Write letters to people in other countries, in your own language.
Lettie is a free pen pal app for iPhone and Android. Each letter takes the real distance to arrive, from about an hour inside one country to up to a day across the world, and translates into 70+ languages with one tap.
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Letters by distance | A letter flies across a globe and arrives 1 to 24 hours later, depending on the distance between the two countries. |
| Discover | Pick up letters strangers released into the sky and reply to the ones that speak to you. |
| Translation | A translate button in every letter, 70+ languages, free. Tap it and the text turns into your language in place; you can also translate what you write into their language. Even 100,000-character letters translate to the end. |
| Profiles | You start as a pixel character (16 free ones) instead of a photo. A selfie or a few words about your look become your own character (the first is free; the photo isn’t stored). |
| Stamps | Default stamps, the stamp draw, a shop of 103 country stamps and free holiday stamps for sending one letter, all to put on your letters. |
| Passport | Exchange 5+ letters with people from a country (2+ each way) for its passport stamp and postage stamp, plus 20 titles. |
| Introductions | A few introduction cards a day. No swiping, no scores. |
Stamps, the passport and holiday stamps have their own guides: Lettie stamps, the Lettie passport and its 20 titles and the 2026–2027 holiday stamp calendar.
Delivery time comes from the distance between the two countries' centre points. These are the bands the app uses, as of 2026-09-30. See delivery times by city for examples.
| Distance | Delivery time |
|---|---|
| Same country | 1–2 hours |
| Under 3,000 km | 3–6 hours |
| 3,000–8,000 km | 6–12 hours |
| Over 8,000 km | 12–24 hours |
| Free | Optional (gems or Lettie Plus) |
|---|---|
| Write, read and reply to letters | More letters released per day |
| Translate any letter into 70+ languages | Keep writing without waiting for a reply (Plus) |
| 16 base pixel characters + your first custom character (photo or words) | A second custom character onward |
| Discover: three new envelopes a day | Stamp draws (10 gems), country stamps (15 gems), extra envelopes |
| Holiday stamps, passport stamps and titles |
If you are choosing between apps, read Lettie vs Slowly and the best pen pal apps in 2026. Both list what each app does better, including where Lettie is weaker.
Yes. Writing, reading and replying to letters, translating them, the 16 base characters and your first custom character are free on iOS and Android. Holiday stamps and passport stamps are free to collect too. Optional gems and the Lettie Plus subscription add extras such as more letters per day, stamp draws and country stamps, and a second custom-drawn character; Plus also lets you keep writing without waiting for a reply.
Lettie is on the Apple App Store for iPhone and on Google Play for Android. Search for "Lettie" or use the store links on this page.
It depends on the distance between the two countries: 1–2 hours within one country, 3–6 hours under 3,000 km, 6–12 hours under 8,000 km, and 12–24 hours for anything farther.
No. Every letter has a translate button covering 70+ languages, and the original stays next to the translation, so you can write in your own language.
Lettie is small: 917 people in 79 countries had signed up as of October 3, 2026. The app is built by one developer in Seoul.
Both deliver letters by distance. Lettie adds picking up letters strangers released (Discover), free built-in translation in 70+ languages, and pixel characters drawn from a photo or a written description.
Last updated: 2026-09-30