Sea Pals vs Slowly: pen pal apps compared
Sea Pals and Slowly both start friendships through letters, but they differ in how you meet people and what follows. Slowly uses search filters and delivery times based on distance; Sea Pals has Mochi carry a letter to a few people with shared interests, then offers chats and shared island activities when someone replies.
The differences at a glance
Sources: Slowly’s US App Store listing (checked 11 October 2026) and help pages (checked October 2026). App Store age ratings are separate from account minimum ages and contact rules. Read how we check comparisons.
| What matters to you | Sea Pals | Slowly |
|---|---|---|
| Starting a conversation | Mochi carries a bottle letter to a few people with shared interests | Letters take hours to days to arrive, depending on distance |
| Choosing who to meet | Mochi finds recipients using shared interests and shared or learning languages | Search with interest, region and age-range filters |
| Age rules | 13+ (14+ in South Korea, 16+ in Australia); teens meet only teens as strangers | App Store: 17+ |
| Price | Free; nothing sold | Free use; optional paid extras, including stamp coins |
Delivery times or shared-interest introductions?
In Slowly, a letter’s delivery time depends on the distance between you and your pen pal. It can take hours to days, making the wait part of writing to someone far away. This is a reason to choose Slowly if you enjoy taking time over a reply.
In Sea Pals, you write a bottle letter and Mochi looks for a few people who love what you love. Shared and learning languages also help with matching. A reply begins a friendship, so you can keep talking in a chat.
Search filters or letting Mochi find people?
Slowly lets you search with interest, region and age-range filters. You set the search criteria yourself.
In Sea Pals, choose interests you enjoy and the languages you use or are learning. Mochi uses those to look for people who may have something in common with you. A question about a shared hobby gives someone a way to reply.
Store age ratings and the teen sea
Slowly’s US App Store listing (checked 11 October 2026) has a 17+ rating. That rating is separate from an account minimum age.
Sea Pals’ account minimums are 13 generally, 14 in South Korea and 16 in Australia, and it keeps teen and adult strangers in separate seas. This stranger rule does not prevent people who already know each other connecting by link or code.
Strangers never see your birthday, exact location or username, and letters cannot include links or social handles. Photos between friends who met by letter need 5 messages from each person and the receiver’s permission.
What happens after a reply?
Sea Pals has chats and lagoons for up to 6 people, a shared hermit crab called Doori, iPhone widgets and booth strips. You can explore group chats, the shared pet, friend widgets and the photo booth.
Which should you choose?
Slowly may suit you if you enjoy waiting for a letter from far away and searching for pen pals with filters. Its stamp collection offers something to keep alongside the letters, with optional paid extras.
Sea Pals may suit you if you want an introduction through shared interests and things to do together after a reply. Chats and lagoons bring friends into everyday life on your island. It is free on iPhone, Android and the web.
For language exchange tools, read apps like HelloTalk. You can also compare more options in best pen pal apps in 2026.