Uncovering a Booming Friendship App Market: Top 10 Platforms for Building Meaningful Connections in 2025
In recent years, a growing number of individuals have been seeking new avenues for building platonic connections, as loneliness and social isolation become increasingly common. This issue was even labeled a public health crisis by the U.S. Surgeon General in 2023. Remote workers and younger demographics looking to establish their adult social circles based on shared interests are among those yearning for genuine friendships.
The decline of stigma surrounding online connections, thanks to dating apps, has paved the way for a new wave of applications dedicated to fostering friendships and promoting local communities. According to Appfigures estimates, over a dozen friendship-focused apps have generated approximately $16 million in consumer spending in the U.S. this year alone. Notable examples include Timeleft, Meet5, and Bumble’s BFF. As of 2025, these applications have amassed roughly 4.3 million downloads collectively.
These platforms offer a less awkward alternative to approaching strangers at gyms or cafes, aiming to make initiating conversations easier by clearly indicating that everyone using the app is looking for friendship and not romance.
From established players like Meetup to newer entrants such as 222, there’s an abundance of apps catering to the rising demand for meaningful friendships. Below, we highlight some of them for your consideration:
222 is a social events platform exclusive to iOS devices that facilitates in-person meetups by pairing strangers based on their personality test results. The app sends invitations to nearby public social events such as wine bars and comedy clubs, with participants being vetted prior to the event. An added benefit for those who feel socially anxious: users are allowed to bring a plus one.
The service charges either a $22.22 curation fee or a monthly subscription at the same price.
Bumble is among the more established players in this space, having launched its friend-finding feature in 2016 and subsequently turning it into a standalone app in 2023. The redesigned app now places a greater emphasis on facilitating group meetups, catering to users’ desires to grow their social circles.
BFF is available for free download on iOS and Android devices, with a premium subscription offering features like seeing who has liked your profile, unlimited swipes, SuperSwipes, and more.
Clyx is an emerging player in the group-based social networking landscape, with a strong focus on discovering local events. The social platform integrates data from platforms like Ticketmaster and TikTok to help users find community events, also allowing them to see which events their friends plan to attend and recommending other users to connect with at these events.
As of now, Clyx operates in Miami and London but plans to expand to additional cities, including New York City and São Paulo. The app is available on the App Store and Google Play Store.
Les Amis caters specifically to women, transgender, and LGBTQ+ individuals, using AI to match users based on shared interests and encouraging participation in local events such as pottery classes, book clubs, and wine tastings. Matches are made every Monday, enabling users to chat and plan meetups later in the week.
Les Amis serves cities across Europe, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid, Paris, and Stockholm, with plans to expand to U.S. cities such as Boston, Miami, and Los Angeles. The app operates under a paid membership model that varies by city, with fees of $70 in New York and €55 in Amsterdam.
Since 2002, Meetup has connected millions of users who share similar interests, enabling them to RSVP to events, join groups that cater to various hobbies, professions, or social causes, create their own groups and events, chat with group members, and post updates and photos from gatherings. This European community-building app recently launched in the U.S., targeting users over 40 who want to meet new people and participate in group activities such as picnics, concerts, and hiking. Notably, there have been around 777,000 U.S. downloads so far across the App Store and Google Play Store, according to Appfigures estimates.
Pie is another new social app on the market that features an AI-driven quiz designed to predict which users are most likely to be compatible with each other. Each person who RSVPs to a Pie event takes a brief personality assessment, and the algorithm organizes attendees into groups of six, adding them to a group chat within the Pie app before the event. This allows participants to interact with each other before meeting in person.
Currently, the app is only available in Austin, Chicago, and San Francisco, but users can download it from the App Store and Google Play Store.
Timeleft is a relatively new platform that helps organize weekly dinner dates with groups of strangers. The app uses a special algorithm to match users based on age, gender, and personality, pairing them with four others for dinners at selected restaurants every Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. To help break the ice, the app offers a game with conversation starters, followed by an after-party at a local bar.
Users can book dinners online or through the app. Pricing varies depending on the country and restaurant, with users covering their own dinner and drinks costs.
Wyzr Friends is an activity-based friendship app designed for adults 40 and older, catering to empty nesters, divorcees, and other users seeking connections with like-minded individuals. Users can thumbs up or down potential friends and arrange in-person activities based on shared interests, such as going to the movies or hiking. It’s available on iOS and Android devices in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Ireland, the Philippines, Singapore, and Mexico.
