10 Apps to Make Friends and Socialize

Making new friends as an adult can be difficult. The strategy no longer involves walking up to a kid on the playground and saying hi. Fortunately, there are several apps to make friends that facilitate the process. They could help you get out of a friendship rut.

1. Bumble BFF

If you’re searching for apps to make friends and the name of this one reminds you of a dating app, you’re not wrong. It’s an offshoot of Bumble, which is strictly for dating.

However, Bumble BFF lets you look for friends instead of dates. If you already use Bumble, choose New Friends when asked what you want to find. When interacting with it for the first time, choose Switch to BFF.

(Free for iOS and Android with available in-app purchases ranging from $1.99-$199.99)

2. Meetup

Apps to make friends often help you pair up individually with people. However, Meetup is a bit different because it gives you listings of group events happening in different places. You might end up meeting friends at a gamer’s club or a movie night. Some gatherings require purchasing tickets to attend, so keep that in mind.

(Free for iOS and Android)

3. Patook

Patook uses algorithms and a points system to help you find people with similar interests in your area. It also uses artificial intelligence to detect lulls in conversations and suggests that individuals who are chatting with each other actually meet. Flirting isn’t allowed, and people who try to do it get banned.

(Free for iOS and Android)

4. Nextdoor

Nextdoor is an ideal app to use if you’ve just moved to a new place in the United States and are trying to get acquainted with the area and the people. Advertised as a social media network for your neighborhood, it could help you find new friends, as well as people who provide services, such as baby-sitting or gardening. There are also event listings, helping you figure out how to spend your time.

(Free for iOS and Android)

5. Hey! Vina

People mention this app as being like Tinder but for women who want to find girlfriends. Just start swiping right to meet them. You can also join online communities of like-minded people.  In addition to the friend-making component, it lets you take quizzes and read relevant articles from the Vinazine while interacting with the app.

(Free for iOS and Android)

6. We3

As you might guess from the name, We3 encourages people of the same gender to pair up in threes for strictly friends-only activities. The app uses over 350 parameters, along with machine learning, to match you with the most appropriate people and gets smarter over time. Just start taking short quizzes to tell the app about yourself and go from there.

(Free for iOS and Android with available in-app purchases ranging from $1.99-$9.99)

7. City Socializer

City Socializer caters to people living all over the world in select cities who want to improve their social lives by going out in groups with others. Many of the people using the app are locals, so if you’re new and trying to get a feel for the coolest hotspots, City Socializer could help. It’s available in a few dozen cities and counting.

(Free for iOS)

8. Atleto

Maybe the primary reason why you want to expand your network of friends is that you’re an athlete and want a few training partners or people willing to share tips about how they stay in top condition for their chosen sports.

Atleto is the app for you. You can narrow down the options and meet people who share your passion for being active, then get even more enjoyment from playing sports.

(Free for iOS and Android)

9. Skout

Most of the apps on this list let you find friends in your hometown or specific global cities. Skout gives you a tool for making global connections by getting to know some of the millions of users. It also has geo-location capabilities to encourage you to meet friends wherever you go, such as if you’re at a concert or a new bar in town.

(Free for iOS and Android with available subscription tiers ranging from $9.99-$69.99)

10. Hater

Hater is both a dating and friendship app with an interesting concept: It connects you with people who dislike the same things. When browsing for people using the app, you get a percentage score that tells you how much an individual hates the same things you do. Match with them when the two of you swipe right.

(Free for iOS and Android)

Making It Fun to Find New Friends

There are times in life where all of us could use a helping hand to find more friends. In this case, the assistance comes from technology. By trying some of the apps above, you could see it’s refreshingly easy to make friends in your community — or even in other countries.