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Best apps to make friends in Portugal (2026)

By The Brunch · Updated 25 October 2026 · 6 min read

Whether you've just moved to Lisbon or Porto or want a new circle in your own city, these are the apps people in Portugal actually use to make friends. We run one of them, The Brunch, and we've tried to describe every app as fairly as our own.

Which friendship apps are worth using in Portugal?

Timeleft

Best for meeting lots of new people over dinner. Timeleft started in Lisbon in 2023 and now says it runs in 200+ cities in 52 countries, including Lisbon and Porto. You take a personality quiz, choose a day, and it forms a group by age range, personality and language. Its best-known format is dinner with five strangers; it also offers drinks, coffee and walks. You pay for the booking, plus your own food and drinks. The people are new each time, which is great for range but less so if you want to see someone again. See our full comparison of The Brunch and Timeleft.

The Brunch

Best for daytime plans with a group you get to know. The Brunch matches you into a table of six people with a similar rhythm and sends you to a partner brunch spot every two weeks. You choose whether you want the same group each time or new faces, so friendships have time to build. Membership is €14.90 a month and covers your seat and the matching; food and drinks are paid at the café, and wellness events cost extra (the €39.90 plan includes one a month). It's opening in Lisbon first, when 50 people have saved a seat; Porto and other cities are on the waitlist.

Bumble BFF

Best for one-to-one matching. Bumble's friendship app works like its dating app: you build a profile, swipe, match and chat, and you can now plan group hangouts with people who share your interests. Bumble says all its features are free. It's popular in Portugal. As with any swipe app, many matches never meet, so suggest a concrete plan early.

Meetup

Best for hobbies and interests. Meetup has been around since 2002 and has many active groups in Lisbon and Porto: newcomer socials, hiking, language exchanges, tech, board games and more. Most groups are free to join. Quality depends on the organiser, so try a group twice, and go back to the same one: seeing the same faces is what turns events into friendships.

Patook

Best for strictly platonic one-to-one connections. Patook bills itself as a strictly platonic friend-making app. You rank the traits you care about, such as interests and languages, and it suggests people who match. It's known for automatically banning users who send flirtatious messages. It's smaller than Bumble BFF, so expect fewer matches outside Lisbon and Porto.

InterNations

Best for expat networking. InterNations is a global expat community with official events in Lisbon and other cities. Basic membership is free with limited access; the paid Albatross membership adds full access and discounted or free entry to events. It's good for meeting other foreigners quickly, less so for meeting Portuguese people.

Not an app, but worth it: Facebook groups

Facebook groups such as Expats in Lisbon and Lisbon Digital Nomads & Expats have tens of thousands of members and post events and meetups daily. They're a good place to find what's on this week, and to ask for recommendations.

How do I choose the right app?

• Want to meet people this week? Choose a format that puts you at a table: Timeleft, or The Brunch in Lisbon.
• Want friends, not just contacts? Pick something that brings you back to the same people regularly, like a Meetup group you attend every week or a fixed table at The Brunch.
• Want to meet Portuguese people? Pair any app with a language exchange or a local class. Read our guide to making friends in Lisbon.

Frequently asked questions