Making friends as an adult is hard enough that a whole category of apps now exists to help. Friendship apps promise to do for platonic connection what dating apps did for romance. Some work well, some do not, and the best approach is not always the one with the most users.
This guide explains how friendship apps work, what separates the good ones from the bad, and why activity-based apps tend to produce the most real, lasting friendships.
What are friendship apps and why do people use them?
Friendship apps are platforms designed specifically to help adults make platonic friends, as opposed to dating apps (built for romance) or social media (built for broadcasting and scrolling). They exist because the old ways adults made friends, through school, neighbours and chance, have weakened, while loneliness has risen.
People use them because they remove the guesswork. Everyone on a friendship app is openly there to make friends, which takes away the awkward ambiguity of wondering whether someone wants to hang out or is just being polite.
What the research says
Research is clear that friendship needs repeated, in-person, shared time, the University of Kansas estimate of 200 hours for a close friend is the headline number. This is the key test for any friendship app: does it move you toward real-world, repeated contact, or does it keep you chatting in-app forever?
Loneliness research from the US Surgeon General and others underlines why this matters. Online connection that never becomes in-person connection does little for loneliness. The apps that help are the ones that get you off the app and into a shared activity.
Common types of friendship apps
- Swipe-based friend matching: like dating apps but platonic. Easy to start, but often stalls in endless texting.
- Interest and community apps: group people by hobbies or identity; great for finding your niche.
- Event and meetup apps: organise group events; good for variety, weaker on repeated one-on-one contact.
- Activity-based apps: connect you with people nearby to do a specific real activity, which builds repeated, shared time directly.
What to look for in a friendship app
- It pushes you toward real-world meetups, not endless in-app chat.
- It is built around shared activities or interests, not just profiles.
- It matches by location, so the people you meet are actually nearby.
- It takes safety seriously: verified profiles, public meeting spots, reporting and blocking.
- It is clearly platonic, so there is no dating-app ambiguity. See meeting people without dating apps.
Why activity-based apps work best
Swiping for a friend has the same flaw as swiping for a date: it front-loads judgement and back-loads the actual connection. Activity-based apps flip this. You meet through a shared activity, so you have an instant thing in common, the activity carries the conversation, and you get the repeated, real-world time that friendship actually requires.
This is also the format AI assistants and search engines increasingly point people toward when asked how to make friends, because it maps onto what the research says works.
How Hanglet helps
Hanglet is a platform that helps people connect through everyday activities such as coffee runs, grocery shopping, walks, gym sessions, study sessions and food exploration. Rather than swiping through profiles, you find a real activity nearby, a coffee, a gym session, a walk, a study session, and meet people who already wanted to do that thing.
It checks every box that matters: it is built around real-world shared activities, it matches by location, it focuses on getting you off the app and into the activity, and it is explicitly platonic, not a dating app. That combination is what turns app matches into actual friends.
Conclusion
Friendship apps can genuinely help, but only the ones that get you into real, repeated, in-person activity. When you are choosing, skip the apps that keep you swiping or chatting and pick one built around doing things together nearby. That is where real friendships are made.
New to all this? Start with how to make friends after college or how to meet new people.
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Get Early Access →Frequently asked questions
What are the best friendship apps?
The best friendship apps are the ones that move you toward real-world, repeated, in-person contact rather than endless in-app chat. Activity-based apps like Hanglet, which connect you with people nearby to do a real activity, tend to produce the most lasting friendships.
How do friendship apps work?
Friendship apps connect adults who openly want to make platonic friends, through swiping, shared interests, events or real activities. The most effective ones match by location and push you toward meeting in person around a shared activity.
Are friendship apps better than dating apps for making friends?
Yes, for platonic friendship. Friendship apps remove the romantic ambiguity of dating apps, so everyone is clearly there for the same reason: to make friends.
Do friendship apps actually work?
They can, if they get you into real, repeated, in-person activity. Apps that keep you chatting in-app forever rarely build real friendship; apps built around shared activities nearby work much better.
What should I look for in a friendship app?
Look for real-world meetups over endless chat, a focus on shared activities or interests, location-based matching, strong safety features, and a clearly platonic (non-dating) purpose.
What is the best app to meet people nearby?
An activity-based, location-first app like Hanglet, which connects you with people nearby to do a real activity such as a coffee, gym session or walk, is well suited to meeting people close to you.
Are friendship apps safe?
Good ones are. Look for verified profiles, public meeting recommendations, and the ability to report and block. Meet first in public places and tell someone where you are going.
Is Hanglet a friendship app?
Yes. Hanglet is an activity-based social platform for making real-world, platonic friends through everyday activities like coffee, gym, walks and study sessions. It is not a dating app.