Meetup: Social Events & Groups

What it does

Meetup is a platform designed to connect people with shared interests by facilitating local events and groups. The app helps users discover activities ranging from professional networking and tech talks to hobbies like hiking, running, and dining out. It serves as a tool for both finding existing communities and creating new ones, enabling users to meet people and pursue their passions either online or in person.

Where it shines

Meetup's strength lies in its structured approach to community building. The onboarding flow efficiently gathers user interests through an interactive, multi-category selection screen (01:30), which immediately translates into relevant group suggestions (02:10). The event discovery is robust, offering both a traditional list view (02:35) and an intuitive map view (07:12) that lets users visually explore what's happening around them. The app also provides strong community management tools, including a detailed, multi-step reporting system (04:24) that prioritizes user safety.

UX highlights

The sign-up form includes a dynamic password strength indicator that provides real-time feedback (00:24).
Interest selection is broken down into collapsible categories, preventing overwhelm and making it easy to browse diverse topics (01:34).
After joining a group, a subtle but clear checkmark animation confirms the action without being intrusive (02:13).
Event detail pages provide key social context by showing the number of attendees and a preview of who is going (02:54).
User profiles are rich with information, including shared interests and group memberships, facilitating connections before an event.
The app includes extensive notification controls (11:43), allowing users to fine-tune alerts for specific groups and activities.

Monetization & growth

Meetup monetizes through its Meetup+ subscription. A soft paywall is presented late in the onboarding process (01:52) after the user has already invested time personalizing their profile. It offers a 7-day free trial and prominently features a '67% OFF' discount for the annual plan, anchoring users to the higher-value option. Premium features, like viewing detailed attendee lists (02:58), are cleverly gated within the core experience, demonstrating their value in context and encouraging upgrades.

Who it’s for

Meetup is for anyone looking to expand their social or professional circle, learn new things, or find people who share their hobbies. This includes people who have recently moved to a new city, professionals seeking networking opportunities, individuals looking for fitness partners, or anyone wanting to explore a new interest. The wide range of categories, from 'Art & Culture' to 'Technology', caters to a broad demographic.

Notes & opportunities

While the app is generally polished, some of the error messages are generic and unhelpful. For example, a group creation error (08:23) and a messaging error (10:28) display system-level alerts that don't explain the root cause or next steps. Providing more specific, user-friendly error copy could improve the experience. Additionally, the initial group recommendation screen (02:10) could benefit from more social proof, such as indicating if any of a user's contacts (if connected) are in a particular group.