Hello Pal Alternatives: Where to Chat With People Abroad Now

Hello Pal was an app for making friends and practising languages with people around the world. You could find people by native language, nationality or the language they were learning, and messages could be translated for you, so you didn't need a shared language to start. It was meant for adults.

When we checked in November 2026, Hello Pal was no longer listed on Google Play or in the US App Store. Its website said it was being revamped. The last Android version we could find, from March 2025, described the app as a livestreaming platform, which is a long way from where it started. We found no official announcement about its future.

HeyPal, a different language-exchange app with a similar name, launched in 2021 and passed a million downloads. It isn't in Google Play or the US App Store any more either.

If you're looking for a new place to chat with people abroad, here are the alternatives, compared honestly.

Olu is an independent app, not affiliated with Hello Pal, HeyPal, HelloTalk, Tandem, InterPals or any app named here. Product names are used only for comparison. Apps change often; check each one yourself.

What made Hello Pal different

Before comparing, it helps to name what people liked:

• Translation built in. You could talk to someone even if your languages didn't overlap.
• Filters by language and country. You chose who to talk to.
• Friendship first. Many people used it to make friends abroad, not only to study.
• Adults only. It was intended for people 18 and over.

The best replacement depends on which of these mattered most to you.

The alternatives at a glance

	How you meet people	Translation	Language tools	Voice or video	Free to chat
Olu (18+)	One tap, matched with someone online	Both ways, original visible	Language learners planet	No, text only	Yes, no ads
HelloTalk	You browse and message	Built in	Corrections, public posts	Yes	Yes, VIP adds extras
Tandem	You browse and message	Built in	Partner search, tutors	Yes	Yes, Pro adds extras
InterPals	You search and message	Not a core feature	No	No	Yes

Olu

Olu is the closest to how Hello Pal began: text chat with people in other countries, with translation doing the heavy lifting.

• Every message is translated both ways. You write in your language, they read theirs, and the original is always a tap away.
• Language exchange in one tap. On the Language learners planet you set the language you're learning. People who speak it and are learning your language are matched with you first, and the language you're practising shows big with the translation small.
• Or just make friends. Tap to take off, land in a random country, and chat with someone who is online now. Friends and reconnecting are free.
• Adults only, and filtered. Olu refuses anyone under 18. Sexual content, abuse and requests for phone numbers or social handles are stopped before they reach the other person.
• Free, no ads, nothing to install. It works in a browser.

Honest limits: Olu is text only, with no voice, video or livestreams. You can't filter by nationality the way Hello Pal let you. The community is still small, so some hours are quiet. When nobody from the country you land in is online, you may meet an AI local, which is always labelled as AI.

HelloTalk

HelloTalk is the biggest language-exchange app. You browse profiles of native speakers, chat by text or voice, and use built-in translation and correction tools. Its public feed lets you post and get corrections from many people at once. The common complaint is that popular profiles get far more messages than they answer. See HelloTalk alternatives.

Tandem

Tandem works much like HelloTalk: you search for a partner who speaks the language you want and wants yours, then chat, call or video. It also offers paid tutors. See Tandem alternatives.

InterPals

InterPals is a long-running pen-pal site. You search by age, language, location and interests and write to people you choose. It has no translation, so it suits people who already share a language with their pen pal. See InterPals alternatives.

Which one to pick

• You want to chat across languages, with translation doing the work: Olu. Read more about chatting with people from other countries with translation.
• You want corrections and voice practice: HelloTalk or Tandem.
• You want to choose exactly who you write to: InterPals.

If Hello Pal comes back, it may suit you again. Until then, you don't have to stop talking to the world: try Olu and say hello to someone in another country today.