Looking for free networking apps for entrepreneurs in the US and Canada? Start with the bad news, because it saves you a weekend. Shapr is gone, Bumble Bizz was discontinued and Polywork shut down in 2025, yet all three still turn up on lists dated this year.
Want the free one built on consent? Kradoz has no paid tier, and a chat opens only on a mutual yes. Android for now, with iOS in development.
So what follows is shorter and checked. Every option here was live when this went out, every one has a real free tier, and each entry says who it suits and where it works.
The short answer
- Be findable: LinkedIn.
- Meet local business owners: Alignable, which is built for the US and Canada.
- Get into a room: Meetup and Luma.
- Find a co-founder: Y Combinator Co-Founder Matching.
- Find a mentor: ADPList, or SCORE if you are in the US.
- Get introductions without the pitches: Kradoz, which is ours.
Free networking apps for entrepreneurs that are live right now
LinkedIn. The free tier covers a profile, search, groups and posting, so it does everything most founders need. Treat it as your credibility layer rather than your discovery tool, since anyone can message you there and most of them want to sell you something.
Alignable. This one, though, is built for exactly this question. Alignable is free to join, says it has more than 11 million members across 35,000 communities in North America, and connects business owners locally rather than globally. If you sell to businesses in your own city, from Calgary to Charlotte, it does something LinkedIn does not.
Meetup. Attending is free, so the only cost is your evening, and founder, SaaS and marketing groups run weekly in most large cities. Check that the group has held an event in the past two months before you plan around it.
Luma. Also free to browse and RSVP, and it is where a lot of startup events now publish their invites, particularly in New York, San Francisco and Toronto.
Free networking apps for entrepreneurs chasing co-founders and mentors
Y Combinator Co-Founder Matching. Completely free, open to founders anywhere, and busy in North America, with thousands of profiles in cities including Toronto. In short, it is the closest thing to a co-founder marketplace. Our guide on finding a technical co-founder covers what to do once you match.
ADPList. Free sessions with volunteer mentors across product, design, engineering and marketing. If you book a slot and bring one specific question, you get 30 minutes with someone who has already solved it.
Kradoz. Full disclosure, this is our app, so weigh the mechanics rather than our opinion. You pick a goal, such as a co-founder, a mentor or a research partner, then swipe through matching profiles. Chat opens only when both people agree, so cold pitches cannot reach you. It is free with no paid tier, works anywhere with a Play Store, and is Android only for now, with iOS in development.
Industry communities. Slack and Discord groups in your niche cost nothing, and they often beat every app here for depth, because the conversation is narrower. Answer two questions before you ask one.
Free ways to network in the US that are not apps
SCORE is the one most founders overlook. It offers free business mentoring from volunteer business leaders, with no time limit, funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Small Business Administration. The wider SBA network adds Small Business Development Centers and Women’s Business Centers, offering what it calls free or low cost counseling and training near you.
1 Million Cups is the other one. Run by the Kauffman Foundation, it is a free weekly meet up where one founder presents and the room gives feedback, and it runs in communities across the country.
Better still, both put you in front of people who already know your local market. Neither costs a dollar.
Free ways to network in Canada that are not apps
Startup Canada works as the front door to the national ecosystem, with events, a podcast and streams such as Startup Women and Startup Global. It is a practical first stop if you are new to the scene or working outside Toronto and Vancouver.
Futurpreneur is worth a look if you are aged 18 to 39 and a citizen or permanent resident. Its startup financing goes up to $75,000, and every approved founder gets up to two years of hand matched mentorship included. The loan is not free money, though the mentor match costs nothing extra.
Beyond that, regional hubs such as MaRS in Toronto publish open event calendars, and Alignable and Meetup are both active in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary.
What free networking apps for entrepreneurs cannot do
They cannot give a stranger a reason to reply. A clear ask does that, and “let’s connect” is not one.
They also cannot buy you messaging. On most free tiers, contacting people you do not know is the first thing that gets capped, which is why consent based and event based apps stretch further than a free directory.
And no app replaces showing up twice. When someone sees you a second time, you stop being a profile.
How to test free networking apps for entrepreneurs in 30 days
- Pick two, not six. One for visibility, one for meeting people.
- Finish one profile properly. What you do, who you help, what you want next.
- Book a weekly slot. Thirty minutes, same time, in the calendar.
- Send five specific messages a week. Specific beats polished.
- Judge on one number. Conversations that led somewhere, not connections added.
After 30 days, keep the app that produced a real conversation and delete the other one without guilt.
Frequently asked questions
What are some good free networking apps for entrepreneurs?
LinkedIn, Alignable, Meetup, Luma, Y Combinator Co-Founder Matching, ADPList and Kradoz all have real free tiers and were live at the time of writing. Our roundup of what is still running in 2026 covers the ones that quietly closed.
Where can I network with entrepreneurs in the US and Canada?
Meetup and Luma for events, Alignable for local business owners, SCORE and 1 Million Cups across the US, and Startup Canada plus regional hubs in Canada.
Are there free networking apps for entrepreneurs beyond LinkedIn?
Yes, and most founders need one. Alignable covers local business, ADPList covers mentoring, and consent based apps such as Kradoz cover introductions where both sides opted in.
Which free app helps most with finding a co-founder?
Y Combinator Co-Founder Matching has the most profiles. Kradoz matches on a stated goal and opens chat only on a mutual yes, which suits founders who want fewer and better conversations.
Do these apps work outside big cities?
Event apps thin out quickly, so lean on Alignable, LinkedIn and online communities, then travel to the nearest hub once a quarter. One good trip beats ten cold messages.
Free, and built on mutual consent
Kradoz matches you on a shared goal and opens a chat only when both sides say yes. No paid tier, no upgrade that lets a stranger into your inbox, and it works wherever the Play Store does.
Get Kradoz on Google Play (iOS in development)
