We all know that adulting can be hard at times, and finding a new social group to belong to doesn’t necessarily get easier with age. The desire to make new friends could come from moving to a new city, graduating, working at a new job, or even outgrowing the ones you’ve had since you were a child.

If you feel like it’s time to find some new besties to tell it all to, the good news is that you’re not the only one. Along with the popularity of social media and dating apps, comes friend-seeking apps, designed to bring common people together in hopes of creating a new and fulfilling friendship. Here are a few apps to help you get started finding your new BFF:

Meetup
Meetup organizes online groups that host in-person events for people with similar interests. This app can be great for people who feel more comfortable meeting in group settings. Another point to consider is this app may be better suited more for extroverted people since each outing will always be in groups. Similar to confirming an RSVP for an event, Meetup lets you respond Yes, No, or Maybe to an event.

Bumble BFF
Usually known for it’s dating app, the company Bumble has Bumble BFF and it’s becoming popular for connecting like-minded people nearby. This app also has recommendations for your first friend date. When you do find a potential friend match on the app, you have to start a conversation within 24 hours to keep the connection active. Another cool thing is once you download Bumble, you have the option to remove Bumble Date from your app altogether.

Friender
Who can turn down an app with the word friend in it? Friender is a mobile app that connects people with similar interests. When you build your profile, suggested matches will have at least one favorite activity in common with you, which could help in starting a conversation.

OkCupid is among the very few apps you can use that do not require a Facebook profile. Other than sharing photos, you can also impress potential matches with your stories. With a highly praised matching algorithm, OkCupid could be the perfect app if you’re seeking that special someone, and it is a widely used French dating app. Rational boundary Dating. Offers in-app purchases. Add to Wishlist. Sparkle is an popular online social, dating app. And you can match, chat, meet new people and make friends here. The most and important feature in Sparkle is to increase the probability of chat, match and meet success from reading users’ chat history. Many of these apps revolve around dating, but new developers have taken the concept of 'swiping right' for romantic matches and applied it to making friends. These Apps designed for 'friend making. The in-app translation from yome brings you the opportunity to express your core feelings in words as you want and to translate into your desiring person's way. Meet new friends, Chat with Natives and learn languages is the essential mission for YoMe.

The League
Similar to EliteSingles, where working professionals connect with singles, The League is a site that’ll connect you with ambitious and go-getter potential friends, exclusive events, and inspiring groups. In order to get into The League, you must pass a screening process as it’s vetted to accept people with competitive credentials.

Patook
This app is known for strictly making platonic friends. With its main goal being to connect compatible people together, Patook members can use a point system that will allow them to give out points for traits they like and see the points be shown next to their name on the app.

Nextdoor
Nextdoor keeps you up to speed with everything happening close by. Only members who live within your neighborhood can join your neighborhood group unless you used a shared link invitation to friends who live outside of your area. This social networking is great for people who want to get to know their community better.

Hey! VINA
Self-described as the “Tinder for (girl) friends,” Hey! VINA was designed for women to meet female friends at any time. What’s cool about this app is that it encourages you to share more about yourself, including your activities, interests, and what you are going through in your life that could help you meet friends that are going through similar events.

REALU
This app was specifically designed to help you connect with people in real-time. Connecting with new people in real-time allows you the opportunity to connect with people everywhere, such as in a coffee shop, in the library or event at a mall. The creators of this app wanted to solve the problem of people being glued to their phones when they’re in an unfamiliar place by themselves.

Finding a new relationship can feel like starting over, and finding new friends can feel like the same process. Don’t get discouraged if the chemistry isn’t there with certain people. Any kind of relationship takes time to grow. These apps can connect you with online groups and nearby people who are looking for a future friend just like you!

Subscribe to our newsletter

By clicking Submit you agree to Zoosk’s terms of use and privacy policy.

When you move to a new city, especially as an adult, making friends may not be as easy as it once was. But, the good news? There are apps to help you make friends in a new city. After all, you're no longer getting assigned to a dorm room and to a roommate who will become your BFF for life; you're no longer in classes with people who will become your friends through a group project; and you're no longer in the city you grew up in, where you know everyone, everywhere. And if you work from home and/or freelance, you may not meet people as often as someone who works in a social office setting. So apps make the perfect making-new-friends companion, and all at the tap of a phone icon or few. Plus, if you and a potential friend end up not clicking, just like with dating apps, there will be other friend options available, so all is not lost.

While some social networking friend apps are geared toward group activities, others are focused on getting to know someone, aka your future friend(s), through one-on-one chats while still others match you in groups of three. Whatever the case may be, there probably is the right friend app out there for you, as long as you take the time to download some and give them a legit try. The best news is, the users seem vetted, so unlike taking your chances with a person who 'looks nice' that you meet out and about, the friend-focused apps promote a certain level of safety within them. Plus, they can save you time, as well as help you out if you're not the type of person to strike up conversations with random people IRL.

How To Meet New Friends App

Here are seven apps to help you make friends in a new city, because the more outlets, the better.

Whether you're a workaholic and don't have much free time outside of the office to go to events to befriend people or you just want a new way of meeting people, PlusOne Social may be the app for you. Just like it sounds, you can find a 'plus one' so you don't have to have dinner alone — again — or someone to go on that hike you've been meaning to try. The app also sends you 20 friend suggestions every day, like having your very own friend curator.

And, yes, some apps that aren't dating apps subtly fall into that category, but with this app, you can specify that you're just looking for friends, so no need to have an awkward convo down the line if someone misunderstands your intentions on the app. In addition, you decide who can contact you on the app, so it's not a messaging free-for-all. You can also suggest an activity for people to join, which will help ensure that you're doing activities you love.

The app is currently available in the Bay Area in California, and will launch in Los Angeles and New York in the next few weeks.

PlusOne Social is free on iOS and Android.

When you are new to a city, or traveling to a new one for a week or two, Skout enables you to meet people all over the world. Safety first: You get to decide if, and when, you want to connect with someone. Whether you want a gym buddy or someone to meet for coffee this weekend, you can do as much 'Skouting' as you'd like to find the ideal people, i.e., your soon-to-be friends. Even if you want someone to meet up with in an hour, or a few minutes, the app lets you know who's nearby, which is another bonus. You can also see who viewed your profile and then connect with them... or not.

Skout is free and subscription-based, starting at $9.99, on iOS and Android.

There's a 'Tinder for moms' out there called Peanut. The prerequisite? Yep, being a mom! What a great idea, though, right? Moms can see what fellow moms they think they'll click with and start swiping —up to wave, i.e., like, and down if maybe later. Mutual waves then result in a match. Photos are pulled from Facebook so you can see how close, proximity-wise, your new mom friend is located. Moms do not have to share info about their kids on the app, since not everyone's into doing so, and can wait till they meet moms IRL first.

Moms using the app can also choose descriptors to describe themselves, such as 'Geek chic' or 'Fitness fiend.' Clever! Once moms start to match, they can message with another mom one-on-one or do a group chat to make plans, complete with the capability to suggest meetup times and create invites right through the app. Plus, fun fact: Peanut's Co-Founder and Chief Executive, Michelle Kennedy, is not only a mom herself, but also the former deputy CEO of the dating app Badoo and was on the board of Bumble — the latter of which she named, according to the Los Angeles Times.

To date, Peanut has launched in London, NYC, Dallas, Chicago, LA, and San Francisco, but I'm guessing more cities will be added.

Peanut is free on iOS and Android.

By using MeetMe, you can find people nearby to meet up with, so you could be checking out a new record store alone one minute, and with a new MeetMe friend the next. Of course, you can also plan an outing more in advance with others who share your interests, from going to see a new band to attending a yoga class together.

MeetMe is free on iOS, Android, and Windows 10.

However, MeetMe+ is their premium subscription service, which starts at $9.99 per month (and less per month if you sign up for 3 or 6 months).

You probably know all about Bumble as a dating app, wherein women make the first move in heterosexual pairings, but did you know you can use it to find friends, too? Yep, with Bumble BFF, you can... and will! The great thing about Bumble is that the app gets right to the point — once you match with someone, you have 24 hours to contact them, or else (hint: you can pay for features to extend this time frame). In turn, the person has 24 hours to respond. Nothing like a deadline to get you motivated to message, then meet, right? I met my last boyfriend on Bumble and we dated for a year, so I have a lot of faith in Bumble BFF, too. When you're in your Bumble's settings, you can decide if you want to look for potential dates, just BFFs, Bumble Bizz (their new networking feature), or 'everyone.' Genius!

Bumble is free on iOS and Android, but subscription packages are available if you'd like additional features.

If you want to use a friend-making app that doesn't match you up with one person, but with two others, We3 (formerly Me3) may be the one. The app stresses that it's not for dating, which I personally find very refreshing, because, let's face it, we don't need any awkwardness or weird tension when downloading a 'friend' app. How does it work? We3 promotes meeting friends of the same gender, and in groups of three, your 'tribe.' As for profiles, they're private unless you've matched with somebody, and the app's algorithm helps with that — they say that more than 150 factors help determine who you get matched with. Once you start matching with potential friends, you'll see what interests and beliefs you have in common, and you can go from there. To help get to know those interests, before the app matches you to people, you answer short quizzes about yourself (is anyone else thinking of OKC's questions right now, or is it just me?). But We3's quizzes also have another purpose — to help you learn more about yourself, so it's a win-win.

We3 is free on iOS and Android.

Making Friends On Dating Apps For Seniors

If you live in New York and are seeking new friends, GoFindFriends may be the app for you. When users register, they set up profiles (i.e., with photos and activities they'd like to do). Then, the platform uses an algorithm to match users with potential friends, based on people's personalities and interests and voilà — a new friend is made… or several! People can browse others' profiles, as well, and you can chat one-on-one or in groups. GoFindFriends also has a calendar of events online, from seeing Star Wars in Concert at Lincoln Center to meeting up to watch the Columbus Day Parade. Fun! The only caveat? The app is limited to people in their 20s and 30s.

GoFindFriends is free on iOS.

How To Tell If Someone Is On Dating Apps

OK, the next time you say you have no one to go to 'x' or 'y' event with, think again and download one of the above apps. You never know!