Best Event Networking Apps 2025

A complete guide to the best event networking apps in 2025 — from conference platforms to social event apps — with honest comparisons.

The event networking app market has matured significantly over the past few years. There are now meaningful tools for different event types, different networking philosophies, and different privacy preferences. Choosing the right one requires understanding what each is actually designed to do.

This guide covers the main players honestly, including their strengths, limitations, and the specific contexts where they're most useful.

The Event Networking Landscape in 2025

Event networking tools fall roughly into four categories:

Conference and trade show platforms (Whova, Brella, Grip): Designed for professional events with organiser deployment
Social and consumer event apps (FirstMove): Designed for any live event, attendee-first
Community building tools (Meetup): Designed for recurring interest-based groups
General networking apps (Shapr, Lunchclub, Bumble Bizz): Not event-specific, city-wide or broader

Each category has different assumptions about who's setting it up, who's using it, and what success looks like.

Conference and Trade Show Platforms

Whova

Whova is a strong choice for academic conferences and professional summits. Its agenda builder, community boards, and gamification features are well-regarded. Requires organiser deployment and works best for structured multi-track events. Not suited to social events.

Brella

Brella's AI matchmaking for B2B conferences is its standout feature. If scheduled 1:1 meetings are the primary networking mechanism, Brella delivers them well. Requires organiser setup; best at events where commercial ROI measurement matters.

Grip

Grip is oriented toward trade shows and exhibitions where lead capture and exhibitor ROI are primary metrics. Strong European presence. Comprehensive commercial tools. Requires significant organiser investment.

Common limitation: All three require the event organiser to have licensed and configured the platform. Attendees at events that haven't deployed these tools can't access them.

Social and Consumer Event Apps

FirstMove

FirstMove is the strongest option for social, cultural, and community events — and for the social dimension of professional events. It's a free app (iOS and Android) that attendees can use at any event without organiser setup.

Core features:

VibeZones: See who nearby has opted in to connecting
Mutual Handshake: Both parties must indicate interest before connection
Ephemeral Profiles: Event data expires after the event
Ice-breakers: Conversation prompts to reduce friction
FirstMove Business: Venue analytics for organisers who want them

FirstMove is UK-focused but available globally. It's particularly well-suited to festivals, social events, community gatherings, and any professional event with a social atmosphere.

Community Building Tools

Meetup

Meetup's strength is recurring community groups. For people who want to find and build community around shared interests over time, Meetup has a large established user base and good organiser tools. In-event experience is limited — Meetup helps you find and get to an event, but not connect once you're there.

General Networking Apps

Lunchclub

AI-matched 1:1 professional calls. Useful for professionals who want regular curated introductions without attending specific events. Not event-native; works best in tech and startup communities.

Shapr

Swipe-based professional networking. More active than Lunchclub but requires the user to browse and match. Not event-specific; city-wide scope.

Bumble BFF

Friend-finding mode in the Bumble app. Useful for city-wide social discovery but not designed for in-event connection. Good UK presence.

Full Comparison

The Right Tool for the Right Context

You're running or attending a large professional conference or trade show: Whova, Brella, or Grip — depending on whether you need agenda management, AI matchmaking, or commercial exhibitor tools.

You're running or attending a festival, social event, community gathering, or professional event with a social dimension: FirstMove. It's the only option in this list that was built specifically for these contexts.

You want to build a recurring community around a shared interest: Meetup. Use FirstMove at the events to enhance in-event connection.

You want regular professional introductions on a schedule: Lunchclub or Shapr.

You want to expand your social circle in your city generally: Bumble BFF or Meetup.

The Underserved Majority

The largest category of live events — social gatherings, cultural festivals, community nights, mixed professional-social events — is poorly served by the existing market. Conference apps require expensive organiser deployment. General networking apps don't leverage the shared event context.

FirstMove addresses this gap directly. It's the event networking tool that works for the majority of events that the rest of the market doesn't adequately serve.

Try FirstMove

Download FirstMove free on iOS and Android, or explore the organiser analytics platform.

Download FirstMove

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