What is the difference between Closer and WasMeant?

Closer is a friendship app that uses manual / self-select matching with groups of Intentionally small groups, priced at $$ ($20/month after 3-month free trial, plus $35 initiation fee), available in 3 cities. WasMeant is a friendship app using algorithm-based matching with groups of 4 per table, priced at $$ (~$19 per dinner ticket + cost of your meal), available in 1 city. Key differences include their matching approach, pricing model, and city coverage. Closer's strengths: No app download required — just sign up on the website. WasMeant's strengths: Algorithmic matching based on a real personality questionnaire — not random groupings.

Which is better, Closer or WasMeant?

It depends on what you're looking for. Choose Closer if you prefer manual / self-select matching, Intentionally small groups groups, and weekly events — Facilitated social experiences for real connection.. Choose WasMeant if you prefer algorithm-based matching, 4 per table groups, and weekly events — Curated dinners with strangers every Friday.. Both are available as IRL social apps and share 1 city in common. Compare pricing (Closer: $$, WasMeant: $$) and city availability on Søren to find the best fit for meeting people in real life.

Closer

WasMeant

Closer vs WasMeant

Closer and WasMeant are both friendship apps that help you meet people in real life, but they take different approaches. Here’s how they stack up across pricing, format, cities, and more.

Side-by-side comparison · Updated 2026

At a glance

Closer WasMeant

CategoryFriendshipFriendship

Price$$ — $20/month after 3-month free trial, plus $35 initiation fee$$ — ~$19 per dinner ticket + cost of your meal

Group SizeIntentionally small groups4 per table

MatchingManual / Self-selectAlgorithm-based

Frequencyweeklyweekly

Age Range21-4021-45

PlatformsWebWeb

Cities3 cities1 city

Founded2023—

Pricing

Both Closer and WasMeant fall in the $$ price range. Closer: $20/month after 3-month free trial, plus $35 initiation fee. WasMeant: ~$19 per dinner ticket + cost of your meal.

Format & matching

Closer uses groups of Intentionally small groups, compared to WasMeant’s 4 per table, and Closer relies on manual / self-select matching while WasMeant uses algorithm-based matching.

How they work

Closer: Head to becloser.co and create an account with your name, email, and phone number. Your first three months of membership are free — after that it's $20/month. Browse upcoming experiences in your city: dinners, drinks nights, live jazz, yoga and wine, home-cooked meals, or weekend getaways. Reserve a spot and show up solo. A facilitator guides the evening with conversation prompts designed for small groups, so you skip the surface-level small talk and get to real conversations fast. There's a $35 initiation fee at your first event.

WasMeant: Head to wasmeant.com and create an account. You'll fill out a personality questionnaire covering your interests, values, and social energy — takes about 10 minutes. Once your profile is complete, purchase a one-time dinner ticket ($18.99). Then pick which Friday dates work for you and start the group search. WasMeant's algorithm builds a balanced group of four people with compatible personalities. You'll get the restaurant name and details by email once your group is confirmed — usually 24 hours before. Show up Friday at 7 PM, sit down, and spend the evening with three strangers at a curated spot in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Williamsburg.

What to love

Closer: No app download required — just sign up on the website. Three free months of membership to try it risk-free. Variety of experience types beyond just dinners — yoga, jazz, trips, home meals. Facilitated format means you skip awkward small talk and get to real conversation. Everyone comes solo, so there's no feeling of being the odd one out.

WasMeant: Algorithmic matching based on a real personality questionnaire — not random groupings. Small groups of four keep conversations intimate and comfortable. No app download required — sign up and manage everything on the website. Pay-per-dinner model with no subscription or auto-renewal. Restaurant selection is curated for atmosphere, not hype.

Reality check

Closer: Currently limited to 8 cities — mostly US, plus London, Toronto, Montreal, Sydney, Melbourne. $35 initiation fee at your first event on top of the monthly membership. No matching algorithm — who you meet is based on who else signed up for that event. Late cancellation ($10) and no-show ($20) fees can sting if plans change last minute.

WasMeant: NYC only — if you're not in New York, you're out of luck. Friday-only schedule at 7 PM is rigid if your weekends are unpredictable. Ticket price covers coordination only — you still pay for your own meal and drinks. Relatively new platform, so the matching pool may be smaller than established competitors.

Søren's take

On Closer: Closer sits in a sweet spot between a dinner club and a full-blown social platform. The facilitated format is the real differentiator — most social clubs just put people in a room and hope for the best, but Closer's prompts and small-group structure actually create the conditions for meaningful conversation. The three-month free trial is generous, and the event variety (not just dinners!) keeps things fresh. If you're in one of their cities and tired of forced networking energy, this is worth a try. Just be aware of the initiation fee — it's not huge, but it's an extra cost they don't highlight upfront.

On WasMeant: WasMeant feels like the scrappy, NYC-native answer to Timeleft. The premise is nearly identical — personality-matched dinners with strangers — but the execution is more intimate: groups of four instead of six, and a deliberate focus on one city done well rather than scaling everywhere at once. The Friday-at-7-PM ritual is a nice counterpoint to Timeleft's Wednesday format. The biggest limitation is obvious: it's NYC only. But if you live in New York and want a low-pressure way to meet genuinely interesting people over dinner, this is worth a ticket.