Omegle alternative: built for text chat
Written by the HearMe Chat team · Updated 9 November 2026
Omegle closed in November 2023, and its text mode went with it. HearMe Chat is a free one-to-one text chat with a random stranger, plus a mic-only call if you want one. There is no sign-up and no camera, and it is for adults 18+. Between 7 October and 5 November 2026, people here had 53,855 text chats.
What happened to Omegle
Omegle's founder, Leif K-Brooks, closed the site with a letter on its homepage. He wrote that "operating Omegle is no longer sustainable, financially nor psychologically". The first archived copy of omegle.com showing the letter is from 9 November 2023 (Wayback Machine).
On 6 November 2026, omegle.com showed a "launching soon" page with no chat on it. The page does not say who runs it or when it opens, so we make no claim about it. HearMe Chat is not connected to Omegle or omegle.com.
Omegle alternative at a glance
- Omegle's text mode paired you with one random stranger; text chat here does the same.
- Interest tags, as on Omegle: optional, and free.
- No account and no camera. A call, if you want one, is microphone only.
- Adults only, 18+, as Omegle's homepage also required.
- Every chat and call has a Report button; reports go to a moderation queue and are reviewed by a person.
A text chat with no camera
There is no camera mode on HearMe Chat. The site asks your browser for a microphone only, and only when you start a call. Every page also tells the browser that camera use is switched off for the site, and old video addresses lead to the voice page.
That shapes what a chat is like. Nobody can show you their camera, and you are not asked to show yours, so the first minute is about what you type. If you used Omegle for text, this is the part we kept; text chat shows how a chat starts and how it moves to a call.
Text chat
One stranger at a time, typed, with optional interest tags: the way Omegle's text mode worked.
Voice chat
A mic-only call with one person, when typing is not enough.
Games
4 two-player games in one-to-one text chats: tic-tac-toe, rock paper scissors, four in a row, and dots and boxes.
Safety here, compared with Omegle
Omegle's letter says it ran AI moderation with a team of human moderators, and its homepage also offered an unmoderated section. HearMe Chat has no unmoderated section. Text is checked automatically, every chat and call has Report and Block, and reports go to a moderation queue and are reviewed by a person.
Reports are uncommon here: roughly one chat in 200 got one over 7 Oct–5 Nov 2026, and half of them were closed within 5.3 hours. The home page explains what a report carries and what Block does.
If you want video instead
We do not offer video, so if a face is what you want, these sites do. Each line quotes the site's own homepage, read on 6 November 2026:
- Chatroulette: "the original free random video chat"; it asks you to confirm you are 18 or older.
- OmeTV: "free random video chat"; you pick a country and set your own gender, and it asks you to confirm your age.
- Chitchat: one-on-one chat "by text or video".
- Monkey: "Random Video Chat"; you create an account or log in first.
Omegle text mode and HearMe Chat
| Omegle (homepage, 1 June 2023) | HearMe Chat | |
|---|---|---|
| Random one-to-one chat | "paired randomly with another person to talk one-on-one" | Yes, by text or a mic-only call |
| Interest tags | "Add your interests (optional)" | Yes, up to 5, free |
| Anonymous | "chats are anonymous unless you tell someone who you are" | Yes, under a nickname, with no account |
| Adults only | "You must be 18 or older" | Yes, 18+ |
| Video | Yes ("Video is monitored") | No camera mode |
| Unmoderated section | Yes | No |
| College student chat | Yes | No |
| Move from text to a call with the same person | Not on its homepage | Yes, if they accept |
Omegle facts are quoted from omegle.com on 1 June 2023 (Wayback Machine). Where Omegle did more: video, and a college section.
Keep exploring
- Sites like Omegle: pick the one that fits
- Ome.gg alternative: text, plus random voice calls
- Omezy alternative: text first, no daily allowance
- StrangerLine alternative: no video mode at all
- OpenTalk alternative: no video option, not even unticked
- AirTALK alternative: how moderation differs
- Whisperly alternative: what the rules let it do
- OmeTV alternative: what a report sends
Omegle alternative - frequently asked questions
Is Omegle coming back?
On 6 November 2026, omegle.com showed a "launching soon" page with no chat and no date. The founder's letter, first archived on 9 November 2023, called running it no longer sustainable. We cannot say more than that.
Is there an Omegle text-only site?
HearMe Chat is a random one-to-one text chat with optional interest tags and no camera mode. A mic-only call is there if you want it, but nothing starts without you.
Is HearMe Chat like Omegle?
In the basics, yes: one random stranger, interest tags, no account, adults only. It differs in having no video and no unmoderated section, and you can ask to move a text chat to a voice call with the same person.
Did Omegle have a text-only mode?
Yes. Its homepage of 1 June 2023 had separate Text and Video buttons, and text chat paired you with one stranger. Text chat here works the same way, and there is no sign-up.
Is it safe to text strangers here?
Nothing with strangers is risk free. Keep names, numbers and addresses to yourself, and use Report or Block when a chat goes wrong. What the other person can see is on the home page.
Ready to talk to someone new?
No sign-up and no camera: type to one stranger, and move on whenever you like.