if you're reading this you probably already know omegle is gone. the site that basically invented random video chat with strangers closed after 14 years. the founder wrote some letter about how the internet changed and he couldn't keep fighting lawsuits. whatever the real reason, omegle is done.
now everyone's scrambling to find something else. problem is most "omegle alternatives" are either full of bots, sketchy as hell, or just straight up don't work. i tried like 15 different apps over the past few weeks. here's my honest take on what's actually usable.
the good ones
tjub
yeah i know this is the tjub blog so take this with a grain of salt. but honestly it's the closest thing to what omegle should have been. three chat modes (text, voice, video), ai moderation that actually catches the weird stuff, and you need to verify your age before using video chat.
the free version is usable. you get video chat, text chat, voice chat, reporting and blocking. tjub+ gives you gender filter, priority matching, and unlimited matches if you want more control.
biggest pro: way less random dicks than other apps. biggest con: ios only for now.
recommendedometv
one of the bigger omegle alternatives. works on web and mobile. decent user base so you won't be waiting forever to match with someone. has some moderation but it's hit or miss.
the interface is kind of dated and feels like it hasn't been updated since 2015. lots of people just skip immediately which gets annoying. also the amount of guys vs girls is way skewed.
decent optionchatroulette
the og random video chat. been around almost as long as omegle. still works, still has users. they added some moderation over the years so it's not as wild as it used to be.
feels pretty dated at this point. the matching can be slow and there's a lot of people who just sit there with their camera pointed at the ceiling. but it's free and it works.
it worksthe sketchy ones
various "omegle clone" sites
there are tons of sites that just copy omegle's layout and call themselves alternatives. most of them have zero moderation, tons of bots, and some are straight up scams trying to get your data or push you to paid cam sites.
if the site looks like it was made in 10 minutes and has a name like "omegle2" or "newomegle" just close the tab.
avoidwhat to look for
after trying all these apps here's what i think matters:
- actual moderation. if an app says it has moderation but you see inappropriate stuff in the first 5 minutes, they're lying. good moderation means you can actually have conversations without constantly hitting skip.
- age verification. any app that just asks "are you 18?" and accepts any answer is not serious about safety. look for apps that verify ages properly.
- reporting that works. can you report someone easily? do reports actually lead to bans? if there's no consequence for bad behavior the platform will get worse over time.
- not 99% dudes. this is the hardest part. most random chat apps are like 90% guys which makes it frustrating for everyone. apps with gender filter at least let you control who you match with.
the reality
nothing is going to be exactly like omegle was in its prime. that era of completely unmoderated random chat is probably over for good. the lawsuits that killed omegle proved that platforms can't just ignore what happens on them anymore.
that's probably a good thing honestly. old omegle was chaos. you could have a great conversation one minute and then see something that made you want to throw your laptop out the window the next. the new apps that have actual moderation are a better experience even if they're more restricted.
if you want to try random video chat in 2026, start with tjub or ometv. both have enough users to actually find people to talk to and enough moderation to not make you regret opening the app.
and whatever you do, don't give your personal info to random strangers on the internet. common sense, but apparently needs to be said.