Best Apps to Make Friends Abroad: 2026 Expat Comparison

The short answer: the best apps to make friends abroad work best in a particular order, and no single one does everything. Start with Meetup for recurring, interest-based groups, add InterNations if you want a ready-made expat crowd (the free Basic membership is enough to test it), use BFF (Bumble’s friendship app) if you prefer meeting one person at a time, and use HelloTalk or Tandem only if learning the local language is part of the plan. Whatever you pick, the app is only the doorway: friendships form when you go back to the same people again and again.

I have moved countries twice and tried most of these. Below is an honest comparison of the apps and communities expats in European cities actually use, what each costs, how the meetups really work, who you are likely to meet, and which one to try first depending on who you are. Prices and features change often, so everything here was checked against the official pages in October 2026, and where a company does not publish a clear price, I say so rather than guess.

Best apps to make friends abroad: the comparison table

A note on prices: InterNations and Couchsurfing show their membership prices inside the app or at checkout, and those prices vary by country and plan length. I have not printed a figure because any number I quoted would be wrong for some readers. Check the price screen before you pay, and note that paid subscriptions on most of these apps renew automatically unless you cancel.

Meetup: the best all-rounder for expats

Meetup is still the app I would open first in any European city. It is built around groups that meet repeatedly, which is exactly what friendship needs. Search your city for a hobby rather than for “expats”: a hiking group, a board-game night or a language exchange will give you more to talk about than a generic social mixer.

How Meetup events actually work

An organiser posts an event with a time and place, members RSVP, and you turn up. Big language exchanges can draw dozens of people; hiking and board-game groups are often smaller. The first visit is the hardest: arrive on time, introduce yourself to the organiser, and ask to be introduced to a table. Our guide to verified weekly language exchanges in Berlin shows what a good Meetup-based event looks like in practice.

Pros and cons

• Pros: huge choice in big cities; recurring events; interests give you a reason to talk; most events are free or cheap.
• Cons: many groups are dormant; quality varies; large events can feel like speed networking.
• Tip: only join groups that show recent past events with real attendance and an upcoming date. A group with thousands of members and no events this month is a ghost.

Is InterNations worth it?

InterNations is the best-known expat network, with communities in most European capitals. The model is simple: a free Basic membership lets you create a profile, use the forums and attend official events, while the paid Premium membership mainly gets you cheaper or free entry to official events and access to member-run interest groups. Prices depend on where you live and how long you subscribe; on the UK App Store in October 2026, Premium was listed at £59.99 for three months or £129.99 for twelve, renewing automatically unless you cancel.

What to expect at an InterNations event

Official events are usually held in a bar, rooftop or hotel lounge, often on a weeknight. Expect name tags, a mostly professional international crowd, plenty of small talk about where you are from and how long you have been here, and a mix of first-timers and regulars. They are good for meeting a lot of people in one evening and for hearing practical tips. They are less good for deep conversation: the best follow-up is to swap numbers with two or three people and suggest something smaller the following week.

Pros and cons

• Pros: instant international crowd; organised, predictable events; everyone there is in the same situation as you.
• Cons: entry fees add up if you go often; it can keep you inside the expat bubble; the crowd skews towards corporate professionals.
• Verdict: worth trying on the free membership for a month or two. Only pay for Premium if you are going to official events regularly enough that the reduced entry pays for itself.

BFF by Bumble: one-to-one friend matching

Bumble’s friendship app was called Bumble For Friends for a while; in September 2025 Bumble relaunched it as BFF, rebuilt on Geneva, the community app it had acquired. The relaunch added a Groups tab for joining community chats, planning hangouts and following events, while keeping one-to-one matching and private messages. The app is free to download. One regional caveat: when we checked Apple’s App Store in October 2026, the relaunched BFF app was listed in the US store, while the UK, Irish and German stores still listed the older Bumble For Friends app (last updated in September 2025), so the version you can download, and whether you get the Groups tab, depends on your country. If you live in Berlin, our verdict on Bumble BFF in Berlin looks at how well it works there.

How it works in practice

You set up a profile, swipe or browse, match with someone who also wants to make friends, and chat. The hard part is moving from chat to meeting. Suggest a concrete, short plan within a few messages (“Coffee near the market on Saturday at 11?”) rather than letting the conversation fade. In smaller cities you may find fewer active users, and how busy the Groups side is depends heavily on where you live.

Pros and cons

• Pros: good for introverts who find big events draining; you meet locals as well as expats; free.
• Cons: lots of matches never turn into meetings; it is profile-led, so it can feel like dating; activity varies by city.

Couchsurfing hangouts and events

Couchsurfing is best known for free hosting, but it also has Hangouts (casual “who wants to grab a drink nearby” posts) and Events organised by local members. Since 2020 Couchsurfing has asked members to pay a membership fee to use the platform, which thinned out the community in some cities. In popular destinations there are still regular events, often language exchanges and weekly drinks that mix travellers with residents.

• Pros: sociable, travel-minded people; very easy-going events.
• Cons: you pay before you can see how active your city is; the crowd changes constantly because many people are passing through.
• Verdict: good for your first weeks if you love meeting travellers; less useful for building a lasting circle.

Facebook, WhatsApp and Discord groups

Almost every European city has a sprawling “[city] expats” Facebook group, plus smaller ones by nationality, neighbourhood, profession or interest (women in the city, parents, runners, board gamers). Many of these communities move their actual organising into WhatsApp groups or Discord servers, which you usually join by invitation from a post.

• Use them for: practical questions, finding niche groups, and spotting one-off events.
• Watch out for: rental scams, spam and endless “anyone want to meet up?” posts that go nowhere. A post that names a time, a place and a plan gets far more replies than a vague one.
• Tip: smaller groups are better. A 200-person WhatsApp group for your sport or neighbourhood is more likely to produce real friends than a 60,000-member city group.

HelloTalk vs Tandem for making friends

HelloTalk and Tandem are both language exchange apps: you chat with native speakers of the language you are learning and help them with yours. HelloTalk offers a free version with a paid VIP subscription; Tandem is free to download with an optional Tandem Pro subscription. Both are text-first, and neither organises in-person meetings for you.

They are useful before you move, to have someone local to message, and after you arrive, to find a one-to-one language partner. If you do want to meet a partner in person, our guide to finding a tandem partner in person explains how to run the first session and keep it on a friendly footing.

• Pros: you meet locals, not just expats; built-in topic (language); good for confidence.
• Cons: many users are online-only; some use it for flirting; meeting is entirely on you.

InterNations vs Meetup: which is better for expats?

They solve different problems. InterNations gives you people in your situation: other internationals who also want to meet someone, in a format designed for newcomers. Meetup gives you a reason to keep coming back: a hobby, a route, a game, a language. If you can only try one, try Meetup and pick a group that meets weekly. If you have just arrived and feel very alone, an InterNations event in your first fortnight is a fast way to have a few names in your phone.

Which one to try first: a decision box

• You arrived in the last month and know nobody: one InterNations event (free membership) plus one Meetup group that meets weekly.
• You are an introvert or find big events exhausting: BFF for one-to-one coffees, plus a small Meetup group built around an activity (board games, hiking, climbing) so there is something to do besides talk.
• You want local friends, not just expats: Tandem or HelloTalk to find a language partner, plus a local club or a language exchange.
• You are a digital nomad moving every few months: Couchsurfing events and city nomad groups on Meetup or Facebook.
• You have a niche interest: Facebook groups to find the community, then its WhatsApp or Discord to find the actual meetups.

How to use any friend app well

The app matters less than how you use it. A few rules that work everywhere:

1. Pick one or two, not six. Spreading yourself across every app means you never see the same face twice.
2. Repeat the same group for four weeks. Familiarity is what turns strangers into friends. Our four-week plan for making friends abroad is built around this.
3. Move from big to small. Use the big event to meet people, then suggest a small follow-up with two or three of them: coffee, a walk, a dinner.
4. Make the plan concrete. “We should hang out sometime” rarely happens. “Tapas on Thursday at 20:00 at the place near the station, I’ll book for four” usually does.
5. Give it months, not weeks. Research from the University of Kansas suggests it takes roughly 50 hours together to go from acquaintance to casual friend and around 90 hours to become friends. Apps only start the clock.

If the early weeks feel harder than expected, you are not alone; our piece on expat loneliness and what helps covers why it hits and what to do about it.

Safety with friend apps

Friend apps are generally low-risk, but the usual rules apply whenever you meet someone new. Meet in a busy public place, tell a friend where you are going and who you are meeting, arrange your own way home, and leave if anything feels off. Keep early meetings short and daytime if you prefer. Do not share your address or financial details, and be wary of anyone who moves the conversation towards money, investments or “business opportunities”. Report and block accounts that make you uncomfortable.

Where MeetNow fits

Most friend apps are built around profiles or big events. MeetNow, our own app, is built around plans: a host posts a specific plan at a public place, such as dinner, drinks, a game or a concert, with a date, time, number of seats and who pays. People ask to join with a short note, the host picks who comes, and accepted guests get a group chat. Afterwards, both sides confirm “we met”, which builds each person’s track record. The host can also limit who can join (for example by gender or age range), and anyone can block other users. It is live on the web at app.trymeetnow.com, starting in Malta, and the iPhone and Android apps are coming soon.

Want to turn this into an actual plan? MeetNow is a free app for meeting people in person: a host posts a plan at a public place, says who pays (host pays, split, pay your own or free) and picks who joins. It is live on the web now, starting in Malta, with the phone apps on the way: open MeetNow and see the plans near you. (MeetNow is our own app.)

Frequently asked questions

What is the best app to make friends abroad?

For most expats, Meetup is the best starting point because its groups meet repeatedly around shared interests. InterNations is good for meeting other internationals quickly, and BFF suits people who prefer one-to-one meetings. The best results come from using one or two apps consistently rather than many at once.

Is InterNations worth it?

It is worth trying with the free Basic membership, which lets you attend official events. The paid Premium membership mainly reduces or removes event entry fees and opens member interest groups, so it only pays off if you go to events regularly. On the UK App Store in October 2026 it cost £59.99 for three months or £129.99 for twelve; prices vary by country and plan length.

Is Meetup free for expats?

Joining Meetup and RSVPing to most groups is free for members. Some organisers charge a small fee for particular events to cover costs, and that fee is shown on the event page.

Does Bumble BFF work for expats?

Yes, BFF can work well for expats, especially in large cities with many users. It matches you one-to-one with people who also want friends and the relaunched BFF app also has groups, although in October 2026 the UK, Irish and German App Stores still listed the older Bumble For Friends app. Activity varies by city, so give it a few weeks and move quickly from chat to a short, concrete meeting.

How do I meet other expats in a new city?

Try one InterNations event, join a weekly Meetup group, search Facebook for your city’s expat and interest groups, and go to a language exchange. Then follow up with the people you click with and suggest a small plan within a week.

Are friend apps safe?

Generally yes, if you follow basic precautions: meet in a busy public place, tell a friend where you are going, arrange your own way home, keep first meetings short and leave if something feels wrong. Never send money to someone you met through an app.

Prices and features last checked October 2026.