Short answer: the best apps to meet new people depend on what you want from them. Meetup is still the broadest option for interest-based groups. Bumble BFF is the closest thing to a friend-matching app, now with group chats built in. Timeleft takes the planning off your hands by seating you at dinner with strangers. Volo Sports and similar rec leagues turn meeting people into a weekly game. Eventbrite, InterNations and Nextdoor each fill narrower gaps. Below, we compare eight options side by side, with what each one costs, how it works, who it suits and where it falls short.
TryMeetNow is published by the team behind MeetNow; we’ve tried to be fair to every app here. You can read our full disclosure about how we cover apps on this site. MeetNow is included as our own option; it is live on the web at app.trymeetnow.com, starting in Malta.
How we chose and compared these apps
We focused on apps and platforms that people in the United States and Canada actually use to meet others in person for friendship, not dating. For each one, we checked the official website or help center for how it works and what it costs, and we noted where we could not confirm a detail. Prices for many of these services vary by city, change often or are only shown inside the app, so treat the cost column as a guide and check the current price before you pay.
We also judged each option against the three things that actually turn strangers into friends: repeat contact with the same people, a shared activity, and an easy route to follow-up. If you want the background on why those matter, our guide on how to make friends as an adult explains the research and gives a four-week plan.
Apps to meet new people: comparison table
Last checked October 2026. Features and prices change; confirm on the official site or in the app.
| App | What it is | Cost | How it works | Best for | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meetup | Interest-based groups that host events | Free for members to join groups; some groups charge dues or event fees; organizers pay a subscription (free Starter plan available with limits) | Join groups, RSVP to events posted by organizers | Finding a recurring group around a hobby | Quality varies by group and city; large events can feel anonymous |
| Bumble BFF | Friend-finding app from Bumble, relaunched in September 2025 | Free; its U.S. App Store listing says every feature is free | One-to-one matching and messaging, plus a Groups tab with chat rooms and hangout planning | People who like a swipe-and-chat format | Chat-first; meeting in person depends on someone making a plan |
| Timeleft | Dinners (plus drinks and runs) with strangers, matched by the app | Subscription (1, 3 or 6 months, options vary by region); price shown in the app; you pay for your own food and drinks | Pick a city and day, answer a short personality quiz, get seated with five others | People who want zero planning | One-off groups by design; seeing people again is up to you |
| Volo Sports | Adult recreational sports leagues and pickup games | Varies by city, sport and format | Sign up solo or with a team for weekly leagues, drop-ins or pickup games | Active people who want a weekly routine | Available in a limited number of U.S. cities |
| Eventbrite | Event listings and ticketing | Free to browse; ticket prices set by each organizer, many events free | Search events by city and interest, register or buy a ticket | Discovering classes, talks and one-off events | Mostly one-time events, so little built-in repeat contact |
| InterNations | Community for people living abroad | Free and paid membership options; availability and price depend on location | Become a member, then attend community events and activity groups | Newcomers from other countries | Membership needed to use the app; focused on internationals |
| Nextdoor | Neighborhood network | Free | Join your neighborhood, see local posts, groups and recommendations | Meeting people who live near you | Not built for friendship; tone varies a lot by neighborhood |
| MeetNow | App for meeting people in person through plans, not profiles | Free | A host posts a plan at a public place with date, time, seats and who pays; people ask to join and the host picks who comes | Small, specific plans with clear expectations | Live on the web at app.trymeetnow.com, starting in Malta; iPhone and Android apps coming soon |
1. Meetup: best for finding a recurring interest group
Meetup is the long-running platform for interest-based groups: hiking clubs, language exchanges, board game nights, tech talks, book clubs, run groups and much more. Members join groups for free and RSVP to events that organizers post. Some groups charge member dues or a fee for specific events, which is shown on the group or event page.
The costs mostly sit with organizers. Meetup’s help center lists organizer subscriptions that, as of our check, start at $29.99 per month for the Standard plan, with prices varying by location and billing period. There is also a free Meetup Starter plan for first-time organizers, limited to one group, two in-person events a month and up to ten attendees per event. Members can optionally pay for Meetup+, a premium member subscription.
What works well: sheer range. In most mid-size and large U.S. and Canadian cities you can find several groups around almost any interest, and many meet weekly or monthly, which gives you the repeat contact that friendships need.
What to watch: group quality depends entirely on the organizer. Some groups have a loyal core of regulars; others are big, rotating crowds where you never see the same face twice. Look for groups with recurring events, a recent event history and a manageable size.
Tip: pick one group and attend the same event three or four times before judging it.
2. Bumble BFF: best for one-to-one friend matching
Bumble BFF is Bumble’s friendship product. In September 2025, Bumble relaunched BFF on Geneva, a community app it had acquired, and shut down the Geneva app, moving its members over. The relaunched BFF keeps one-to-one matching and private messaging and adds a Groups tab where people can join chat rooms, plan hangouts and track events with an in-app calendar. If it isn’t the right fit, we compare Bumble BFF alternatives in a separate guide.
Its U.S. App Store listing, checked in October 2026, says every feature is free, with no paywalls or upgrades, and that every match has passed selfie verification. Check the listing for your region in case that changes.
What works well: it is a familiar format if you have used dating apps, and you can filter for people nearby who are explicitly looking for friends. Groups add a way to meet several people at once.
What to watch: it is chat-first. Plenty of matches stall at small talk. The app helps you find people; turning that into an actual meetup still depends on someone suggesting a specific day, time and place.
Tip: suggest a concrete, short, public plan within the first few messages, such as coffee on Saturday at 10.
3. Timeleft: best if you want someone else to do the planning
Timeleft organizes dinners with strangers, and in many cities also drinks and group runs. According to Timeleft’s website, you pick your city and day, answer a short personality quiz, and get matched into a group by age range, personality and language preferences to “make friends with five new faces over good food.” Timeleft chooses the restaurant and handles the reservation. It says it operates in more than 200 cities across 52 countries.
Access works through a subscription. Timeleft’s help center lists 1-, 3- and 6-month plans, says the options vary by region and are shown during sign-up, and says a subscription lets you book as many events as you like in your city during that period. Your food and drinks are not included; you pay for those at the restaurant.
What works well: it removes almost all the friction. You do not have to choose people, a venue or a time, and everyone at the table showed up for the same reason.
What to watch: the format is one-off by design. You meet a new group each time, so repeat contact only happens if you swap numbers and follow up. The total cost of a dinner is your share of the subscription plus the meal itself.
Tip: before the evening ends, suggest one follow-up with the person or two you clicked with.
4. Volo Sports: best for a weekly routine with built-in teammates
Volo Sports runs adult recreational sports in 15 U.S. cities. You can join a weekly league with playoffs, drop in for a single game, or show up to a pickup session where Volo sorts the teams and equipment. You can register solo, with friends or as a full team. Sports range from kickball, volleyball, soccer and pickleball to bar games like bowling, cornhole and trivia. Prices vary by city, sport and format, so check your local listings.
What works well: a league is one of the best friendship machines there is: same people, same night, every week, plus a natural post-game hangout. Signing up solo means you get placed on a team, which removes the hardest part.
What to watch: it only covers certain cities. If Volo is not near you, look at your city’s parks and recreation department, which often runs adult leagues, or other local sports clubs.
Tip: sign up for a full season rather than one-off drop-ins if your goal is friends rather than exercise.
5. Eventbrite: best for discovering events and classes
Eventbrite is an event listing and ticketing platform. Organizers post everything from workshops, classes and talks to festivals and networking nights, and you can search by city, date and interest. Many events are free; for paid ones, the organizer sets the ticket price.
What works well: it is great for finding things to do in a new area and spotting recurring classes or workshop series.
What to watch: most listings are one-time events, so you rarely see the same people again. Use it to find a recurring series, then commit to that.
6. InterNations: best for people who moved from another country
InterNations is a community for people living and working abroad. Its official app listing says a membership is required to use the app and that it offers free and paid membership options, with availability and pricing depending on your location. Members attend community events and smaller activity groups organized around interests.
What works well: if you have recently moved to the United States or Canada from another country, it connects you with other internationals who understand the experience.
What to watch: it is focused on expats and internationals, so it is less useful if you have simply moved across the state. Check which events and features require the paid tier before you upgrade.
7. Nextdoor: best for meeting people who live nearby
Nextdoor is a free neighborhood network. You join your neighborhood and see local posts, recommendations and groups. It is not designed as a friendship app, but neighborhood groups (walking groups, parents’ groups, garden clubs) and local event posts can lead to real connections with people a few blocks away.
What works well: proximity. Friends who live nearby are easier to see often.
What to watch: tone varies widely by neighborhood, and the feed can be dominated by complaints and lost-pet posts. Use it to find local groups, not to scroll.
8. MeetNow: an option built around plans
MeetNow is the app we are building, so weigh this section accordingly. Instead of profiles and swiping, a host posts a plan at a real public place: dinner, drinks, a game, a concert. The plan shows the date, time, number of seats and who pays (host pays, split, pay your own, or free). People ask to join with a short note, the host decides who comes, and accepted guests get a group chat. Hosts can also limit who can join, for example by gender or age range, and anyone can block other users. After meeting, both sides confirm “we met,” which builds a track record over time.
What it is designed for: small, specific plans where expectations, including cost, are clear up front.
Limitations: it is live on the web at app.trymeetnow.com, starting in Malta, with the iPhone and Android apps coming soon.
What to look for in any app to meet people
New apps appear every year, and the ones above will keep changing. These questions help you judge any of them, including ones we have not covered:
- Does it lead to in-person meetings, or mostly to chatting? Apps that push you toward a specific time and place tend to produce more real connections than ones built around endless messaging.
- Will you see the same people again? Recurring groups, leagues and standing events beat one-off mixers for building friendships.
- Is the cost clear before you commit? Look for the full price, including subscriptions, tickets, dues and the cost of the activity itself, such as the meal or drinks.
- Is it active where you live? A great app with three users in your city is not a great app for you. Check upcoming events or nearby activity before paying.
- What safety tools does it offer? Look for ways to report and block other users, and read the app’s own safety guidance.
- Does it fit your energy? Some people love big group events; others do better with three or four people. Pick a format you will actually keep showing up to.
Which app should you choose?
- You want a hobby group: Meetup, then commit to one group for a month.
- You want to be matched with individuals: Bumble BFF, and move to a plan quickly.
- You want someone else to plan everything: Timeleft, and follow up with the people you liked.
- You want a weekly routine and you like sports: Volo Sports or your local parks and recreation leagues.
- You want to explore what is on in your area: Eventbrite, then look for recurring series.
- You moved from another country: InterNations.
- You want friends within walking distance: Nextdoor groups.
Whichever you pick, the app is only the introduction. Friendships form through repeated time together, so choose the option that makes it easiest to see the same people again. If you are using an app to get through a lonely stretch, pairing it with small offline steps helps too; our guide on how to cope with loneliness has a gentle weekly plan.
Staying safe with apps to meet people
Whatever app you use, the same habits apply. Meet in a public place for the first few times. Tell a friend where you are going and who you are meeting. Arrange your own way home. Keep personal details such as your home address private until you know someone. And leave whenever you feel uncomfortable; you do not owe anyone an explanation.
Want to turn this into an actual plan? MeetNow is a free app for meeting people in person: a host posts a plan at a public place, says who pays (host pays, split, pay your own or free) and picks who joins. It is live on the web now, starting in Malta, with the phone apps on the way: open MeetNow and see the plans near you.
FAQ: apps to meet new people
What is the best app to make friends as an adult?
There is no single best app. Meetup is the broadest for interest groups, Bumble BFF suits people who like one-to-one matching, and Timeleft suits people who want dinners planned for them. The best choice is the one that helps you see the same people repeatedly.
Are there free apps to meet new people?
Yes. Meetup is free for members to join groups (some groups charge dues), Nextdoor is free, and many Eventbrite events are free. Timeleft requires a subscription, and you pay for your own meal.
Is there an app for meeting people without dating?
Several. Bumble BFF is built specifically for friendship, Meetup and Volo Sports focus on shared activities, and Timeleft organizes dinners with strangers. MeetNow, our own app, is built around plans rather than dating profiles.
How do I make friends through an app without it fizzling out?
Move from chat to a specific in-person plan quickly, choose a public place, and suggest a second meeting before the first one ends. Recurring activities, such as a weekly league or group, make follow-up much easier than one-off events.
Is MeetNow available in the United States or Canada?
MeetNow is live on the web at app.trymeetnow.com, starting in Malta, with the iPhone and Android apps coming soon. It is free and built around hosts posting plans at public places. Open it to see the plans near you.
