A friendly voice in your ear. Person to person conversations. No AI.

Yes — we authorize your card for a small hold before a call starts, and that's the only money that moves until you've talked past the free minutes. The per-minute rate is on each member's profile before you call. The first 2 minutes of every call are free, so you can say hello, hear their voice, and decide whether to stay before you pay anything.

Only the minutes you talk, past the free 2. The rate you see on the member's profile is what you pay — nothing is added on top. When you hang up, we release the hold and charge only what you used. Longer calls can raise the hold so the call doesn't drop mid-conversation, but that's still an authorization, not a charge.

No. Calls stay between you and the member, and nobody at Open Ears can see or hear them — the audio is encrypted the whole way. On some network setups the call is carried through a relay server, but the relay only ever handles encrypted audio it cannot decode. We do keep the basics any calling service keeps — times, duration, and charges, for your history and receipts. If you create an account, that call history stays private to you.

Real people who applied and were vetted — profile review and community guidelines training before they can take calls. What you see on a member's profile is who you get: a real person, talking to you live. And no AI, ever — every voice on Open Ears belongs to a human.

No — it's friendly conversation with a good listener. Members aren't trained mental health professionals, and Open Ears isn't a substitute for professional care. If you're in crisis, we'd rather point you to the right help: see our emergency and support contact numbers.

No. You can call now, without signing up. A free account is there if you want to book ahead, keep call notes and history, or use prepaid coupons. Create one whenever — or never.

Then you've had a pleasant chat with someone new, and you can end the call anytime — that's the worst case. Members are chosen because they're easy to talk to, and the first 2 minutes are free so you can find out at zero cost.