Friend finding apps offer a vital service that dating apps do not. After all, dating apps are for dating. People who use them to just find friends tend to be looked down on.
That’s why you need apps that let you find more casual connections. Whether you’ve just moved to a new area or simply want to expand your friend circle, these apps offer a vital (often overlooked) service.
If that’s what you’re looking for, here are some of the most popular friend-finding apps for iOS.
Nextdoor
How well do you know your neighbors? More often than not, that question is asked by those who think neighbors are hiding something. However, Nextdoor believes that getting the chance to know your neighbors could lead to incredible opportunities.
Nextdoor allows you to find friends located in your nearby area. Not only does it help you know your area a bit better, but it lets you find like-minded people truly in your area. It even offers local services such as news and business recommendations.
This is one of the best friend finding apps for those who want to start the search in their neighborhood.
Friender
Dating apps feature some of the best matchmaking systems in the world. The problem is that they’re primarily designed for dating. It would be nice to discover friend finding apps that offer a similar layout for a different purpose.
That’s basically what you get with Friender. This app lets you create profiles based on your interest and activities. It then lets you match with other users based on your shared interests. Again, it’s nothing revolutionary, but the key difference is that you use Friender platonically.
Friender offers an elegant, simple solution to socializing in an increasingly complicated world. The best thing you can say about it is that it works roughly how you’d hope it would.
Meetup
Even some of the best friend-finding apps can feel a little…intimate. After all, you’re probably just looking for someone to hang out with. You’re not always looking for a more personal connection.
That’s where Meetup comes in hand. Meetup is all about finding events in your area, not people. However, once you find an activity near you, Meetup lets you find people to hang out with once you’re there.
That’s kind of the brilliant thing about this app. It’s all about finding the activities that you’re probably going to anyway. It makes meeting new people at those events about as simple and organic as you could wish for.
Bumble BFF
You probably already know that Bumble is one of the best modern dating apps. What you may not know is that Bumble offers one of the most intriguing friend finding apps as well.
Bumble BFF is a sub-function of the Bumble dating app. It’s basically a setting that lets you go from finding dates on Bumble to finding new friends. Everything you loved about Bumble remains, but the goal has changed. You even get to create a new profile just for finding friends.
This is honestly a service that all dating apps should offer. For now, though, Bumble BFF gives you everything you could want.
Hey! Vina
It’s not always easy to meet new people. It’s harder to meet new people when you’re older. However, for many women, meeting new people is even more difficult due to security and safety concerns of IRL meetings.
That’s why Hey! VINA is one of the most popular friend finding apps. This app is specifically created with women in mind. It’s specifically designed to help women find each other and start friendships. Along with additional security and privacy features, it offers things like quizzes which make it easier to find people you’re truly compatible with.
Hey! Vina is a great solution for women and non-binary people looking to make new friends.
Atleto
Sometimes, you don’t need a new group of friends. Sometimes, you just need new friends for certain activities. That’s especially true of exercise which is just one of those things that’s often better when you’re not alone.
That’s where Atleto comes in. It’s not among the most far-reaching friend-finding apps, but it is one of the best when you’re just looking for someone to work out with. Atleto helps you find new exercise partners for just about any activity you can think of.
Atleto is incredible for anyone who just doesn’t want to go on another run alone. Be sure to give it a look.
