16 Apps For Meeting Cool People and Making Friends Near Me

You can never have too many friends. What if you suddenly need to field a soccer team or rally a biker gang or move? If all of your friends are occupied and don’t have time to hang out with you, check out these 16 apps for meeting cool people and making friends near me. They will surely help you find interesting and friendly people.

People might argue that technology distances us from humanity but, this statement doesn’t have to be completely true. People can distance themselves using technology. However, if used right, technology can be something that brings people together. Just take a look at Tinder. This app has brought so many people together that it should win a Nobel Peace Prize… well maybe not. If you don’t like Tinder, but you still want to experience the magic of online dating, check out these 7 Best Tinder Alternatives for Dating.

Smartphone apps for meeting new people tend to get a bad rap that they are used only by millennials for hooking up. That may be the stereotypical image, but the truth is somewhat different. There are many apps that are purely aimed for people to connect on other levels instead of romantic (or sexual). Also, most of the dating apps give you a possibility to clearly state that you are not looking for a romantic encounter, but are there to chat with people and meet some new friends.

Now, most of you will ask a simple question: isn’t it easier just to go out and meet new people in an old fashioned way? Well, yes and no. Although it is easier to get the right impression about the person when you are looking at them face to face, the problem is in the first move. People have a hard time approaching other people out of the blue, especially if they just want to hang out. We all have doubts about the people we don’t know; it is in our nature.

Apps can be a great icebreaker here, since you can get to know something about the person and see if you are compatible enough to spend few hours together. The rest is easy. The popularity of meeting friends over apps shows the fact that even one of the most hardcore dating apps, Tinder, has presented Tinder Social, the option in the app that allows you to meet some friends or people near you. There are even some apps that allow you to search friends in all corners of the world.

There are many reasons why someone would want to meet new people. They can be lonely having moved to an unknown city, want to break their routine by meeting new people, or they can just be traveling on their own and want some company. In any of these cases, one of these 16 apps for meeting cool people and making friends near me will surely come in handy.

To find the apps you need, we hunted down the apps that are aimed towards (or can be used for) meeting cool people and making friends near you.  Now, get your smartphone and get ready to meets some cool people.

16. Gravy

Although the name may make you hungry, it is fitting for an app that is supposed to bring people together. It isn’t straight up meeting app, but it gives you all the tools you need for meeting new people. The app will give you ideas where to go and what to do in your city, depending on your current mood.

15. Smeeters

This socializing app from France is quickly spreading through Europe. The app’s goal is to bring two groups of people together. You need to log in with your FB account, add some friends who want to participate in the group and determine your interest. After that, the app will find you another group to hang out with.

14. Cliq

We are continuing our list of apps for meeting cool people and making friends near me with Cliq that originated from Chicago and shares the same premise as Smeeters. You have the option to browse through the groups, chat with them and later decide if you want to meet them in person.

13. Squad

Obviously, these group meeting apps are on the rise. Squad follows the lead of the similar apps designed to get together groups of people but it also allows old friends to stay in touch with each other.

12. Atleto

If all of your friends would rather sit in front of TV getting chunky, Atleto will make sure you can find some other company. The app is designed to bring together people who are interested in sports. So, if you are in need of a running buddy, give this app a chance.

11. Supper Club

Meeting new people while eating? You’ll say it can’t be, but Supper Club disagrees. This app, next on our list of apps for meeting cool people and making friends near me, is created to bring together food junkies. You can use the app to find new friends, but also to share recipes, organize dinner parties and almost anything that revolves around food.

10. citysocializer

According to the creators of citysocializer, the app is mostly used by people who just relocated to the new city and want to explore it while meeting some new friends. Citysocializer gets together people who have same interest by organizing events or allowing members to organize an event through the app. After you confirm you are coming, there is an option to chat with other people who will be there and get to know them better before meeting them in person.

9. Badoo

Badoo is growing up to be one of the biggest dating apps on the market, besides other apps for meeting cool people and making friends near me on our list, but it can also serve for other purposes. When you set up your profile on Badoo, you can choose to search for a date, for friends or just someone to talk to. After you set up your location, the app will find people near you and you can immediately message them. One of the perks of Badoo is  200 million users database.

8. Skout

We know that Skout is considered as a dating app, but there are few things about it why we think it should be on our list of 16 apps for meeting cool people and making friends near me. It has a 100 million users all over the world and some neat features like Shake to Chat. It’s like rolling the friendship dice. After you shake your smartphone, the app will randomly connect you with someone who did the same thing and give you an opportunity to chat. It can be someone from your neighborhood or someone on the other side of the planet.

7. Hey! VINA

We all know that women are more comfortable in making new friends, but for those who would like some additional help, there is Hey! VINA, next on the list of apps for meeting cool people and making friends near me. This app is like Tinder for girl friendships. After you download the app, it asks you some basic questions and you are ready to go. You can swipe left and right, and if you get a match with another girl, you are ready to chat and maybe meet up eventually.

6. Meet My Dog

Are you a dog owner? Then Meet My Dog is an app specifically designed for you. The app is all about dogs meeting dogs and dog owners meeting other dog owners. The app gives you lot of opportunities to meet other people, but you can also share pictures, exchange tips, and tricks or just chat with people who share the same passion for dogs like you.

5. Wiith

Wiith is one of the new contenders trying to get its piece of the cake on the emerging market of “meeting apps.” The app, being one of the apps for meeting cool people and making friends near me, is bringing together people who share the same interests by letting the users creating their own events or joining someone else’s. The user that hosts the event can set the limit on the number of people who can join in and he is in charge of accepting or rejecting people. The event can be a party or a brunch, it is up to you and your mood.

4. Qeep

We already talked about Qeep in one of our earlier articles and we mentioned that it has a great community. It’s basically a social network disguised as an app, while also having a dating app potential. If you want an all-around app, Qeep is a way to go. You can chat with people, play games, post pictures and much more. Qeep will surely bring you some new friends and tons of fun.

3. Meetup

At number three on our list of apps for meeting cool people and making friends near me is Meetup that is a veteran when it comes to bringing people together. It can serve both as a dating app and an app for meeting other people and making friends. Besides browsing profiles and chatting with users, Meetup also gives you an opportunity to join groups that have a certain interest. Those groups then organize “meetups” and gatherings which can attend by the members of the group.

2. Bumble BFF

Bumble started a small revolution in the world of dating apps when it introduced a concept of women making the first move. Basically, on Bumble women decide who can talk to them and they need to initiate conversation. Now, Bumble decided to expand and introduce Bumble BFF, an option that allows girls to find their BFF’s. After girls fill out their profiles, they can swipe, match the potential BFF’s and chat with them before deciding to move forward.

1. Tinder Social

Without Tinder, our list of 16 apps for meeting cool people and making friends near me just wouldn’t be complete. But this Tinder feature is different than you would expect. Tinder Social gives you and your friends an opportunity to meet up with other people and maybe find a new friend. After you make a group from 2 to 4 people, you need to choose a type of activity you would like to engage in. Tinder will then offer you other groups that want the same. After you get a match, you can set up a meeting and the party can begin. You need to act fast because all your matches disappear the next day.