The Best Meetup Alternatives for Connecting Your Community

Meetup has long been a go-to platform for groups of people with shared interests to plan meetings and form clubs in local communities worldwide. While joining an existing Meetup group is often free, and its mobile applications are accessible, individual groups can charge dues. However, for various reasons—whether it's a desire for different features, a more private environment, or a fully open-source solution—many are seeking a reliable Meetup alternative.

Top Meetup Alternatives

If you're looking to organize events, connect with like-minded individuals, or simply find local happenings, there are numerous excellent platforms that can serve as a fantastic alternative to Meetup. We've compiled a list of the best options available.

Channels

Channels offers a simple, anonymous, and quick way to post, find, and chat about anything. It's a great Meetup alternative if you prioritize anonymity and ease of use, as it requires no sign-up or ads. Available on Free, Android, and iPhone, it features anonymity, community-based interactions, group chat, location-based services, no registration required, and tag-based organization.

Get Together

Get Together is an open-source event manager designed for local communities, aiming to be feature-competitive with Meetup.com. This Free, Open Source, and Web-based platform is an excellent Meetup alternative for those seeking a community-driven and customizable solution for event discovery and general events with a focus on location.

Mobilizon

Mobilizon provides a Free, Open Source, and Web-based solution for organizing gatherings, from private parties to public protests, without relying on tech giants. It's a strong Meetup alternative for those valuing privacy and decentralization, offering features like ActivityPub support, federation, ad-free experience, anonymity, multiple profiles, and robust event management.

Stuff

Stuff is a platform for sending out private and public invitations, simplifying distribution and RSVP management. As a Free, Web, and Software as a Service (SaaS) Meetup alternative, it integrates smoothly with popular calendar tools (Google Calendar, iCal, Outlook) and offers RSVP functionality, calendar sync, and social networking features, making event coordination a breeze.

OpenSports

OpenSports is a web and mobile app (Free, Web, Android, iPhone) specifically designed for sports organizers to create groups, handle RSVPs, and manage payments. For sports enthusiasts, it's an excellent ad-free Meetup alternative with features like automatic waitlists, group chat, in-game chat, invite filters, payment collection, refund deadlines, and suggested invites.

DownToMeet

DownToMeet is a platform (Free Personal, Web) for organizing, finding, and attending group events, ideal for meeting new people and finding friends in your area. This Meetup alternative focuses on local connections, offering robust event management, local search, and scheduling capabilities.

Openki

Openki is a Free, Open Source, Web, and Self-Hosted platform where users can search, propose, take part in, help organize, or publish workshops, lectures, and discussions. It's a powerful and easy-to-use Meetup alternative, particularly for educational and collaborative events, featuring event replication, an Open API, education focus, location-based features, online collaboration, and real-time collaboration.

Facebook Local

Now known as Facebook Local, this Free, Android, iPhone, and Facebook-integrated app helps you discover places and things to do recommended by friends. It’s a convenient Meetup alternative for those already embedded in the Facebook ecosystem, offering robust event management, general events, and deep Facebook integration for social networking.

Bumble

While primarily known for dating, Bumble (Free, Android, iPhone) also includes features for connecting with new people for friendships and networking, making it a tangential Meetup alternative for social connections. Its unique feature is that women must initiate conversations in the dating context, but it broadly functions as a social network.

Attendize Event Ticketing

Attendize is a free and open-source ticket selling and event management platform available on Free, Open Source, Windows, and Linux. For those needing a comprehensive solution for managing and ticketing events, Attendize is a powerful Meetup alternative that provides full control over your event's financial and organizational aspects.

Each of these Meetup alternatives offers unique strengths, from open-source transparency and specific niche functionalities to general social networking and event management. We encourage you to explore the options and find the best fit for your specific community, event, or personal networking needs.