The Best Chat Sites (Reviews & Lists)
A List of The Best Free Online Chat Rooms!
We have visited each chat site and examined every chat service and feature to create an honest review. We have compared the pros and cons of each and determined which chat rooms are the best for various types of chatting. We have NOT been paid to include any of the links or change any of the rankings. This is NOT a sponsored page and there are NO affiliate links.
321 Chat has chat rooms on a wide variety topics. The chat offers many features and configurable user options which allow chatters to edit everything from overall look and feel of the room to who is allowed to private message you. A big The moderation of the rooms is what sets 321Chat apart from most other chats. There are rules and there are people around to enforce them this keeps the site from becoming a troll breading ground a instead fostes a sense of community. 321Chat.com first opened in 2002, since that time the number of room topics has continued to grow. To date, there are 14 different room topics for various ages, races, religions and sexual orientations.
Outlasting mega chat hubs like AOL and Yahoo!, Chat-Avenue's (roughly) 4,000 concurrent chatters makes it the web's largest chat site. Chat Ave has come a long way from its origins in 1999. Today they are in the process of creating their own chat software as they transition away from the use of 123FlashChat. For now, visitors to Chat-Avenue have the choice to use Flash Chat or another php based chat. Keep an eye on Chat-Avenue over the next few months for the release, which promises to be both mobile friendly and webcam enabled.
WireClub is a truly wonderful online community. Yes, they require you to register in order to enter their chat rooms but it is a chat experience like no other. Their chat software seamlessly integrates features in a natural and intuitive way. Clicking on a username makes their profile fly out with quick access to their picture, badges won and options to chat, message, friend, block or report. They also have a virtual credit system you can use to give gifts, badges and other fun things.
CamFrog & PalTalk are owned by the same company and both function in rather similar ways. They both require you to download their software and register for free. Once connected the default option is to live stream your webcam which means most chatters have webcams you can view. CamFrog and PalTalk limit the number of cams your can view at once or the length of time you can watch unless you become a paying member. Memberships range from $4 to $40 per month and offer various levels of benefit.
UKChat is obviously UK based, but there are a fair number of chatters from other English speaking countries such as the United States and Canada. UKChat runs latest version of Stelivo chat which means it is mobile friendly and webcam enabled. Another feature of UKChat which shouldn't go unnoticed is their seamless integration of chatter profiles with their forum. Room titles vary from Lobby, Cafe and Trivia to more specific rooms based on location like Northern Ireland and Wales. Overall, UKChat.com is a great chat site.
KidsChat.net uses a new chat software called CodyChat that looks beautiful. The chat is easy on the eyes, animations glide by and user options are numerous. Clicking on a chatter gives you quick and easy access to their profile, where you can see all the background information on the user. You can also stream music while you chat but control the volume so it's not over powering. Overall this is a top-notch chat.
Teen-Chat.Org is a small but well designed chat site. It also uses CodyChat. The clean design offers a wonderful user experience. Teen-Chat is a webcam chat but you can only share your cam in one on one settings, no publishing to the entire room. Chatters can also upload profile pictures which are used as chat avatars. This chat software is still in development and should continue to grow and offer new features in the near future.
TinyChat is a webcam focused group chat community. There are hundreds of rooms both small and large which function much like video conference calls where multiple people can be seen on cam at once. Every chat room is created by and administered by users of the site. TinyChat seems to only work on Chrome, Firefox and Opera. Though it seems to have problems with those browsers as well at times. Perhaps their Apps, available for both Apple and Android work better.
RolePlay.Chat is the best RP chat site we have come across which is why there are over 500 chatters here at all times. The custom built chat and website is quite unique. The colorful rooms, users avatars and profile pages are amazing!
Chatib & Chatiw are two chat sites owned by the same company running the same software loading the same chat room but with two different interfaces. Both websites are based on having 1 on 1 chat conversations. There are chat rooms where multiple people can participate at once on Chatib but this seems to be a secondary part of the site that very few people participate in. Upon entering you are presented with a list of chat names along with their gender, city and Country. You can search for people based on country and gender. You to find chatters from around the world but most of the participants are in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom & Australia. You can also pay a monthly fee for VIP acess which will grant you special features and deminished ads.
Chatogo offers several rooms for vairous topics but the most popular are general chat, roleplay chat and anime chat. Chatogo uses CodyChat software.
Y99 is a relatively new chat site but is quickly growing and regularly has about 200 chatters online at any given time. The most popular room is the Lobby, which you are logged into by default but their other rooms included Teen Chat, Roleplay and Dating. The chat site and its rooms are primarily English speaking but the site seems to be building an International following as the Indian Friends room can regularly be spotted with as many as 50 chatters in it.
TripSit Chat is a chat site for and about drugs. There are rooms for people with questions about drugs as well as rooms for people who are currently on drugs. Chat room names include Assistance, Sanctuary and Here to Help as well as Stim Chat, Opiates Chat, Benzos Chat and Psychonautics Chat. The website also offers a large amount of information on virtually every drug around. The chat is IRC based and has hundreds of chatters.
RP Haven (Roleplay Haven) is a custom built roleplay community. The chat was specifically designed to facilitate roleplay of all kinds; Fantasy, Medieval, Sci-Fi, Anime, Realistic and more. Membership is free but required to enter.
Buzzen is an online community organized around chat. The chat topics are wide ranging and user created. These rooms have a bit more feeling than the typical "Teen Chat". Most of the chat rooms require you to register to enter but you can view the list of rooms and descriptions as a a visitor and registration is quick and free. Members have access to additional Buzzen features such as member photo albums, groups and user blogs.
Chat27 is a wonderful designed website with a friendly community. The chat room itself uses a basic IRC software but has a much more modern feel than most IRC rooms you may come across. The site was started with a South African focus but seems to have grown to be inclusive of chatters from around the world.
B-Gay isn't the prettiest of chats but it has a long history and is part of an online gay news website, publishing information on love, travel, dating advice, and current events. You can expect to find about 50 gay chatters here at any given time. B-Gay has used a number of different chat software packages over the years and as of now they are using Rumble Talk which allows for webcam usage even though the interfase seems very basic.
GayChatZone is a chat site merged with a personals site. Membership is free but required to access any part of the site. Once you join you can enter the chat site which has about 50 chatters connected at most times. Each chatter's profile is easily accessible making it feel much like a close community of chatters than a random group of anonymous men.
Buzz 50 is a social hub for chatters over 50 years old. The traditional chat room which uses FlyZoo software is sparely populated and requires registration. But everyone who is logged into the site site can be messaged directly through the same software. There are typically 50-100 members online. Buzz 50 is run by Mike and Mila, the creators and members of the site. They are very welcoming and are part of the reason this community has grown over the years.
SeniorChatters is a senior chat community that requires you register before you can chat. While membership is free and allows you access to group chat, extra features such as the ability private message and enter various topical rooms come at a cost. Fortunately the price of a "premium" membership is relatively cheap. What is unfortunate is the choice of chat software they use which we would not give high marks.
Healthful Chat has an incredibly long list of therapy, health and mental health chat rooms and nearly all of them have active conversations going on. There are usually about 100 chatters in the Depression chat room, 50 in the Anxiety, Bipolar and Alcohol & Drug chat rooms. But there are many more niche rooms with smaller populations such as obesity chat, PTSD chat, lupus chat, and bereavement chat. This site can be a great resource for those in need of help with their health and someone to talk to.
Chat Hour and WeirdTown Chat are seperate websites that put you into the same chat room (ChatHour is the most updated). They have been around since 1999. The chat room is a straight forward text based chat that requires membership to enter. What is not apparent to guests visiting the website is that there are over 100 active chatters in several different rooms. ChatHour Members are allowed to upload pictures and private message each other. You can also download apps in the The App Store and Google Play to connect.
SpinChat is a social networking site that revolves around chat. You must register, confirm your email address and fill out your profile in order to enter the chat. This level of registration makes the bonds within the community that much stronger. When you login to the chat you are presented with a list of usernames, profile pictures and location of the chatters connected. The two most popular rooms at SpinChat are "30plus" and "International" which have about 50 people in each room.
xAT Chat is a unique chat site. xAT lets you earn credits which you can use to buy special "powers" / (abilities) as well as avatars and other special features which you can trade with other users. Members can create their own rooms, interact on the forum and play online games with each other.
ChatBlink has a basic but pretty nice looking chat we have not seen anywhere else. You are show a list of users, their age, gender and location. You can then open up 1-1 chat conversations with any of them by clicking on their name.
Lycos, once dominated the online search market and ventured into many different areas including chat. The company diminished over the years but their chat site still exists. Lycos Chat has about 100 chatters logged in at any given time. You must register to chat but it only takes a few seconds. The chat room is pretty basic but is always monitored which keeps the room peaceful and the regulars coming back.
USAChatNow is a custom built chat platform that has a lot of personality. You do not have to be a member to chat nor do you need to pay anything. However... VIP members get some pretty neat abilities such as the ability to upload picture and youtube videos to the chat, use any image for your avatar, have a custom made name plate that sparkles, blinks or moves in some other way. You also get a VIP tag next to your name in the user list.
ICQ-Chat offers easy online access to the ICQ chat rooms, found on IRC. Yes you could download the ICQ Software to gain access to the chat rooms but the desktop application is geared towards instant messaging friends rather than chat rooms. We actually found it quite difficult to get in the chat rooms from the app. So... ICQ-Chat.com makes the list as the best way to reach ICQ channels like #chat, #Students, #20_Something, #30_Something, #40_Something and more.
Chatzy allows anyone to create a chat room of their own. You can browse these rooms by searching their database of chats. Searching for virtually any term will bring up multiple Chatzy created rooms on that topic. From family friendly to X-rated, Chatzy has chat rooms for everyone about anything but popular ones can be hard to find.
Second Life is a massive virtual 3D world in which people can make characters modeled after themselves or pretend to be a totally different person. What makes Second Life unique is the ability to create and add new content to your environment, this content can be generated for free but some requires real life money to obtain. Second Life is only for adults and is more of a interactive world rather than your typical group-chat and for those reasons we can not rank it very high.
Christian Chat is pretty unique. It is just as much an audio chat as it is a text chat. When the webpage loads, an audio stream is broadcast to the room. The chat room and microphone are moderated / controlled by the host but everyone is free to type within the room. The website also has a forum which boasts thousands of members and hundreds of threads.
ChatBazaar recently changed over to a new chat software which is mobile friendly but no longer offers webcams. Most chatters are 40+ and there are typically about 75 chatters connected.
VPChat is a blast from the past! This site has hardly changed since the 90s, yet remains relatively popular. VPChat requires you to download its software to enter its virtual rooms which have user uploaded avatars and online games you can enter. There are generally 50 to 100 chatters present at all times.
ChattUSA is a 1 on 1 chat platform. When you login, you are given a list of chatters, their gender and the country they are from, most but not all are from the USA. You can message each person and start individual text conversations with them. There are typically about 200 chatters in the user list but we have questions about how many of them are bots. Often the second you message someone they will respond with a canned message asking you to contact them off site.
321 Chat offers webcam chat rooms on a wide variety topics. The chat offers many features and configurable user options which allow chatters to edit everything from overall look and feel of the room to who is allowed to private message you. 321 Chat is one of a limited number of chat sites which allows webcams to be viewed by the entire room which also work on mobile devices. 321Chat.com first opened in 2002, since that time the number of room topics has continued to grow. To date, there are 14 different room topics for various ages, races, religions and sexual orientations.
KidzWorld is a social network for kids. Because this site is explicitly for minors there are more precautions taken. Membership is required to chat and swearing, being "gross" and "rude" are not allowed.
ChitPit is a teen chat site that uses ChatWee software. The chat room is not your typical online chat room. Everyone who visits the website is automatically logged into to a room that functions much like Facebook messenger.
Chat Family is a chat site that goes back to 1997. At its peek you could find hundreds of chatters here looking to have family friendly conversations. Today there are far fewer people frequenting this online community which includes rooms for teens as well as adults.
Originally this was the webs "Top 50 Chat Sites" but some chats closed down and we did not want to add horrible or empty chat sites just to get the count back up to 50. If you are wondering what happened to a chat site that you used to go to you should check the chat graveyard for chat sites that died.
Follow us for 321Chat status updates.
