Making new friends can be harder than finding a new partner, if you’re a busy adult with little free time on your hands.
Mainstream dating sites and apps cater to every preference, taste, and whim singles have. But how do you find a Tinder for friends? There is more than one app like Tinder to help busy people meet, connect, and chat— you just have to know where to look!
The 9 Best Apps for Finding Friends
These 9 apps and sites can help people connect over shared interests and compatible personality types. While they may not all be exclusively for finding a new friend, you can find friendship on each of these social platforms.
Match
- Relationships: Friends, Dates, and Relationships
- Match System: Browse by zip, age, appearance, more
- Our Experts Say: Match has facilitated the most dates and relationships of any dating site, and its large audience and high success rate make it our top review. Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
It’s no secret that we love Match as an online dating platform, but the site isn’t just for finding a potential match for romantic relationships. Match members are all looking for a meaningful connection in whatever form that may take, which means many of them are open to platonic friendship as well as romance.
If you look at its reviews, you’ll see that Match offers a lot of opportunities to get to know people, starting with in-depth profiles that include personality traits, interests, hobbies, and everything you might want to know about a potential new friend. Match even offers in-person events for people who want to meet people in real life and not just keep things confined to a screen.
2. Zoosk
Zoosk started out as a Facebook app, so the dating site has always had a strong connection to friendship. The early connection with the social media giant also means that it’s easy to build a profile and connect on Zoosk. You can use your Facebook account information and photos to get things rolling, without having to worry that a Facebook friend might see your activity on Zoosk through the newsfeed.
Zoosk also keeps things easy on the communication front, offering users free, unlimited messaging on the platform. You can message anyone on the platform directly, or use icebreakers to get the conversation rolling without having to think of something clever. You can find friends locally, or scout out the social life terrain somewhere else thanks to a large user base that spans multiple countries.
3. Bumble BFF
Bumble took the online dating world by storm by offering a swipe-based dating app that let women make the first move. But that wasn’t enough for CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd. Bumble eventually expanded into a fully-fledged social media and relationship-building enterprise with the launch of Bumble Bizz and Bumble BFF.
The welcoming atmosphere of Bumble translates seamlessly into Bumble BFF, available to current Bumble users. The main idea is to highlight your shared interests in your pictures and Bumble BFF profile. The app then uses the same algorithm as the dating app to suggest friends you might connect with based on various factors. Whether you’re looking for someone to enjoy Ladies’ Night with or just want to broaden your social circle, Bumble BFF can help you find the perfect new friend in your area.
4. Friended
Friended is a social platform for people who want to build confidence in themselves. The app, available through the App Store, provides a low-pressure environment to meet and get to know people from around the world. You can be bold and approach someone with a video chat request, or get things going more slowly through the platform’s mini-game options.
Friended also lets you see how your personality traits stack up against those of each member you encounter. Whether you’re a deep thinker, a free spirit, an energetic go-getter, or a casual chiller, you’ll find people whose personalities mesh well with your own. Find out why 67% of users surveyed on the app said that they feel more confident after using Friended.
5. Bro App
The Bro App came about because its founder and CEO wanted an alternative to the sex-heavy atmosphere that most gay dating apps tend to carry with them. Scott Kutler wanted to create a space where gay, bisexual, transgender, pansexual, or otherwise non-straight men could connect as friends, beyond just finding a hookup.
The app, available on Google Play and App Store, lets users define what they’re looking for: friends, FWB, or dates. From there it operates a lot like a dating app, but without an emphasis on sex. Instead, you’re matched with men who want the same thing you do and receive up to 20 matches per day to pick from. Connect, make friends, and bro out with other queer men.
6. HER
For many woman-loving women, finding a sense of community and connection is just as important as finding a date, and HER caters to exactly that combination of needs. The dating site isn’t just for romance. It functions as a full-fledged community of queer women, including trans women and femme-identifying nonbinary people. CEO Robyn Exton set out to create a space where queer women could feel safe, and she keeps the atmosphere low-pressure and welcoming.
HER keeps things safe and open for queer women and nonbinary people looking for a female friend or an entire friend group. You can specify what kind of relationship dynamic you’re into (monogamous, polyamorous, or some combination), refine your “swipe deck” to find the community that’s the best fit for your gender, sexuality, and other preferences, and even participate in in-person events to take the conversation out into the real world.
7. Stitch
Older singles often struggle with finding companionship, and that’s not just limited to romantic interactions. Stitch helps its members who are 50 and older find whatever kind of companionship they’re looking for: travel buddies, dinner partners, people to share a common interest, or anything else. The team behind Stitch takes feedback directly from users, and in fact, some of the team that keeps the site and app running are members themselves.
The Stitch team had to temporarily pause one major feature: in-person events, due to the Covid-19 shutdowns and quarantines. But as life slowly returns to normal, Stitch members can once again look forward to bringing their virtual friendships into the real world. Whether you’re searching for a travel buddy for a cross-country road trip or someone to enjoy a weekly walk and coffee with, Stitch offers the perfect community and companionship.
8. Adult Friend Finder
If your definition of “friend” includes “friends with benefits,” Adult Friend Finder provides one of the best platforms to seek out like-minded people.
- Relationships: Hookups Only
- Match System: Search by location, interest, more
- Our Experts Say: Make no mistake: this site isn’t about making friends, it’s about finding hookups and casual encounters. No adult site has a larger or more active user base of those seeking discreet fun. Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
AFF has had its troubles in the past with information leaks and hacks. But the platform has since updated and locked down personal information, so you can use the site with confidence to chat up a sexy new friend and get down to business.
The basic features on AFF are all free: you can build a profile, post a personal ad, and chat without having to get out your credit card. But if you want to take your sexy friendship into private messages or access one-on-one video chat, you’ll need a premium membership.
9. OkCupid
OkCupid made a commitment to keeping the core features of the dating site free for everyone, which set it apart from other dating sites early on. Even as ownership of the platform has changed over the years, that commitment to free access makes OkCupid a good place to meet friends, above and beyond finding a romantic partner.
The personality quiz and extra questions can help you find the most compatible people on the platform, and free, unlimited messaging means that you can really get to know someone before you take the plunge to meet them in person.
FAQs: Is Tinder a Good App for Making Friends?
While it’s possible to use Tinder to make friends instead of finding dates or hookups, it’s not really designed for that. Most Tinder users are there to seek romance or, at the very least, a friend-with-benefits scenario, rather than just socializing or making platonic friends. You’re better off sticking with apps and sites focused on friendship, so you avoid the frustration of sorting through people who aren’t looking for the same things.
While you’re unlikely to find new friends on Tinder, if you’re a bit shy it can be a good tool for building your confidence when it comes to chatting up strangers. The swipe-to-match format makes it a low-pressure environment to talk to people, even if you don’t intend to find a romantic or spicy date at the end of a conversation.
Where Can I Make New Friends as an Adult?
It’s definitely tough to find platonic friendship as an adult, when work and other obligations take up so much of your time. Fortunately, companies that recognize how difficult this can be manage several platforms that cater to people seeking to meet friends.
Bumble BFF exists specifically to help people meet and make friends. The app is an offshoot of the highly successful dating app Bumble, and functions more like a social media platform than a dating service. The app suggests potential new friends based on shared interests and what you’re looking for, so whatever you’re looking for in a friend, Bumble BFF can provide suggestions.
SparkMeets is a dating site geared toward one-night stands, but you can definitely use it to find new friends. The site makes it easy to contact other members, and if you’re looking for a friend with benefits it’s definitely on the menu.
- Relationships: Hookups, Casual Dating, Chats
- Match System: Search by location, age, and appearance.
- Our Experts Say: SparkMeets is a dating website that provides a fast track to a romance with a flirty partner. The network has private chats, search filters, and safety features to help spark real connections. Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
Yubo is a dedicated friendship app with an emphasis on livestreaming and video content. While the app mostly caters to younger users, there’s no age restriction to join, though the app sorts members into two main communities: people aged 13-17, and the 18-and-up members. Meet new people in your area and conduct livestreams with up to 10 people at once to keep your mutual friends in the loop.
Outside of apps and sites, you can meet a new person through local events. Meetup keeps a running calendar of different activities in cities around the world where you can find new people and maybe develop a new interest at the same time. You can also look into other offline events and social centers. Our experts recommend visiting a new gym, finding local arts and crafts groups, volunteering, or joining a book club as strong options for meeting new people.
Is There a Safe Dating or Friendship App for Single Moms?
Single moms have more options than they might think when it comes to getting back into dating. Of all of the dating sites and apps out there, eharmony ranks among the most trusted, so if you want to date safely, it’s a very strong bet.
- Relationships: Casual Dates, Deep Relationships
- Match System: Personality test suggests matches
- Our Experts Say: Accounting for 2% of U.S. marriages, eharmony’s compatibility-based system and commitment-minded user base are ideal for those seeking a serious relationship. Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
A great app for people whose partners have died is Widows or Widowers, a dating network exclusively for people dealing with bereavement and singledom at the same time. You’ll find yourself in good company with people who understand what you’re going through as a single parent and as a grieving partner.
Finally, Match recently launched a dating site aimed at single parents called Stir. While it’s mostly for dating, you can also find new mom friends on the platform, and you’ll definitely find people who understand what you’re going through as a single parent whether they’re potential partners or friends.
What Is (or Was) Tinder Social?
Tinder Social was an experiment launched by Tinder in 2017. The online dating platform explored the possibility of expanding into the platonic friendship business and helping each member spice up their social life beyond just finding someone to date. The basic premise of the feature was that you could use your Tinder profile to connect with potential friends.
But even as articles like this one by The Washington Post highlighted the popularity of Tinder Plus and other programs, Tinder Social was already starting to lose out.
The dating app phased out its new friendship extension by August the same year it launched, but other apps found success where Tinder couldn’t.
Many Apps Like Tinder Help Friendship Grow
The pandemic quarantines highlighted just how lonely many people are all around the world. Dating apps help people find love, but finding an app like Tinder for friends isn’t as hard as it might seem. The apps and sites on this list help people from San Francisco to London, Berlin to Singapore and far beyond connect with each other, find common interests, and forge friendships.
Don’t stay lonely, find a new friend in an unexpected place!
