InterPals Alternatives in 2026: Pen Pal and Language Exchange Sites Compared

InterPals has been around since 1998, which makes it older than most of the people now searching for an alternative to it. The idea has always been simple: a free profile, a search box, and people in other countries who want a pen pal or a language partner.

People still find good friends there. But the same few complaints come up often enough that a lot of members look around. This page compares the options honestly, including what InterPals does better than any of them.

Olu is an independent app, not affiliated with InterPals or any app named here. Product names are used only for comparison. Features and prices of third-party apps change; check each one yourself.

What InterPals does well

Any alternative should be measured against this:

• Free. Profiles, search and messages cost nothing, and we found no paid tier.
• Search filters. You can look for people by age, languages, location and interests, so you pick exactly who to write to.
• Pen pals and language partners in one place. Some people want a friend, some want a tandem partner, and InterPals serves both.
• Long-term friendships. It's built for writing to the same person for months or years.
• Web and app. It works in a browser and on phones.

Why people look for an alternative

From app-store and review-site comments, the same themes repeat:

1. Fake profiles and scams. Stolen photos, quick requests to move to another app, and stories that end in a request for money or a visa.
2. Messages that aren't about friendship. Many members describe a flood of romantic or sexual messages.
3. Unclear suspensions. A recurring complaint is an account suspended with no clear reason and slow answers from support.
4. The searching. When you choose who to write to, you send a lot of first messages that never get answered, and popular profiles get far more than they can reply to.

None of this means InterPals is bad. It means that a site where anyone can search and message anyone needs strong moderation, and reviewers often feel it doesn't have enough.

The alternatives at a glance

	Best for	How you meet people	Speed	Translation	Cost to meet people
InterPals	Pen pals and language partners	You search and message	Instant	Not a core feature	Free
Slowly	Long letters	Matched by interests and language	Hours to days per letter	No	Free, optional Slowly Plus and coins
PenPal World	Classic pen pal profiles	You search and message	Instant	No	Free, with a paid upgrade
Postcrossing	Real postcards	Random address	Days to weeks by post	No	Free, you pay postage
Tandem / HelloTalk	Language practice	You search and message	Instant	Built in	Free core, paid tiers
Reddit (r/penpals) and Discord	Finding people by niche	You post, people answer	Varies	No	Free
Olu	A conversation with someone abroad, today	One tap, matched with someone online	Instant	Every message, both ways	Free, no ads

Slowly

The favourite of people who liked the letter part of InterPals. You write long messages that arrive after a delay based on the distance between you, from a few hours to a few days. Profiles use drawn avatars rather than photos, and you collect stamps from different regions. Writing is unlimited and free; Slowly Plus and coins add extras.

It's lovely if you want depth and no pressure to reply fast. It's the wrong tool if you want to chat this evening.

PenPal World

The most like-for-like swap: a long-running pen pal site where you build a profile and search for people. It has a free membership and a paid upgrade that raises how many people you can contact. Because the model is the same as InterPals, expect some of the same issues with unwanted messages, and use the block and report tools freely.

Postcrossing

Not a chat at all. You send a real postcard to a random member somewhere in the world, and when it arrives, your address goes out to someone else, who sends you one. There's no conversation, which is exactly why some people love it: no small talk, no inbox, just post from strangers.

Tandem and HelloTalk

If you used InterPals mainly for languages, these are the specialist apps. Both are free to start with paid tiers, and both have tools InterPals doesn't focus on: corrections inside messages, translation, voice messages and calls. They share InterPals' search-and-message model, so unanswered first messages are still part of the experience. See Tandem alternatives and HelloTalk alternatives for a closer look.

Reddit and Discord

r/penpals and similar communities let you post who you are and what you're after, and people who match reply. Discord servers for single languages and countries are busy and free. Both work well if you're comfortable writing the first post; nothing happens until you do.

Olu

Olu is a text chat app for meeting people in other countries, with every message translated both ways. It solves a different part of the problem: the searching, and the silence after you write.

• No searching profiles. Tap to take off and, if someone in another country is online, you're matched with them. No sending first messages into the void and waiting days to see whether anyone answers.
• Translation built in. Their message arrives in your language with the original underneath, so you don't need a shared language to start. If you're learning theirs, mark it as the language you're practising and the original shows first.
• Planets for shared interests. Join a community such as Language learners, Travellers, Book lovers or Home cooks, and you're matched with its members. On Language learners, people who speak what you're learning and are learning your language come first.
• Leave a message when nobody's around. You can leave a question for a real member who's offline, and they find it when they open the app. It works a little like a short pen pal letter.
• Keep the good ones. Add someone as a friend and you can write to them again whenever you like.
• Safety by design. Adults only (18+), photos optional, contact details kept out of first messages, and report and block in every chat.
• Free, no ads. Meeting people and messaging friends costs nothing.

Honest limits: it's text only, with no voice messages or calls. There's no profile search, so if you want to pick exactly who to write to, InterPals or a pen pal site suits you better. It's built for conversations, not long letters. And it's young, so at quiet hours few real people may be online. When that happens you can leave a message, or chat with an AI local instead; AI locals always carry an AI badge and are never passed off as people.

Which one to pick

• You want long, thoughtful letters: Slowly.
• You want to keep searching profiles, just somewhere else: PenPal World, or Reddit's pen pal communities.
• You want something in your actual mailbox: Postcrossing.
• You want serious language practice with corrections and calls: Tandem or HelloTalk.
• You want to talk to someone in another country right now, even without a shared language: Olu.

Many people use two: one place for slow letters, one for live chat. Wherever you end up, the same rules apply. Don't send money, keep your address and workplace to yourself, and be wary of anyone who wants to move to another app straight away. For turning a first chat into a lasting friendship, read how to make friends from other countries online, and if languages are the goal, see how to find a language exchange partner online.