Technology Friendship Apps

Friendship Apps Are Booming: 222, BFF, Meetup, Meet5, and More Promise Easier Ways to Make New Friends

From 222 and Bumble’s BFF to Meetup and Meet5, friendship apps are surging as people seek platonic connections amid rising loneliness and isolation.

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A montage of friendship app icons (222, Bumble BFF, Meetup) with diverse people meeting, symbolizing new platonic connections.
Friendship apps are surging in popularity as people seek new platonic connections amidst rising loneliness.
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Making new friends as an adult can feel surprisingly hard—especially if you work remotely, recently moved, or simply want to meet people beyond your existing circle. A growing class of “friendship apps” is trying to make that process less awkward by focusing on platonic connections and in-person group activities, so starting a conversation doesn’t come with the usual social guesswork.

In recent years, loneliness and social isolation have become more visible concerns, with more people actively seeking ways to form meaningful, non-romantic connections. In 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General described loneliness as a public health crisis. That broader context helps explain why apps designed for friendship—rather than dating—are gaining momentum.

The shift also reflects how mainstream digital matchmaking has become. As dating apps normalized meeting strangers online, the stigma around using an app to find connection has faded. Now, startups and established platforms alike are applying similar product patterns—profiles, matching, messaging, and safety features—to friendship and community-building.

Market indicators suggest meaningful demand. Estimates from Appfigures indicate that more than a dozen local-focused friendship apps have collectively generated about $16 million in consumer spending in the U.S. so far this year. Those same apps have also reached roughly 4.3 million downloads so far in 2025. Notable examples cited include Timeleft, Meet5, and Bumble’s BFF.

What these services often promise is straightforward: a lower-friction, less intimidating alternative to walking up to a stranger at a café, gym, or event and hoping the timing and intent align. In a dedicated friendship app, the premise is explicit—users are there for platonic connection, not romance—making it easier to start chatting or commit to a meetup.

Why friendship apps are growing now

Many adults find that the structures that once created friendships—school, campus life, or early-career offices—fade over time. Remote work can further reduce spontaneous, day-to-day interactions. At the same time, younger adults building post-college lives may want friendships rooted in shared interests and hobbies, not just proximity.

Friendship apps approach the problem from different angles, but they tend to converge on a few common ideas:

  • Intent is clear: These apps frame connection as friendship-first, which can reduce social uncertainty.
  • Group settings reduce pressure: Many products emphasize group meetups because one-on-one introductions can feel high-stakes.
  • Local discovery matters: Even if matching starts online, the goal is often to get people into real-world gatherings nearby.
  • Structure helps: Personality tests, weekly match cycles, and curated events can make it easier to move from chatting to meeting.

Below are several apps and platforms highlighted in the report, ranging from long-running community staples to newer entrants building curated social experiences.

222: personality-based group meetups (iOS-only)

222 positions itself as an in-person social events platform that organizes meetups by grouping strangers based on personality test results. It is currently iOS-only, and it focuses on public, nearby events—think wine bars and comedy clubs—where a group can meet in a setting that already has built-in conversation starters.

After users receive invitations, the app runs a vetting process and notifies selected participants on the day of the event. For people who feel socially anxious, the product includes a practical option: participants can bring a plus-one.

Pricing is built around a “curation” model. The service charges a $22.22 curation fee, or users can choose a monthly subscription priced the same.

BFF: Bumble’s friendship app leans into groups

Dating company Bumble entered the friendship category years ago, launching its friend-finding feature in 2016 and later spinning it out into a stand-alone app in 2023. The app has recently gone through a major redesign, with an increased focus on helping people meet through group activities—an approach that aligns with many users’ desire to expand their circles in a more organic, low-pressure format.

BFF is available as a free download on iOS and Android. (Bumble also lists the app on Google Play.)

Clyx: finding local events and seeing where friends are going

Clyx is another new entrant focused on group-based social networking, with an emphasis on discovering local events. The app pulls in event data from platforms including Ticketmaster and TikTok, aiming to help users figure out what’s happening nearby and decide what to attend.

A notable feature is contact-list uploading, which allows people to see which events their friends are planning to go to. Clyx also suggests other users you might want to connect with at those same events—an attempt to turn a crowded venue into something more socially navigable.

For now, Clyx operates in two cities: Miami and London. The company plans to expand, with New York City and São Paulo listed as top priorities. The app is available via the App Store and the Google Play Store.

Les Amís: AI matching and weekly connection rhythm

Les Amís is designed for women, transgender, and LGBTQ+ people, using AI-driven matching based on shared interests. Rather than focusing only on chat, it encourages users to participate in local activities like pottery classes, book clubs, and wine tastings.

The app’s matching cadence is intentionally structured: matches are made every Monday, giving people time to chat and then schedule meetups later in the week.

Les Amís is available on iOS and Android. It serves cities across Europe including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid, Paris, and Stockholm. In the U.S., it’s available in Austin and New York, with expansion plans for Boston, Miami, and Los Angeles.

The business uses a paid membership model that varies by city, including $70 in New York and €55 in Amsterdam.

Meetup: the long-running local community platform

Meetup is one of the most established names in local event discovery and interest-based groups. Launched in 2002, the platform has helped millions of people find others who share their hobbies, professional interests, and causes.

Its core mechanics revolve around joining groups, RSVP’ing to events, and participating in recurring gatherings. Users can also create their own groups and events, chat with fellow members, and share updates and photos from meetups—features that support communities that want to exist both online and offline.

Meet5: group activities for people over 40

Meet5 is a European community-building app that has recently expanded into the U.S. with a specific target audience: users over 40 who want to meet new people locally and join group activities such as picnics, concerts, and hiking.

Early traction appears meaningful. Appfigures estimates there have been around 777,000 U.S. downloads so far, across the App Store and Google Play Store.

How to choose the right friend-finding app

These apps aren’t interchangeable. Some are built around curated experiences, while others act more like broad community directories. Before downloading, it helps to think about the kind of social structure you want—because the product design often shapes who you meet and how quickly you move offline.

Questions worth asking yourself

  • Do you prefer groups or one-on-one? If one-on-one chats feel intense, look for apps that prioritize group meetups.
  • Do you want curated invitations or open browsing? Curation can remove decision fatigue, while open browsing gives you more control.
  • Is your city supported? Some apps operate only in specific locations (such as Clyx in Miami and London).
  • What’s your comfort level with paid memberships? Some services charge city-based fees (as with Les Amís) or per-event/curation pricing (as with 222).

The bigger pattern: from online matching to offline community

Even when these platforms look similar on the surface—profiles, chats, suggested connections—their real differentiator is how effectively they translate online intent into real-world routines. In practice, many people don’t need another infinite scroll of strangers; they need a reason to show up somewhere at a specific time, with a built-in way to start talking.

That’s why so many friendship apps are converging on events. Local activities—comedy shows, hobby classes, hikes, book clubs—create a shared context. Instead of asking two strangers to manufacture chemistry from scratch, the apps try to place people into a setting where interaction can happen naturally.

Conclusion

Friendship apps are increasingly positioning themselves as tools for rebuilding local community in a time when loneliness is widely recognized and many traditional friendship pathways have weakened. Whether you want curated group dinners, interest-based gatherings, or event discovery that shows where your friends are headed, the newest wave of platforms is betting that making friends can be engineered—at least enough to make the first step easier.

This article is based on reporting originally published by TechCrunch.

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Based on reporting originally published by TechCrunch. See the sources section below.

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