Instead of Emerald Chat, try one of these 12.
Every alternative is lined up against Emerald Chat on what people actually switch for: price, open source, self-hosting, offline use and platforms. Emerald Chat sits in the first row, so you can see what you give up.
Alternative
Price
Open source
Self-host
Offline
Platforms
Likes
Emerald ChatWhat you have now
Random chat with interest matching and moderation.
PriceFreemium
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web
Random video chat that pairs strangers worldwide.
PriceFreemium
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web · iOS · Android
LikesVisit ↗
Monkey#2
Short random video calls popular with younger users.
PriceFree
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web · iOS · Android
LikesVisit ↗
Thundr#3
Random video chat with a large, always-on user base.
PriceFreemium
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web
LikesVisit ↗
OmeTV#4
Random webcam chat with country filters.
PriceFree
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web · iOS · Android
LikesVisit ↗
CamSurf#5
Instant random video chat with no sign-up.
PriceFree
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web · iOS · Android
LikesVisit ↗
Random chat with rooms, filters and mobile apps.
PriceFreemium
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web · iOS · Android
LikesVisit ↗
Azar#7
Mobile video chat with translation and swiping.
PriceFreemium
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
iOS · Android
LikesVisit ↗
Bazoocam#8
Simple random video chat, popular in France.
PriceFree
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web
LikesVisit ↗
CooMeet#9
Premium random video chat with verified profiles.
PricePaid
from $0.99/min
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web · iOS · Android
LikesVisit ↗
WeChat#10
All-in-one messenger with calls, social feed and payments
PriceFreemium
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux · Android · iOS
LikesVisit ↗
ThXChat#11
Text-first stranger matching with previews and live translation
PriceFreemium
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web
LikesVisit ↗
Gydoo#12
Anonymous gay chat with text, pictures and live video
PriceFree
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineNo
Platforms
Web
LikesVisit ↗
How to read this. “Yes” means fully supported by the maker. “Partial” means it works with caveats. Likes reflect community popularity; vendors can’t pay for them or for placement. How we compare.
Emerald Chat alternatives at a glance
Emerald Chat is a freemium random video chat app. We compared 12 alternatives: 0 are open source, 5 are completely free, 0 can be self-hosted and 1 works fully offline. The most popular is Chatroulette, with 1.1k likes.
Best for offline useWeChat
All-in-one messenger with calls, social feed and payments
Freemium · Works offline