skip the chit chatToronto guide
Best apps to make friends in Toronto
Full disclosure: we make one of these. So here's how each app actually works, what it costs, and when another one is the better pick for you.
Quick comparison
| App | How you meet | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meetup | Join interest groups and RSVP to events | Most groups free to join; some organizers charge | Niche hobbies, large choice |
| Bumble BFF | Browse and match with people, then chat and arrange to meet | Free, with paid extras | Finding one-on-one friends |
| Timeleft | Quiz matches you with a small group of strangers | Subscription, plus your own food and drink | Dinner with no planning |
| 222 | Personality test matches you into group outings | Paid, plus the outing itself | People who like being curated |
| Skip the Chit Chat | Book a spot on a small plan, or post your own | Free, no subscription; pay at the venue | Meeting through activities |
Prices and availability change, so check each app before signing up. Details checked in October 2026.
Meetup
Meetup has the widest range in Toronto. If you want Dutch conversation practice or a sci-fi book club, someone probably runs it. Quality depends entirely on the organizer, though, and big events can leave newcomers standing alone at the edge of the room. Look for groups with small, recurring events like coffee chats, and go more than once.
Bumble BFF
Bumble BFF takes the dating-app format and applies it to friendship. It's useful if you want to meet one person at a time, and the free tier covers the basics. The catch is familiar from dating apps: conversations can fizzle before anyone meets. Suggest a specific place and time early.
Timeleft
Timeleft uses a short quiz to place you in a group of four to six strangers for a meal, drinks or similar, with no chatting beforehand. It's a great fit if you want someone else to handle everything. It needs a subscription, and you pay for your own food and drinks at the venue. Since groups change each time, you may need to make the effort to see people again.
222
222 is one of several paid companies CBC reported on in Toronto, along with Groupvibe and Timeleft. It matches people through a personality test and sends them to group outings. Reviewers have reported a monthly fee on top of the cost of the outing, so it adds up, but it does the curating for you.
Skip the Chit Chat
That's us. Instead of matching you with people, we show you plans: small groups with a set time, place and number of spots. It's free, you pay the venue for anything the plan costs, and anyone can post their own. Because the plan is the thing you pick, you always have something to do and talk about.
To be fair about the downsides: we're a young app in beta, so we have far fewer listings than Meetup, and it takes a TestFlight or Google Play tester step to install. If you need a very specific niche today, Meetup will serve you better.
How to choose
- You have a specific hobby: start with Meetup.
- You prefer one-on-one: Bumble BFF.
- You don't want to choose anything: Timeleft or 222.
- You want to do something and meet people along the way: Skip the Chit Chat.
Whichever you pick, the app is only the introduction. Our guide on how to make friends in Toronto covers what to do after that first meeting.
Questions people ask
What is the best free app to make friends in Toronto?
Meetup and Skip the Chit Chat are both free to join. Meetup has a bigger range of groups, while Skip the Chit Chat focuses on small plans with limited spots. Bumble BFF has a free tier too.
Do friendship apps actually work?
They work well for meeting people and much less well for keeping them. Friendship tends to come from seeing someone repeatedly, so it helps to choose an app that gets you in person and to follow up afterwards.
Is there an app like Bumble BFF but for groups?
Timeleft and 222 place you in groups, and Meetup and Skip the Chit Chat let you pick a group activity yourself.