There is no single best app for meeting locals. There is a best app for what you want: a dinner, a language partner, a run club, a couch to sleep on, or a group of people who share your interests. This guide compares seven apps travellers actually use in 2026, what each is good at, where each falls short, and what it costs.
The apps are listed by what they are best for, not ranked.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Who you meet | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meetup | Organised events and recurring groups | Mostly locals | Free to join events; paid Meetup+ for unrestricted messaging |
| Couchsurfing | Staying with locals and travel meetups | Locals and travellers | Paid membership in most countries |
| Brane | Interest-based group chats and events on a map, before and during a trip | Locals and travellers | Free |
| Bumble BFF | Making ongoing friends, one-on-one or in groups | Mostly locals | Free, with paid upgrades |
| Timeleft | A ready-made dinner with strangers | Locals and expats | Fee per dinner, plus your meal |
| Hostelworld | Meeting people at your hostel | Mostly travellers | Free social features with a booking |
| Tandem and HelloTalk | Language exchange | Native speakers | Free, with paid upgrades |
1. Meetup
Best for: organised events run by local groups, from hiking clubs to tech nights.
Meetup is the long-standing name for interest groups that hold regular events, and in big cities there is something on most nights. Because groups are run by locals for locals, the people you meet usually live there. Joining groups and RSVPing to events is free. Direct messaging between members now sits behind the paid Meetup+ plan, and organisers pay to run groups.
Worth knowing: activity varies a lot by city and group, so check when a group last held an event before you plan around it. Events are structured, which is great for turning up but means less spontaneity.
2. Couchsurfing
Best for: budget travellers who want to stay with locals, plus local travel meetups.
Couchsurfing connects travellers with hosts who offer a free place to stay, and it has communities, events and a real-time feature for finding members nearby who want to hang out. Staying with a host is about as deep into local life as travel gets.
Worth knowing: a paid membership is required in most countries for full use, and that has thinned out activity in some cities since it was introduced. Read host references carefully and keep a backup booking.
3. Brane
Best for: finding local group chats and events around your interests, before you land and while you are there.
Brane shows people, group chats (called Crowds) and events near you on a map, filtered by what you are into. You can browse your destination before you arrive, join a Crowd for runners, climbers, footy fans or board gamers, and turn up already knowing a few names. Group chats suit travellers because there is no pressure to commit to one stranger: you can read along and join in when something suits you. Crowds do not end when your trip does, so the people you meet stay one message away, and if you are moving somewhere, they become your local group. Brane is free on iPhone, Android and the web, needs no phone number, and is not a dating app.
Worth knowing: Brane is newer and smaller than Meetup, so how much is happening varies by city. Because you can look before you travel, you will know what is active where you are going before you get there. See how Brane works for travellers.
4. Bumble BFF
Best for: making ongoing friends where you live or on a longer stay.
Bumble’s friendship app started as swipe-to-match friend finding and relaunched with a Groups feature for chats, hangouts and events. You can match one-on-one or join groups around shared interests. It is well known, so there are plenty of people on it in most big cities.
Worth knowing: it is built around local, long-term friendship, so it works best if you are moving somewhere or staying a while rather than passing through for a few days.
5. Timeleft
Best for: a guaranteed night out with new people, with no planning on your part.
Timeleft matches you with a small group of strangers for dinner at a restaurant it chooses, usually on a set night each week, with drinks afterwards in some cities. It runs in hundreds of cities, and the format takes all the awkwardness out of the first step: you just show up.
Worth knowing: you pay a fee per dinner on top of your meal, and the table is often a mix of locals and expats rather than all locals. Check which night it runs in your destination.
6. Hostelworld
Best for: solo travellers who want company from the people at their hostel.
Once you book through Hostelworld, the app lets you join chats with people staying at your hostel and in the same city, see who else is going, and join meetups other guests organise. The social features are free.
Worth knowing: you will mostly meet other travellers, not locals, and you need a hostel booking to use it.
7. Tandem and HelloTalk
Best for: meeting locals through language exchange.
Both apps pair you with native speakers who want to practise your language while you practise theirs. Start chatting before your trip and you may have a coffee partner waiting when you arrive. Both have free tiers, with paid plans that unlock extras.
Worth knowing: most conversations stay online, so meeting in person is up to you and your partner.
Which app should you use?
- A few days in a city: Brane for local group chats and events, or Timeleft if you land on dinner night.
- Budget backpacking: Hostelworld for company and Couchsurfing for local hosts.
- Learning the language: Tandem or HelloTalk, plus a local language exchange night.
- Staying a month or more: Meetup and Bumble BFF for ongoing friendships, and Brane for interest-based groups.
Most travellers get the best results from combining two: one app for group activities and one for the thing they care about most. For more ideas beyond apps, read our guide on how to meet locals when travelling.
Common questions
What is the best free app to meet locals when travelling?
Brane is free and built around local group chats and events you can browse before you arrive. Meetup is free to join events, and Hostelworld’s social features are free with a booking. Couchsurfing and Timeleft charge fees.
Is there an app to meet locals that is not a dating app?
Yes. Brane, Meetup, Timeleft, Tandem and HelloTalk are all built for friendship, activities or language rather than dating. Bumble BFF is Bumble’s separate friendship app.
Which app is best for meeting people when travelling alone?
Group formats are easiest when you are solo. Brane group chats, Meetup events and Timeleft dinners all put you with several people at once, which takes the pressure off and is safer than meeting one stranger.
Is Couchsurfing still free?
Stays with hosts are free, but using the platform requires a paid membership in most countries.