Apps like Tandem: how to choose when you want friends, not only practice partners
Tandem pairs you with a partner and reviews each sign-up. If that shape does not suit you, here is how to compare other apps fairly.
Esta noche voy a ver una serie coreana con mi madre. ¿Tú qué estás viendo últimamente?
Tonight I'm watching a Korean series with my mum. What have you been watching lately?
TranslationI just finished a baking show. Is there a Korean series you'd recommend for a beginner?
Acabo de terminar un programa de repostería. ¿Hay alguna serie coreana que me recomiendes para empezar?
What Sofía sees
Typing ‘apps like tandem’ into a search bar usually means you have already met the idea: one partner, a review before you join, calls for speaking practice. Some people love that. Others discover they wanted something looser, with more people, or a different focus. This page is for the second group, and it begins by being fair to Tandem.
You will find who Tandem suits, why people keep looking, four checks to run on any alternative, and a plain description of inko, which is the app we make.
A note on who is writing. Nawever, the Seoul company that makes inko, wrote this page, so read the inko section with the usual caution. Tandem's details come from tandem.net, the App Store and Google Play as they appeared on November 3, 2026, and from nowhere else.
Tandem and inko compared
Two different shapes for a conversation, laid out in the same six rows.
| Topic | Tandem | inko |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Pairing with a partner, using text and voice messages and audio and video calls | Written chat with people abroad who like Korea, or with Koreans, translated in the thread |
| Joining | Each sign-up request is reviewed one by one | Install the iOS or Android app and create an account |
| Languages | More than 300, including 12 sign languages | Menus in 22 languages, with Korea at the centre of every chat |
| Help in the chat | Sentence corrections | Translation under the original, inside the same bubble |
| Group voice | Parties | Voice Party, with phone numbers kept private |
| Location and safety | We did not find this in the official pages we read | Friends map at area level; report and block; scams and impersonators banned permanently once confirmed |
The Tandem column follows tandem.net, the App Store and Google Play as read on November 3, 2026. Details can change, so confirm anything important on Tandem's own pages.
Who Tandem suits
Tandem has a clear idea of what language exchange is: two people, each helping the other. Its official pages list more than 300 languages, including 12 sign languages, say each sign-up request is reviewed one at a time, and describe text and voice messages, audio and video calls, corrections and Parties for group voice. The app launched in Berlin in 2015.
That mix suits people who want to speak rather than only type, and who like knowing that newcomers were checked first.
- You want to build a routine around one regular partner
- You would rather talk than text most of the time
- A review before people join helps you feel at ease
- Your language may be one of the rarer ones, and a long list helps
What the English suggestions show
On November 3, 2026, Google's English suggestions for ‘language exchange app’ included ‘tandem’, ‘like hellotalk’, ‘korean’ and ‘for dating’. For ‘apps like hellotalk’, one ending was ‘and tandem’. People see the two apps as a pair, and many are ready to weigh a third option.
If your evening is the middle of the night in Seoul, live calls can be awkward to schedule. Manila is one hour behind Seoul, but from North America the gap is wide enough that written chat with translation can be the easier habit to keep. That is one reason some people look beyond call-centred apps.
Why people look beyond Tandem
Tandem's strengths, one partner and a review step, can also be reasons to look elsewhere. A review before joining is a deliberate choice, and it is a step some people would rather skip before they can start talking. Pairing with a single partner also puts a lot of weight on that person's schedule and interests.
Others simply want the opposite emphasis: written chat first, calls optional, and a topic they already share. None of this makes Tandem a poor choice. It only means the right match depends on how you like to talk.
Related suggestions from Google in English, November 3, 2026
- apps like hellotalk and tandem
- language exchange app tandem
- tandem app language
- tandem app review
- tandem application
- tandem app reddit
- hellotalk vs tandem
- language exchange app like hellotalk
What to check in an app like Tandem
These four questions work for any alternative.
How you start talking
Some apps ask you to apply first; others let you straight in. Decide which suits you, remembering that a gate can add reassurance and also adds a step.
Where the conversation happens
Think about whether you prefer writing, voice messages or calls, and whether translation is built into the chat itself.
Time zones and rhythm
If your friend is asleep when you write, a visible local time turns silence into something ordinary.
Rules you can read
Check how the app handles reports, blocks and scam or impersonation accounts, and whether its guidelines say what the public feed is for.
A chat-first alternative, and its limits
inko is a chat app from Nawever in Seoul. It brings together people abroad who love Korea and Koreans who want to make friends overseas. Most conversations begin as written chat with translation under the original, so nobody needs a perfect command of Korean to join in.
Here is what is live now, measured against the four checks.
最近、英語の勉強を始めました。簡単な自己紹介を聞いてもらえますか？
I recently started studying English. Could you listen to a short self-introduction?
TranslationOf course! Write it here and I'll read it.
もちろんです！ここに書いてください、読みますね。
What Yuki seesはじめまして、ユキです。福岡に住んでいて、韓国のカフェが大好きです。
Nice to meet you, I'm Yuki. I live in Fukuoka and I love Korean cafés.
Translation
- Chat first, translation in the bubble Choose Translate on a message you received and its translation appears under the original, in the same bubble. Nothing has to leave the chat.
- A visible local time The other person's local time sits above the conversation, so you can tell at a glance whether silence means sleep.
- Report, block, permanent bans Messages, profiles and posts can be reported and people can be blocked. Scam and impersonation accounts are banned permanently once confirmed, and the friends map shows only an area.
- Voice Party for group voice When you want voices, Voice Party is a room where several people talk together, and phone numbers stay private.
Who should look elsewhere
If you want to choose from hundreds of languages, Tandem and HelloTalk both list far more than inko does. If you want lessons, structured study or detailed corrections as a course, inko is not that. And if you would like to use an app on a PC or in a browser, inko only exists for iOS and Android.
Start with a hello
Download inko from the App Store or Google Play and say hello to someone who loves Korea, or to a Korean who wants to meet you.
How to decide
Stay with Tandem
If you like pairing with a regular partner, enjoy speaking practice by voice or video, and value the review before people join.
Try inko
If you would rather begin with written chat, want translation in the thread, and your interest is Korea more than a study plan.
Look at HelloTalk
If you want a feed, voice rooms and learning tools in one place, HelloTalk is the other well-known option.
Questions about switching
What are good apps like Tandem?
HelloTalk is the app people most often compare it with: a larger community with a Moments feed, voice rooms and learning tools. inko is a narrower, Korea-focused option built around friendship.
Does Tandem review every sign-up?
Its official pages say it reviews each application one by one before people join. Check Tandem's own pages for the current process.
How many languages does Tandem support?
Tandem's pages list more than 300 languages, including 12 sign languages. inko's menus come in 22 languages, and its focus is conversation with Korea rather than a long list of languages.
Is inko built around written chat?
Yes. inko is built around written chat with translation. Voice Party exists for group voice, and you never exchange phone numbers to use it.
Is inko a dating app?
No. It is for friendship and cultural exchange, and its community guidelines prohibit looking for romantic or dating partners in the public feed.
Does inko have a web or PC version?
Not yet. inko is available only as an iOS and Android app.
Sources
- HelloTalk official blog
- HelloTalk on the App Store
- Tandem on Google Play
- Tandem on the App Store
- inko community guidelines
HelloTalk and Tandem are trademarks of their respective owners. Nawever and inko are not affiliated with either company. The comparisons on this page rest on public information as of November 3, 2026, and the illustrations are examples made by inko.