The 5 types of friendship apps
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic and a bunch of buzzy headlines about a looming “loneliness epidemic,” numerous connection apps and websites aimed at helping people find friends have popped up on the market. They join a handful of pre-pandemic friendship apps. But not all friendship apps are the same. Each varies in terms of features, target audiences, and even concepts.
Here is a rundown of the different types of friendship apps and their pros and cons:
Swipe-and-Match Apps: These friendship apps are modeled after dating apps. Users browse through profiles and tap/swipe left or right, up or down, on the ones they like or dislike. If two people “like” each other they have the ability to chat. These apps are usually user-driven, meaning you, the user, are responsible for sifting and sorting through an endless array of profiles. If you like someone, you have to hope that they like you back. These apps are usually focused on one-to-one connections.
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- Who they’re for
- People looking for one hangout buddy
- People with a strong sense of who they will and won’t get along with, and trust their snap judgments. They must also be okay with being instantly judged based on their profile picture and bio.
- Cons
- Users are responsible for finding and initiating contact.
- Bias: Users often make snap judgements based on profiles and may overlook compatible friends.
- The focus is often on one-to-one connections instead of group connections. This can make mixed-gendered friendships tricky.
- There is pressure to “over-sell yourself” in order to earn attention, instead of just being you.
- Popular swipe apps
- Bumble BFF
- Yubo
Activity/Hangout Apps: These apps bring people together for specific activities. Users can browse, create, host, or plan an activity that other users can join. The idea is that people will meet up to do these things together and get to know one another in the process. After the event, it’s up to users to trade contact information and stay in touch.
An increasingly popular sub-category of the activity friendship app is the dinner group app, in which the primary activity is some kind of dinner or restaurant hangout.
- Who they’re for
- People interested in meeting new people and feeling them out in person
- People comfortable making in-person small talk with strangers in a restricted environment
- Cons
- Groups can be so big it can be hard to actually connect with others beyond small talk.
- Finding consistency with the same group of people can be challenging. People often come and go.
- It’s up to user to make an effort to stay in touch after the event.
- Popular Activity apps
- Pie
- Timeleft
Meetup apps: Similar to activity apps, these apps are centered around some event. But usually the event is more of a networking meetup or an all-call for like-minded people, rather than a specific activity. Anyone who wants to can come to these events, making them more of a big meet-and-greet than an cozy hangout.
- Who they’re for
- People interested in meeting new people, regardless of whether they will keep in touch
- People interested in talking most of the time rather than doing an activity.
- Cons
- Groups can be very large.
- The group is centered around talking and chit-chatting.
- Finding consistency with the same group of people can be challenging. People often come and go.
- It’s up to user to make an effort to stay in touch after the event.
- Popular Meetup apps
- Meetup
- City-centric options found on Instagram and social media
Entertainment Apps: These gamified apps are about having fun with strangers online. You can make “friends” here by playing games, chatting, following, or liking content. The goal really isn’t to get you meeting with people in person.
- Who they’re for
- People who don’t want to meet in person and are okay with connecting only online
- People looking to have online fun with other people
- Cons
- Connections are restricted to online activity, unless you make an effort to meet offline.
- Popular Entertainment Friendship Apps
- Hoop
- LMK
Compatibility Apps: These apps basically act as friendship matchmakers and do all the sorting and matching for you. They use algorithms or real people that search their database of users to match you with one or more people they think you’ll click with. Bias is minimized. Once matched, it’s often up to you to connect and communicate with your matches.
- Who they’re for
- People looking to “cut to the chase” and immediately connect with others already vetted for compatibility
- People looking for a personalized or curated arrangement
- Cons
- You often have less control over who you are matched with
- Popular compatibility apps
- Klatchmaker - We’re biased here, but we believe we really are the best compatibility-focused friendship app. Our research-backed algorithm matches users based on a variety of studied factors, not just similarity. Plus, there are not a lot of apps like this. Try it out here. It’s free!