More people are looking for fresh ways to build platonic connections as loneliness and social isolation become more common. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General even described loneliness as a public health crisis. That reality is pushing many people to actively seek new friendships—especially remote workers who miss day-to-day office interactions, and younger adults who are trying to create a real social circle around shared interests, hobbies, and lifestyle.
At the same time, meeting people online no longer carries the stigma it once did. Dating apps helped normalize digital introductions, and now a growing wave of friendship apps and local community apps is taking that same idea and applying it to finding friends, not romance.
Appfigures estimates that more than a dozen local-focused friendship apps have generated around $16 million in consumer spending in the U.S. so far this year, alongside roughly 4.3 million downloads so far in 2025. Popular names in this category include Timeleft, Meet5, and Bumble’s BFF, and the list keeps expanding.
Why are these apps taking off? They remove the awkwardness of trying to make a friend in a random public setting—like approaching someone at the gym or striking up conversation at a café. In these apps, everyone is there for the same reason: to meet people and build friendships. That shared intent makes it easier to start talking, join group activities, and actually show up.
Here are several friendship and local meetup apps worth knowing about, each with its own approach to helping people connect in real life.
222 is an iOS-only social events app built around curated, in-person meetups. You take a personality test, and the app uses the results to group strangers together for real-world outings in nearby public spots like wine bars and comedy clubs. Invitations go out for events, there’s a vetting process, and selected attendees are notified the day of the meetup. If you feel anxious about showing up alone, the app allows you to bring a plus-one. Pricing includes a $22.22 curation fee or a monthly subscription at the same price point.
Bumble’s BFF is one of the most established friendship platforms, created by the same company behind the dating app Bumble. It originally launched as a friend-finding feature in 2016 and later became a stand-alone app in 2023. Recently, it has been redesigned with a stronger focus on group meetups—reflecting how many people don’t just want one new friend, but a broader social circle. It’s free to download on iOS and Android.
Clyx is a newer group-based social networking app with a major emphasis on discovering local events. It pulls in event data from sources like Ticketmaster and TikTok, helping users spot what’s happening nearby. A standout feature: you can upload your contacts to see which events your friends are planning to attend. The app also suggests other users you might want to connect with at those events. Right now, Clyx is limited to Miami and London, with plans to expand—New York City and São Paulo are next on the roadmap. It’s available on iOS and Android.
Les Amís is designed for women, transgender, and LGBTQ+ users, using AI-driven matching based on shared interests and encouraging real-life meetups at local events like pottery classes, book clubs, and wine tastings. The app makes matches every Monday, giving people time to chat and plan get-togethers later in the week. Les Amís is available on iOS and Android and covers multiple European cities, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid, Paris, and Stockholm. In the U.S., it’s currently available in Austin and New York, with plans to expand to Boston, Miami, and Los Angeles. It uses a paid membership model that varies by city, such as $70 in New York and €55 in Amsterdam.
Meetup is one of the longest-running local event and community platforms, launched in 2002. It supports everything from casual hobby gatherings to professional networking and cause-driven meetups. Users can RSVP to events, join groups organized around interests, and even create their own groups and events. People can also chat with members, post updates, and share photos after gatherings—useful for building community beyond a single meetup.
Meet5 is a European community-building app that recently expanded into the U.S., aimed primarily at people over 40 who want to meet others locally through group activities like concerts, picnics, and hiking. According to Appfigures estimates, it has already reached around 777,000 U.S. downloads across iOS and Android in a relatively short time.
Pie is another newer social meetup app that uses an AI-based compatibility quiz. Anyone who RSVPs to a Pie event completes a quick assessment, and the algorithm sorts attendees into groups of six. Those small groups are placed into an in-app group chat ahead of the event, so people can break the ice before meeting in person. Pie is currently available in Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco on iOS and Android.
Timeleft focuses on weekly dinner meetups with small groups of strangers. Its matching system considers factors like age, gender, and personality, placing you at a table with four other people. To keep it interesting and reduce pre-meetup pressure, you only get limited details about your dinner group the night before—like occupations and zodiac signs. Dinners happen at a selected restaurant on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m., followed by an after-party at a nearby bar. The app also includes a conversation-starter game to help people warm up quickly. Pricing varies by country and restaurant: users pay for a ticket up front and then cover their own food and drinks.
Washed Up is a Los Angeles-focused event discovery and social planning app that launched in early 2026. It helps people find local events like comedy shows, trivia nights, and concerts, but the core idea is making it easier to attend with others instead of going alone. Users can create or join “plans,” which are small group meetups connected to specific events. You can browse plans, request to join, chat with the group, and add friends—making it far more natural to show up somewhere with a built-in crew. It’s currently available on iOS.
Wyzr Friends is built for adults 40 and older, including empty nesters, divorced individuals, and others looking for friendship and companionship with like-minded people. It’s activity-driven: users can give a thumbs up or down on potential friends and then set up in-person activities based on shared interests, like hiking or going to the movies. Wyzr Friends is available on iOS and Android across the U.S., Canada, Australia, Ireland, the Philippines, Singapore, and Mexico.
Mmotion is a newly launched app that combines location-aware social discovery with recommendations for places to go, like bars and restaurants. Users can join interest-based groups—such as basketball, hiking, or art—see a map of active users nearby, and message people in the area. The app also highlights new venues on the map, which can make it easier to pick a spot and turn an online chat into a real meetup. For now, Mmotion is only available in New York City on iOS and Android, and users must submit an application to be considered.
As more people prioritize real friendships and local community, these apps are stepping in to make meeting new people feel less intimidating and more structured. Whether you want a curated small-group dinner, a hobby-based meetup, or a way to attend events with others instead of solo, there’s now a growing ecosystem of friendship apps designed to help you build a social life in the city you live in.
