These show what’s happening near you and who’s running it. The friend-making comes from going back: the same running group every Saturday gives you a second and third conversation without anyone having to plan it. Meetup is the long-running one for interest groups, and what’s free on it is set out on our support-options page. For kinds of places that work offline too, see the guide to places worth trying in your 20s.
Apps to make friends: what each one is actually for
Friend apps come in four kinds: one-to-one matching, small groups of strangers at a dinner or outing, local events and interest groups, and apps for a particular community. Choose by what you’d like the first meeting to look like, and check the price and cities first. The friendship itself takes shape over the meetings after that.
Key takeaways
- Pick the format before the app: one person, a table of strangers, an event, or people who share something with you.
- Some charge per event or by subscription, and some run in only a few cities, so read the store page before you sign up.
- Before the first meetup ends, suggest a second. That’s the step that can turn an app match into a friend.
Written byAnshika Jain, PhD scholar, M.A. Clinical Psychology · Coach at Ventoutt·Reviewed byAditi Bajpai, M.A. Clinical Psychology·Published Oct 25, 2026 · Updated Oct 25, 2026·Editorial policy
It depends on what you want the first meeting to be. Someone who’d find a one-on-one coffee with a stranger draining might love a dinner for six, and the other way around. So this guide sorts apps by format and says what each is for. Nothing here is ranked, no app paid to be listed, and each app’s details were read on its own store page, website or terms on October 17, 2026. We read those pages; we didn’t test the apps ourselves.
Ventoutt isn’t on the list because it isn’t a friend app. Ventoutt doesn’t introduce you to people, run groups or host events. A coach works with you on making and keeping connections in your own life.
Which kind of friend app fits you?
How do one-to-one friend apps work?
You make a profile, see people nearby, and chat with the ones you match with. You choose who you meet, which also means a chat can go quiet before anyone meets.
- BFF by Bumble. From the company behind the Bumble dating app; it’s listed as “BFF: Make friends & meet up.” Its store listing says it’s free, with no paid upgrades. 18 and over.
Two things help. On your profile, name something you’d actually do this month — trying every ramen spot downtown, a Saturday-morning run — rather than a list of adjectives. And move from chat to a plan within the first few days: “Want to check out the Sunday market this weekend?”
What about apps that seat you with a group of strangers?
No swiping. The app matches you with a small group and a place, and you turn up. It suits anyone who’d rather not choose people from photos, or who finds a one-on-one with a stranger too much. The catch is that the group changes each time, so if you click with someone, ask for their number before you leave.
Timeleft. It “matches you for dinners, drinks, coffee, and runs with like-minded people,” in 55 US cities. In the US it costs $19.99 a month for reservations, and you pay for your own food and drinks; the plan renews until you cancel. 18 and over.
222. An iPhone app that “finds you the people you’ll get along with and sends you to the places you’ll love,” in 17 US cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Austin. Its own pages don’t show what members pay, so check in the app before you commit. 18 and over.
What about apps for local events and interest groups?
- Pie. Listed as “Pie: Free Events, Cool People,” for finding local events and the people going to them, in Chicago, Austin, the Bay Area and Columbus. The listing advertises free events, and Google Play shows in-app purchases. 18 and over.
What about apps for a specific community?
Some apps are built for one group of people. The pool nearby is smaller, and some charge a membership, but everyone there shares something with you.
- Les Amis. A friendship community for women, with in-person events and one-to-one matches; its FAQ welcomes transgender women and LGBTQ+ people. In the US it runs in Austin and New York. Membership is $55 a month in Austin and $70 in New York, plus a $30 joining fee, and renews until you cancel. There’s a waitlist. 18 and over.
- Synchrony. A social app “created exclusively for neurodivergent adults to build real friendships and meaningful community,” available only in the US, with membership requests verified. Its website says “Join for free during our launch period!”, while its App Store listing shows plans from $44.99 a month that renew until canceled, so check which applies when you join. 18 and over.
What should you check before you sign up for a friend app?
How do you stay safe meeting someone from an app?
Keep chatting in the app until you’ve met. Its report and block tools only work there.
Notice pressure. Someone who wants to move off the app straight away, asks for money or gift cards, or keeps changing their story isn’t someone to meet.
Start with a group if you’re unsure. A dinner or an event means you aren’t alone with someone you’ve never met.
Report anyone who makes you uncomfortable, even if you’re not sure it counts.
For the first meeting itself — where to go, who to tell, how to get home — see the first-meetup steps in our guide to starting from no friends.
Why do app friendships fizzle after the first meetup?
What if the apps are leaving you feeling lonelier?
If your mood is low most days and sleep, classes or work are slipping, start with when loneliness feels like more than loneliness. If a partner decides who you can see or talk to, read relationship problem or controlling behavior?. If you’re thinking about ending your life, or you’re in danger now, use the crisis options below.
If you need help now
If you are in the US and having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, or need crisis support, call or text 988 or use 988 online chat. For an immediate life-threatening emergency, call 911. Outside the US, contact your local emergency or crisis service. Coaching, venting and a therapy waitlist are not emergency services.
See suicide prevention helplines for your countryWhere can a coach help if the apps aren’t working?
Work out which kind of app suits you, and what to put on your profile.
Practice moving a chat to a plan, and a first meeting to a second.
Keep going after a few meetups that went nowhere.
…and plenty that does not fit a category. If it is taking up your week, it is worth a conversation.
Want to see who’d be in your corner?
Ventoutt assigns your first coach; if the fit isn’t right, you can change coach from the available options. If you want to know what you’d be signing up for, read what happens after you join.
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Muskan Kataria
Mental Wellness Coach
Experienced with US clients
Qualifications: M.A. in Clinical Psychology
Specializes in: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, emotional support for teens & young adults
Best for: First-time coaching seekers and young individuals looking for guidance and clarity
Global Exposure: Has worked with clients from the USA
4.9★
Nishi
Mental Wellness Coach
Mental wellness coach
Qualifications: M.Sc. in Clinical Psychology (Neuropsychology); Master’s in Counseling & Behavior Modification
Specializes in: Stress, relationships, LGBTQ+ matters, body image concerns
Best for: Deep emotional issues, and clients looking for a structured approach
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Anshika Jain
Mental Wellness Coach
USA Workplace Client Experience
Qualifications: PHD scholar, M.A. in Clinical Psychology; PG Diploma in Counselling & Family Therapy; Certification in Counselling and Psychotherapy; International Member, American Psychological Association (APA), Member No. C2404977850
Specializes in: Relationship, workplace stress, anxiety, self-improvement, career guidance
Best for: Young adults dealing with career confusion, stress, and relationship challenges
Global Exposure: Experience working with USA-based corporate clients
Still deciding about friend apps?
Are apps to make friends free?
Some are free, some have paid extras, and others charge a monthly membership or a pass per event. This guide gives each app’s price as its own pages showed it, with the date it was checked.
Are friend apps just dating apps in disguise?
The ones here are built for friendship, though one comes from a dating-app company. If a match turns flirty and that isn’t what you want, say so once, and unmatch if it carries on.
Is it weird to use an app to make friends?
No. Adults move cities, change jobs and lose the settings where friends used to come easily. An app is one more way to get a first meeting.
Tried the apps, and it isn’t turning into friendships?
That’s the part an app can’t do for you. A coach can help you work out why the meetups aren’t leading anywhere, and plan the next one with you. Ventoutt’s coaches are MA/PhD psychology professionals, minimum three years’ experience, based in India. What coaching costs, and how that compares, is set out here.
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