Which app is best for networking? For most people the honest answer starts with LinkedIn, because it is still the app mainly used for professional networking in most countries. The better question is what you pair it with, since LinkedIn is built to make you findable rather than to introduce you to anyone.
Short on time? Kradoz matches you on your goal and opens a chat only when both people say yes. Free, Android for now.
So this guide gives the short answer first, then a goal by goal way to choose. It also covers the regional exceptions that matter, from Germany to the Gulf.
The short answer
- Mainly used for professional networking: LinkedIn.
- Meeting people face to face: Meetup, or Luma for one off events.
- Starting over in a new city: InterNations, especially in expat heavy cities.
- Finding a mentor: ADPList.
- Finding a co-founder: Y Combinator Co-Founder Matching, or Kradoz.
- Local business referrals in the US and Canada: Alignable.
Most people settle on two. One app keeps you findable. The other helps you meet someone new on purpose.
Which app is mainly used for professional networking?
LinkedIn, by a wide margin. LinkedIn says it has more than 1.3 billion members and runs in 36 languages, which makes it the largest professional network anywhere. Members are registered accounts rather than daily users, so read that number as reach, not activity.
It matters in practice. When a recruiter in Manchester, an investor in New York or a client in Dubai wants to know who you are, your profile is usually the first thing they open.
There are regional exceptions worth knowing. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, XING is still a familiar name, although it repositioned itself around jobs rather than networking. Across the Middle East, Bayt.com plays a similar role for job hunting. Neither replaces LinkedIn, but both can matter locally.
What LinkedIn does badly is start relationships from scratch. Anyone can message anyone, so busy inboxes fill with pitches, and a bare connection request never explains why it arrived. That gap is the reason to add a second app.
How to choose the best app for networking
Start from the outcome you want in the next three months, not from the size of the network. Then pick the app built for that outcome.
To be found: LinkedIn
Keep your headline specific, show proof of work and post now and then. You do not need an audience. You need a profile that answers “who is this and what do they do?” in about ten seconds.
To meet people in person: Meetup or Luma
Meetup is organised around recurring groups, from AI meetups in Berlin to founder breakfasts in Toronto. Luma is the events app you will often see behind invites in tech and startup circles. Both depend on local organisers, so check that a group has actually run an event in the past two months.
To rebuild after a move: InterNations
InterNations is built around expat communities and is busy in cities such as Dubai, Berlin and Singapore. It is social first, which is usually the quickest way in when you know nobody. Our guide to building a network in a new city covers the first 30 days.
To find a mentor: ADPList
ADPList lets you book free sessions with volunteer mentors across design, product, engineering and marketing. Come with one specific question rather than a request for general advice. For more options, see where to find a mentor for free.
To find a co-founder: YC or Kradoz
Y Combinator runs a co-founder matching platform that is completely free, with active profiles in cities from London and Berlin to Bangalore and Toronto.
Full disclosure, Kradoz is our app, so judge it on the mechanics. You pick a goal, such as a technical co-founder or a mentor, then swipe through profiles that match it. Chat opens only when both people swipe right, so nobody can pitch you uninvited. It is free with no paid tier, Android only for now with iOS in development, and LinkedIn verification is optional but recommended.
To win local referrals: Alignable
Alignable connects small business owners with suppliers and referral partners nearby. It is a North American platform, so it helps in Austin or Vancouver and does very little in London, Berlin or Riyadh. Founders on that side of the Atlantic can work through our shortlist of free networking apps for entrepreneurs.
Does your phone limit the choice?
Barely. LinkedIn, Meetup, Luma and InterNations all run on Android and iPhone, so the market you work in matters more than the handset in your pocket. Newer apps are the exception, because small teams often ship on one platform first. Kradoz is Android only today, with iOS in development. If you are choosing a work phone, our guide to iPhone or Android for business networking walks through the trade offs.
Why one networking app is rarely enough
Networking apps do one of two jobs. Some make you easy to find. Others help you start conversations that would never have happened. LinkedIn is strong at the first job and weak at the second, which is why pairing beats switching.
A sensible setup looks like this. Keep LinkedIn current, then add one discovery app that matches your goal. A founder in Riyadh might add a co-founder app, while a designer who just moved to London might add Meetup.
Give the second app a fair trial. Use it weekly for a month, then judge it on one question: did it lead to a conversation worth having? If you want the longer comparison, our roundup of 12 apps sorted by model goes deeper, and our guide to what is still live in 2026 covers the ones that quietly shut down.
Frequently asked questions
Which app is mainly used for professional networking?
LinkedIn. With more than 1.3 billion members it is the largest professional network, and it is where most recruiters, clients and investors check you before they reply.
Is LinkedIn the best app for networking?
It is the right place to be findable. For meeting new people around a shared goal, an app built for that goal usually works better, because a LinkedIn connection carries no stated purpose.
Are there free networking apps?
Yes. LinkedIn, Meetup, ADPList and YC Co-Founder Matching all have free tiers, and several sell upgrades. Kradoz is free with nothing behind a paywall.
Which app is best for networking in the USA, the UK or the UAE?
LinkedIn works in all three. After that it splits. Alignable is North America only, Meetup is strongest in large cities, and InterNations is active across the Gulf, including Dubai and Doha.
Which app is best for networking on an Android phone?
The same shortlist applies, since the big platforms are cross platform. If you want an Android first view, we compared five free business networking apps for Android in more detail.
What is the best networking app for students?
Start with LinkedIn, then add your university alumni platform and an events app such as Meetup or Luma. For career questions, a mentoring platform gets you further than cold messages do.
Networking on your own terms
Tired of pitches from people you never agreed to talk to? Kradoz opens a chat only when both sides say yes. It is free, built for founders, mentors and researchers, and available now on Android.
Get Kradoz on Google Play (iOS in development)
