After a year of social upheaval, in which work went remote and hybrid, more people are trying to use technology to forge local circles again. Friendship apps — not dating apps but personal ads proxied through technology — have created new markets, if that market is being able to call up a stranger who will listen to you vent about your horrible boss and then suggest some digital models you might troll for free lip gloss: low-stakes introductions, easy access to instant perspective on whatever was tempting you into behavior that your future self would deem regrettable.
The surge is not taking place in a vacuum. In an advisory in 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness and isolation a public health crisis, and associated weak social ties with increased risks of heart disease, dementia and depression. Now that online dating has become the norm, and we’re always (at least low-key) looking for someone else to date, seeking out friendships via an app feels like a natural step.
Why Friendship Apps Are Surging in Popularity Now
Market signals suggest real momentum. Local-first friendship apps have pulled in an estimated $16 million in U.S. consumer spending so far this year, with about 4.3 million downloads, according to Appfigures. The mix of paid curation and growing reach suggests an audience clamoring for structured ways to meet, not another feed through which to scroll.
Unlike dating apps, which optimize for one-on-one chemistry, these services work by connecting people in a low-stakes setting to go on advisable platonic outings — whether that’s an ax-throwing workshop with seven other participants or a shopping excursion at D.I.Y. supply shop Michaels, which was the best way for my friend who hated the hubbub of bars and nightlife. These are small-group experiences based on shared interests and consistent interaction — formats that tend to minimize pressure and maximize potential for lasting friendships.
Others connect discovery to physical locations and events, answering the age-old question, “Now what?” after a match.
Notable Friendship Platforms to Watch This Year
222
222 centers events around in-person social gatherings, pairing strangers together based on personality test results and sending them on curated outings (think a comedy show or wine bar). A vetting process seeks to break groups down, and socially anxious users can bring a plus-one. The service costs a $22.22 curation fee or a flat-rate monthly plan at the same price.
Bumble BFF
Bumble BFF, which started as a feature in 2016 before being spun out into its own app in 2023, recently decided to double down on the group hangout, an acknowledgment of users’ desires to form circles rather than one-off connections. It is free to download on iOS and Android, but there are optional in-app purchases for premium features like unlimited swipes, SuperSwipes, and who liked you.
Clyx
Clyx identifies as a local event graph, pulling in listings from sources like Ticketmaster and TikTok and spotlighting where your contacts are going. It also recommends people to meet at the same event. In addition to Miami and London, the now-live Clyx cited New York City and São Paulo as upcoming destinations.
Les Amis
Les Amis caters to women, transgender and L.G.B.T.Q.+ users and uses A.I. to match interests and nudge members toward nearby activities — book clubs, pottery classes, wine tastings. Matches reset on Mondays, and it is available in most major European cities as well as in a few U.S. metros. Membership fees vary by city.
Meetup
Meetup is the granddaddy of them all, founded in 2002 and still serving up interest-based groups and RSVPs for everything from tech talks to trail runs. Its staying power reinforces a fundamental truth about friend tech: with repeat, in-the-flesh engagement seals connections.
Meet5
The European community app Meet5, which is targeting an over-40 user base, just rolled out in the United States with group activities like hikes and concerts or picnics. Appfigures estimates about 777,000 U.S. downloads so far — an early indication that older demographics are becoming comfortable with the idea of structured social discovery.
Pie
Pie uses an AI-fueled quiz to sort attendees into groups of six for its events, then opens a group chat so participants can get to know one another in advance. It is now available in Austin, Chicago and San Francisco for both iOS and Android.
Timeleft
Timeleft arranges weekly Wednesday dinners with small groups of strangers, connecting them according to age, sex and personality. Guests are shown vague details (like occupation and zodiac sign) the night before and receive icebreaker cues during the meal, as well as an optional after-party at a local bar.
Wyzr Friends
Wyzr Friends is meant for adults 40 and older — be they empty nesters, divorcees or those looking to rev up their social calendars — matching people based on shared interests and getting them to make fast plans that focus on something, anything, they enjoy doing. Available in multiple countries on iOS and Android.
How These Friendship Apps Reduce First-Meeting Awkwardness
The headline innovation is format: group-first matchmaking and event-centric discovery reduce the pressure of first contact. A personality and compatibility test, which eventually appears under a pseudonym on your invite, drives conversation at a time when people are socially anxious about meeting strangers.
There’s also a business logic. Local network effects are difficult to spark; by guiding users toward regularly scheduled, real-life touchpoints, apps speed up density in each city and improve retention — a strategy community-building operators have borrowed from fitness studios and hobby clubs.
Understanding The Safety And Privacy Issues As Well As Costs
Now most platforms prioritize safety with photo or ID verification, reporting tools and partnerships for safer venues. Even so, the best practices apply: Meet in public places, share your plans with a friend and communicate through in-app messaging until trust is established. Privacy: Look into contact uploads, location permissions and data-sharing policies.
Pricing models range widely, from a one-time curation fee to tiered subscriptions that correspond to screening and hosting, as well as coordination. There are free options out there, but paid tiers help you feel more like a member of the community and offer better discovery, priority invites, or filtering that mean something to you.
The Bottom Line On Making Friends By App
Friendship apps are not magic wands, but they’re learning to get smarter about what makes people form connections: repeated contact, shared context and low-pressure interactions. For newcomers to a city, for folks yearning for post-remote-work community, or trying to piece back together a social life after a major life change, these tools can be a structured on-ramp into real-world belonging.
Winners will be those that balance thoughtful curation with an inclusive vibe, protect user safety, and turn one-off events into regular happenings. And if the download curves and consumer spending continue to rise, perhaps we’ll be in for a friend-tech era as a permanent feature of local social life — less swipe, more show up.
