Short answer: is MeetNow a dating app? No. MeetNow is a free app for meeting people in person through plans, not profiles. A host posts a plan at a public place, such as a dinner, drinks, a game or a walk, with the date, time, number of seats and who pays. People ask to join with a short note, and the host picks who comes. You join a plan, not a match with a person, and the point is to do something together with a small group.
The question comes up a lot, and it is a fair one: “meet new people” apps are often dating apps in disguise. MeetNow is deliberately built differently. This page explains how it works, what makes it different from a dating app, and what you can do to keep every plan comfortable for you.
How MeetNow works, step by step
- A host posts a plan. The plan is at a real public place and includes the date, time, number of seats and who pays: host pays, split, pay your own or free.
- People ask to join. Anyone interested sends a short note, for example “I play padel most weekends, around intermediate level”.
- The host chooses. The host accepts or declines each request and can limit who can join, for example by gender or age range.
- Guests get a group chat. Accepted guests can sort out the details together before the plan.
- Everyone meets. The plan happens at the public place in the description.
- Both sides confirm “we met”. This builds each person’s track record.
For the full walkthrough, read what MeetNow is and how it works.
How MeetNow differs from a dating app
| Typical dating app | MeetNow | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | A profile you judge | A plan at a public place |
| How you connect | Swipe or like, then match | Ask to join a plan with a short note |
| Group size | Usually one-to-one | Usually small groups, set by the host’s number of seats |
| Where you meet | Decided in the chat, if ever | Stated in the plan from the start |
| Money | Often an awkward moment at the end | Stated up front: host pays, split, pay your own or free |
| Goal | Romance | Doing something together: a dinner, a game, a walk, a concert |
MeetNow is not trying to be a better dating app. It is trying to make it easier to do things with new people: the dinner you wanted company for, the game that needs a fourth player, the walk that is more fun with others. If you are comparing friend apps, our guide to friend apps without swiping explains the other formats.
Tools that keep plans comfortable
Because MeetNow is about plans, not romance, it gives hosts and guests simple ways to keep things comfortable. We cannot promise how every person will behave, but you always have these tools:
- Public places only. Plans are at public places such as cafés, restaurants, bars, sports venues and promenades.
- Host choice. Hosts read each note and accept or decline. You never have to accept anyone.
- Who-can-join limits. Hosts can limit who can join, for example by gender or age range. A women-only coffee or a plan for people in their thirties is easy to set up.
- Group chat. Conversation happens in the plan’s group chat, so you do not need to share your personal number.
- Blocking. Anyone can block a user.
- Track record. After each plan, both sides confirm “we met”, which shows whether someone has actually met people through plans. It is not a rating.
For more detail, read is MeetNow safe?.
Why plans instead of profiles?
Friendship tends to grow from doing things together repeatedly, not from reading someone’s bio. Research by Jeffrey Hall at the University of Kansas, reported by the university in 2018, estimated that it takes roughly 50 hours together to go from acquaintance to casual friend, and around 90 hours to become friends. Hours like that are much easier to build through shared plans than through chat.
Plans also take pressure off. A dinner with five people is not a date. A padel game has its own rules and rhythm. A walk gives you something to look at when the conversation pauses. Even many friendship apps are moving in this direction: Bumble, for example, relaunched its BFF app in 2025 with more focus on groups and planning hangouts.
What plans on MeetNow look like
A few typical examples, to give you a feel for the app:
- “Group dinner at a restaurant in Valletta, Friday 20:00, 5 seats, split the bill.”
- “Padel doubles at a club in the north, Saturday 10:00, 3 seats, split the court.”
- “Sunset walk along the Sliema promenade, Sunday 17:30, 4 seats, free.”
- “Coffee for people new to Malta, Saturday 11:00, 4 seats, pay your own.”
Each one is a plan you could happily join with people you have never met, and none of them is a date. Notice what they have in common: a named activity, a public place, a day and time, a small number of seats and a clear money rule. Nobody needs to guess what the plan is really about, because everything that matters is written down before anyone asks to join, and the host chooses a group that suits the activity. Read how to ask to join a plan for tips on writing a good note.
Who MeetNow is for
MeetNow is for anyone who would rather do something with new people than message them for weeks. In practice, that includes:
- Newcomers and expats who have just moved to Malta and want to build a social circle beyond work.
- Students at university, college or an English-language school who want to meet people outside their course.
- Locals whose friends have moved away, settled down or got busy, and who want company for the things they still love doing.
- People with a specific plan, such as a concert, a padel game or a restaurant they want to try, who need one or two more people to make it happen.
- Hosts who enjoy bringing people together and like choosing the place, the time and the group.
Whatever your reason, the experience is the same: a plan at a public place, a clear who-pays rule, a short note and a host who decides. If you are in a relationship, single or simply not thinking about it, it makes no difference to how a plan works.
If you are looking for romance
Of course, people who meet through shared plans sometimes become close in all sorts of ways, just as they do at a club, a class or a friend’s dinner. But MeetNow is not designed for dating, does not match people romantically and is not the place to look for a date. If dating is what you want, a dedicated dating app is the right tool. If you want to fill a table, find a fourth for padel or have company for a walk, MeetNow is built for that.
Related questions
- What is MeetNow and how does it work?
- Is MeetNow safe?
- How do I ask to join a plan?
- Who pays on a MeetNow plan?
- How do I join the MeetNow waitlist? See our waitlist guide.
FAQ: is MeetNow a dating app?
Can I use MeetNow to find a date?
MeetNow is not designed for dating. It is built around plans at public places with small groups, and the focus is on doing something together, not on matching with one person.
Do I have a profile on MeetNow?
Yes, you have a profile, and a host sees it alongside your short note and your track record when you ask to join. But you never swipe through profiles to find people: the plan always comes first.
Can I make a plan women-only or for a certain age group?
Yes. Hosts can limit who can join a plan, for example by gender or age range.
What if someone treats a plan like a date?
You can decline their request, leave the plan if you feel uncomfortable, and block the user. Plans always take place at public places.
Want to turn this into an actual plan? MeetNow is a free app for meeting people in person: a host posts a plan at a public place, says who pays (host pays, split, pay your own or free) and picks who joins. It is live on the web now, starting in Malta, with the phone apps on the way: open MeetNow and see the plans near you.
