Making friends as an adult is tough—especially if you’ve spent much of the past couple of years limiting yourself to internet-based interactions.
It can be isolating.
That said, whether you’re itching to get out and meet new friends at a local coffee shop or you just want more like-minded friends to socialize with online, the apps in this post can help you make lasting connections.
We’ve found 17 of the best apps for making friends, whatever your age and personality.
Which one will you try first?
17 Apps For Finding Friends
If you’re looking for an app to make friends online, we’ve looked through each of the following and grouped them by category to make it easier for you to find a new favorite.
Apps for Introverts to Make Friends
While none of the following are explicitly marketed to introverts, they have features that make them more introvert-friendly than some of the other apps listed in this post.
1. Meetup
Use this app to find friends in your area and friend groups you can join and participate in from the comfort of your home.
Fill out the profile, and the app shows you a selection of groups to join based on your interests. From there, it’s up to you to contact the groups that interest you and join in on one of their virtual or in-person meetups.
We like this app because of the variety of virtual and in-person meetup options, allowing introverts to choose those best suited to their social energy levels.
Download from the Apple Store or Google Play.
2. MeetMe
Find people in your area and worldwide who share your interests and meet either face-to-face or via webchat or live messaging.
Choose the communication method you feel most comfortable with at the moment, so you can get to know someone better before committing to a face-to-face meeting (online or in-person).
The app is free to use, but they also offer an optional premium subscription service called MeetMe+ with multiple payment options.
Download from the Apple Store or Google Play.
3. Discord
This popular app makes it easy to hang out with friends and communities via your smartphone or by opening Discord in your browser or the desktop app for Windows or Mac.
Connect with friends using video, voice, and text-based chat. Use the hashtag index on the left to find specific communities and start conversations or ask and answer questions.
Computer programming and gaming communities worldwide (which attract many introverts) use Discord to find friends and supportive groups in their specific fields and find answers to their tech-related questions.
Download the app from their website, Apple Store, or Google Play.
Make Friends Online Not Dating
You’re looking for at least one true friend, not your true love or a random hookup. All the apps listed below are exclusively for forging exclusively platonic connections with people in your area or around the world.
Whether it ever becomes more than that is up to you and your new bestie.
4. Hey! Vina
Marketed as “Tinder for (Girl)friends,” Hey! Vina is all about helping women who travel or have moved to a new city find new girlfriends to hang with. Fill out the profile, and your new best friend or social circle might be just one swipe away.
Take quizzes on the app, or read articles written to help you get better acquainted with who you are, who you want to be, and how you want to live. Find like-minded girlfriends whose company and conversation will leave you feeling supported and inspired.
Download the app from the Apple Store or Google Play.
5. Patook
Users of every gender can find new friends with Patook: the “strictly platonic friend-making app.” Their flirt-detection algorithm filters out any users looking for a love connection (or something more short-term) before their messages reach your inbox.
Fill out a detailed profile, and the app’s interest-matching algorithm helps you find new, like-minded friends. And Patook’s AI can detect lulls in a conversation and make helpful suggestions, boosting the reply rate for messages read to over 80%.
Whether you meet your new friends face-to-face (if possible) or keep the friendship going online is up to you and your new social circle.
Download from the Apple Store or Google Play.
6. Peanut
The maker of Peanut was a new mother feeling isolated and looking for ways to connect with other moms for mutual support and friendship.
Being a stay-at-home mom will drive you up the wall, especially if you thrive on social contact. And even if you’re an introvert, social isolation takes its toll; people need strong social connections to thrive.
Peanut helps you connect with other moms who feel isolated and need supportive friends, even if meeting in person isn’t possible (or, at least, not immediately).
Every mom needs a chance to vent about mom stuff and commiserate with other mothers. This app makes it easier to create a mommy circle you can enjoy spending time with.
Download the app from the Apple Store or Google Play.
7. We3
This is another introvert-friendly, non-dating option that makes meeting friends in your area easier. Sometimes even introverts want to meet friends face-to-face.
Plus, this app matches you with two friends to take some pressure off each of you and give you an instant “tribe” to meet with on the regular.
The makers of We3 know how awkward it can be when two people meet for the first time. When it’s three people with shared interests, some of the tension lifts, and if they see eye-to-eye on issues important to all of them, the connection is often quick and strong.
Download the app from Apple Store or Google Play.
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Apps to Make Friends for Teens
This post wouldn’t be complete without some apps to make friends under 18. Each of the following is teen-friendly (ages 13 to 17) and makes it easier to find friends in your age group to hang out with, in person or online. Find out about local meetup events, too.
8. Yubo
With 40M+ users worldwide, Yubo is the leading platform for teens to socialize online.
With Snap’s Camera Tool, Yubo users can access Snapchat lenses and AR capabilities to enhance their video live streams. And with its YouTube integration, teens can watch videos or TV shows together and share their thoughts with each other via online chat.
As Yubo grows, it introduces new innovations to make the app more user-friendly and rewarding to its global teen community. Chat, play games, live stream your way to lasting friendships, even if geography limits your interaction to online channels.
Yubo is all about making those channels everything they can be.
Download from the Apple Store or Google Play.
9. Wink
The makers of Wink describe this app as the safest and fastest way to find and chat with new friends. Send Wink Messenger text or audio messages, photos, GIFs, and ice-breakers. With a verified profile, you can even make audio and video calls.
Use your Wink profile to show your personality with up to six photos, a detailed bio with your interests, a recorded voice intro, and customizable profile colors.
Every day, you have the opportunity to earn gems, which you can use to send friend requests or to connect with anyone you may have missed. Use your gems to find new friends or purchase a new background for your profile.
Download from the Apple Store or Google Play.
10. Spotafriend
Spotafriend is a friend-finding app for teens aged 13 to 19. With 2M teen users, this app specializes in helping you find new friends who live in your area.
Fill out your profile to see suggested images, and swipe right to accept. If both of you accept, you match and can start chatting privately. Invite your new friends to go out or meet somewhere in the neighborhood to chat over a coffee or just hang out together.
The app is free, but you can also upgrade to Ultimate Access to enjoy premium features like an ad-free mobile experience or Unlimited Boomerang. Unlock swipe history, change old swipes, get two extra swipes per day, and more.
Download the app from the Apple Store & Google Play.
Apps to Meet Friends in Your Area
Designed for users aged 17 and above, the following apps specialize in helping users find new friends in their area so that you can meet your new besties in person, hopefully regularly, to get to know each other better and to be physically there for each other.
You know how touch-starved we humans can get.
11. Nextdoor
Sign up with your address, and Nextdoor automatically finds the community closest to your front door. Add an emergency contact and invite your neighbors to join.
Once you’re in and you’ve made the “good neighbor pledge,” check out community messages to see what’s going on in your neighborhood or larger community. Add a short bio to introduce yourself and, if you like, upload a profile picture.
Scroll through the community feed to see what’s going on and comment on other members’ posts. You always have the option of unfollowing a particular neighborhood and finding others to explore.
And if you’d like to invite your neighbors to try Nextdoor, the app will even print and mail invitations on your behalf.
Download the app from the Apple Store or Google Play.
12. Atleto
If you’re looking for a workout buddy who can help you stick to your exercise habit, this is the app to use.
Find fitness accountability partners in your area and decide whether you want to meet at a local fitness center, golf course, etc. Work out separately and tell each other when you’ve finished for the day.
Just being able to tell someone you’ve kept your promise to yourself could be exactly what you need to create a lifelong fitness habit. Plus, while you’re working on your self-improvement goals, you can make friends who challenge and support you.
Download the app from the Apple Store or Google Play.
13. Meet My Dog
If you love your dog and want to meet other dog-lovers in your area, check out the Meet My Dog app. Sometimes, just having someone to walk the dog which makes it so much easier to get out the door, especially when you’d rather stay indoors.
This app is teen-friendly and designed to help you connect with people in your neighborhood. Share photos of your fur babies and create a profile for each one. Use the in-app messaging to arrange meetups with other dogs and their humans. Set up puppy playdates or use the app to see where other members are at a local dog park.
Download the app from the Apple Store or Google Play.
14. BarkHappy
Another dog-lovers app, BarkHappy, is all about getting your pup socialized and scheduling playdates with new pup friends. While you’re at it, you’ll meet dog lovers in your area and feel more socially connected to your neighborhood.
You can also use the app to find dog-friendly places in your locale, including restaurants, stores, hotels, parks, etc. Read up on their pet policies and learn about their pet-friendly amenities. You can even add places to the map if you find some that aren’t listed.
Find and attend dog-friendly events or host one of your own. If your dog goes missing, you can also post lost and found alerts — or help reunite lost pets with their owners.
Download the app from the Apple Store or Google Play.
15. Bumble BFF
Whether you’ve just moved to a new city or you’re looking to expand your circle of friends (or build one), Bumble BFF makes it easier to find like-minded people in your area.
Select in-app photos based on what you’re looking for: a workout partner, a travel buddy, or just someone to meet and talk to over a coffee. Upload six unique photos of your own and share your interests to make it easier to find people on your wavelength.
Complete the profile and connect your social media and Spotify accounts to get the best matches. From there, swiping and connecting are up to you.
Download the app from the Apple Store or Google Play.
16. Slowly
Slowly is a friend-making app for people with a penchant for the pen.
A twist on the traditional “pen pal” concept, Slowly pairs you with people from around the world who share similar hobbies and interests, and you build friendships through the written word. There’s no 144-character limit here!
The app bills itself as something for people “who yearn for meaningful conversations” during our “era of instant messaging.”
17. Tandem
Are you a linguaphile? An aspiring polyglot?
Connect with language learners worldwide with Tandem. It’s filled with people learning foreign languages who want to meet “conversation buddies” with native speakers. It’s a neat way to stretch your language skills and build friendships with people from far-off countries (you can one day visit).
For example, let’s say your first language is English, and you’re learning Korean. Tandem will pair you with friends who are native Korean speakers learning to speak English.
Don’t worry; they also match skill levels.
Why People Are Using Apps To Make Friends
Whether you’re in preschool or perimenopause, making friends can be hellish in these digital days.
It’s an ironic turn of affairs, considering the Internet was conceived to connect us.
But there’s good news. Recent studies show that apps can also be a godsend for individuals looking to make genuine connections instead of aimlessly scrolling through superficial social media posts.
How? Why?
It all comes down to the great lifestyle shift. More and more people are using apps to make friends because:
- We go out less. For myriad reasons — stagnant wages, post-pandemic paralysis, closed venues, increased availability of at-home entertainment — people get out way less than they once did, which decreases opportunities to meet folks the old-fashion way.
- We’re more fearful. It could be the proliferation of true crime in our collective consciousness, but we’re more afraid to go out, and our negative suspicions about strangers increase yearly. Safety is a good thing, but our trajectory may be an over-correction that’s ultimately eroding our sense of community, belonging, and general friendliness.
- More people work from home. Digital commuting is the new cubicle. Nearly 70% of companies are exploring and implementing post-pandemic remote work options. The cocoon lifestyle pushes us toward e-meeting options — both professionally and personally.
- We’re Lazier: Is it easier to pick up the milk and butter you need or have it delivered? Well, the same goes for meeting people. These days, we live online — and that includes meeting new friends.
Now that you’ve looked through all 17 apps for making friends, which ones stood out for you?
Depending on where you are right now and what’s most important to you, some will feel more like a better fit than others.
But if you find one that gets you thinking, “This could work,” it’s up to you to sign up and give it a try. Which app is at the top of that list?
