This became increasingly popular around the 2010s as people began to truly understand the extent of the internet and its reach into what feels like very far away.
Wth Omegle you are connected in seconds with people from the otherside of the globe which is both fun, intriguing, and exciting.
That said, the site could certainly have some upgrades not only to how it runs, the layout, and adding some potentially new features that people may enjoy but there is certainly some cleaning up to use.
Being able to meet anyone is both amazing but also dangerous when left unfiltered and uncensored, you could meet anyone.
Keep reading to learn of some alternative video chat sites to Omegle. Find out more below!
1. ChatHub
Our Take
ChatHub is a great alternative to Omegle which, as we discussed, has introduced a whole bunch of filter features that can both protect your identity.
| Best For | Security Filter |
| Price | Click to reveal |
Create better screening of people, as well as help you meet the right kind of people you want to.
Not only this but it has a useful app that allows you to chat on the go!
One fun filter is the language filter, which makes sure you match with people who speak your language, an ideal tool if you are trying to learn a new language and want to practice.
A gender filter is great if you only want to speak to one gender, perhaps to meet that special person,which is even more accessible in the ‘adult’ rooms for dating.
Like Omegle you can chat anonymously, with or without your camera, and can be instantly connected to strangers just like Omegle.
One feature we particularly enjoy on these chat sites is a ‘no multiple match’ which means you don’t match with the same person more than once.
Pros
- Much better filtering options
- A good app
- Focus on good connection
- Clear rules
Cons
- Can still be used anonymously which is potential issue for some
2. CamSurf
Our Take
This is another chat site like Omegle that allows you to connect with strangers from across the globe.
| Best For | Mobile App |
| Price | Click to reveal |
At CamSurf they seem a little more focused on making friends, with pretty strict rules on reducing indecent behavior.
While other apps create areas where those looking for romantic relationships can do this, CamSurf is more bothered about friends having a safe space to chat, allowing you to meet people safely.
Again there’s a whole bunch of filtering systems such as gender, language, but also a cool feature for location based filtering.
This could be a fun idea if you were moving to a certain area and wanted to see what people are like from there.
If you want a video chat site that can provide some really safe and censored spaces for you to chat with people without having to worry about anything else, this is the chat site for you.
Pros
- Particularly focussed on censorship and guidelines
- Good mobile app
- Can filter lots of things, but also location
Cons
- No romantic side to the chat site
3. Emerald Chat
Our Take
This is another chat that people may enjoy because of its heavy moderation systems
| Best For | Premium Features |
| Price | Click to reveal |
Beyond just having strict guidelines there are two features on the site that drive out the weirdos.
Firstly, there are loads of moderators who will, unknown to you, quickly dip in and out of certain chats to make sure people are following rules and nothing untowards is going on.
On top of this, they prompt you to sign up often so that people can enroll in the karma system.
This is a bit like Uber where everyone has a sort of rating, if you have a bad experience with someone this can go down, and when you are nice to people it goes up.
But for many this can be a bit flawed as people can downvote you for no reason and when downvoted too much you can get a ban based on low karma points.
Notably, to get most of the good features of EmeraldChat you have to pay.
Many find this creates an inner circle on the website for those who follow guidelines and are really enthusiastic about these chat sites.
For others, though, they don’t like the idea that they can’t use it for free while filtering people out and getting the rest of the benefits.
That said, when you are signed up on the paid membership there are lots of things on offer such as all the filtering we previously mentioned.
But one cool thing is that if you meet someone and enjoy their company you can add them if you both agree and chat to them another time without losing them.
Pros
- Interesting paid features
- Focus on moderation
- Karma system is useful
Cons
- People still find illicit activity gets through moderation systems
- Don’t get filtering benefits without paying
- Karma system
- can be abused
4. TinyChat
Our Take
TinyChat used to operate much like Omegle back in the WIld West of video chat sites, but has recently tried to compete with similar apps like Twitch.
| Best For | Live Streaming |
| Price | Click to reveal |
For instance TinyChat is particularly good for having large group chat rooms.
Like Twitch, there is a live directory of chat rooms, particularly promoting the largest ones, allowing you to chat with strangers in a larger room.
There are also paid options with the site which allow access to certain filters but uniquely a coin system like Twitch where you can use coins to buy stickers, gifts, promote your own room, and more.
One issue is that you kind of have to sign up or pay to really get the most from the app, although you can sign up with Facebook, but this is good to weed out the potentially maligned people on the app.
TinyChat has recently increased their moderation greatly due to previous scandals and bad publicity on the website, which has led to more restrictions on who can use its feature.
At the end of the day if you enjoy chat sites and want something that rewards constant use and longevity then TinyChat is a good option.
Pros
- Moderation is successful as you have to sign up or pay to really get the features
- Fun features similar to Twitch
- Rewards long time users
- Great apps
Cons
- Can’t use anonymously or without signing up
- Has a bad history as a company
5. Chatroulette
Our Take
Chatroulette is one of the original chat rooms along with TinyChat and Omegle, starting in 2009.
| Best For | Randomized Interaction |
| Price | Click to reveal |
Like the previous two it has certainly had its fair share of limelight for the wrong reasons.
Tne immediate feature that has changed is moderation, Chatroulette’s moderation is now run by an AI, which certainly has its own benefits and disadvantages.
The benefits being that this keeps costs down, meaning you don’t have to pay to use Chatroulette, but also means that, due to the nature of AI, there will naturally be some mistakes when it comes to bans, as well as those that slip through.
That said, there are unique and great features in Chatroulette worth mentioning.
Like a dating app, when you match someone you want to meet Chatroulette shows you a picture of the person so you can make a decision if you want to chat with them, rather than having to awkwardly skip on someone you don’t like.
This allows you to sort of filter things yourself, rather than relying on a system to do so. You can also specifically pick a location to filter in on.
Another feature that is cool is that there are ‘Top Users’ you can either be awarded this or try to match with these people.
If you match with someone like this you can be sure to have a great chat, potentially earn some ‘Quids’ and also can be a fun thing to try to earn.
A potential issue with chatroulette is that they don’t have an app, although there is one coming. Many suggest ont having an app yet is why chatroulette can provide a free service.
Pros
- One of the original chat rooms
- Some great features like ‘Top Users’
- Seeing a picture of your match allows you to screen and filter manually
- A free service
Cons
- Moderated by an AI which some don;t think is efficient
- No mobile app yet
6. YouNow
YouNow has a similar direction to TincyChat and EmeraldChat, all three platforms model themselves around Twitch and these platforms, creating communities you can create friends within through live streaming or larger group chat rooms.
With YouNow you can broadcast to thousands of people who can choose to join your chat room or not.
As a result, you basically have to sign up, even with Facebook or Twitter, in order to get into the platform at all, and certainly to broadcast yourself. You can’t even tune into other broadcasts without being signed up.
There is the added element in YouNow of making fans and friends.
Many people may be showcasing a talent on their broadcast such as music production demonstration, perhaps playing song requests on guitar, discussing a TV show or recent events, even watching along with sports events or TV premiers.
The idea being that you can make friends by discussing your talents and likes, but on a larger scale than you can in other chat sites.
You can even make friends within these communities while watching someone else’s broadcast.
YouNow presents a slightly different platform with different focuses for those who enjoy the sort of platform Twitch has.
Pros
- Can showcase talent to others
- Larger chat rooms focussed around single broadcaster
- Meet people with same interests
- Not just matched with randoms
- Mobile app compatibility
Cons
- Not so personalized
- Sign up required before you can even enter site
- Can have a confusing user interface
7. MeetMe
Under its surface, MeetMe is a dating app that utilizes the platform of a chat room site.
In other words, the goal of MeetMe is that you can match with people in your local area but rather than the classic dating app text chat, MeetMe pushes you to use the chat room model to speak to your local matches.
The cool thing being that it matches you with people nearby so you can actually meet them in person, something other chat sites don’t really push.
If you’re more interested in the dating element of these chat sites, MeetMe is an easy way to indulge this side without necessarily embracing anything illicit or dangerous.
While everything seems okay on the surface, there are reports of a lot of scammers, inactive users, and generally few real users to match with, with most people more gladly being part of the monopoly that Tinder and Hinge hold over other dating apps.
Fundamentally, MeetMe is a great idea that combines dating apps with these chat room sites. Unfortunately it’s just not moderated or popular enough for it to be worthwhile.
Pros
- Cool idea that combines dating apps with chat rooms
- Can match you with people nearby
- Pushes you to meet matches in real life
Cons
- Not enough users, especially outside of the city
- Lots of scammers as a result
- Not moderated strongly enough to be truly safe
Final Thoughts
So as you can see, many of these sites are great, including Omegle.
The biggest issue with these platforms is safety and moderation. It’s all too easy to see the wrong thing, match with a scammer, or worse.
Some of these platforms are more focussed on moderation while some have other focuses like dating or showcasing talent, or a combination of them all.
So many of these alternative sites can boast certain features that increase fun and other filtering features that can help you control who you see with more accuracy.
Both for internet safety but also just to filter who you may want to see, whether that be people of the same gender, or people from a certain area.
