Communication & Social

Best Apps Like Meetup in 2026

Discover local and virtual events for professional networking, hobbies, and community building.

Why People Look for Meetup Alternatives

Meetup charges organizers a monthly fee, making it less accessible for casual or community-run groups.
The app interface has aged and many users find discovery cluttered compared to newer event platforms.
Eventbrite and Luma offer better ticketing, RSVP management, and event promotion tools for organizers.
Facebook Events remains dominant for local social gatherings, limiting Meetup's reach for non-tech communities.

6 Best Alternatives to Meetup

Each app below addresses a specific gap in Meetup's offering. We picked them based on real user review patterns and feature differentiation.

Eventbrite

Event ticketing and discovery for professional and public events.

Eventbrite is the leading platform for event ticketing and promotion. Organizers can sell tickets, manage RSVPs, and market events to a large discovery audience.

Event organizers who need ticketing, payment processing, and audience reach. Free for free events; paid events incur a service fee around 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket.
Explore Eventbrite data →

Luma

Modern event hosting for communities and professional gatherings.

Luma is a clean, modern platform for hosting both free and paid events. It integrates with Zoom and Google Meet, offers calendar sync, and has strong community features.

Community builders and startup ecosystems hosting recurring events. Free for free events; paid events have a 0.5–2% platform fee.
Explore Luma data →

Partiful

Social event invitations for personal and group gatherings.

Partiful is designed for casual social events — house parties, dinners, and birthday celebrations — with animated invites, RSVP tracking, and guest messaging.

Personal event hosting where social energy and guest experience matter. Free.
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Facebook Events

Event discovery and invitations within the Facebook social graph.

Facebook Events leverages the existing social graph to surface local and interest-based events. It has massive reach but is tied to a Facebook account.

Organizers who want to reach existing Facebook audiences with zero extra cost. Free.
Explore Facebook Events data →

Shapr

Swipe-based professional networking app for one-on-one connections.

Shapr connects professionals for individual meetings rather than group events. For those who use Meetup mainly for professional networking, Shapr provides a more direct path to connections.

Professionals who prefer one-on-one introductions over group event attendance. Free with premium from $12.99/month.
Explore Shapr data →

Hopin

Virtual events platform for conferences and large-scale online gatherings.

Hopin provides a full virtual event suite including stages, networking rooms, expo booths, and sessions. It targets organizers running large-scale virtual or hybrid events.

Conference organizers and companies running large virtual or hybrid events. Free starter plan; paid plans from $99/month.
Explore Hopin data →
How we found these alternatives

Meetup continues to be updated regularly and maintains a large existing community, particularly in tech and entrepreneur circles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Attending most Meetup events is free, though some groups charge event fees. Organizers pay a subscription to run groups, typically $9.99–$23.99/month.

Meetup requires organizers to pay a subscription to manage groups. Free trials are sometimes offered, but ongoing group management requires a paid plan.

Meetup explored a community ownership transition around 2020 but ultimately remained a for-profit platform after being acquired by AlleyCorp.

App Vulture monitors event and social apps for update activity and user engagement trends, making it easy to find platforms that are actively growing versus stagnating.

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