InterPals Alternatives in 2026: 6 Pen Pal Sites Compared
By Liebeastra
If you want an InterPals alternative, pick by what you're missing. Slowly is the best pick for slow, long letters. Postcrossing if you want real postcards. HelloTalk or Tandem if you want language tools inside the chat. Global Penfriends if you want an old-school penpal club with postal mail. penfolk if you want pen pals matched on shared interests and languages.
I build penfolk, so I'm biased toward one of these. Facts about the others come from their own websites or US App Store listings, checked in November 2026.
What InterPals does well
Credit first. InterPals has been running since 1998 and says it has 8.5 million users in 180+ countries. The basics are free: you can make a profile and message people without paying. You can search by country, language or interests, and it has a language exchange section. For finding someone from a specific country, it's hard to beat.
So why look elsewhere? Usually because you want something InterPals isn't built around.
Why people look for an InterPals alternative
You want slower, longer letters. InterPals is a messaging site. If you want the pace of real letters, an app built around that will feel different.
You want paper. InterPals is online. If what you miss is a letter in your mailbox, you need a postal community.
You want language tools in the chat. InterPals helps you find language partners, but translation and corrections inside the conversation are the main thing in language exchange apps.
You want to know what you'd talk about. In a big pool, many first messages are generic. Some people want profiles that show more of a person before anyone writes.
InterPals alternatives compared
| Alternative | What's different from InterPals | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Slowly | Letters arrive hours to days later depending on distance, avatars instead of photos | Free letters, optional Slowly Plus |
| Postcrossing | Real postcards to random members, more than 800,000 members in 207 countries | Free to join, you pay postage |
| HelloTalk | Translation and corrections in the chat, a public feed, 70M+ learners by its own count | Free, VIP $12.99/month or $79.99/year |
| Tandem | 1-to-1 chat and calls, every application reviewed first | Free, Tandem Pro (12 months listed at $69.99) |
| Global Penfriends | Penpal club since the 1990s, online first and postal letters if you both want | Free to start |
| penfolk | Profiles that show someone's music and languages, matched on what you share | Free, optional $2.99/month supporter tier |
Slowly
The closest thing to a letter on your phone. Your letter takes a few hours to a few days to arrive, depending on how far away your pen pal lives. No photos, and you collect stamps as you go. Sending letters is free. If you liked InterPals for long messages, Slowly makes the long message the whole point. See also apps like Slowly.
Postcrossing
You send a postcard to a random member and get one back from someone else. It's one card per person by design, so it's less about a long friendship and more about real mail turning up. Plenty of people still end up writing to someone they met this way.
HelloTalk
If you used InterPals for language exchange, HelloTalk gives you more tools: translation, corrections and transliteration inside the chat, plus Moments, a feed where native speakers answer your posts. It's faster and busier than InterPals.
Tandem
Tandem is about 1-to-1 conversation, including audio and video calls. It reviews every application before you can use the app. That means a wait, but also a more screened community. I compared the two big ones in HelloTalk vs Tandem.
Global Penfriends
A penpal club that has been going for 30+ years by its own account. You write online first, and many members later swap letters, postcards and mail art by post. Sharing your address stays optional.
penfolk
Mine. penfolk tries to fix the "what do I even say" problem. Profiles show the languages someone speaks and learns, their music from Spotify or Last.fm, their Top 3 albums, films or books, and their travel plans. The Partners view ranks people by matching languages and shared interests. If you add a trip, you see members heading to the same place on overlapping dates.
The feed is chronological by default and there's no pressure to reply fast. You can send voice notes, and translate or correct a message inline.
Where InterPals wins: it's far bigger, so for a rare country or language it's the better bet. penfolk has no video calls, free accounts can start 10 new conversations a day, and there's an optional $2.99/month supporter tier.
Which InterPals alternative should you pick?
- Long letters at a slow pace: Slowly.
- Real mail in your letterbox: Postcrossing or Global Penfriends.
- Language practice with tools in the chat: HelloTalk or Tandem.
- Pen pals who share your interests: try penfolk.
Lots of people keep InterPals and add one of these next to it. For the full picture, see the best pen pal apps of 2026 or how to find a pen pal.
FAQ
Is InterPals still free?
Yes. InterPals says creating a profile, searching for pen pals and messaging are free, and have been since 1998.
What is the best app like InterPals?
For pen pal letters, Slowly. For language exchange, HelloTalk or Tandem. For pen pals matched on shared interests, penfolk.
Is there an InterPals alternative for snail mail?
Postcrossing and Global Penfriends both have postal mail as part of the culture. Postcrossing is postcards with random members, Global Penfriends lets you move from online messages to letters.
Which InterPals alternative is best for language exchange?
HelloTalk and Tandem have translation and corrections inside the chat. penfolk matches on languages and interests and supports translation and inline corrections too.