Best Apps to Make Friends in 2026: 5 Compared
The short answer: Meetup is our top pick because it is free to join and built around recurring groups, which is how acquaintances become friends.3 Nextdoor is the best free way to know your actual neighbors, and Timeleft is the easiest way to sit down with strangers if you live in a big city and don’t mind paying.818
At a glance
| # | Service | Best for | Cost to join | Where it works | Score /10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meetup | Recurring groups around an interest | Free to join; Meetup+ optional3 | Worldwide, wherever groups exist | 8.6 |
| 2 | Nextdoor | Getting to know your neighbors | Free8 | Where you live, after address verification8 | 8.2 |
| 3 | Eventbrite | Finding classes and one-off local events | Free events have no fees12 | Worldwide | 7.4 |
| 4 | BFF by Bumble | One-on-one friend matching | Free per reviewers; we couldn’t confirm pricing on Bumble’s site17 | U.S., Canada and Mexico14 | 7.1 |
| 5 | Timeleft | Dinner with strangers in big cities | $19.99 a month, plus your meal18 | 200+ cities in 52 countries20 | 6.1 |
Social connection is a health issue, not just a nice-to-have. The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory found that about half of U.S. adults report measurable loneliness, and linked poor social connection to higher risks of heart disease, stroke, dementia and early death.12
Apps can’t make friends for you, but they can put you in the same room as people who share an interest. We ranked five on cost, how often they lead to repeated in-person contact, where they work, safety tools and what you get for free.
The 5 apps for making friends, ranked
Meetup
Best for recurring groups around an interest
8.6/10
- Cost to join
- Free to join; Meetup+ optional3
- Where it works
- Worldwide, wherever groups exist
Groups for hiking, board games, languages, running, books and almost anything else, most of which meet regularly. Members join and RSVP for free.3 Organizers pay for their groups, which is why some groups charge small dues.4
- Since October 2024, unlimited messages, full attendee lists and priority waitlists are limited to paying Meetup+ members.5
- Members can report groups, events or people.6
Pros
- Recurring events are ideal for turning strangers into friends
- Groups for nearly every interest
Cons
- Service fees on ticketed events7
- Free members see less about who is attending
Nextdoor
Best for getting to know your neighbors
8.2/10
A neighborhood network for recommendations, lost pets, local events and favors. Members verify their address, and Nextdoor says it never shows your exact address to neighbors.8
- Prompts such as its Kindness Reminder ask people to reconsider unkind replies before posting.9
Pros
- Free, and the people are genuinely nearby
- Address verification
Cons
- More of a bulletin board than a way to make close friends
- Crime and safety threads can turn fearful or uncivil10
Worth knowing: Nextdoor has long been criticized for racial profiling in “suspicious person” posts. It says adding friction to crime and safety posts cut profiling by 75%.11
Eventbrite
Best for finding classes and one-off local events
7.4/10
- Cost to join
- Free events have no fees12
- Where it works
- Worldwide
The biggest marketplace for local events: talks, workshops, classes, festivals. Free tickets carry no fees for attendees or organizers.12
Pros
- Huge range of events everywhere
- Many free events
Cons
- Paid tickets usually carry a service fee of 3.7% plus $1.79, and payment processing, on top of the price13
- Mostly one-off events, so you have to make the effort to see people again
BFF by Bumble
Best for one-on-one friend matching
7.1/10
- Cost to join
- Free per reviewers; we couldn’t confirm pricing on Bumble’s site17
- Where it works
- U.S., Canada and Mexico14
Bumble has combined its friend-finding features into a standalone app called BFF, for one-on-one and group friendships.14 Groups called Hives let you meet several local people at once.15
- Photo verification checks that people match their profile pictures.16
Pros
- Photo verification
- Matches you with people looking for friends, not dates
Cons
- Swipe-and-chat can stall before anyone meets
- The new app is only in North America for now
Timeleft
Best for dinner with strangers in big cities
6.1/10
Matches you with about five strangers by personality and books a restaurant for a weekly Wednesday dinner.1819 It removes all the planning, which makes it the lowest-effort way to actually sit down with new people.
Pros
- Guaranteed in-person contact every week
- No planning or small-talk apps
Cons
- Subscription plus the cost of your own meal, which reviewers estimate at $20 to $4021
- Only in larger cities
How we ranked them
We rated each service from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) on 5 criteria, weighted by how much each matters for social wealth. The score is the weighted average, scaled to 10. Ratings come from each company’s own published prices and features and from the independent reviews in the sources list, checked on October 3, 2026.
- Real-life connection (30%). How reliably the service leads to meeting the same people in person more than once.
- Cost (25%). What you pay to take part, including event fees and subscriptions.
- Reach (15%). Where it works: everywhere, or only in large cities or certain countries.
- Safety tools (15%). Verification, reporting and moderation.
- Free option (15%). How much works without paying.
| Service | In person | Cost | Reach | Safety | Free | Score /10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meetup | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 8.6 |
| Nextdoor | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 8.2 |
| Eventbrite | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 7.4 |
| BFF by Bumble | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 7.1 |
| Timeleft | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6.1 |
The free way that works
The most reliable path to friendship is seeing the same people regularly. A weekly class, a volunteer shift, a sports league or a faith community does that for free or close to it. Use apps to find the first door, then keep going back.
How to choose
- Have a hobby? Meetup.
- Want to know your street? Nextdoor.
- Prefer meeting people one at a time? BFF by Bumble.
- In a big city and short on time? Timeleft.
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Common questions
What is the best app to make friends in 2026?
In our comparison, Meetup ranks first because it is free to join and built around recurring groups, which is how acquaintances become friends. Nextdoor ranks second as a free way to meet neighbors.
Are friend-making apps free?
Mostly. Meetup, Nextdoor and Eventbrite are free to join, though Meetup sells an optional Meetup+ subscription and paid events carry fees. Timeleft costs $19.99 a month in the U.S. plus the cost of your meal.
How common is loneliness?
The U.S. Surgeon General's 2023 advisory found that about half of U.S. adults report measurable loneliness. It linked poor social connection to higher risks of heart disease, stroke, dementia and early death.
How do you make friends as an adult?
See the same people repeatedly. Join a recurring group, class, sports league or volunteer shift, and keep going back. Apps like Meetup help you find the group; showing up again is what builds the friendship.
Is it safe to meet people from an app?
Meet in a public place for the first few times, tell someone where you are going, and use the app's verification and reporting tools. Meetup lets you report groups and people, Nextdoor verifies addresses, and BFF by Bumble verifies photos.
Sources
- Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory — Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, 2023
- New Surgeon General Advisory Raises Alarm about the Devastating Impact of the Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2023
- Meetup+ vs. Free Plan Members: Key Differences and Benefits — Meetup
- Organizer Subscription prices overview — Meetup
- Now exclusive to Meetup+: Unlimited DMs, priority waitlist, full access to member lists, and more — Meetup, 2024
- Report unsafe or illegal activity — Meetup
- Event fees: Why does Meetup charge a service fee for ticketed events? — Meetup
- Verify your Nextdoor account — Nextdoor
- Nextdoor’s Kindness Reminder and Kindness Tips — Nextdoor
- The Fear Factor: Better Understanding Online Discussions About Crime and Safety — Psychology of Technology Institute
- Nextdoor CEO explains how the social network is cracking down on racial profiling — GeekWire, 2016
- Create an Event for Free: Pricing — Eventbrite
- Eventbrite’s Ticketing Fees — Eventbrite
- Changes to Bumble For Friends and Bumble BFF Mode — Bumble
- Get to know a new group of people in Hives on Bumble BFF — Bumble
- Safe Online Friends — Bumble
- 5 Friend Matching Apps in 2026, Honestly Compared — Introvrs
- Dinner with strangers: what it is and how it works — Timeleft
- Comparison, Timeleft vs Meetup — Timeleft
- Timeleft: Turn Strangers into Friends — Timeleft
- Free Timeleft Alternatives — Introvrs
This guide is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not financial, medical, legal, or tax advice, and it is not a recommendation to buy any product. Prices and features change; confirm them with the provider before you sign up.
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