Best Locals App Alternatives for Meetups and Communities

Feeling adrift after the sudden closure of Locals.org, searching for new ways to connect and find communities? You're not alone. Many are now looking for robust locals app alternatives to fill the gap left by the popular platform.

The Post-Locals Landscape: Why Alternatives Matter

The closure of Locals.org on May 31, 2026, left a significant void for over a million users who had made connections, organized more than 300,000 events, and created over 7,500 communities over nearly six years. This platform, created by Belarusian IT entrepreneurs Yauhen Neuhien and Siarhei Hanchar, along with Natalia Vodianova, was particularly popular among Belarusians and Russian-speaking expats in relocation hubs like Poland (especially Warsaw), Georgia, and Lithuania. The team did not disclose the reason for the shutdown, but the impact is clear: a demand for reliable apps like Locals to foster real-life meetups and community building.

Finding the right alternative isn't just about event listings. It's about discovering genuine connections, shared interests, and building lasting friendships. The challenge lies in navigating a diverse landscape of platforms, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. This guide will help you understand which options genuinely deliver on their promises.

The search for community continues, with many platforms vying to replace the social infrastructure Locals.org once provided.

Meetup: The Veteran Event Organizer

Meetup is arguably one of the most established platforms for finding local events and groups. Launched in 2002, it boasts millions of members worldwide, covering an incredibly diverse range of interests from hiking and book clubs to coding and language exchange. It excels at offering a comprehensive list of scheduled events, making it a go-to for many seeking structured activities.

What Meetup is genuinely good at:

Cost: Joining Meetup and attending events is generally free for members. Group organizers, however, pay a subscription fee, typically ranging from $10 to $20 per month, depending on the plan and billing cycle. This cost covers the platform's tools and visibility.

What kind of person it suits: Meetup is ideal for individuals who prefer a wide selection of organized activities and enjoy joining established groups. It's great for trying out new hobbies, expanding your social circle through shared activities, and attending single events.

The trade-off between big event lists and actual friendships: While Meetup provides an extensive list of activities, the sheer volume can sometimes dilute the focus on deep personal connection. Many attend events as one-offs, and while friendships can form, the primary emphasis is often on the activity itself rather than fostering close-knit relationships. The dynamic can be more transactional, focused on attending an event rather than nurturing a long-term community.

Meetup offers unparalleled event diversity, but forming deep friendships often requires sustained effort beyond single attendance.

Facebook Groups: The Ubiquitous Community Hub

With over 3 billion monthly active users, Facebook Groups remain a powerful, albeit informal, platform for connecting with like-minded individuals and discovering local happenings. Many communities, especially those that migrated after the Locals.org shutdown, have found a new home here. Its strength lies in its widespread adoption and the ease with which private and public groups can be formed around specific interests or localities.

What Facebook Groups are genuinely good at:

Cost: Facebook Groups are entirely free to create and join. The platform’s revenue comes from advertising, not direct user fees for groups.

What kind of person it suits: Facebook Groups are perfect for people who are already active on the platform and prefer an integrated social experience. It suits those looking for general local information, buy/sell groups, hobby circles, and often, more casual hangouts. Many expat communities thrive on Facebook due to its broad reach.

The trade-off between big event lists and actual friendships: While Facebook Groups can lead to genuine friendships, the platform's primary design isn't specifically for fostering in-person meetups. Event discovery can be less streamlined than dedicated event platforms, and the sheer volume of posts can sometimes make it hard to sift through for relevant local activities. Friendships often emerge from consistent interaction within a group, followed by taking conversations offline.

Facebook Groups excel at broad community engagement, but their event-finding features require more manual navigation.

Telegram Communities: The Niche and Nimble Network

Telegram has emerged as a popular choice for smaller, more focused communities, particularly appealing to those seeking an alternative to the broader social media platforms. Its emphasis on privacy, channel broadcasts, and group chats makes it ideal for specific interest groups or organized communities that value direct communication. Many Russian-speaking expat communities in cities like Warsaw or Tbilisi, previously active on Locals.org, have found Telegram groups to be a natural fit for relocation discussions, event sharing, and local support.

What Telegram Communities are genuinely good at:

Cost: Telegram is completely free to use, including its group and channel features.

What kind of person it suits: Telegram communities are best for individuals who value privacy, efficient communication, and participation in highly focused niche groups. It's often used by digital nomads, expat communities, and hobbyists who prefer a chat-based interaction over a feed-based one. Those looking for quick answers, shared resources, and peer support find it very effective.

The trade-off between big event lists and actual friendships: Telegram is not designed as an event discovery platform. Events are typically posted informally within group chats or channels, requiring members to actively monitor conversations. While the close-knit nature of some Telegram groups can lead to strong friendships, it's often more about shared information and immediate support rather than a dedicated platform for organizing social meetups. Forming friendships here usually means moving from chat interaction to suggesting a direct meetup.

Telegram communities offer focused communication and strong niche connections, but event discovery is often ad-hoc.

Eventbrite: The Professional Event Ticketing Solution

Over 200 million tickets are processed annually through Eventbrite, showcasing its dominance in the event ticketing and discovery space. While not a community-building platform in itself, Eventbrite is an excellent resource for finding professional, public events, workshops, concerts, and festivals. It's less about casual meetups and more about structured, often ticketed experiences.

What Eventbrite is genuinely good at:

Cost: Browsing and attending events is free, though many events themselves require a ticket purchase. Event organizers pay a fee for ticket sales, typically a percentage of the ticket price plus a fixed fee per ticket.

What kind of person it suits: Eventbrite is ideal for individuals looking for professionally organized public events, whether free or paid. It suits those interested in learning, entertainment, or attending larger social gatherings where the primary goal is the event experience itself. It's less for forming small groups and more for participating in broader community happenings.

The trade-off between big event lists and actual friendships: Eventbrite excels at connecting you with events, but not necessarily with people for friendship. While you might meet new people at an event, the platform doesn't facilitate ongoing social interaction or community building after the event concludes. It's a tool for finding things to do, not primarily for building a social network.

Eventbrite is a powerful tool for discovering and attending professional events, but offers limited direct support for building friendships.

Couchsurfing Hangouts: Spontaneous Global Connections

Couchsurfing, originally known for budget accommodation, now features "Hangouts," a spontaneous real-time meetup function. It's designed for travelers and locals alike to connect instantly for activities like grabbing coffee, exploring a neighborhood, or sharing a meal. While the broader Couchsurfing platform is still recovering from a controversial paid membership model change, Hangouts remains a popular feature for short-term, impromptu connections.

What Couchsurfing Hangouts are genuinely good at:

Cost: Using Couchsurfing Hangouts requires a paid subscription, which was introduced in 2020. The cost is typically around $15 per year or $2.50 per month, with variations.

What kind of person it suits: Couchsurfing Hangouts are perfect for adventurous individuals, especially travelers, who enjoy spontaneous social interactions and cultural exchange. It suits those who are open to meeting new people for a few hours without the commitment of joining a long-term group. It’s particularly effective in tourist-heavy cities or for expats looking to meet a diverse range of people.

The trade-off between big event lists and actual friendships: Hangouts are about immediate, short-term connections rather than curated event lists or long-term friendships. While some spontaneous meetings can blossom into lasting friendships, the primary function is transient interaction. It’s excellent for broadening your social exposure but less reliable for consistently building a core social circle.

Couchsurfing Hangouts offer spontaneous, short-term connections, ideal for travelers but less suited for sustained friendship building.

Bumble BFF: The Friendship-Focused Dating App Spin-off

Bumble, the dating app, reported over 42 million monthly active users globally in 2023, and its BFF mode capitalizes on this massive user base specifically for platonic connections. Bumble BFF operates on a similar swipe-based interface as its dating counterpart but focuses solely on finding friends. This makes it a unique player in the apps to meet people category, as its core design is geared towards individual connection rather than group events.

What Bumble BFF is genuinely good at:

Cost: Bumble BFF is free to use for its basic features, including matching and messaging. Premium features, such as seeing who has swiped right on you or extending match times, come with a subscription fee, typically ranging from $10 to $20 per month.

What kind of person it suits: Bumble BFF is ideal for individuals who prefer a one-on-one approach to finding friends, similar to dating apps but without the romantic aspect. It's particularly popular among young adults, people new to a city, or those looking to expand their existing friend circles. It suits those who appreciate curated connections based on compatibility.

The trade-off between big event lists and actual friendships: Bumble BFF focuses entirely on individual connections, meaning there are no event lists or group activities natively within the app. While you might use it to find a friend to attend events with, the platform itself doesn't facilitate group meetups. Friendships here develop from initial chat interactions into offline hangouts. It's a direct path to finding individuals, rather than groups.

Bumble BFF excels at one-on-one friendship matching, but lacks integrated event discovery or group features.

City Discord Servers: The Gamer's Social Haven Expands

Originally a communication tool for gamers, Discord has evolved into a versatile platform for communities of all kinds, including city-specific servers. These servers act as digital community hubs, offering various channels for general chat, specific interests, event planning, and local recommendations. They are particularly popular among younger demographics and those comfortable with text-based communication. Many communities, seeing the benefits of real-time discussion and direct moderation, have opted to establish a presence on Discord.

What City Discord Servers are genuinely good at:

Cost: Discord is free to use. Premium features like custom emojis or higher quality streaming are available through "Nitro" subscriptions, typically $5-$10 per month, but are not necessary for community participation.

What kind of person it suits: City Discord servers are best for individuals who are comfortable with digital communication, enjoy real-time chat, and want to be part of a highly interactive online community. It suits younger adults, tech-savvy individuals, and those looking for a blend of online interaction and potential offline meetups. They're excellent for finding casual hangouts and getting quick local advice.

The trade-off between big event lists and actual friendships: Like Telegram, Discord isn't primarily an event-listing platform. Events are typically organized informally through specific channels or polls. While the constant interaction within a server can lead to strong friendships and organic meetups, it requires active participation and initiative to translate online connections into real-life friendships. It’s a great place to find like-minded people, but you often have to propose the meetup yourself.

City Discord servers offer dynamic online community engagement, but rely on members to initiate and organize offline events.

Joiner: Connecting Through Shared European Group Activities

Finding real friends and experiencing a new city authentically often comes down to shared experiences. This is where Joiner steps in as a dedicated social app for making real friends through shared group activities in European cities. Unlike platforms focused solely on event listings or one-on-one matching, Joiner emphasizes the group activity itself as the foundation for new friendships. It focuses on curated, smaller group experiences designed for genuine connection.

What Joiner is genuinely good at:

Cost: Joiner typically operates on a freemium model. Basic features, including browsing activities and joining some groups, are free. Premium features or special activities may involve a subscription or small per-event fee, designed to ensure commitment and quality.

What kind of person it suits: Joiner is ideal for people new to a European city, expats, and locals who are actively seeking to build a new social circle based on shared interests. It suits individuals who prefer structured but social group activities over spontaneous meetups or large anonymous gatherings. If you value quality interactions and finding people with genuine common ground, Joiner is designed for you. It's particularly useful for those who want to avoid the ambiguity of dating apps and specifically seek platonic connections.

The trade-off between big event lists and actual friendships: Joiner prioritizes quality connections over sheer quantity of events. You won't find a million events listed like on Meetup, but rather a curated selection of activities designed to facilitate genuine interaction within a group. This means fewer options than some broader platforms, but a higher likelihood of forming meaningful friendships from those activities.

Joiner prioritizes quality group activities in European cities to foster genuine friendships, focusing on connection over sheer event volume.

Choosing Your Next Community Platform

The departure of Locals.org has undoubtedly created a gap for many seeking community and local events. The choice of the best apps to find local events or apps to meet people depends heavily on your personal priorities and what kind of connections you’re seeking.

Consider these factors:

Finding the right alternative is an iterative process. You might find success using a combination of platforms, perhaps using Eventbrite for large cultural events and Joiner for building a core group of friends through shared activities. The important thing is to be proactive and engage with the communities you discover.

The best platform for you will align with your specific social needs and commitment to community building.

Checklist for Evaluating Locals App Alternatives

When exploring new platforms, ask yourself these questions to determine the best fit for your social goals:

Selecting the ideal platform requires evaluating its strengths against your personal social priorities.

Information about the Locals shutdown is based on publicly available sources (official announcements, media coverage and user discussions). We do not disclose internal reasons or speculate on the company's behalf.