---
title: "Best Slowly Alternatives in 2026 (For People Who Actually Want to Write)"
author: "Atik Hossain"
published: 2026-07-28T16:22:28.829Z
updated: 2026-07-28T16:22:29.207Z
section: "The Craft"
tags: ["iPad", "Handwriting", "iPhone"]
url: https://www.lettre.app/lettreblog/best-slowly-alternatives-in-2026-for-people-who-actually-want-to-write
---

# Best Slowly Alternatives in 2026 (For People Who Actually Want to Write)

By Atik Hossain, 28 July 2026. From the Lettre blog.

![If you searched this, you probably already know the itch: you want a real pen pal, not another chat app wearing a trench coat. Here's an honest look at where else to look - including one option none of the other lists mention.](https://d2la6o6wtpse7p.cloudfront.net/blog/media/posts/sq-6a68d39d4275873289d64be9/d5a1cbf9-best-slowly-alternative-2026-1920.webp)
*If you searched this, you probably already know the itch: you want a real pen pal, not another chat app wearing a trench coat. Here's an honest look at where else to look - including one option none of the other lists mention.*

Slowly popularized a simple idea: pair strangers around the world as pen pals, then artificially delay delivery based on distance, so a letter to someone in Tokyo takes longer to arrive than one to your own city. It's a clever trick for slowing people down, and it's why the app has stuck around since 2017. But "slow" and "**handwritten**" aren't the same thing : every letter on Slowly is still typed on a keyboard. If what you actually miss is the feeling of a pen moving across paper, it's worth knowing what else is out there.

## Slowly

The original and still the biggest name in the category. You get an anonymous avatar profile, matching based on shared interests and language, and letters that arrive after a simulated delay of anywhere from a few hours to about 48 hours depending on distance. Stamps exist here too, but they function as unlockable cosmetics rather than a real collecting system. It's a solid, well-built app: just entirely text-based, typed like any other message.

## Dearly

A newer, close cousin to Slowly: one real pen pal, distance-based delivery delay, similar core loop. If Slowly's matching pool feels overcrowded or impersonal, Dearly's smaller scale might suit you better. Still typed correspondence, though.

## Bubblic

Takes the opposite approach entirely: voice instead of writing. You're connected to real people by audio rather than text. Worth a look if what you're actually craving is *hearing* someone rather than reading them, but it solves a different problem than a pen pal app is usually asked to solve.

## HelloTalk / Tandem

Technically language-exchange apps rather than pen pal apps, but worth mentioning because the two categories overlap so often in search results. If your main goal is practicing a language and a friendship happens to grow out of it, these are well-built and popular. If you just want a pen pal, the structure can feel more like a study session than a correspondence.

![AI can NEVER!](https://d2la6o6wtpse7p.cloudfront.net/blog/media/posts/sq-6a68d39d4275873289d64be9/9d17fca4-ui-for-lettre-inside-image-for-blog-1920.webp)
*AI can NEVER!*

## Lettre

This is the one we build, so take it as the honest pitch it is: but it's also the only app in this list where the letters are **actually handwritten, truly 100% FREE with no ads out of the box**. Lettre is built for iPad and Apple Pencil (even though Lettre is also available for the iPhone): you write with your hand, not a keyboard, and what your pen pal receives looks and feels like your real handwriting, stationery and all. Add-ons include a real stamp system: limited-run designs from independent artists, tradeable and collectible, not just cosmetic unlocks and a mascot (Pippin the Pigeon) that somehow makes the whole thing feel less like software and more like a small, quiet ritual. Lettre also boasts zero ai slop, which is a win considering the state of every other mainstream social media

The trade-off is real: you need an Apple device, so it's a narrower fit than a phone/web-based app. Threaded Conversations are built to feel like actual correspondence, not just chats; which some people love and others find genuinely inconvenient if they're used to instant messaging habits. And it's fully ad-free and built without generative AI anywhere in the writing experience, which is either exactly what you're looking for or a feature you won't especially notice either way. What’s also really cool is the entire experience is 100% FREE. You might be wondering how or why? Well, Lettre is entirely community-funded and runs on the support of the members of the “Pippin’s Supporters Club”. They keep the app ad-free for everyone else while enjoying exclusive perks and features! This is an optional subscription which helps keep the platform stay alive.

> ***“Say bye to doomscrolling and ‘hi’ to a new PenPal” - Pippin from Lettre***

## Which one is actually right for you

- Want the biggest matching pool and don't mind typing → **Slowly**
- Want the same idea with a smaller, quieter community → **Dearly**
- Want to hear a voice instead of reading words → **Bubblic**
- Want a reason to practice a language alongside making a friend → **HelloTalk or Tandem**
- Want the actual feeling of handwriting a letter, on an iPad, with real stamps → **Lettre**

None of these are wrong answers. They're solving slightly different versions of the same craving: for something slower, more thoughtful, and less shallow than instant messaging. Pick based on what you're actually missing, not just what's ranked first.

**Sources**

- [Slowly — official site](https://slowly.app/)
- [Slowly app review — BullishLang](https://bullishlang.com/slowly-app-review/)
- [Slowly (app) — Grokipedia overview](https://grokipedia.com/page/Slowly_(app))
- [Dearly — "Best Pen Pal Apps in 2026: A Calm, Honest Guide"](https://www.pulket.in/dearly-blog/best-pen-pal-apps-2026)
- [Bubblic — "How to Find a Pen Pal Online in 2026"](https://www.bubblic.app/blog/how-to-find-a-pen-pal-online.html)