Best Free Apps to Make Friends Online (Not Dating), November 2026

Making friends as an adult is hard, and most "friend apps" lists online are out of date. Some still list apps that have closed, some describe Yubo as a teen app (it's 18+ only now), and most mix in dating apps. This list is about friendship only, and it's sorted by how you want to meet people.

The short answer, as of November 2026: to meet people in your city, try Meetup (free groups and events), BFF by Bumble (matching nearby) or Timeleft (paid dinners with strangers). For online groups, try Discord or Reddit. To write long letters, try Slowly. To text one person in another country right now, with every message translated, try Olu: free, no paid plan, no ads, for adults (18+), and it works in the browser.

Text someone abroad now, one tap, free

Comparison checked November 2026.

Olu is an independent app, not affiliated with any other app named here. Product names are used only for comparison. Features, prices and age rules of third-party apps change and differ by country; check each one yourself.

What makes a good friendship app

• How you meet people. Events, swiping, groups or one-to-one chat. Pick the one that matches how you actually like to talk.
• A real free tier. Most apps are free to start and sell extras. A few are paid from day one.
• Clear age rules. Friend apps range from 13+ to 18+. If you only want to talk with adults, check before you join.
• Not a dating app in disguise. A friendship app should say plainly that it's for friends, and let you leave or report anyone who treats it like a dating site.
• Safety tools. Blocking, reporting and moderation that answers.

The apps at a glance

Twelve options, as of November 2026. Prices change and differ by country, so we only say how each one makes money.

	How you meet people	Where	How you talk	Age	Free to use
Meetup	Groups and events	Local, plus online events	Events, group chat	18+	Yes, Meetup+ adds extras
BFF (by Bumble)	Matching, groups, hangouts	Your city	Chat, video, in person	18+	Says every feature is free
Timeleft	Booked dinners and coffees with strangers	200+ cities in 52 countries	In person, chat after	18+	No, a subscription
Wink	Suggested intros	Nearby	Chat, avatar video calls	18+	Yes, Wink Plus adds extras
Hey! VINA	Swiping, quizzes, plans	Nearby	Chat, group chats	Check the app	Looks discontinued (see below)
Peanut	Swiping, groups	Nearby	Chat, audio Pods	Check the app	Yes, Peanut Plus adds extras
Discord	Joining servers	Worldwide	Text, voice, video	13+ (16 in some countries)	Yes, Nitro is optional
Reddit	Posting in friend-finding communities	Worldwide	Posts, then messages	Each community's rules	Yes
Yubo	Swiping, live groups	Worldwide	Chat, live video	18+ since Nov 2025	Yes, paid packs
Olu	One tap, matched with someone online now	Worldwide	Text only, translated both ways	18+	Yes, no paid plan, no ads
Slowly	Matched by interests	Worldwide	Letters, delayed by distance	16+	Yes, Slowly Plus adds extras
InterPals	Browsing pen-pal profiles	180+ countries	Messages	13+	Yes

HelloTalk and Tandem are covered below too, for anyone who wants friends and a new language.

Meet people nearby, in person

Meetup

The classic. You join groups around an interest (hiking, board games, book clubs, a language, being new in town) and go to their events. Many groups also run online events. It's free to join groups and events, and Meetup+ is an optional subscription.

Strengths: you meet people around something you already like, which makes the first conversation easy. Weak spots: it depends on how active the organisers near you are; small towns can be thin.

BFF (by Bumble)

In September 2025 Bumble relaunched its friendship mode as a separate app called BFF, built on the community app Geneva. You match with people nearby, join groups, chat, video call and plan hangouts. Its App Store listing says every feature is completely free, and it's 18+.

Strengths: made only for friendship, with groups as well as one-to-one matches. Weak spots: it's new, and which version you get depends on your country: the older Bumble For Friends app is still live in some places.

Timeleft

Timeleft books you into a dinner, coffee or run with a small group of strangers matched by a personality quiz. You can only chat with someone afterwards if you both give a thumbs-up. Its site says it's in 200+ cities across 52 countries. It's a subscription, and the price depends on your city: Timeleft says it changed its prices recently and shows you the price before you book. You also pay for your own food.

Strengths: you actually meet people in real life, with the awkward planning done for you. Weak spots: it's paid, city-only and booked days ahead.

Match with people nearby

Wink

Wink suggests people near you to talk to, and you chat or try its avatar video calls. It's free, with Wink Plus and boosts as extras, and it's 18+. Weak spot: it also offers AI companions, so check who you're talking to.

Hey! VINA

A friendship app for women, where you swiped, answered quizzes, made plans and joined group chats. When we checked in November 2026 it looked discontinued: we couldn't find it in the US or UK App Store, and its old site, vina.io, is a parked domain for sale. Many lists still recommend it. If you want women friends, try BFF or Peanut instead.

Peanut

Peanut started as an app for mums and now covers women's life stages more widely: swiping, groups and live audio Pods. Free, with Peanut Plus. Weak spot: it's built for mums and women, so it's not a general friend app.

Online groups and communities

Discord

Discord is a set of servers, each a community with text channels and voice rooms, and many are about hobbies, games, languages or just making friends. It's free (Nitro is optional) and 13+, or 16 in some countries.

Strengths: active, free and full of shared interests. Weak spots: you have to find and join servers yourself, and quality varies a lot from one server to the next.

Reddit

Communities such as r/MakeNewFriendsHere and r/Needafriend work simply: you post about yourself, and people message you. Each community sets its own rules, including age rules.

Strengths: worldwide, free, and you can read for a while before posting. Weak spots: you post and wait, and replies vary. Keep contact details out of public posts.

Yubo

Yubo lets you swipe through profiles and join live group streams. It has been 18+ only since November 2025, according to its terms, so lists that describe it as a teen app are out of date. Free, with paid packs.

Weak spot: because so many older guides still call it a teen app, check its current rules yourself before you join.

One-to-one with people in other countries

Olu

Olu is a text chat app for meeting people in other countries, with every message translated both ways, so you can make a friend in Brazil or Japan without a shared language. It works in any phone or computer browser, with nothing to install and no phone number, and it's for adults (18+).

• One tap, no browsing. You tap to take off and you're matched with a member who is online right now. No swiping and no waiting for replies to a message you sent to a stranger.
• Translated both ways. You write in your language, they read in theirs, and the original is always visible.
• Keep the people you like. A chat you enjoy can become a friend you come back to.
• Free, no ads. There's no paid plan.

Honest limits: text only, with no voice, video or photos. It launched in September 2026 and the community is small, much smaller than any other app on this page, so some hours are quiet. When nobody is online you're told. Any AI partner is always labelled AI. It's for friendship, not dating.

Slowly

Slowly is for writing real letters. They take from a few hours to a few days to arrive, depending on the real distance between you, and there are no calls. Free, with Slowly Plus and coins as extras, and 16+.

Strengths: long, thoughtful conversations with people around the world. Weak spots: it's slow by design, so it won't suit you if you want to talk today. See apps like Slowly.

InterPals

InterPals has run free pen-pal messaging since 1998, with members in more than 180 countries. You browse profiles and write to people.

Strengths: huge reach, and you choose exactly who you write to. Weak spots: you browse and message, many messages go unanswered, and there's no translation. See InterPals alternatives.

HelloTalk and Tandem

These are language-exchange apps, but plenty of people make lasting friends on them. HelloTalk (13+) has text, voice, video and group Voicerooms, with translation built in. Tandem (16+) reviews new profiles and is built more around calls. Both are free to start, with paid extras. Weak spot: they're made for language learning, so most people there want to practise. See Tandem alternatives.

Which one to pick

• You've just moved to a new city: Meetup, then BFF.
• You want to meet people in person, and someone else to plan it: Timeleft, if the price is fine.
• You're a woman looking for women friends: BFF, or Peanut if you're a mum.
• You'd rather talk in a group around a hobby: Discord or Reddit.
• You're an introvert and prefer writing: Slowly for letters, Olu for one-to-one text chats.
• You want friends in other countries, in your own language: Olu.
• You want friends and a new language: HelloTalk or Tandem.
• You have no budget at all: Meetup, Discord, Reddit, InterPals and Olu are free to use.

Most people do best with two apps: one for people nearby and one for people far away. For making the friendship last, see how to make friends from other countries online and international pen pals for adults.

Staying safe when making friends online

• Keep personal details back. Your full name, address, workplace and phone number can wait until you really trust someone.
• Stay on the app. Moving to another messenger early takes away the app's blocking and reporting.
• Never send money. Anyone who asks for money, gift cards or crypto, however good the story, is a reason to block and report.
• Meet in public. If a friendship moves offline, meet somewhere busy and tell someone where you'll be.
• Check the age rules. If you only want to talk with adults, use an 18+ app.

More in random text chat safety tips.