Omegle shut down in 2023. Ome.TV is popular but app-first and ad-supported. hiwap3 is a free, browser-based alternative with interest and gender matching, voice mode and no sign-up.
The short history
Omegle popularised one-on-one random chat but shut down in November 2023. Since then, sites like Ome.TV, Uhmegle and Emerald Chat have filled the gap — each with a different trade-off.
Ome.TV
Ome.TV is one of the biggest random video chat services, launched around 2015. It works on the web but pushes its iOS and Android apps, is ad-supported, and uses automated moderation that can issue fast, sometimes unexplained bans. It offers country and gender filters. If you want the full comparison, see our Ome.TV alternative page.
Omegle (discontinued)
Omegle was text-and-video, anonymous, and interest-tag based — but it had no gender preference, limited moderation, and ultimately closed over safety and legal pressure. Any site using the Omegle name today is a clone, not the original.
hiwap3
hiwap3 keeps the familiar one-on-one format and runs entirely in the browser — no app, no account. It adds free interest matching and gender preference, a voice-only mode, reactions and auto-moderation, and streams peer-to-peer so nothing is recorded. It is available in six languages.
Which should you pick?
If you want an app and don't mind ads, Ome.TV works. If you want the classic Omegle feel without installing anything and with more control over who you meet, try hiwap3 — or browse all the alternatives side by side.