Chitchat alternative: pick who you meet without paying for it
Chitchat does something rare in this category: it publishes, by its own count, what its moderation did — more than 100,000 enforcement actions in the 90 days to 16 July 2026, at least 89% of them before anyone had reported anything, every figure rounded down, with a section listing the numbers it has decided not to publish. It is just as plain about the other side: its own pages say its pool is smaller than those of long-running platforms like OmeTV or Chatroulette, so quiet times can mean a longer wait — and that filters narrow that pool further. The text chat at the top of this page is Veilr's — same idea, no price on the filter.
The parts Chitchat gives away
Text needs no account whatsoever. You type, you are in, and there is no advertising in any of it. Video asks for a sign-in through Google, Facebook or Apple; interest matching and a history of your matches sit in the free core either way. Neither mode has a profile to fill in or a photo to upload. The operator is named where most of this category names nobody: its terms give a British company and its company number in England, not just a support address. And it does not claim its moderators can vet a stranger before you meet one; it says the opposite, in writing.
Then the filter asks for money
Choosing who turns up is the part with a price on it. In text, the gender and country filters unlock with a Premium subscription that starts at $4.99; in video they run on coins, and Chitchat's own guide describes the step as spending the required number of coins to activate the filter. The refunds page settles the rest in advance: filter accuracy is not guaranteed and mismatches are not refunded. Set that beside the smaller pool the service admits to, and the offer reads oddly — money to narrow a queue it has already warned can keep you waiting.
One more thing sits in the terms: registering opts you into marketing email by default, and unsubscribing is left for later.
Where each of them stands
| Chitchat | Veilr | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting a text chat | Nothing at all — no account | A social account you already have |
| Choosing by gender | Premium from $4.99 in text, coins in video | Free once you set your own, tried first; hard only with Boost |
| Advertising | None in the free core | None inside matches, private chats or calls |
| If the filter is wrong | No refund for a mismatch, said up front | Nothing to refund — the filter is free |
| On a phone | Browser only, in neither store by choice | Browser, or an Android app |
| What is sold | Premium subscriptions, plus coins in video | Boost passes and extra subtitle minutes, never a subscription |
Two of those rows are Chitchat's, and a third is not in the table at all: nobody else here publishes a dated moderation report and then lists the numbers it is holding back. That is a real thing to lose by leaving. A sign-in opens the Veilr column, and nothing else is asked for.
What you get for signing in
The filter, for nothing. Set your gender in your profile and you can choose who to talk to: free, tried first whenever someone you asked for is online, and if nobody is, you are connected to someone else rather than left waiting. The other person’s choice is always respected. With Boost your choice is a hard filter and you go first in line; people who registered as non-binary are matched by those who chose ‘Any’. Age and country stay preferences, so a search that finds nobody widens rather than stalling; with Boost they turn strict as well.
Interests count, but they never leave you waiting. Both sides of this page match on shared interests. On Veilr they are a ranking signal: more overlap moves someone up your list, and if nobody shares yours you are still matched rather than left waiting. Language practice is free and works the same way — it ranks you toward people who speak the language, and never holds the search back.
The sign-in comes first, and the server checks it. You arrive with a social account you already have — the sign-in screen shows which ones are open to you — and there is no guest mode. A stranger you are matched with never sees your real name, email address or city. Veilr is adults only, 18+: our servers refuse a match to an account whose recorded age is under 18.
Neither of you has to switch language. Type in yours and your message can reach your partner in theirs, the original one tap away; every free account starts with a run of translations and earns more, and Boost lifts the ceiling. On a call between two different declared languages, live subtitles can start on their own — five free minutes with a new account, then Boost, a top-up or a reward.
A good conversation can outlast the match. Adding someone takes both of you pressing ‘Add to contacts’; a one-sided press creates no contact and saves no conversation — it only asks. Once you both agree, the last stretch of that chat moves in with the contact, with replies, edits and reactions, and photos stripped of their metadata. Only two things are sold on Veilr: Boost, which puts you first in the queue, and extra subtitle minutes.
Who should stay with Chitchat, and who should not
Want to talk to strangers in a text window you can open with nothing at all, on a site that published its moderation figures with dates? Chitchat has that, free. Want to choose who turns up without buying the right to, and to keep the conversation afterwards? That is Veilr, and the sign-in is the whole price.
Two steps to your first text chat
- 1. Open the chat above and sign in — the screen lists whichever social sign-ins are available; there is no guest mode.
- 2. Set your gender if you want the filter, then start the search. The chat above opens in text and switches to voice or video in a click; the mode is settled before the search and holds to the end, so nothing asks for a camera you did not want.
Related
- The comparison index
- Chatib — free text rooms by subject and country.
- Chatiw — the same no-account entry, a different set of limits.
- Text chat — this page's format.
- Video chat — a camera, if you want one.
What people ask about Chitchat
Is Chitchat free?
The core is: text without an account, video after a sign-in, interest matching, no advertising. Filters are among the paid parts — Premium from $4.99 in text, coins in video. On Veilr, everything you need to be matched is free — all three modes, and the gender filter along with them; the only two things sold here are Boost and extra subtitle minutes.
Does Chitchat have a mobile app?
No, and that is deliberate on their part — it runs in a browser and is in neither store. Veilr runs in a browser too, and its Android app asks you for camera, microphone and notification access: no location, no contacts, no access to your files.
Do I need an account for text on Veilr?
Yes — the one thing Chitchat hands over that we do not. There is no guest mode and no searching without an account, and that account is what the free filter, your translation allowance and your saved contacts hang on.
Who can look at a Chitchat chat?
The people who may review your chat, your audio, your video and how you look on camera include, in Chitchat's own words, volunteer moderators. Veilr never saves recordings of your video or voice chats; if someone reports a chat, a single still frame can be captured and reviewed by our safety team.
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