--- title: "Penpal app: find a penpal who writes like you · Kindredly" description: "Kindredly is a free, anonymous penpal app. Write one letter; it lands first with strangers who write like you. No profiles, no photos." url: https://kindredly.io/penpal language: en updated: 2026-10-09 --- # A penpal app that finds people who write like you Kindredly is an anonymous penpal app that matches strangers by how they write. Instead of searching profiles, you write one letter; it lands first with strangers whose writing runs like yours, and whoever writes back becomes your penpal. It's free, on iPhone and the web, in ten languages. - free, on iPhone and the web - no profiles, no photos, no swiping - matched by how you write, not by interests or location - anonymous until you both choose to swap names - ten languages, with a translate key on your desk ## what a penpal is, here. A penpal is someone you get to know through letters. On Kindredly that's all you get: not their face, their age or their city — just what they write and the way they write it. You trade letters one at a time, as slowly or as quickly as the two of you like. More on the idea, and where it came from: [what is a penpal?](https://kindredly.io/guides/what-is-a-penpal) ## why match by writing? Most penpal sites match you on a list: interests, age, country. A list is easy to fill in and says very little about whether you'll enjoy each other's letters. The way someone writes says more: long sentences or short, questions or statements, whether they trail off or land a thought. That's what Kindredly matches on, so the letters on your desk come from people who write a bit like you. ## how to find a penpal on kindredly. ## a penpal in another language. You can write in English, 中文, Español, Português, Bahasa Indonesia, Français, Deutsch, Italiano, 日本語 or 한국어. A letter on your desk in a language you don't read comes with a translate key, so your penpal doesn't have to share yours — which also makes it a gentle way to practise one. ## how it compares. Slowly matches people on shared interests and languages, and a letter takes a few hours to a few days to arrive, depending on how far apart you live. InterPals, running since 1998, is a free, ad-funded site where you search member profiles by country, city, age and language. Kindredly has no profiles to search: the match is the writing. Side by side, with sources: [Kindredly vs Slowly](https://kindredly.io/vs/slowly) · [Kindredly vs InterPals](https://kindredly.io/vs/interpals). ## safe by design. You're a number until you both choose otherwise, there are no photos before names, and letters pass a safety check on their way to strangers' desks. Report or block anyone in a tap. Kindredly is for adults, 18 and over. [How we keep it safe](https://kindredly.io/safety). ## questions people ask. ### is there a free penpal app? Yes — Kindredly is free on iPhone and on the web: fifteen strangers' letters on your desk a day, five new letters of your own a day, and no limit on the letters inside a correspondence. First Class is an optional paid fare. ### how do I find a penpal online safely? Use somewhere that keeps you anonymous. On Kindredly you're a number, not a name; there are no photos until you both trade names; letters are checked on their way to strangers' desks; and you can report or block anyone. See [safety](https://kindredly.io/safety). ### can I choose a penpal from a particular country? No. Kindredly doesn't match by location, so you don't pick a country — your penpal is whoever writes most like you, wherever they are. ### do I have to use my real name? No. You're a number, like No. 4207. From the fifth letter each way you can enclose a name, and it's shared only when you both have. ### is there a penpal app for iPhone? Yes, Kindredly is on the App Store, and the same account works on the web if you sign in with Google or email. On Android, use it in your browser. ### what should I write in my first letter? Something true and a question. A line about your week, then something you'd like a stranger to answer. There are twelve openers in [your first letter to a penpal](https://kindredly.io/guides/first-letter-to-a-penpal). ## keep reading. - [how to find a penpal](https://kindredly.io/guides/how-to-find-a-penpal) — in 2026, one who writes back. - [kindredly vs Slowly](https://kindredly.io/vs/slowly) — interests and distance, or how you write. - [66 questions to ask a penpal](https://kindredly.io/guides/questions-to-ask-a-penpal) — that actually get a letter back. - [how it works](https://kindredly.io/how-it-works) — every step, and what's free. --- Kindredly is an anonymous penpal app that matches strangers by how they write. Kindredly · https://kindredly.io/