Bumble BFF helps you find potential friends; Solo Era helps you get comfortable doing things on your own. Solo Era is an iPhone app with weekly missions for practising small solo outings and rating how nervous you felt before and after. Bumble BFF, according to its App Store listing, is a friend-finding app with profiles, matches, chat and groups. One is about matching, the other about practising.
At a glance
| Solo Era | Bumble BFF | |
|---|---|---|
| Core idea | Practise doing things alone, one small mission at a time | Match with people who might become friends |
| Other people | None in the app | Profiles, chats and groups |
| What you do | Small real-world tasks, then rate and journal | Build a profile, browse, chat, plan meet-ups |
| Platform | iPhone | iPhone and iPad (App Store listing) |
| Cost | Free to download; a subscription is required to start missions | Listing says its features are free; check the current listing |
| Best for | Building comfort with solo outings | Finding new friends, especially after a move or life change |
We quote no prices. The BFF listing describes its features as free, so confirm that on the live listing before relying on it.
What Solo Era is
Solo Era is an iPhone app built on one idea: doing things alone is a skill, and a skill is practised in small steps. The site's line is "A bucket list for doing things alone."
- Missions. Shown as a mission ticket: the task stays up front, and you can turn it over for instructions and what it helps you practise.
- Weekly mission and custom missions. A place to begin each week, plus missions you write yourself.
- Seven categories, five levels. Food, movement, culture, travel, everyday, solitude and people. A level 1 food mission reads "Have a fruit-and-yoghurt breakfast in a park." A level 3 movement mission reads "Hire a stand-up paddleboard for an hour, alone."
- Before-and-after ratings. You rate how nervous you felt before and after.
- Progress, journal and Solo Pass. Ratings over months, XP and a weekly streak; a photo and notes per mission; a personal pass that keeps the same code as your story grows.
It is free to download, and a subscription is required to start missions. Any free trial depends on the offer and eligibility shown in the app. Solo Era is iPhone only. It is not therapy or medical care, and it is not a dating, matching or friend-finding app.
What Bumble BFF is
The App Store listing (developer shown as Geneva Technologies, Inc., read 2026-11-01) refers to "the new Bumble BFF". It describes tools for finding friends: a profile with bio, interest tags and photo prompts; discovering people who share hobbies and goals; selfie-verified matches; one-on-one chat; and Groups, with chat, posts and video calls for planning hangouts. It addresses people who are new to town, starting college or going through a life shift. The listing states that features are free. We did not retrieve the bumble.com page on the day of checking, so this comparison relies on the App Store listing.
Head to head
Matching versus practising
BFF is built around other people: you present yourself, find matches and start conversations. That works best when you are comfortable doing the next step, which is meeting in person. Solo Era has no other people in it at all. It is the quieter step: learning that sitting in a cafe, walking into a gym class or visiting a museum alone is manageable. Our guide to making friends online covers how to move from chat to meeting.
What the hard part is
For some people the hard part is meeting anyone at all. For others it is the moment of arriving somewhere alone, even after a match is made. If you have ever matched with someone and then cancelled because you did not want to turn up solo, that is the gap Solo Era's missions practise.
Pace and privacy
Solo Era's ratings and journal are your own. You decide what to share. In a friend-matching app, you share a profile with other people, and that comes with its own comfort questions. Neither is better; they involve different amounts of exposure.
Evidence of progress
Solo Era draws a line over months from your before-and-after nervousness ratings, plus a weekly streak. We do not claim it changes how you feel; it gives you a record. BFF's feedback is social: conversations, matches and plans.
Choose Solo Era if you...
- want to feel at ease going to places on your own first
- are not ready to put a profile out there
- like small, graded tasks with a record of how nervous you felt
- already have friends but avoid doing things unless someone comes with you
Choose Bumble BFF if you...
- want to meet new people and are comfortable with profiles and chat
- have moved, started somewhere new or want to widen your circle
- like the idea of groups for planning meet-ups
- are ready to take the step from chatting to meeting in person
Using both
Use Solo Era missions to rehearse the parts you will face anyway: arriving somewhere, ordering, sitting, leaving. Pick a meeting place from a mission you already did, such as a cafe you have sat in alone. If you do meet someone from an app, follow common-sense precautions: meet in public, tell someone where you are going, and read the app's own safety guidance. More ideas are in where to meet friends as an adult.
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.
What neither promises
Neither app can guarantee a friendship. BFF can introduce you to people, but connection depends on both sides and takes time. Solo Era can make solo outings feel more familiar, but it does not introduce you to anyone. For a wider view, read Bumble BFF alternatives, our Solo Era vs Meetup and Solo Era vs Timeleft comparisons, or the list of apps for making friends.
If loneliness or anxiety is weighing on you, a doctor or licensed therapist can help. Solo Era is not therapy or medical care. If you feel very low, findahelpline.com lists services by country.
Last checked: 2026-11-01. Facts about other apps come from their official sites and App Store listings and can change, so confirm current details before you decide.
FAQ
Is Solo Era a Bumble BFF alternative?
Only in a loose sense. BFF matches you with possible friends; Solo Era does not. Solo Era is for practising doing things alone, which can make later meet-ups easier.
Can Solo Era help me make friends?
Not directly. It has no matching or social features. It can help you feel more comfortable going out alone, which is often a step towards meeting people.
Is Bumble BFF free?
The App Store listing states its features are free. Check the current listing, since offers can change.
Which should I use if I just moved?
If you want to meet people quickly, BFF or a group-finding tool may fit. If you also find it hard to go places alone, Solo Era missions can help in parallel.
Is either app therapy?
No. Neither replaces professional help. Solo Era is not therapy or medical care.
Does Solo Era work on Android?
Solo Era is an iPhone app. We do not claim Android or iPad support.
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.
