Friend-making apps are increasing a lot lately, right? Not for dating or marriage hunting—this is for people who genuinely want to make friends. Apparently, some people start looking for friends from their 40s and 50s, and there are all kinds of reasons, like wanting to connect with people who share the same hobbies or wanting friendly people they can talk to easily.

Before actually using a friend-making app, the things you worry about are “Is it really safe?”, “Is it okay even if it’s free?”, and “Can I actually meet people who are using it with the goal of making friends?” So, I looked into various popular friend-making apps and compared them in terms of safety, ease of use, and fees.

Favomatch is women-only and specialized for supporting your favorite idols/following fan activities. Since you can search by what you’re into or by holidays, it’s easier to find someone who matches your vibe. Touch is also women-only, but it has a 24-hour monitoring system, so the safety side is solid. ドートマッチ is also for women, and its timeline feature is convenient. Bumble is rare in that men can use it too in friend-making mode, and the pricing is also affordable.

There are also Tantan, ソムリ for people in their 30s and 40s, the women-only tipsys, JOIN US for matching for drinking parties, and GolWho focused on golf. I think many people might not know that Tinder can also be used to find friends.

In the end, if you’re choosing a friend-making app, the best option is to pick one that matches your purpose and your age group. If you want women-only, there are plenty of choices; if you also want friends of the opposite sex, you need to look for apps that men can use as well. If you prioritize safety, whether there’s a 24-hour monitoring system is an important point. If you want to use it for free, women are generally free, but men should be careful.

I don’t think it’s a bad idea to use friend-making apps to expand your relationships with new people. However, it’s important to choose a trustworthy app at first and use it safely.