The digital era has allowed us to use different websites and social media networks to overcome our anxiety, meet new people, and socialize. Even in 2019, many people still like visiting chat rooms or making a second Facebook or Instagram account to socialize. Chatstep seemed like a suitable chatroom-like website for socializing, making friends or even dating. However, it came with drawbacks which made it less attractive to a broader userbase. That said, we’ve selected 10 Chatstep alternatives and similar websites for you to check out.
What is Chatstep?
Chatstep is an online platform that allows people to connect and exchange their interests. Online chatrooms were at their peak a couple of years ago, when social media networks didn’t have as considerable influence as they do now. Chatstep was way ahead of its competition, providing reliable and large chatrooms where different users could register and get to know each other.
The service is, even now, still widely used across the USA, India, and other countries. Users can create their chatrooms where other users sharing similar interests could join, join large chatrooms, and join private chatrooms.
While the platform is still growing with popularity, many people were turned away due to alleged pedophilia and inappropriate material sharing accusations due to several security vulnerabilities this website has. Chatstep has since enhanced its algorithm, added and improved its encryptions, making this website safer for others to use
It’s worth noting that Chatstep takes strict measures against breaking its usage policy, banning abusive and inappropriate members permanently. Chatstep’s rooms are protected and targeted towards different age, ethnic, and interest groups, so that children can’t join adult chat groups and vice-versa.
Now, Chatstep is no longer in existence and unavailable for new registrations. That said, users who used this platform to get to know new people, discuss things, or collaborate on their work projects will have to turn towards other alternatives, that we listed below.
Most of these apps focus on collaboration between different chat members, mainly used by web development teams and project management staff. All these apps are equipped with the most useful features to enable easy file-sharing, conference calls, and reliable, encrypted text messages. Let’s dive in!
10 Chatstep Alternatives
Riot.im
Riot.im revolves around fun and secure, so its users can enjoy messaging, meeting, and getting to know new people online. It’s an open-sourced chatting platform available on the web, but also Android and iOS devices.
It boasts both public and private chatrooms, and aside as a platform intended mainly for people to meet each other, Riot.im can be used as some live forum where users can make suggestions and ask questions. There are several features that this chatroom environment offers like public and private messaging, file-sharing, voice and video conferences which work as beta features on Android and web.
If you’re a developer or work with computer science, Riot.im offers GitHub integration which allows users to discuss their projects or negotiate a new job with a client online.
Pros
- Available on iOS and Android.
- It also works as a team-building app so team members can use it for conferencing and working.
- Offers a plethora of features
- Secure
Cons
- Files sometimes don’t upload in a correct size.
- Searching chatroom text is slow
- Copy-pasted text is pasted twice at times.
Link: https://about.riot.im/
Jami
Jami is two-in-one, a Chatstep alternative, as well as a free Skype alternative. This open-sourced cross-platform allows users to socialize and join different chatrooms to get to know other people and collaborate. It can be used as a telephone-like app, chatting app, media-sharing tool, and much more.
If you’re a developer working on IoT-like programs, Jami is a great platform for sharing projects and collaborating. You can easily share your account between other apps and devices. Moreover, it’s decentralized and not tracked. If you’re not a professional, that’s also okay, Jami offers reliable messaging boxes, public and private chatrooms, video and voice calls and much more.
Pros
- Open-sourced and cross-platform
- Various functionalities and features
- Decentralized
Cons
- Searching old conversations is kind of slower.
- File sharing doesn’t always work.
Link: https://jami.net/
ChatSecure
When it comes to using free chatting platforms that are decentralized and offer the highest level of security and privacy, ChatSecure prevails. This highly secure and free app allows users to talk to each other in private chatrooms and join existing-ones. This application boasts OTR encryption over XMPP. Registration is relatively easy, especially now that Google accounts are also offered for registration.
The XMPP servers that host this web-based app also include Tor browser and offer functionalities to connect to other servers. One of the best perks of this app is because it allows users to communicate in high-secrecy, which is more than valued now in the digital age.
Pros
- It’s equipped with security and privacy-related protocols to keep users safe.
- High-end encryption
- You can create private, secure rooms
Cons
- Lack of broader functionalities
- The app is available only for iOS.
Link: https://chatsecure.org/
Tox
Tox is another alternative to Chatstep and Skype’s buggy environment targeted towards safety and security. The conversations are encrypted, as it works as a decentralized P2P software. It is available on all operating systems including Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and others. It’s open-sourced, which means it’s free and its source code is entirely available.
There are various features to explore on Tox. You can create private and group chatrooms and conversate in complete privacy. Additionally, Tox provides filesharing feature, audio-recording, as well as voice and video calls. The call and video quality are good, and there is no lagging. However, because they are in alpha phase of development, mobile apps for Android and iOS tend to freeze and crash. That could be the only flaw to this otherwise reliable and secure application.
Pros
- Open-sourced app
- Available on multiple operating systems
- Easy to use
- Multiple functionalities
Cons
- The mobile versions of the app aren’t completely stable.
Link: https://tox.chat
OMGChat
As opposed to the other websites on the list OMGChat caters more to entertainment and the sole purpose of people meeting each other online. It has a community of over three million users, and there are thousands of people online at all times. People can meet new people, create private chatrooms, and join larger public chatrooms targeted towards different interests.
Before you join this community, do keep in mind that the access is restricted to adults, because of possible 18+ content. You can make video calls, voice calls, share media, and chat. It’s perfect for people who are looking for occasional entertainment and someone to talk to.
Pros
- Easily accessible
- Multiple options
- Doesn’t require registration
Cons
- You need to be 18+ to visit the website because of potentially inappropriate content.
Link: https://www.omgchat.com/
Tinychat
Tinychat is a place where people around the world can connect and exchange different views and words. It’s a great replacement for Chatstep because of a simple and intuitive UI and availability of various features that make the conversation easier.
Using Tinychat users can join and create different public or private chatrooms. There are various filtering options. For example, when you enter the website, you’ll be welcomed by promoted chatrooms, which are the areas creators paid and promoted to gather more users. Under that, all public chatrooms will be present. People can make chatrooms to collaborate at work, talk about work in general, their country, exchange health advises, and even search for significant other.
The website allows users to exchange media, make video and voice calls, and meet new people. For those who aren’t comfortable with using web version, Tinychat also comes in Android and iOS options so users can also download those two apps to communicate.
Pros
- You can quickly start a chat.
- Popular chatrooms are promoted
- You can talk about absolutely anything
Cons
- The registration process is too complicated.
- It can be laggy.
- Near-you filtering doesn’t work correctly.
Link: https://tinychat.com/
ChatBazaar
ChatBaazar kind of works similarly to dating apps like Badoo and Tinder. This free-to-use service that caters mostly to users from USA and UK allows people to find their soulmate and start dating. It’s extremely easy to register. When you visit the front page, you can immediately select your age, location, username, and begin chatting.
After creating a profile, you can begin searching for new people to meet, similarly like on Tinder. The app uses chatrooms to keep conversation going and if the two click, they can arrange to meet. If the website doesn’t work, it comes with several alternatives that allow you to create rooms and chat in private. The website is reliable, secure and will stop any attempt of inappropriate or violent behavior.
It also has a similar voice, and video chatting system like Chatstep has, except that it is targeted mostly towards making new relationships and dating life.
Pros
- Easy to register and start a conversation
- Reliable notifications
- Secure and safe to use, you can block inappropriate users.
- Conversations can, at times be laggy.
- While mobile chat is available, there are no apps for Android or iOS.
Link: https://www.chatbazaar.com
ChatCrypt
As its name suggests, ChatCrypt provides end-to-end encryption for its users as they exchange conversations on the website. When you enter the website, you’ll be greeted with dark, terminal-like UI with description of how the website works. When you press “Enter Chatroom” you’ll be able to use the system.
ChatCrypt’s priority is to enable protection and encryption for its users that may be exchanging sensitive messages, files and attempting to make voice and video calls. You can create private or grouped chatrooms that are protected with a strong password. Another perk of this website is that it doesn’t store the messages between people who chat on its server’s database. Instead, it encrypts the messages before they get deleted.
Pros
- Easy and simple to use
- High-end protection standards
- The sensitive data isn’t stored in the server
Cons
- Lackluster UI, making it look unattractive.
- Far less features compared to other chatroom sites.
Link: https://www.chatcrypt.com/#chat
MeetMe
MeetMe is a new chatting-oriented website that allows users to make new chatting rooms, join other ones, or make secret chatrooms just for two. It works similarly to Chatstep except that it is more innovative, like Chat Bazaar. Users can exchange emojis, stickers, customize their conversation, and make voice and video calls.
It’s ideal for meeting new people, although it’s particularly aimed for people with a romantic interest. When you visit the website, there’s an easy to fill form to register. Additionally, it supports other languages like English, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian. It is also available on Android and iOS. If you want to get to know more about the app, you can visit MeetMe’s social media pages like Facebook and Instagram.
Pros
- A modern app for every generation.
- Android and iOS version are available
- Easy registration
- You can send emojis and stickers.
Cons
- It may not be available everywhere.
- Limited search feature
- Not all profile details are available.
Link: https://beta.meetme.com/#home
Wireclub Chat
The last in our list of Chatstep alternative is Wireclub that offers a great range of different topics and chatrooms for people with different interests and will to socialize. There are a lot of options people have once they register to the website. They can create their chatrooms, whether they are private or public, as well as participate in a great range of other chatrooms featured in the profile. Whether you want to meet new people, talk about philosophy, music, politics, Wireclub is the right place for you. It also has a large community and forums to help you get started or address any problem that may arise.
Pros
- Large selection of chatrooms.
- Forum for help at disposal.
- Multiple locations supported.
- Easy to start a chat.
Cons
- Kind of annoying user interface
- Searching through messages can get buggy.
Link: https://www.wireclub.com/
Conclusion
We hope that one or more these chatroom websites can help you replace Chatstep if you used it previously. It’s worth mentioning that it’s important to take good care of your security and privacy online and to make sure you don’t expose children to contents of chatrooms that are age-restricted. Have you used any of these chatrooms before? Which one has best worked for you?
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