Software · alternatives
Alternatives to Meetup
3 software tools sit alongside Meetup in this directory. Below is what separates each from Meetup on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 3
- With a free tier
- 2
- Cheaper to start
- 2
- Meetup starts at
- $55/month
Why people look past Meetup
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Meetup entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
It costs more than the category median
Meetup starts at $55/month. Across the 3 software tools listed beside it that publish a price, the median entry point is $49/month.
There is no free tier
The record for Meetup carries no free tier, so evaluating it means paying first. 2 of the 3 alternatives below can be used without paying.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
Where event planners thrive
- Can be used without paying; Meetup cannot.
- Starts $40 a month cheaper, at $15/month.
Delightful events for communities
- Can be used without paying; Meetup cannot.
- Starts $4 a month dearer, at $59/month.
The all-in-one community platform
- Starts $6 a month cheaper, at $49/month.
Every Meetup alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meetup (this page) | $55/month | - | - | |
| EventbriteEvent ticketing and management platform with community building features | Free, then $15/month | - | 2 | vs Meetup |
| LumaModern event management platform with community networking focus | Free, then $59/month | - | 2 | vs Meetup |
| CircleCommunity management platform for building online and offline communities | $49/month | Subscription | 3 | vs Meetup |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Meetup badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (2)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Eventbrite , Free, then $15/month
- Luma , Free, then $59/month
Cheaper than Meetup (2)
Entry price under Meetup's $55/month. The record does not say what unit that price is charged in, so confirm per-seat versus flat rate before comparing budgets.
- Eventbrite , Free, then $15/month
- Circle , $49/month
What you would be giving up
Meetup is most often brought in for finding local groups and events around a shared interest, organising a recurring in-person group, running online events alongside physical ones, growing a community by drawing on meetup's existing member base. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Meetup is broadly right and the question is cost, the Meetup pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the full directory lists everything.
Meetup runs on web, ios, android. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Meetup alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Meetup?
- 3 other software tools are listed in this directory, led by Eventbrite, Luma, Circle. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Meetup?
- 2 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Eventbrite, Luma.
- Is there a cheaper alternative to Meetup?
- Yes. 2 of the alternatives below start under Meetup's $55/month: Eventbrite at Free, then $15/month, Circle at $49/month.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Meetup?
- On the figures on record, 2 things stand out: it costs more than the category median; there is no free tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Meetup?
- Meetup is most often brought in for finding local groups and events around a shared interest, organising a recurring in-person group, running online events alongside physical ones, growing a community by drawing on meetup's existing member base. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Meetup?
- None of the software tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Meetup alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, Software, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored slot runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Meetup against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Meetup covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every software tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the Software category, 3 tools beside Meetup. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.