the App Store	Yes, VIP $12.99/month
Olu	One tap, one person online now, text only	Continent and gender, unlock free	Both ways, original visible	18+	Yes, no paid plan, no ads

Random text or video, like Emerald

Thundr

Thundr pairs strangers by interests, by text or video, and is the closest in spirit to Emerald. Its site describes gender and location filters, and it sells coins for extras. It's 18+ by self-declaration.

Strengths: text and video in one place, with interest matching. Weak spots: age is only self-declared, and the extras cost coins, so try it free first. It suits people who like Emerald's format and want another crowd.

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. Its interest filter was listed as "coming soon" when our research checked.

Strengths: the quickest way to a random chat on this list. Weak spot: there are no filters, so you take whoever comes next. It suits people who want speed over choice.

Chatroulette

Chatroulette is the original random video site and still runs, for adults (18+), with registration and AI moderation that screens video. Its homepage has offered a country filter, and reviews describe gender matching as a paid extra.

Strengths: a long-running site with active moderation. Weak spot: it's mostly video, and we couldn't confirm its current filter rules from the site itself. It suits people who want video first.

OmeTV

OmeTV's website lists choosing your country and an in-built translation feature, and says the video chat is free of charge. The app sells a VIP Lounge subscription. Apple and Google removed it from their Australian stores in October 2025 after action by Australia's eSafety Commissioner.

Weak spot: it's video only, with weak age checks. It suits adults who want a free country choice on camera. More in Omegle alternatives with a country filter.

Text first, with interests

Chatous

Chatous matched strangers by interest hashtags, text first, which made it a natural Emerald alternative for typers. It's still on Google Play, but its listing hasn't been updated since August 2023.

Weak spot: with no recent updates, check that it still works for you before you invest time. See Chatous alternatives.

Slower, by country

InterPals

InterPals has run free pen-pal messaging since 1998. You search members by country, language or interests, for free, and write to whoever you like.

Strengths: you choose exactly who to write to. Weak spots: it's messages, not live chat, many go unanswered, and there's no translation. See InterPals alternatives.

HelloTalk

HelloTalk is a language-exchange app where you find partners by profile and chat by text, voice or video, with translation built in. Searching by country is VIP only, according to its FAQ; VIP is $12.99 a month on the US App Store.

Weak spot: it's built for language learning, so most people there want to practise. 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. 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're matched with a member who is online right now, in another country.
• Filters that unlock free. Choose a continent (Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia or Oceania) or a gender once one friend you invite joins and finishes a first chat. "Stay in my country" is always free.
• Translated both ways. You write in your language, they read in theirs, with the original always visible.
• Free, no ads. There's no paid plan.

Honest limits: it's text only, with no voice, video or photos in chats, and no group channels. You choose a continent, not a single country. It launched in September 2026 and the community is small, so some hours are quiet; when nobody is online you're told. On a regular flight you may be offered an AI partner, always labelled AI. It's for friendship and conversation, not dating, so if you want Emerald's busy, fast pace, Thundr or Joingy fit better.

What we left out

• Omegle: it closed on 8 November 2023, and sites using its name are copies.
• Chathub: it has shut down, according to its own notice quoted on AlternativeTo.
• Teen apps and dating apps: a different purpose from chatting with strangers as adults.
• Live-streaming gift apps: they're built around paying hosts, not one-to-one chat.

Which one to pick

• You like Emerald and want another crowd: Thundr.
• You want the quickest random chat: Joingy.
• You want video and a free country choice: OmeTV.
• You want to choose who to write to by country: InterPals.
• You're learning a language: HelloTalk.
• You want to type, in your own language, with one person in another country, with free filters: Olu.

For more text-first options, see Omegle alternatives that are text only.

Staying safe on any of these

• Keep personal details back. Your full name, address, school or workplace and social accounts can wait.
• Think before you turn the camera on. Anything on video can be recorded; text keeps your face private.
• Never send money. Block and report anyone who asks for money, gift cards or crypto.
• Leave any chat that makes you uncomfortable. On every site here, you can skip to the next person.

More in random text chat safety tips.