Head-to-Head

LiveLinks vs. MegaMates

Compare LiveLinks and MegaMates side by side — ratings, pricing, free trials, pros and cons, and who each one is actually best for.

Traditional Phone Chat Line
LiveLinks
Winner
4.6 / 5
Biggest Active Caller Base

LiveLinks has been running since 1990 and advertises service in more than 1,500 cities across North America, which usually translates to the shortest wait times you'll find on a traditional chat line. It's the safe, established default for anyone new to the category.

vs
Voice Personals Phone Chat Line
MegaMates
4 / 5
Voice Personals with Flat-Rate Unlimited Packages

MegaMates is the consolidated voice-personals chat line from Social Tech Unlimited, LLC — operational since 1993 under the "Telemates" and "Megaphone" brands and now running in 75+ U.S. metropolitan areas for straight, gay, bi, and lesbian callers. Its signature differentiator is the pricing model: instead of per-minute packages, paid members buy flat-rate unlimited-use passes ($11.99 / 24h up to $49.99 / month), and a large list of core features (mailbox setup, ad recording, browsing, sending messages, accepting Live Chat invites, accepting Direct Connect calls, the matching menu) is always free with no credit card. Purchases post to statements as "Progressive Computing LLC" for discretion.

Our Overall Pick
LiveLinks wins 6 of 6 criteria
See the breakdown →
LiveLinks vs MegaMates
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Overview

The Quick Facts

  • Type
    LiveLinks
    Traditional
    MegaMates
    Voice Personals Chat Line (straight, gay, bi, lesbian)
  • Free Trial
    LiveLinks
    First-time male callers
    MegaMates
    Free features — no trial meter (paid unlocks Message Retrieval + unlimited Live Chat / Direct Connect)
  • Free Trial Credit Card
    LiveLinks
    Not required
    MegaMates
    Not required
  • Starter Package
    LiveLinks
    From $4.99
    MegaMates
    $11.99 (24-hour unlimited-use pass)
  • Operating History
    LiveLinks
    Since 1990
    MegaMates
    30+ years (since 1993)
  • Availability
    LiveLinks
    24 / 7
    MegaMates
    24 / 7 · 75+ U.S. metro areas
  • Discreet Billing
    LiveLinks
    Yes ("TELIGENCE")
    MegaMates
    Yes ("Progressive Computing LLC")
Score Breakdown

How They Stack Up

Six weighted criteria, scored independently for each service. The higher bar wins the criterion.

LiveLinks
Overall Winner
4.6
/ 5
MegaMates
4
/ 5
  • Selection & User Base
    LiveLinks wins
    LiveLinks 4.9 / 5
    MegaMates 4 / 5
  • Discretion & Safety
    LiveLinks wins
    LiveLinks 4.7 / 5
    MegaMates 4.4 / 5
  • Feature Depth
    LiveLinks wins
    LiveLinks 4.4 / 5
    MegaMates 4.3 / 5
  • Call Quality & Reliability
    LiveLinks wins
    LiveLinks 4.7 / 5
    MegaMates 4 / 5
  • Value for Money
    LiveLinks wins
    LiveLinks 4.5 / 5
    MegaMates 4.2 / 5
  • Onboarding & Trial
    LiveLinks wins
    LiveLinks 4.4 / 5
    MegaMates 3.8 / 5
Pros & Cons

The Honest Trade-Offs

LiveLinks

4.6
What We Love
  • Largest active caller pool of any traditional chat line in North America
  • Operating continuously since 1990 — 36+ years of track record
  • Free trial for first-time male callers with no credit card required
  • Women call free, always — no package, no signup, no credit card
  • Local access numbers in 1,500+ cities for better call routing
  • Phone numbers never shared between callers (per LiveLinks' FAQ)
  • Discreet billing descriptor "TELIGENCE" on credit card statements
  • Multiple payment options: Visa, MC, Amex, Discover, PayPal, pre-paid cards, Check-by-Phone, Western Union
  • Member features include Hot List, Offline Messaging, saved greetings, and Ice-Breakers
  • In-call moderation: press "7" to block a caller, press "7" again to flag for review
  • 24/7 availability with no app install required
Where It Falls Short
  • Per-minute rate is not directly published — pricing is package-based
  • Free trial is tied to your specific phone number; only issued once per number
  • Trial must be used within 7 days of issue
  • Free trial won't work if calling over long distance — must use a local number
  • No community-specific lines (vs. Hot Night Line's dedicated Singles/Couples/Asian/BBW/Black/Gay/Lesbian/Latino lines)
  • No way to pick a specific person to talk to (NiteFlirt does this better)
  • No native mobile app — the service is phone-call-only
  • Chat is explicitly "unmonitored" per LiveLinks' marketing, so moderation is reactive (block/flag) rather than proactive

MegaMates

4
What We Love
  • Operating since 1993 under Social Tech Unlimited, LLC (formerly Telemates and Megaphone) — one of the longest continuously running voice-personals chat lines in North America
  • Flat-rate unlimited-use packages instead of per-minute buys — no minute-counting during a call
  • Unusually large always-free feature set with no credit card: Mailbox setup, Public Message recording, browsing ads, sending messages, receiving message alerts, accepting Live Chat invites, accepting Direct Connect calls, and the Computerized Matching Menu
  • Serves straight, gay, bi, and lesbian callers on a single brand across 75+ U.S. metropolitan areas
  • Separate "Gay Chat Line" and "Straight Chat Line" entry points on megamates.com for faster routing
  • Direct Connect lets the system call you back 24/7 when someone wants to chat — including when you are offline
  • Pre-Paid Priority Messages guarantee delivery to callers who have not purchased Message Retrieval
  • Computerized Matching Menu filters callers by the stats you enter
  • Speech Recognition navigation for hands-free keypad use
  • Discreet "Progressive Computing LLC" billing descriptor on credit card statements
  • Wide payment options — Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, pre-paid cards, Check-by-Phone, Western Union, and money order by mail
  • Online purchases on secure.megamates.com include a 2 Pre-Paid Priority Messages + 1 day Message Retrieval bonus
  • 24/7 customer service toll-free at 1-888-MegaMates with a separate discreet billing department for statement questions
  • Explicit block (press 8 after a message, or press 7 from a box-number lookup) and report-to-quality-department controls
Where It Falls Short
  • No timed free-minutes trial like the 30–60 minute trials used by the Teligence and FMG families — the "free" offering is a feature menu, not a minute bucket
  • To actually listen to messages other callers send you, you need to buy Message Retrieval — a common point of confusion for first-time callers
  • Official website does not publish a per-minute rate because the model is flat-rate unlimited — callers expecting per-minute math have to translate
  • Third-party chat-line directories cite per-minute packages ($15.99 / 30 min, $25.99 / 60 min, $39.99 / 120 min) that do not match the flat-rate plans on the official Features page — verify during the buy flow
  • Mailboxes left unused for 3 months are deactivated without refund, including any remaining time or Pre-Paid Priority Messages
  • Coverage is U.S.-only across 75+ metros — caller density varies by city
  • No dedicated sub-brand for couples, Asian, BBW, Black, or Latin audiences — the line is organized around sexual orientation, not community
  • No publicly documented native iOS or Android mobile app — the service is voice-first with a web self-service portal at secure.megamates.com
Who It's For

Pick the Right One for You

LiveLinks

Best For
  • First-time chat line callers who want the largest active pool on the other end
  • Callers outside major metros who benefit from the 1,500-city local-number network
  • Anyone who prefers an established, 35+ year legacy service over a newer entrant
  • Women looking for a chat line that is unconditionally free
  • Callers who want a simple voice-only experience with no app, profile, or signup
Skip If You Want
  • Callers who want community-specific lines — Hot Night Line serves that better
  • Callers who want to pick a specific verified person to talk to — that's NiteFlirt's category
  • Callers who need a published per-minute rate before committing
  • Users who prefer app-based or video-enabled experiences
  • Anyone looking for proactive content moderation — LiveLinks explicitly markets chat as unmonitored

MegaMates

Best For
  • Callers who prefer flat-rate unlimited-use packages over per-minute minute packages — no minute-counting mid-call
  • Callers who want to try a phone chat line with a genuinely large free feature set and no credit card required up front
  • Singles of any orientation (straight, gay, bi, lesbian) who want a single brand that serves all four audiences
  • Callers in one of the 75+ U.S. metros MegaMates covers who want a long-running (since 1993) voice-personals experience
  • Callers who value the Direct Connect 24/7 callback feature — the system can reach you even when you are not on the line
  • Callers who want discreet billing — "Progressive Computing LLC" on the statement plus a separate discreet billing department for questions
  • Callers who want to pay by cash-equivalent methods — Western Union, Check-by-Phone, and money order by mail are all supported
Skip If You Want
  • Callers who want a timed free-minutes trial (30–60 min) like the Teligence or FMG families offer — MegaMates' "free" is a feature menu, not a minute bucket
  • Callers who want to hear messages other callers send them for free — Message Retrieval is paid
  • Callers looking for a couples, BBW, Asian, Black, or Latin dedicated community line — MegaMates is organized by orientation, not community
  • Callers outside the U.S. — coverage is 75+ U.S. metros, with no Canadian or international local numbers documented on the official site
  • Callers who want a native iOS or Android mobile app experience — MegaMates is voice-first with a web self-service portal
  • Callers who want a single published per-minute rate to compare against competitors — MegaMates' pricing is flat-rate by duration, not per-minute
Pricing & Free Trial

What Each Costs

LiveLinks

LiveLinks uses the classic chat-line package model. Women always call free. Men get a free trial on their first call from a new phone number, then buy a minute package to continue.

First-Time Male Trial
Free trial minutes
Issued automatically on first call from a new phone number; no credit card required
Women
Always free
No payment information ever requested (per LiveLinks' FAQ)
10-Minute Package
$4.99
Starter package for new paid members
60-Minute Package
$9.99
Most commonly advertised "value" tier
120-Minute Package
$24.99
Best per-minute rate for higher-volume callers
Billing Descriptor
"TELIGENCE"
Appears on your credit card statement in place of the LiveLinks name (per the official FAQ)

LiveLinks does not publish a single fixed per-minute rate on its website — costs depend on which package you pick. Pricing shown above reflects widely cited 2026 package rates; verify the current offer on livelinks.com before purchasing.

MegaMates

MegaMates does not use the per-minute package model that dominates the chat-line category. Instead, paid members buy flat-rate unlimited-use passes for a set duration (24 hours, 1 week, or 1 month) and an unusually large feature set stays free with no credit card. The paid unlocks are primarily Message Retrieval (required to actually listen to messages other callers send you) plus unlimited outgoing Live Chat and Direct Connect. Pricing below reflects the official Features page as of 2026 — third-party chat-line directories sometimes cite per-minute packages that do not match the current flat-rate plans, so verify during the buy flow on secure.megamates.com.

Always Free (No Credit Card)
Mailbox + Public Message + Browsing + Sending Messages + Accepting Live Chat / Direct Connect + Matching Menu
Per the official FAQ and Features pages — MegaMates' biggest differentiator versus per-minute competitors
24-Hour Unlimited-Use Pass
$11.99
24 hours of unlimited Message Retrieval plus unlimited Live Chat and Direct Connect
1-Week Plan (Message Retrieval)
$19.99 (was $29.99)
1 week of unlimited Message Retrieval plus 3 Pre-Paid Priority Messages
1-Week Plan — "Most Popular"
$23.99
1 week of unlimited Message Retrieval plus unlimited Live Chat and Direct Connect plus 3 Pre-Paid Priority Messages
1-Month Plan (Message Retrieval)
$39.99 (was $69.99)
1 month of unlimited Message Retrieval plus 6 Pre-Paid Priority Messages
1-Month Plan — "Best Value"
$49.99
1 month of unlimited Message Retrieval plus unlimited Live Chat and Direct Connect plus 6 Pre-Paid Priority Messages
Pre-Paid Priority Messages
$11.00 / 10 or $18.00 / 20
Guarantees the recipient can hear your message even if they have not purchased Message Retrieval
Online Purchase Bonus
+2 Pre-Paid Priority Messages + 1 day Message Retrieval
Added to any package purchased at secure.megamates.com
Billing Descriptor
"Progressive Computing LLC"
Appears on your credit card statement in place of the MegaMates name
Payment Options
Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Discover, pre-paid cards, Check-by-Phone, Western Union, Check / Money Order by mail
Money orders and checks by mail go to Social Tech Unlimited, PO Box 23818, San Diego, CA 92193-3818
Inactivity Policy
3 months
Per the FAQ, mailboxes unused for 3 months are deactivated and any remaining time or Pre-Paid Priority Messages are forfeited

MegaMates uses flat-rate unlimited-use packages rather than per-minute minute packages. Third-party chat-line directories sometimes list per-minute pricing (e.g., $15.99 / 30 min, $25.99 / 60 min, $39.99 / 120 min) that does not match the current official Features page — verify the current package menu during the buy flow on secure.megamates.com or by calling customer service 24/7 at 1-888-MegaMates.

Bottom Line

LiveLinks comes out on top

Across 6 scoring criteria, LiveLinks wins 6, MegaMates wins 0. Read each full review for the complete context before deciding.

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