The best app for making friends as an adult depends on which part is hard for you. If the hard part is finding people, a friend-matching or group app such as Bumble BFF or Meetup puts you in front of them. If the hard part is walking into a room and speaking first, Solo Era helps you practise that with small missions, so the other apps become easier to use. Most people end up needing both.
How we chose
We looked for apps that help with a specific step of adult friendship: finding people, finding events, practising the nerve to go, or keeping a connection going. App facts come from each official App Store listing or website, checked on 2026-10-21. We left out ratings, user counts and prices unless an official page states them. Apps change quickly, so check the listing before you subscribe to anything.
One honest caveat first. No app makes friends for you. Friendships tend to form when the same people see each other repeatedly, so judge every app by one question: does it get you into the same room as the same people more than once?
Quick comparison
| App | What it does | Best for | Platforms (App Store listing) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo Era | Weekly missions and nerve ratings for doing things alone | Building the confidence to show up | iPhone |
| BFF: Make friends & meet up | Friend profiles, matches, chat and Groups | Finding one-on-one friends | iPhone, iPad |
| Meetup | Interest-based groups and events | Repeat events with the same crowd | iPhone, iPad, web |
| Going Solo: Travel Friends | Meet solo travellers in new cities | Making friends while travelling | iPhone, iPad |
| Wisdo | Peer-support community | Talking with people who share a struggle | iPhone, iPad |
| Tandem / HelloTalk | Language exchange with native speakers | Friends through a shared practice goal | iPhone (and more, see listings) |
1. Solo Era
Best for: people who want friends but freeze before they go, or who skip events because going alone feels like a big step.
Solo Era is an iPhone app for practising doing things alone, and it is honest about what it is not: it is not a dating or meet-people app, and it does not match you with anyone. What it does is make the first step smaller. You get weekly missions in seven categories (food, movement, culture, travel, everyday, solitude and people), each with a difficulty level from 1 to 5. You can also write a mission of your own.
The people category is the closest fit to this topic. At the gentle end, at level 1 you will find "Ask a staff member one genuine question." Further up the ladder, at level 3 "Go to a local astronomy club's indoor talk." Neither mission promises you a friend. They are rehearsals for the moments where friendships usually start: speaking to a stranger, then showing up where people with a shared interest gather.
Other features that help here:
- Before-and-after ratings. You rate how nervous you felt before and after each mission, and the Progress screen plots those numbers over months. Seeing that you felt less nervous after than you predicted is useful evidence the next time you hesitate.
- Journal. Each completed mission can hold a photo and notes, so you remember who you talked to and what worked.
- Solo Pass. A personal pass that keeps the same code as your story grows.
Solo Era is free to download, and a subscription is required to start missions. Subscription details and any free trial are shown in the app before purchase. It is not therapy or medical care. You decide what you do.
Solo Era for iPhone
Try it with Solo Era
Solo Era gives you one realistic mission a week, records how nervous you felt before and after, and keeps a photo journal of what you did. An iPhone app. A subscription is required to start missions; any free trial depends on the offer and eligibility shown in the app.
2. BFF: Make friends & meet up (Bumble BFF)
Best for: people who want to meet individual friends one-on-one and are comfortable with profile-based matching.
The App Store listing, titled "BFF: Make friends & meet up", refers to "the new Bumble BFF". It describes profiles with bios, interest tags and photo prompts, selfie-verified matches, one-on-one chat and Groups. If you like the swipe-and-message format and want to meet people with similar interests in your area, this is the most direct route on the list.
Trade-offs: matching apps work only if you reply, suggest a place and then actually go. The first coffee is often the hardest step, and that is exactly where practice helps. Check the listing for current pricing.
3. Meetup
Best for: people who prefer joining a group around an interest to one-on-one chat.
Meetup lets you join or host interest-based groups and events, online or local. Group events solve a real adult-friendship problem: they recur. Going to the same hiking, board-game or book group every second week gives you the repeat contact that friendships need, with a built-in topic of conversation.
Trade-offs: arriving at an event full of people who already know each other can feel intimidating. Start with smaller groups, and arrive early when it is quieter. See the listing for current pricing.
4. Going Solo: Travel Friends
Best for: people who travel alone, or want to meet other solo travellers in a new city.
Going Solo lists nearby groups, trip plans, buddy matching, chat and a feed. According to its listing, travel-buddy matching is a premium feature with a one-time payment of $3.99 (checked 2026-10-21). If your free time includes trips, this is a way to meet people with the same travel style. See our solo travel guide for how to prepare.
5. Wisdo
Best for: people who want peer support from others facing a similar challenge.
Wisdo describes itself as a peer-support community with anonymous joining, plus access to coaching and licensed therapy through Talkspace. It is a different kind of connection from the apps above: less about meeting up, more about being heard. It is not a replacement for professional care if you are struggling. See the listing for current pricing.
6. Tandem and HelloTalk
Best for: people who would like to meet others through a shared goal, such as learning a language.
Both are language-exchange apps that connect you with native speakers to practise a language. They are not friend-finding apps by design, but a regular conversation partner can become a friend, and the language gives you something to talk about. Check each App Store listing for features and pricing.
How to get a real friendship out of any app
- Pick one app and one recurring thing. One weekly group beats five installed apps.
- Say yes to the second meeting. The first meeting is an introduction. The second is where it starts to become a friendship.
- Make the invitation small. "Want to grab a coffee after the group?" is easier to say yes to than a dinner.
- Practise the nerves separately. If going alone is the barrier, work on it on its own first. Our things to do alone list and the conversation helper are good places to start.
- Keep a record. Note who you met and one thing you learned about them. A short note makes the follow-up message easy.
For a fuller plan, read our guide on how to make friends as an adult and the overview in Making friends.
Which should you choose?
| If your main problem is... | Start with |
|---|---|
| "I do not know where the people are" | Meetup or BFF |
| "I get too nervous to go" | Solo Era |
| "I travel a lot" | Going Solo |
| "I want to be heard first" | Wisdo |
| "I want a shared activity" | Tandem or HelloTalk |
Many people combine two: a practice app to lower the nerves, and a group app to give them somewhere to go. Looking ahead, our 2027 version covers what to look for in a friend-making app next year.
Last checked: 2026-10-21. Facts about other apps come from their official sites and App Store listings and can change, so confirm current details before you decide.
FAQ
What is the best app for making friends as an adult?
It depends on your obstacle. For finding people, Bumble BFF and Meetup are built for it. For the nerves of showing up alone, Solo Era is built for that. Most people do better with one of each.
Is Solo Era a friend-finding app?
No. Solo Era does not match you with people or include a social network. It is an iPhone app for practising doing things alone, with missions, nerve ratings and a journal. It helps with the confidence to use friend-finding apps and events.
Do friendship apps work?
They work when they lead to repeat, in-person contact. Chatting in an app without meeting rarely builds a friendship. Choose an app that moves you toward real events and regular meetups.
How long does it take to make a friend as an adult?
There is no reliable number, and we will not invent one. It usually takes several meetings over weeks or months. Keep showing up to the same thing.
What if I am too anxious to meet new people?
Start with smaller steps, such as asking a staff member a question or going to a quiet event with a clear start and end. If anxiety is severe or affects daily life, please speak with a doctor or licensed professional. Solo Era is not therapy or medical care.
Are these apps free?
Several are free to download, but paid features are common. Solo Era is free to download and needs a subscription to start missions. Check each listing for current pricing before you commit.
Solo Era for iPhone
Try it with Solo Era
Solo Era gives you one realistic mission a week, records how nervous you felt before and after, and keeps a photo journal of what you did. An iPhone app. A subscription is required to start missions; any free trial depends on the offer and eligibility shown in the app.
