7 Best Apps Like Wizz for Making Friends in 2026

Wizz built its popularity around a simple pitch, swipe to match with someone your age nearby, then chat. It worked well enough to reach millions of users, mostly teens and young adults looking for an easy way to meet people outside their usual circle. It is worth knowing upfront that Wizz was pulled from the Apple App Store and Google Play in 2024 after reports surfaced about adults using the platform to contact underage users. That is not a reason to avoid every apps like Wizz out there, but it is a good reason to look more carefully at how each alternative actually handles safety, not just how fun the interface looks.

With that in mind, here are seven apps worth considering if you are looking to meet new people online, along with an honest look at what each one does differently.

1. Bumble BFF

Bumble BFF is the friendship mode built into Bumble, one of the more established names in this space. It carries over Bumble's identity verification tools and reporting systems from its dating product, and the user base skews toward adults rather than teens. The swipe mechanic is similar to what made Wizz popular, but the platform around it has a longer track record of investing in trust and safety features.

Best for: Adults who want a familiar swipe based experience with stronger identity verification behind it.

2. Meetup

Meetup takes a completely different approach. Instead of matching two strangers for a private chat, it connects people through public, interest based group events, book clubs, hiking groups, language exchanges, and everything in between. Because the first interaction usually happens in a group setting rather than a one on one private chat, it naturally reduces some of the risk that comes with anonymous private messaging.

Best for: People who want to meet others in person around a shared interest rather than through direct messaging.

3. Patook

Patook is built around a strict rule, no flirting, no dating, friendship only. Users who send romantic or suggestive messages get banned, and the platform enforces this actively rather than just stating it in the terms of service. It will not appeal to everyone, but for people specifically looking for platonic friendship without the usual undertone that shows up on most swipe based apps, it fills a real gap.

Best for: Adults who want a platform explicitly built to avoid dating and flirting expectations.

4. Discord

Discord works differently from any swipe based app. Instead of matching individuals, people join communities, called servers, built around a shared game, hobby, or topic, and friendships tend to form gradually through group conversation rather than a single private match. Moderation quality varies a lot from server to server, so it is worth checking how actively a community is moderated before diving in, but the structure itself avoids the one on one stranger matching model entirely.

Best for: Meeting people through shared interests and communities rather than direct one on one matching.

5. Slowly

Slowly reimagines the pen pal concept for a digital audience. Instead of instant messaging, letters take real time to arrive based on simulated distance, sometimes hours, sometimes days. That slower pace naturally changes the tone of the platform. Conversations tend to be more thoughtful, and the lack of real time chat removes some of the pressure and immediacy that makes rapid stranger messaging apps riskier.

Best for: People who want deeper, slower paced pen pal style friendships instead of instant chat.

6. Yubo

Yubo is one of the most direct comparisons to Wizz in terms of format, live video, group chats, and swipe based matching aimed largely at a younger audience. To its credit, Yubo has invested in age verification technology and automated content moderation tools specifically because of the scrutiny this app category has faced. If you or your teen are considering it, it is worth reviewing its current safety settings directly in the app rather than assuming default settings are the safest option.

Best for: Teens and young adults who want live video based friend discovery, provided safety settings are actively reviewed and used.

7. Timeleft

Timeleft takes the friend making concept into the physical world by matching small groups of strangers for an in person dinner, using an algorithm based on personality answers rather than swiping on profile photos. Because the first meeting happens in a public restaurant with a small group rather than a private one on one setting, it changes the risk profile significantly compared to a typical swipe and chat app.

Best for: Adults who want to meet new people in person through a structured, group based setting rather than through a messaging app first.

What Actually Matters When Choosing One of These

Swipe mechanics and clean design are the easy part for any app in this category to get right. The part that actually matters is who is on the platform, how identity and age are verified, and whether the first interaction happens in a group or public setting versus a private one on one chat with a stranger. If you are choosing one of these for yourself or helping a teenager pick one, it is worth spending five minutes in the app's safety settings before spending any time on the actual matching.

Final Thoughts

There is no perfect replacement for Wizz, because the category itself carries real tradeoffs between ease of connection and safety. Apps built around public groups or in person meetups, like Meetup and Timeleft, tend to carry lower risk than private one on one stranger chat. If you do choose a more Wizz like swipe based app, take the extra few minutes to actually use the safety and reporting tools it offers rather than assuming they work automatically in the background.