Tools for Making Friends in a City

The problem, in plain words: “I’m new in my city and don’t have any friends yet, so I need ways to meet people and build connections.”

Hoa: Meet People, Make Friends fits best, with 7 more that fit too.

You’re new in your city and want reliable ways to meet people nearby and grow friendships through groups or activities.

Updated June 2026.

What fits

Hoa: Meet People, Make Friendsstrong · 86

It’s built specifically for people who are new in town and want to meet others, make friends, and join activities near them, which maps closely to your need for local connection and getting started.

Best for: New residents who want nearby activities to turn “no friends yet” into ongoing social connections.

BFF: Make Friends. By Bumble.strong · 82

It’s Bumble’s friendship app and targets people seeking friends and newcomers, directly matching your goal of building friendships rather than dating.

Best for: Newcomers who want a straightforward “meet and chat with potential friends” app designed for friendship.

Meet OffScreen: IRL Friendsstrong · 80

It focuses on curated group events in your city, which supports your goal of meeting people in real life and building connections through structured meetups.

Best for: You want IRL group meetups (not swiping) to make it easier to form new friendships.

Newbee Connectstrong · 78

It’s designed for people who just moved abroad or are living in a new country, helping you find local events and join communities—useful if you’re a newcomer without a network.

Best for: Newcomers who want community and local event discovery (especially expats/immigrants).

Grouply - Meet Your Peoplestrong · 77

It connects you with specific group interests like hiking buddies, book clubs, and events—matching your “join groups or activities in my area” must-have.

Best for: People who want interest-based groups (like clubs or recurring activities) to meet friends.

Wuddy'sstrong · 76

Its primary promise is finding or organizing activities in your neighborhood, which directly supports meeting people through real-world activities near you.

Best for: You want activity-based introductions rather than purely chatting online.

+ 2 more that also fit — run your own wording through the matcher below to see them ranked for your exact situation.

Partly fits

Amigos - Meet fun peoplepartial · 62

It helps you meet and join activities near you, but the app’s focus is more “mood/drinks” oriented than broader interest-based community groups.

Won’t cover: It may skew toward drinks-and-activities rather than the wider range of interest-based clubs and recurring groups you might want.

Hobbytwin: Meet hobby friendspartial · 60

Shared-hobby matching fits your idea of interest-based connections, but it’s framed primarily for hobbyists rather than explicitly for new residents.

Won’t cover: It targets hobbyists more than newcomers looking for a general “where do I start in my city?” path.

Cupiterpartial · 46

It’s aimed at helping with awkward first contact, which can support connection-building, but it doesn’t clearly emphasize joining local groups or activities.

Won’t cover: It focuses more on initiating contact than on helping you consistently join local groups and events.

Questions

What's the best tool for Making Friends in a City?

Hoa: Meet People, Make Friends is the strongest match — It’s built specifically for people who are new in town and want to meet others, make friends, and join activities near them, which maps closely to your need for local connection and getting started.

Is there a tool that fully solves this?

8 products match this closely.

What won't these tools cover?

It may skew toward drinks-and-activities rather than the wider range of interest-based clubs and recurring groups you might want. · It targets hobbyists more than newcomers looking for a general “where do I start in my city?” path. · It focuses more on initiating contact than on helping you consistently join local groups and events.

Not quite your version of it?

Describe the problem in your own words and the matcher will read it fresh — including products too new to be anywhere else.

Try your own problem

Matched by Matchbox. Nothing here is sponsored and payment never affects ranking. Products link to their listings; some are auto-extracted and not yet maker-verified.