Checked 8 October 2026 · 15 apps · ratings and versions from the App Store and Google Play on that date
Whisper is gone, so the closest apps like it are Yik Yak and Sidechat for anonymous campus feeds, Sincerely for anonymous confessions, Jodel for posts near you, and Reddit for topic communities. Australia’s online safety regulator lists Whisper as “no longer operating as of January 2025” [1]. We checked 15 alternatives, and every one was live in the US App Store on 8 October 2026 [2].
This page covers the Whisper secrets app, not OpenAI’s Whisper speech model [46].
Quick picks
Our picks by what you used Whisper for: Yik Yak [4] or Sidechat [23] for a campus feed, Sincerely for confessions [22], Jodel for posts near you [47], Reddit for big communities [3], TalkLife [24] or 7 Cups [25] to be heard, and Hush: Express Freely if you searched for Hush [11].
Campus feedYik Yak or Sidechat
ConfessionsSincerely
Posts near youJodel
Big communitiesReddit
Someone to listenTalkLife or 7 Cups
If you searched “Hush”Hush: Express Freely
What happened to Whisper?
Whisper shut down in January 2025, according to the eSafety Guide run by Australia’s eSafety Commissioner [1]. The same guide describes it as an anonymous app owned by MediaLab.AI where people posted text over images and sent private messages without showing who they were [1].
Is Whisper coming back?
There is no sign that it is. eSafety lists Whisper as no longer operating since January 2025 [1], and the US App Store had no listing for the original app on 8 October 2026 [2]. Wikipedia says Apple removed it in October 2022 and that it went in and out of both stores until early 2025, but gives no sources for those dates [41].
Watch for copycats. Whisper Social is sold by Techiox LTD [43], Whisper Secrets by Kevin Haines [44] and Whisper Now: Post Secrets by Mr Siddharth [45]. None of them is MediaLab.AI, the owner eSafety names for the original [1].
Which app for which need
For campus posts try Yik Yak, Sidechat or Fizz; for posts near you, Jodel or Hush; to be heard, TalkLife or 7 Cups; for work, Blind. The table matches each part of Whisper you might miss to the apps that cover it.
| What you want | Apps to try |
|---|---|
| Anonymous posts at your college | Yik Yak, Sidechat, Fizz [4] [23] [6] |
| Posts from people near you | Jodel, Hush: Express Freely [47] [11] |
| Confessions and venting | Sincerely, Reddit [22] [3] |
| Someone who will listen | TalkLife, 7 Cups [24] [25] |
| Work, pay and managers | Blind [7] |
| Anonymous questions from friends | Tellonym, NGL [48] [18] |
| Chat with strangers or pen pals | Connected2.me, Slowly, Moco [10] [26] [27] |
Compare at a glance
Fourteen of the 15 apps are rated 17+ (7 Cups is 12+), and Sidechat and Fizz have no confirmed Android app. All 15 were in the US App Store on 8 October 2026 [2].
| App | How you stay anonymous | Android | Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yik Yak | All posts, comments and messages anonymous [4] | Yes [29] | 17+ [4] |
| Sincerely | Anonymous letters to strangers [22] | Yes [32] | 17+ [22] |
| Jodel | No profiles, local feed [47] | Yes [14] | 17+ [5] |
| Reddit | No data linked to you (privacy label) [3] | Yes [13] | 17+ [3] |
| Hush: Express Freely | Posts without personal details [11] | Yes [30] | 17+ [11] |
| Sidechat | All posts, comments and messages anonymous [23] | Not confirmed | 17+ [23] |
 Fizz | Anonymous posts, .edu-verified accounts [39] [40] | Not confirmed | 17+ [6] |
 Blind | Verified employer, no name on posts [7] | Yes [15] | 17+ [7] |
 Tellonym | Senders hidden by default [48] | Yes [16] | 17+ [8] |
 NGL | Anonymous replies through a link [18] | Yes [17] | 17+ [9] |
| TalkLife | Not stated in the listing [24] | Yes [33] | 17+ [24] |
| 7 Cups | Anonymous, even to your listener [25] | Yes [34] | 12+ [25] |
 Connected2.me | Chat through your link; listing does not say anonymous [10] | Yes [31] | 17+ [10] |
 Slowly | No photos, no real names [26] | Yes [35] | 17+ [26] |
 Moco | Not anonymous: searchable profiles [27] | Yes [36] | 17+ [27] |
Age and rating are from the US App Store; Android means a Google Play listing we found that day.
The apps
Yik Yak
★★★★☆ 3.92 on the App Store [4]
- Free
- iOS · Android
- 17+
Yik Yak says all posts, comments and messages on it are anonymous [4], and its website pitches it as a way to “anonymously connect with everyone at your college” [37]. Its Google Play developer, Flower Ave, also sells Sidechat [29] [23]. The match with Whisper is the feed: anonymous posts from the people around you, plus private messages [4] [37].
Sincerely: Vent & Confess
★★★★★ 4.66 on the App Store [22]
- Free
- iOS · Android
- 17+
Sincerely, from MWM, is for anonymous letters: you write to get things off your chest, and each night at 8pm you get 3 letters from strangers to answer [22]. If confessions with replies were your Whisper habit, this is the nearest fit, and that is how eSafety describes Whisper [22] [1].
Jodel
★★★★☆ 4.38 on the App Store [5]
- Free
- iOS · Android
- 17+
Jodel calls itself a “hyperlocal community” [5], and its website says it has “no profiles” and connects you with “the people around you” [47]. Posts come from your area and nobody has a profile to look up, which is how Whisper felt [47].
- Anonymity
- No profiles, local feed [47]
- Price
- Free, in-app purchases [14]
- Google Play
- 3.96 from 154,556 ratings [14]
- Latest iOS version
- 7.192, 7 Sep 2026 [5]
- On both iPhone and Android [14]
- How busy it is depends on how many people near you use it
Reddit
★★★★★ 4.76 on the App Store [3]
- Free
- iOS · Android
- 17+
Reddit has more than 100,000 communities, including support groups and places to ask about relationships and mental health [3]. Its App Store privacy label lists no data linked to your identity [3]. Pick it for range: there is likely a community for whatever you want to say [3].
Hush: Express Freely
★★☆☆☆ 2.43 on the App Store [11]
- Free
- iOS · Android
- 17+
This is Hush: Express Freely from Hush Incorporated, a “privacy-first” app with local and global feeds and no personal details on posts [11]. Hush: Deep Chats, Fun Talks is a different app from another developer, Blyynd [42]. Its App Store rating is low: 2.43 from 581 ratings [11]. Its nearby feed is the part that feels like Whisper [11].
Sidechat
★★★★★ 4.56 on the App Store [23]
- Free
- iOS
- 17+
On Sidechat, its listing says, all posts, comments and messages are anonymous [23], and its website invites you to “Join Your Campus Community Anonymously” [38]. On campus it does what Whisper did: anonymous posts and private messages [23] [38].
Fizz
★★★★★ 4.68 on the App Store [6]
- Free
- iOS
- 17+
Fizz has private school communities and nearby communities [6]; its website says every account is .edu-verified and that it is at 800+ colleges [39]. TechCrunch calls it an anonymous social app [40]. Use it for anonymous posts inside your own campus [6] [40].
Blind
★★★★★ 4.56 on the App Store [7]
- Free
- iOS · Android
- 17+
Blind is an “Anonymous Work Network” where people post about pay, managers and layoffs, grouped by employer [7]. You verify with a work email, LinkedIn or work history, which Blind says it keeps apart from your posts [7]. A good fit if your Whisper posts were mostly about work [7].
Tellonym
★★★★☆ 4.47 on the App Store [8]
- Free
- iOS · Android
- 17+
Tellonym gives you a link to share on Instagram and Snapchat; people send you messages, called Tells, and you answer them on your profile [8]. Internet Matters, a UK online safety group, says senders are hidden by default and the paid Plus tier gives hints about who sent a Tell [48]. Try it if you liked honest replies from people who stay hidden [48].
NGL
★★★★★ 4.76 on the App Store [9]
- Free
- iOS · Android
- 17+
NGL gives you a link for your story, and friends answer it anonymously [9] [18]. In July 2024 the US Federal Trade Commission banned NGL from offering anonymous messaging to anyone under 18, and the company agreed to pay $5 million [18]. Its paid Pro plan offers “hints about who sent each of their messages” [9]. The overlap with Whisper is small: only the sender stays hidden [18].
TalkLife
★★★★☆ 4.42 on the App Store [24]
- Free
- iOS · Android
- 17+
TalkLife is a peer support community with public posts, group chats and private messages, day or night [24]. It says it is not a substitute for professional help or a crisis service [24]. For venting and hearing back from strangers, it fills the gap Whisper left [24].
7 Cups
★★★★☆ 4.42 on the App Store [25]
- Free
- iOS · Android
- 12+
7 Cups offers free chat with trained volunteer listeners and paid online therapy with licensed professionals [25]. Its listing says you stay anonymous, even to your listener or therapist [25]. Choose it when you mainly need someone to hear you out, one to one [25].
Connected2.me
★★★★☆ 4.37 on the App Store [10]
- Free
- iOS · Android
- 17+
Connected2.me gives you a profile and a link to share on social media so people can message you [10]. Its listing does not say anonymous, but its App Store privacy label lists no data linked to you [10]. Worth a look if you used Whisper’s private messages more than its feed [10].
Slowly
★★★★★ 4.69 on the App Store [26]
- Free
- iOS · Android
- 17+
Slowly is a pen pal app: letters take from a few hours to a few days to arrive, depending on the distance between you [26]. Its listing promises “no photos, no real names” [26]. As on Whisper, you share personal thoughts with strangers without showing your face or name [26].
Moco
★★★★☆ 4.14 on the App Store [27]
- Free
- iOS · Android
- 17+
Moco, also called MocoSpace, has chat rooms, private and group chats, live streams and games [27]. It is not anonymous: people can be searched by age, gender and location [27]. It matches Whisper only if you used Whisper to meet strangers [27].
How anonymous are these apps?
They hide you from other users, but mostly not from the company. Ten apps list data linked to your identity in their App Store privacy labels: Yik Yak, Sidechat, Fizz, Jodel, Tellonym, NGL, TalkLife, 7 Cups, Slowly and Moco [4] [23] [6] [5] [8] [9] [24] [25] [26] [27]. Fizz links the most, including location, contacts and what you post [6], and 7 Cups links health data [25].
Five listings show no data linked to you: Reddit, Blind, Hush: Express Freely, Sincerely and Connected2.me [3] [7] [11] [22] [10]. Fizz requires a .edu account [39], and paid hints about who sent a message work against you: NGL Pro offers them [9], and so does Tellonym Plus, according to Internet Matters [48].
Staying safe on anonymous apps
Never pay to “see who sent” a message, and keep your school, street and phone number out of posts. The FTC’s 2024 order against NGL covered fake messages and a $9.99-a-week “unmask” subscription [18], and refund claims opened in January 2026 [19]. In September 2025 the FTC and the Justice Department sued the maker of Sendit over children’s data and similar paid “reveal” claims; those are allegations, and no ruling had been made public when we checked [20].
For parents
Fourteen of these 15 apps are rated 17+ on the US App Store, and 7 Cups is rated 12+ [2] [25]. Google Play rates Yik Yak, Jodel, Tellonym, NGL, TalkLife, 7 Cups and Slowly as Teen [29] [14] [16] [17] [33] [34] [35], so the same app can carry two age ratings.
The FTC complaint against Sendit says more than 116,000 users reported being under 13 [20]. Both the NGL and Sendit cases involved paid “reveal” offers, so check for those in any app your child uses [18] [20].
Apps we left out
ASKfm, Chatous, Amino, Vent, CuriousCat and After School were not in the US App Store on 8 October 2026 [2], so they are not on this list. We dropped Sendit because of the open FTC case [20], and MeetMe because it is not anonymous: you have a profile and can go live on video [12].
Wizz was pulled from Apple’s and Google’s stores in January 2024 over safety concerns [21]. It is listed in the US App Store again, with version 11.9.0 dated 6 October 2026, and is built for swiping and chatting with real people, not anonymous posts [28]. If you used Whisper to talk to strangers, our guide to Omegle alternatives covers video and text chat.
How we rate
We list only apps we found in an official app store on the date at the top. Star ratings are the stores’ own averages, not our scores. The order is our judgement of how close each app is to Whisper, from the facts in each card. Nobody pays for a place here.
For more app lists, see apps like Pinterest or the SimilarTimes home page.
Questions people ask
What happened to the Whisper app?
It shut down: eSafety lists Whisper as no longer operating as of January 2025 [1].
Is the Whisper app coming back?
Nothing suggests it is. The “Whisper” apps in the App Store today come from other sellers [43] [44] [45].
What app replaced Whisper?
No single app. Yik Yak and Sidechat are closest for campus feeds, Sincerely for confessions and Jodel for posts near you [4] [23] [22] [5].
Are the new “Whisper” apps the original?
No. Their sellers are Techiox LTD, Kevin Haines and Mr Siddharth [43] [44] [45], while eSafety names MediaLab.AI as the original’s owner [1].
What is the best anonymous app like Whisper?
Yik Yak is the closest match for anonymous posts and replies [4]. For confessions, Sincerely rates higher: 4.66 from 35,722 App Store ratings [22].
Are there apps like Whisper for Android?
Yes. Yik Yak, Sincerely, Jodel, Reddit and Hush: Express Freely all have Google Play listings [29] [32] [14] [13] [30].
Are there apps like Whisper for iPhone?
Yes, all 15 on this page [2]; Sidechat and Fizz we could confirm only on iPhone [23] [6].
Are apps like Whisper and Hush safe?
They are for adults: Hush: Express Freely is rated 17+ and has a low 2.43 rating [11]. The risks the FTC has named are fake messages and paid unmasking offers [18].
Are anonymous apps really anonymous?
To other users, mostly; to the company, often not. Fizz, Jodel and Moco list data linked to your identity in their App Store privacy labels [6] [5] [27].
Sources (48)
These are the pages we used for the facts in this article, checked on 8 October 2026.
- eSafety Commissioner (Australia), The eSafety Guide: Whisper: esafety.gov.au
- Apple App Store (US), searched through the iTunes Search API on 8 Oct 2026: apps.apple.com
- Reddit, App Store: apps.apple.com
- Yik Yak, App Store: apps.apple.com
- Jodel, App Store: apps.apple.com
- Fizz, App Store: apps.apple.com
- Blind, App Store: apps.apple.com
- Tellonym, App Store: apps.apple.com
- NGL, App Store: apps.apple.com
- Connected2.me, App Store: apps.apple.com
- Hush: Express Freely, App Store: apps.apple.com
- MeetMe, App Store: apps.apple.com
- Reddit, Google Play: play.google.com
- Jodel, Google Play: play.google.com
- Blind, Google Play: play.google.com
- Tellonym, Google Play: play.google.com
- NGL, Google Play: play.google.com
- FTC, “FTC Order Will Ban NGL Labs and its Founders from Offering Anonymous Messaging Apps to Kids Under 18”, July 2024: ftc.gov
- FTC, refund claims process for NGL users, January 2026: ftc.gov
- FTC, complaint against Sendit and its CEO, September 2025: ftc.gov
- NBC News, “Wizz, a Tinder-like app aimed at teens, removed from Apple and Google stores”, January 2024: nbcnews.com
- Sincerely: Vent & Confess (MWM), App Store: apps.apple.com
- Sidechat (Flower Ave Inc), App Store: apps.apple.com
- TalkLife: 24/7 Peer Support, App Store: apps.apple.com
- 7 Cups: Online Therapy & Chat, App Store: apps.apple.com
- Slowly: Make Global Friends, App Store: apps.apple.com
- Moco (JNJ Mobile), App Store: apps.apple.com
- Wizz App (VLB), App Store: apps.apple.com
- Yik Yak (Flower Ave), Google Play: play.google.com
- Hush: Express Freely, Google Play: play.google.com
- Connected2.me, Google Play: play.google.com
- Sincerely, Google Play: play.google.com
- TalkLife, Google Play: play.google.com
- 7 Cups, Google Play: play.google.com
- Slowly, Google Play: play.google.com
- Moco, Google Play: play.google.com
- Yik Yak, official website: yikyak.com
- Sidechat, official website: sidechat.lol
- Fizz, official website: fizz.social
- TechCrunch, “Fizz, the anonymous Gen Z social app, adds a marketplace for college students”, July 2024: techcrunch.com
- Wikipedia, “Whisper (app)”: en.wikipedia.org
- Hush: Deep Chats, Fun Talks (Blyynd), App Store: apps.apple.com
- Whisper Social (Techiox LTD), App Store: apps.apple.com
- Whisper Secrets (Kevin Haines), App Store: apps.apple.com
- Whisper Now: Post Secrets (Mr Siddharth), App Store: apps.apple.com
- OpenAI, Whisper speech recognition model, GitHub: github.com
- Jodel, official website: jodel.com
- Internet Matters, “What is the Tellonym app?”: internetmatters.org
