---
title: "Slowly alternative: Kindredly vs Slowly, side by side (2026)"
description: "Kindredly vs Slowly (October 2026): how each finds you a penpal, how long letters take, what's free, age limits, and when Slowly is the better pick."
url: https://kindredly.io/vs/slowly
language: en
updated: 2026-10-09
---

# Kindredly vs Slowly

Slowly and Kindredly are both apps for trading letters with strangers, but they find your penpal in different ways. Slowly matches people on shared interests and languages, shows each person as a profile card with a nickname and an approximate location, and a letter takes a few hours to a few days to arrive, depending on how far apart you live. Kindredly is an anonymous penpal app that matches strangers by how they write. There's no profile: your letter lands first on the desks of strangers whose writing runs closest to yours. Both are free to start. Everything below is as of October 2026.

## side by side.

What each one does, row by row, as of October 2026. Every row about Slowly links to where it comes from.

|  | Kindredly | Slowly |
| --- | --- | --- |
| how you're matched | By how you write: how long your sentences run, where you pause, whether you ask questions, how you end a thought. Not by photos, profiles or location. | By shared interests and shared languages. You and every new match share at least one language from your profiles. [source ↗](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/115001740772-What-is-Slowly) |
| how you find someone | You write a letter to nobody in particular. It lands first with strangers who write like you, and when one of them writes back, you have a penpal. | Four ways: Open Letters, browsing profiles (with optional filters such as location, topics or language), Auto-match once a day, and adding someone you know by their Slowly ID. [source ↗](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/115001829051-How-do-I-match-a-new-friend-on-Slowly) |
| what a stranger sees of you | A number, like No. 4207, and your letters. There's no profile. | A profile card with your nickname, location (shifted within 30 km), language preference and zodiac sign. No photos or real names. [source ↗](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/360022612032-How-do-you-use-Profiles-to-match-a-pen-pal) |
| names and photos | After five letters each way, either of you can offer your name. Names are swapped only when both of you choose to, and there are no photos before that. | Photos can go in letters once your friend accepts a photo-sharing request: 10 every 12 hours on the free plan, 100 with Plus. Audio notes work the same way. [source ↗](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/360012976072-How-to-share-photos-with-my-friends) |
| how long a letter takes | Not tied to distance. Kindredly doesn't match by location. | It depends on the distance between you: a few hours to a few days. Each profile shows an estimated delivery time, and you can't speed a letter up or slow it down. [source ↗](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/slowly-make-global-friends/id1199811908) |
| free plan | Fifteen strangers' letters on your desk a day, five new letters of your own a day, your courier, and every correspondence, with no limit on the letters inside it. No ads. | Unlimited letters. Up to 12 new friends a day and 100 active friends at once, one Auto-match a day, one Open Letter published at a time. [source ↗](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/49704673618457-Is-Slowly-free-to-use) |
| paid plan | First Class (optional): no cap on new letters, rooms that never close, voice letters (recorded in the iPhone app) and the courier's full wardrobe. Prices are shown before purchase. | Slowly Plus (optional, monthly or yearly): 200 active friends, two Open Letters, editing a letter in transit, more photos, monthly bonus coins. The US App Store lists $7.99, $8.99 and $42.99. [source ↗](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/slowly-make-global-friends/id1199811908) |
| stamps | 36 mood stamps in six sets, such as confessions, late nights and missing. | Thousands: over 2,000 according to the App Store, over 3,000 according to Slowly's own site. Over a thousand are free; others are bought with coins (from 50 coins for $0.99 to 800 for $11.99 in the US). [source ↗](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/115001731171-What-are-Stamps-and-how-can-I-obtain-them) |
| something of your own | A courier: a small bird who hatches from your first words, carries your letters and gets hungry if you stop writing. | An avatar instead of a photo, a Drawing Tool for letters, Goodbye Letters, and a Sent:Received ratio on profiles (you can hide yours). [source ↗](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/slowly-make-global-friends/id1199811908) |
| platforms | An iPhone app and the web, one account if you sign in with Google or email. On Android, it works in your browser. | Apps for iOS (15.1 or later) and Android, plus a desktop-only web version that leaves out Open Letters, Auto-match and signing up. [source ↗](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/49704871645337-Which-friend-matching-features-are-available-on-Slowly-Web) |
| languages | You can write in ten. The web runs in all ten, the iPhone app in all but 中文, and a letter on your desk you can't read comes with a translate key. | Every new match shares at least one language with you. The US App Store lists the app in English; the app has an interface-language setting, and the website comes in 20 languages. [source ↗](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/49596379185177-Can-I-control-the-languages-of-letters-I-receive-from-new-matches) |
| age | 18+ only. | Rated 16+ on the US App Store. Slowly's Terms allow users from 12 with a parent's or guardian's agreement, and under-18s are matched with under-18s by default. [source ↗](https://web.archive.org/web/20261004225718/https://slowly.app/terms/) |
| safety tools | A safety check reads letters before they go out to strangers' desks. Report or block from any letter or room; when three different people report the same writer, that writer can't send letters any more. | A selfie check that may be required at sign-up, an approximate location, Excluded Topics and Excluded Regions, and a blue badge for ID-verified accounts (some countries, Plus only, for now). [source ↗](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/60740855437849-Why-is-selfie-verification-required-during-sign-up) |

Facts about Slowly were checked against its own site, help pages and store listings on 9 October 2026, and can change. Facts about Kindredly are checked against the product.

## how each one finds you a penpal.

Slowly gives you a lot of say in who you write to. Its help center says it matches people on shared interests and shared languages, and there are four ways in: publish an Open Letter, browse profiles, use Auto-match, or add someone you already know by their Slowly ID. When you browse, you can filter by location, topics or language. Auto-match works once a day: you set a language, an age range and how many people it should go to, write the letter, and Slowly offers you one to three potential pen pals to send it to.

Kindredly has one way in. You write a letter to nobody in particular, and it lands first on the desks of strangers who write the way you do. The match comes from the rhythm and shape of your writing: how long your sentences run, where you pause, whether you ask questions, how you end a thought. Photos, profiles and location don't come into it, and there's nothing to browse or filter. Fifteen strangers' letters land on your desk a day on the free plan.

So the trade-off is choice. On Slowly, you go looking for a particular kind of person, in a particular place. On Kindredly, the match decides whose letters you see, and you decide which one to answer.

## what a stranger sees of you.

Neither app is built around photos. Slowly's App Store listing says "no photos, no real names". You go by a nickname and an avatar, and your profile card shows that nickname, your location, your language preference and your zodiac sign. The location is approximate: Slowly shifts it randomly within 30 km of where you are and updates it once per login session, not in real time. Profiles also show a Sent:Received ratio, so people can see how often you reply, and since version 9.0 you can hide yours. Photos and audio notes can go in letters, but only after the other person accepts a request to share them.

Kindredly has no profile at all. A stranger sees a number, like No. 4207, and your letters. After five letters each way, either of you can offer your name, and names are swapped only when both of you choose to. There are no photos until you've traded names.

## how long a letter takes.

On Slowly, the wait is the idea. A letter takes from a few hours to a few days to arrive, depending on how far apart the two of you live, and each profile shows the distance and an estimated delivery time before you write. You can't make a letter faster or slower. You can't set your location by hand either, because Slowly bases delivery time on the real distance between you. If you'd like longer waits, Slowly's own advice is to write to people farther away. Letters can run up to 50,000 characters, and Plus subscribers can edit one while it's still on its way.

Kindredly doesn't match by location, so how far apart you live doesn't come into it. You trade letters one at a time, at whatever pace the two of you write.

## what's free, and what you pay for.

Both are free to use, and both have an optional paid plan.

A free Slowly account gives you unlimited letters and unlimited friends over time, with a few limits on pace: up to 12 new friends a day, 100 active friends at once, one Auto-match a day and one Open Letter published at a time. Slowly Plus comes monthly or yearly. It raises the friend cap to 200 and the Open Letters to two, lets you edit a letter in transit, raises the photo allowance and adds bonus coins every month. It doesn't raise the limit of 12 new friends a day. As of October 2026, the US App Store lists Plus at $7.99, $8.99 and $42.99, without saying which price is which plan. Coins are a separate currency for stamps, stamp gifts and avatar items. Packs run from 50 coins for $0.99 to 800 for $11.99, and you can also earn a coin by watching a video ad. The Google Play listing says the app contains ads, which come from networks such as Google AdMob and Unity Ads.

Kindredly has no ads. Its free plan gives you fifteen strangers' letters on your desk a day, five new letters of your own a day, your courier, and every correspondence, with no limit on the letters inside it. First Class, the optional paid fare, takes the cap off new letters, keeps your rooms from ever closing, adds voice letters (recorded in the iPhone app) and gives your courier her full wardrobe. Prices are shown before you pay.

## safety and age.

The clearest difference here is age. Kindredly is for adults only, 18 and over. Slowly is rated 16+ on the US App Store, and its Terms (last updated September 2024) allow users from 12 with a parent's or guardian's agreement. Slowly keeps users under 18 to a match range of 17 and under by default; if a younger user widens that range themselves, they can be matched with people up to 20. Its child safety policy also lists messaging restrictions between adults and minors.

Slowly may ask for a selfie check at sign-up, to keep out scams, fraud and automated accounts. A blue badge marks accounts verified with a government ID, which for now is only offered in some countries and to Plus users. Excluded Topics keeps people who list topics you choose out of your Profiles and Auto-match results (not Open Letters), and Excluded Regions removes people in places you choose from your matches and hides your profile from them.

On Kindredly, a safety check reads letters before they go out to strangers' desks. It stops threats, harassment, sexual content involving minors, and attempts to swap contact details, social handles or money. You can report or block from any letter or room, and when three different people report the same writer, that writer can't send letters any more.

## where you can use them, and in what language.

Slowly has apps for iPhone and iPad (iOS 15.1 or later) and for Android. Its web version at web.slowly.app is made for desktop computers and doesn't work on phones, and some things still need the mobile app, including Open Letters, Auto-match and creating an account.

Kindredly is an iPhone app and a website. Sign in with Google or email and it's the same account on both; Sign in with Apple is iPhone-only. There's no Android app, but on Android your letters, kindreds and courier all work in your browser.

On language, Slowly makes sure you and each new match share at least one language from your profiles, though a match can still write to you in another one. Its website comes in 20 languages; the US App Store lists the app in English, and the app has an interface-language setting, but no Slowly help page lists which languages it offers. On Kindredly you can write in ten languages: English, 中文, Español, Português, Bahasa Indonesia, Français, Deutsch, Italiano, 日本語 and 한국어. A letter on your desk in a language you don't read comes with a translate key. The website runs in all ten, and the iPhone app in all of them but 中文.

## what Slowly does well.

Slowly has been at this a long time. Its founder, Kevin Wong, released the first version on 1 February 2017, for iPhone only, as a part-time project. Android followed in May 2018 and the web version in September 2019. As of October 2026 it has more than 5 million downloads on Google Play, where it rates 4.5 stars from about 176,000 reviews, and it rates 4.7 from 11,000 ratings on the US App Store. It's an Editors' Choice on both.

Delivery by distance is its signature. A profile tells you how far away someone is and how long your letter will travel, and the wait is part of the experience. The stamps are a collection in their own right: over a thousand are free, some come from where you open the app (including when you travel), and others come with milestones. Letters can run to 50,000 characters, and reviewers say people there tend to write long, descriptive ones.

If you want to choose your pen pal by country, topic or language, Slowly has the filters to do it. Once you trust someone, you can also share photos, audio notes and drawings, each behind a request the other person accepts.

## what reviewers say about Slowly.

Reviews on both stores are mostly warm. People single out the long letters, the stamps, and safety controls such as photos that need both people's consent and an approximate location. One App Store reviewer said picture-based friendship apps made them anxious, and praised Slowly's avatars instead.

The complaints that come up are replies that take months, until a conversation fizzles (a risk with any letter-based app, Kindredly included); scammers, though another reviewer who mentions them credits Slowly's safeguards; the selfie check before an account is even created; moderation one reviewer found too strict; and a subscription screen another couldn't dismiss. Some happy reviewers ask for more room on the free plan, such as a higher pen-pal limit or more Open Letters to read a day.

## which one is for you?

Slowly is the better pick if you want a pen pal in a particular country or one who shares your interests, if the wait of distance-based delivery is part of the appeal, or if you love collecting stamps. It's also the one to choose if you're on Android and want a proper app, if you want to send photos, audio notes or drawings once you trust someone, or if you want a large community that has been around since 2017. If you're under 18, Kindredly isn't for you: it's for adults only, while Slowly accepts younger users with restricted matching.

Kindredly is the better pick if you'd rather be matched by how someone writes than by a list of interests, if you'd rather have no profile at all, or if you want to write to people who don't share your language, with a translate key on your desk. It also suits you if you want to use it in a phone's browser, since Slowly's web version is for desktops. It's on iPhone and the web, for adults, and free to start.

## you can try both.

Both are free to start, so there's no need to pick one forever. If you're curious what a stranger would read in your writing, the free [writing aura test](https://kindredly.io/aura) takes three short answers and tells you which of twelve writers you are. Or [just look](https://kindredly.io/look) at today's letters on Kindredly, no account needed.

## questions people ask.

### what's the difference between Slowly and kindredly?

How they find you a penpal. Slowly matches people on shared interests and languages, shows a profile card with a nickname and an approximate location, and delivers letters in a few hours to a few days depending on distance. Kindredly is an anonymous penpal app that matches strangers by how they write. There's no profile: a stranger sees a number and your letters, and names are swapped after five letters each way only if both people choose to.

### is Slowly free?

Yes. As of October 2026, a free Slowly account lets you send unlimited letters and add unlimited friends over time, up to 12 new friends a day and 100 active friends at once. Slowly Plus is an optional monthly or yearly upgrade. Coins for stamps and avatar items are sold separately, or earned, for example by watching an ad. Kindredly is free too, with no ads: fifteen strangers' letters on your desk a day, five new letters of your own, and no limit on the letters inside a correspondence.

### is there an app like Slowly with no profiles?

Yes, Kindredly. It has no profiles, no profile pictures and no swiping, and it matches strangers by how they write instead of by interests or location. You write a letter to nobody in particular, and it lands first with strangers whose writing runs like yours. It's on iPhone and the web, free to start, and for adults only.

### how long does a Slowly letter take to arrive?

From a few hours to a few days, depending on how far apart you and your pen pal live. Each profile shows the distance and an estimated delivery time, and you can't speed a letter up or slow it down. Slowly uses your real location for this, so you can't set it by hand.

### is kindredly on Android, like Slowly?

Not as an app. Kindredly is an iPhone app and a website, and on Android your letters, kindreds and courier all work in your browser at kindredly.io. Slowly has apps for iPhone and Android, plus a web version for desktop computers.

### how old do you have to be to use Slowly or kindredly?

Kindredly is 18+ only. Slowly is rated 16+ on the US App Store; its Terms allow users from 12 with a parent's or guardian's agreement, and under-18s are matched with other under-18s by default.

## keep reading.

- [Kindredly vs InterPals](https://kindredly.io/vs/interpals) — search profiles, or be matched by writing.
- [find a penpal](https://kindredly.io/penpal) — a penpal app that matches by writing.
- [how it works](https://kindredly.io/how-it-works) — every step, and what's free.
- [is it safe?](https://kindredly.io/safety) — anonymous by design, 18+ only.

## sources · checked 2026-10-09

- [kindredly.io/llms.txt](https://kindredly.io/llms.txt)
- [kindredly.io](https://kindredly.io/)
- [Slowly help center: What is Slowly](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/115001740772-What-is-Slowly)
- [Slowly help center: How do I match a new friend on Slowly](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/115001829051-How-do-I-match-a-new-friend-on-Slowly)
- [Slowly help center: How to match a pen pal through Auto match](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/115001829031-How-to-match-a-pen-pal-through-Auto-match)
- [Slowly help center: How do you use Profiles to match a pen pal](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/360022612032-How-do-you-use-Profiles-to-match-a-pen-pal)
- [Slowly help center: Can I control the languages of letters I receive from new matches](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/49596379185177-Can-I-control-the-languages-of-letters-I-receive-from-new-matches)
- [Slowly help center: How many new friends can I add per day](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/48935406762905-How-many-new-friends-can-I-add-per-day)
- [Slowly help center: Is there a limit on the friends I can add](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/49704376427801-Is-there-a-limit-on-the-friends-I-can-add)
- [Slowly help center: How does the Excluded Topics feature work](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/360015695551-How-does-the-Excluded-Topics-feature-work)
- [App Store listing: Slowly](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/slowly-make-global-friends/id1199811908)
- [slowly.app (archived)](https://web.archive.org/web/20261004225615/https://slowly.app/)
- [Slowly help center: When will my penpal receive my letter](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/115001835772-When-will-my-penpal-receive-my-letter)
- [Slowly help center: The delivery time is too short when I send letters to people in my country Can I extend it](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/48936550409881-The-delivery-time-is-too-short-when-I-send-letters-to-people-in-my-country-Can-I-extend-it)
- [Slowly help center: Can I manually change my location](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/48937198584857-Can-I-manually-change-my-location)
- [Slowly help center: Can I edit a letter after it’s sent](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/37637681604121-Can-I-edit-a-letter-after-it-s-sent)
- [Slowly help center: What is the maximum character limit per letter](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/60712358873753-What-is-the-maximum-character-limit-per-letter)
- [Slowly help center: How to share photos with my friends](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/360012976072-How-to-share-photos-with-my-friends)
- [Slowly help center: How do I share Audio Notes with my friend](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/360046785592-How-do-I-share-Audio-Notes-with-my-friend)
- [Slowly help center: Can other users get my current location on Slowly](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/115001829551-Can-other-users-get-my-current-location-on-Slowly)
- [Slowly help center: What are Stamps and how can I obtain them](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/115001731171-What-are-Stamps-and-how-can-I-obtain-them)
- [Slowly help center: What is Sent Received Ratio](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/360015168832-What-is-Sent-Received-Ratio)
- [Slowly help center: Can I publish more Open Letters](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/48901983416857-Can-I-publish-more-Open-Letters)
- [Slowly help center: Is Slowly free to use](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/49704673618457-Is-Slowly-free-to-use)
- [Slowly help center: Can I pay for Slowly Plus monthly instead of yearly](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/60712922723993-Can-I-pay-for-Slowly-Plus-monthly-instead-of-yearly)
- [Slowly help center: Does Slowly Plus increase the daily matching limit](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/60726768190489-Does-Slowly-Plus-increase-the-daily-matching-limit)
- [Slowly help center: I am a Plus member when will I receive my monthly bonus coins](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/49595523973529-I-am-a-Plus-member-when-will-I-receive-my-monthly-bonus-coins)
- [Slowly help center: How can I earn free coins](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/48937447948057-How-can-I-earn-free-coins)
- [Google Play listing: Slowly](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.slowlyapp&hl=en_US&gl=US)
- [Slowly help center: How can I report an inappropriate advertisement](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/60741362104857-How-can-I-report-an-inappropriate-advertisement)
- [Slowly help center: Can I use Slowly on a desktop computer](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/360013311051-Can-I-use-Slowly-on-a-desktop-computer)
- [Slowly help center: Which friend matching features are available on Slowly Web](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/49704871645337-Which-friend-matching-features-are-available-on-Slowly-Web)
- [Slowly help center: How can I update the app interface language](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/60740044409881-How-can-I-update-the-app-interface-language)
- [slowly.app/terms/ (archived)](https://web.archive.org/web/20261004225718/https://slowly.app/terms/)
- [Slowly help center: Can I control what age range of matches I receive](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/48937575503257-Can-I-control-what-age-range-of-matches-I-receive)
- [Slowly help center: Child Safety Standards Policy](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/48356738871705-Child-Safety-Standards-Policy)
- [Slowly help center: Why is selfie verification required during sign up](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/60740855437849-Why-is-selfie-verification-required-during-sign-up)
- [Slowly help center: What does the blue badge on a profile mean](https://help.slowly.app/hc/en-us/articles/37638919364761-What-does-the-blue-badge-on-a-profile-mean)
- [slowly.app/blog/happy-6th-anniversary/ (archived)](https://web.archive.org/web/20250918003803/https://slowly.app/blog/happy-6th-anniversary/)
- [slowly.app/blog/slowly-for-android-is-here/ (archived)](https://web.archive.org/web/20250517023453/https://slowly.app/blog/slowly-for-android-is-here/)
- [App Store reviews of Slowly, newest first (page 1)](https://itunes.apple.com/us/rss/customerreviews/page=1/id=1199811908/sortBy=mostRecent/json)
- [App Store reviews of Slowly, newest first (page 2)](https://itunes.apple.com/us/rss/customerreviews/page=2/id=1199811908/sortBy=mostRecent/json)
- [App Store reviews of Slowly, newest first (page 3)](https://itunes.apple.com/us/rss/customerreviews/page=3/id=1199811908/sortBy=mostRecent/json)

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Kindredly is an anonymous penpal app that matches strangers by how they write.

Kindredly · https://kindredly.io/