Friend-making apps have really increased a lot recently, don’t they? They’re not for dating or marriage hunting—these are for people who are purely looking for friends. I was surprised that you can start even in your 40s or 50s, and it made me feel like there are all kinds of needs—like people who are into the same fandom activities, or women who are looking for companions they can casually talk with among the same sex.

But when choosing an app, there’s quite a bit to be concerned about, right? Like, “Are there really people who are trying to make friends?” “Is it safe even if it’s free?” So I tried various things, but in the end, what matters most is whether it’s dedicated to friend-making, whether it’s women-only and provides safety considerations, and also whether the search function is easy to use.

Favomatch and Touch are women-only, and since you can connect through fandom activities or hobbies, it’s easier to meet people with the same goals. Many apps also have things like 24-hour monitoring and solid identity verification, so the safety side is actually pretty well covered. And since there’s a dōt match feature and timeline features, it’s also good that you can look for someone in a way that feels like social media.

For men, Bumble is the cheaper option, and it’s interesting that you can also look for friends of the opposite sex. Tantan has lots of foreigners, and if you’re 30 or older, Somurī might be a good target. In the end, when choosing a friend-making app, I think the two most important points are whether it matches your age group and purpose, and whether the safety measures are thorough.