Making friends in adulthood is more difficult than it was in school: remove the fixed routine, remove the daily interaction, and there's little room left to meet new people. Some apps try to fill this gap by connecting people through interests, location, or a desire to chat—without the flirtatious atmosphere of dating apps.
We gathered 5 apps to make new friends which are available in Brazilian stores. All can be installed for free, and for each one we explain what it does., What is free and what is paid?, ...and for what type of person does it work best?.
A word of warning: no app creates friendships on its own. It connects you with people who share similar interests; the rest depends on you showing up, responding, and maintaining contact. Consider it a starting point, not an end in itself.
What is the best app to make new friends?
It depends on what you're looking for. There are basically three formats: those that bring people from your city together to meet in person, those that bring people together for hobbies in online communities, and those that promote correspondence with strangers from all over the world.
Those who are more shy tend to do better starting out in written communities, where it's not necessary to speak to a specific person right away. Those who are already extroverted tend to prefer apps for in-person dating based on shared interests, which initiate conversation based on an activity.
All the apps below have a good number of users and allow download free app straight into play store or on the App Store. In-app purchases are optional in all of them.
5 best apps to make new friends
Bumble For Friends
O Bumble For Friends Bumble is the app dedicated solely to friendship — it doesn't have a dating function. You create a profile describing what you like to do, set your age range and distance, and receive suggestions from people in your area interested in chatting or going out for some activity.
The functionality is similar to the main app, with the swipe gesture, but the stated purpose changes everything: nobody is there to flirt. There is active moderation, reporting, and blocking, which helps maintain a peaceful environment.
Bumble For Friends: IRL Friends
Android and iOSFree: Profile, suggestions, and conversation. Paid: Optional plan that expands filters and allows you to undo likes. Available for Android and iPhone in Brazil.
Meetup
O Meetup It doesn't connect person to person: it connects people to groups. You join communities of interest — film, reading, running, photography, technology, entrepreneurship — and participate in the meetings they organize, either in person or online.
It's the most comfortable format for those who get stuck in private conversations, because the topic is already prepared: you're there because of the activity. You can also create your own events and build local communities.
Free: Install, join groups, and participate in most meetups. Paid: Creating and managing a group has a cost, and some events charge their own fee. One point to note: the offerings vary greatly by city — in capitals there is plenty, in smaller municipalities there may be little or none.
Discord
O Discord It was born in the gaming world, but it has become the largest active community platform for specific topics in Brazil. There are public servers covering practically everything: studies, music, TV series, programming, crafts, competitions, running. You join, follow the conversations, and participate whenever you want.
The advantage for those seeking friendship is the continuous interaction—you talk to the same people every day, via text or voice channels, and the bond develops over time. It's the closest thing to a group of friends among the apps on this list.
Free: Everything that matters — joining servers, chatting via text, audio, and video, creating your own server. Paid: Nitro is an optional subscription service with emojis, higher upload speeds, and aesthetic benefits. It's available on the Play Store (rated 18+) and also on the App Store. Since the servers are open, it's worth choosing communities with visible moderation.
Tandem
O Tandem It's a language exchange app, and that's the perfect excuse to chat with people from other countries. You say which language you speak and which one you want to practice, and the app suggests partners: you help the person with Portuguese and they help you with English, Spanish, French, or Japanese.
Since the conversation has a clear purpose, it flows more easily than a vague "hi, how are you?" Many international friendships begin this way. The best-known alternative in the same style is HelloTalk, which works in a similar way.
Free: Create a profile, find partners, and exchange text and audio messages. Paid: Tandem Pro, with extra filters and unlimited corrections. Available for Android and iPhone. Profiles go through an approval process before joining, which reduces fake registrations.
Slowly
If you miss the days of playing cards, the Slowly It was designed for this purpose. Messages take hours or days to arrive, depending on the actual distance between you and the other person—the farther away, the longer it takes. It's the opposite of instant messaging.
The practical effect is that conversations become longer and more thoughtful, because nobody writes "lol" in a letter that will take two days to arrive. You can choose the countries from which you want to receive correspondence and the topics of interest.
Free: Writing, receiving, and collecting basic stamps. Paid: Special badges, themes, and advanced search features. Available for Android and iPhone. It's the best option for those who want friendship without the pressure of an immediate response.
Common features in dating apps
Although each app to make new friends While each item has its own unique selling point, they all share some features that are worth checking out before installing:
- Profiles with interests: They help you find people with whom you have things in common.
- Filters by age, location, and hobby: They avoid wasting time on suggestions that are outside their profile.
- Report and block: Quick exit when someone crosses the line. Make sure the button is easy to find.
- Community moderation: In group apps like Discord and Meetup, this is what separates a healthy space from a messy one.
- Optional purchases: They are all free to install, but all have a paid plan. No essential features are locked.
Be careful when meeting people online.
Online friendships require the same precautions as any contact with strangers. Do not share your address, workplace, routine, documents, or bank details. Keep the conversation within the app at first, where there is moderation and a history.
If you're meeting someone in person, choose a public and busy place, go and return on your own, and let a trusted person know where you'll be. In Meetup groups, prefer events with a history and recurring participants.
And keep an eye out for a common pattern: someone very friendly who, after a few weeks of conversation, shows up with a financial emergency or an invitation to invest. Never send money, use Pix (Brazil's instant payment system), or buy gift cards to people you met online. — This applies to friendship, not just dating.
Conclusion
The five apps on this list cover different styles: Bumble For Friends for meeting people in your city, Meetup for in-person meetups based on shared interests, Discord for community interaction, Tandem for purposeful international friendships, and Slowly for those who like to write at a leisurely pace.
All can be installed for free, and all have optional paid features. Choose the one that suits you best, fill out your profile with truthful information, and give it time—friendship, online or not, is built through repetition.
