Is Meetup: Social Events & Groups free to use?
The Play Store listing says Meetup: Social Events & Groups is free, but recent reviewers repeatedly say the free experience is now limited. People describe frequent prompts to subscribe, basic features moving behind a paywall, and frustration when trying to browse events, see attendees, contact people, or use the app without paying.
Based on these reviews, prospective users should treat it as free to install but not necessarily free to use comfortably. The strongest complaints are not just about price, but about paywall prompts appearing during ordinary browsing.
There's no free version besides the trial? I have to pay $10+ per month just to be notified about potential events? LMAO NO. F off. EDIT: There's a predatory paywall popup that LOOKS like you can't get past it. There is actually a free version but severely limited vs what it used to be.
Too many features hidden behind paywall, and they aggressively and obnoxiously try to make you pay at every turn.
If you are free member, UX is horrible. Every click asks you to pay first for the membership. Even though you are just attending events.
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reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Is Meetup: Social Events & Groups a scam or does it charge unexpectedly?
Reviews raise serious billing-trust concerns. Some users explicitly call Meetup a scam, while others say they were charged after a trial, charged without enough notice, or unable to get the paid benefit they expected. The reviews do not prove what happened in every case, but they are a clear warning to check the Play Store subscription screen carefully, understand the trial terms, and cancel through the proper app-store subscription controls if you do not want renewal.
The safest reading of the review pattern is that billing and trial expectations are a major pain point. If you are uncomfortable with subscription trials or unclear renewal pricing, recent reviewers give strong reasons to be cautious before adding payment details.
it's just a scam, as soon as you download the app they start charging your bank account, I got charged $20 every 48 hours for 20 days straight and didn't notice, and there's nothing I can do about it, it is literally a scam site, as soon as you download it goes into your bank account and you can't get out the money it takes, and you better notice fast because it's going to take money every 40 hours.
They are theives. Do not install!! They charge 50 ron per WEEK!!!!! No notice. Just your account gets charged. I noticed this is the second week. They already charged me 100 ron without me approving that!!! It's all very misleading and intentionally hidden to trap and fool people
cost to much in just one week..this a price for a whole year in other apps... second they give "free" trial for 1 week to try the app but it wasn't free they actually How can you withdraw money from my card, even if it's a small amount? How can you say it's a free trial and then withdraw 10 pounds? What is this?
9
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Is Meetup: Social Events & Groups slow or buggy?
Yes, app performance is one of the clearest negative themes in the recent reviews. Users describe slow loading, freezing, crashes, broken navigation, login problems, delayed notifications, and pages taking a long time to open. A few reviewers still say the app works well for them, but the critical reviews give consistent warnings about reliability.
This matters because the app depends on timely event details, messages, RSVPs, and notifications. If those are slow or unreliable, the app may be frustrating even when the Meetup service itself has useful events.
The app is sooo slow and constantly buggy. Just trying to view a message is cumbersome and they charge a ridiculous price for such a low quality app, if you want to host. Creating events as a host is a slow and annoying process and often have to constantly restart because it freezes.
One of worst app user experiences ever. Meetup originally fit for purpose: meet local people with similar interests for free. Gone dramatically downhill. Full of businesses now. Insanity: expects $20 per WEEK (not year or mth!) for same functionality & doubled+ organiser fees. Popups to pay on every click. Can't choose free once & be left alone. Extremely slow loading every event on flagship phones. Navigation not intuitive. Notifications hit & miss - work awhile then stop. Move to Heylo!
so slow it hurts, like 10 seconds to load my notifications on 100Mb wifi. Your company will be gone soon 🤣
5
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Does Meetup: Social Events & Groups show the right local in-person events?
Recent reviews are mixed, but the negative search and discovery complaints are specific. Users report location mismatches, distance filters not staying local, online events appearing when they asked for in-person events, and keyword or date filters not changing results. That means the app may still have useful events, but finding the right ones can be difficult.
If your main reason for installing Meetup is to find nearby face-to-face groups, the reviews suggest checking search results carefully before paying. Several complaints say the event-discovery experience no longer matches the user’s actual location or filter choices.
Trash app. Used it back in 2021 ish time. just moved to AZ from OH and wanted to find new friends, but try as I might, the app refuses to search anything AZ and will only show me Dayton events. Even when location at top says, "Mesa, Arizona". Unimpressed and ain't nobody got time for it.
Useless App. All the MeetUp's it offers you are miles out of where you set your location, even if you set the distance meter down to its lowest possible setting. Most of the events are online even though I asked only for In Person events. The app is a great idea. But it's operated by EA Wannabes.
Meetup ist a good place to know new people. specially for newcomers in a city. But the App doesn't work properly. e.g. By filtering to show events for next week or by searching with keywords: "book" or "reading", the events will still be displayed as before. Nothing happens
2
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Is Meetup: Social Events & Groups still useful for meeting people?
Some reviewers still find real value in Meetup. Positive reviews mention meeting new people, finding events in large cities, genuine experiences, and helpful reminders. But other reviewers say activity has declined in their area, that there are too few relevant events, or that the app now shows mostly online, commercial, or poorly matched groups.
The practical answer is location-dependent. If there are active groups near you, Meetup can still help you find things to do; if your area has few events or poor recommendations, the current app experience may feel disappointing.
great app for meeting new people to hang with and chat or do some Hobbies or whatever. impressed..
There are so many great events that nobody needs to be lonely in London.
I absolutely love this app. Some people say it's slow, but for me it wasn't slow at all regardless if I was using data, WiFi, or even WiFi in the train. The app will remind you of every incoming event so you won't miss any. Only negative thing I could say is that there's not many events in my country but that's not the app's fault (I'm sorry for any potential mistakes, English is not my first language haha)
3
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Is Meetup: Social Events & Groups safe from spam, dating messages, harassment, or fake events?
The reviews raise safety and trust concerns beyond normal app bugs. Users mention explicit solicitations, people using the service like a dating app, harassment or racism not being handled, fake accounts, and paid events or organizers that created loss of trust. One reviewer also says seeing attendee information is tied to payment, which they frame as a safety issue.
Because Meetup events can involve meeting strangers in person, these reviews are important. The reviews do not show every group is unsafe, but they do suggest users should vet organizers, avoid external payments when unsure, and be cautious about unwanted messages or events that seem misleading.
I received solicitation for explicit activities from "people". I am not interested dating. Also, I refuse to pay for something that was free.
Algorithm will suggest things completely against your interests. Secular Humanism will get you religious suggestions. You can't block these suggestions or customize it. Once it begins suggesting something, it doesn't stop. You must pay to see who's attending in a very basic way. So safety costs money. Very basic features cost money also. Inefficient and Unsafe.
My first Meetup experience was terrible. I paid 99 NIS for an event listed on the platform. Soon after, the event disappeared and Meetup later confirmed they removed both the organizer and the group after review. Meetup refused any credit or compensation because the payment was processed externally. I then spent days dealing with my bank and card company. Very disappointing first experience and a major loss of trust in the platform.
3
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Can you turn off Meetup: Social Events & Groups emails and notifications?
Reviews suggest notifications and email controls are a frustration point. Some users say notifications are delayed, unwanted, or hard to tailor; others say email unsubscribe settings do not work or that they keep getting email after disabling updates. One positive review says event reminders worked well, so experiences appear inconsistent.
If email or push-notification control matters to you, check the app settings early and watch whether the changes actually stick. The complaints are specific enough that this is worth testing before relying on Meetup for event reminders.
Terrible notifications, does not allow to unsubscribe from email and forces me to use the app. Not angood experience.
Blocking certain groups, events or associations are necessary and the app doesn't seem to offer that, just a report option only. I was bombarded with notifications of events & meetups that I did not want to see but just block. Only option was to turn off notifications or just leave the app. Notifications should be more tailored around what the user wants to see and for that a keyword block filter of events or groups they dont want suggestions regarding needs to be an option.
SCAMMERS, they have been spam sending me emails and there is no way to stop that, u can press unsub and it doesnt work, it is total scam, now they send me tens of emails every single day and now am forced to not use my email because of this scam. just know that your email will be compromised if you sign in this scan app. NEVER EVER DOWNLOAD IT, scammers. who knows what they would steal if i gave them card info. not trust worthy.
6
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Is Meetup: Social Events & Groups good for organizers and hosts?
Organizer reviews are largely critical in this sample. Hosts mention rising organizer fees, slow event creation, freezes, poor support, and difficulty justifying the cost when volunteers are doing the actual organizing. Some organizers still call the service fit for purpose, but even those more balanced reviews ask for better organizer support.
If you want to start or run a group, the reviews suggest checking organizer pricing and testing the event-creation workflow before committing. The app may still connect a group with members, but recent organizer complaints focus on cost, reliability, and support.
The app is sooo slow and constantly buggy. Just trying to view a message is cumbersome and they charge a ridiculous price for such a low quality app, if you want to host. Creating events as a host is a slow and annoying process and often have to constantly restart because it freezes.
Meetup has completely lost its original purpose to corporate greed. As a former organizer of two successful groups, I’ve watched this platform degrade through relentless app glitches, tripled organizer fees, and now paywalling basic group information for members. Passing inflated costs onto members destroys the very community spirit Meetup was built on. Fix the broken app and put purpose back before profit.
Fit for purpose. As a regular organiser in Melbourne, I run DnD games for people new to Melbourne looking for a community to join. I'd say that there needs to be more support for organisers, and they need to sell their Meetup+ stuff better, a lot of people complain about needing to pay for it, and then they hesitate to use the app entirely. I know Spoons just bought Meetup, but there still is a bit of work before I can give it higher than a 3 star rating. fit for purpose though, worth instal
4
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Does Meetup: Social Events & Groups randomly join groups, block accounts, or remove users?
A smaller but serious set of reviews describe account and membership problems. Users say they were added to groups they did not join, blocked by an error, banned, unable to reach the correct account, or removed from a group without understanding why. These are not just usability complaints; they affect trust in the account system.
If you install Meetup, it may be worth checking your joined groups, notification settings, and account status soon after setup. The reviews do not explain whether these problems come from app bugs, moderation, recommendations, or account handling, but the user impact is clear.
Installed it, then immediately started getting notifications saying I had joined a bunch of groups. Which I absolutely did NOT do. The app apparently made me join them without even asking. Uninstalled it five minutes later, and had to manually leave all the irrelevant groups.
Don't bother installing. Even as a full paying member, they just ban you out of a whim! Idk if either the automated system is stupid, or the mods are! Save yourself from the payment and the incompetence.
Repeatedly getting an error that simply says "verify_member_blocked". App is junk right out the gate. Glad it blocked me before taking any of my info I guess.
3
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
What happened to Meetup: Social Events & Groups after Bending Spoons?
Several recent reviewers connect their dissatisfaction to Bending Spoons, saying Meetup became more expensive, more paywalled, or less usable after acquisition or recent changes. The reviews specifically complain about aggressive subscription prompts, higher organizer costs, app crashes, and features that used to be free moving behind payment.
This is a perception from reviewers, not an independent history of the company. But it is a recurring explanation users give for why they believe the app has changed for the worse.
08/03 - Now the app is adding me to random groups I never joined. Absolute garbage. 10/29 - Changing my rating to one star on principle. Meetup is already struggling in my city and hiding attendee info behind paywalls will kill this app for good within a year. Another app ruined after being acquired by Bending Spoons.
The fact the app is now charging a subscription for features that used to be free now is silly. The subscription is also absolutely extortionate making this app a real let down. The app itself is slow and buggy and does not function as smooth as it used to. In effect the app has become worse, basic functions are now locked behind a pay wall and they want you to pay close to $200 for it. It was much better before the Bending Spoons team became involved. It's only just about usable but only just
Bending Spoons (a private equality firm) bought Meetup in 2024. Ever since the acquisition they have been making the app worse, with random crashes, and putting things behind a paywall. I no longer use Meetup for these reasons.
5
reviewers mentioned this in the last 60 days
Answers above are generated from real Google Play reviews of Meetup: Social Events & Groups, not editorial opinion.