Should I Build It Should I Build It
11 Apr 2025
Meetings

an app that helps people use their free time to meet each other, where ...

...acquaintances tell when they have time for a cup of coffee and they can meet when both have time

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Freemium

People love using similar products but resist paying. You’ll need to either find who will pay or create additional value that’s worth paying for.

Should You Build It?

Build but think about differentiation and monetization.

Your are here

Your idea for an app that connects acquaintances for spontaneous meetups, like coffee dates, falls into the 'Freemium' category. This means many similar products exist, as evidenced by the 12 matches we found, which translates to higher competition. Users are generally interested in these types of apps, indicated by the average number of comments (10 per product, signifying medium engagement). However, the challenge lies in monetization, as people often enjoy using these apps for free. To succeed, you'll need to identify a premium feature or target a paying segment within your user base.

Recommendations

  1. Given the prevalence of similar apps like WAYF and Roger-Roger, focus on a clear differentiator. Instead of a broad 'meeting' app, niche down. Consider a focus on specific activities (e.g., coffee meetups for remote workers, study groups at libraries, or language exchange partners). Address the concerns that users had in the discussion summaries of similar products, e.g. the UI and UX of WAYF.
  2. Prioritize a seamless user experience. Roger-Roger was praised for its intuitive UI and fun design. Based on the WAYF's feedback, pay close attention to time zone support and calendar integration, as these are recurring pain points in scheduling apps. Implement features for 'time specification' as user requested in the WAYF discussions.
  3. Start with a core set of features and avoid feature bloat. The criticism of WAYF's barebones functionality highlights the need for a balance between simplicity and utility. Focus on nailing the core scheduling and notification functionality before adding advanced features. Consider to reevaluate taglines to non-technical audience as was mentioned in the discussion of the Roger-Roger product.
  4. Explore monetization strategies beyond individual subscriptions. Consider offering premium features like group scheduling, advanced filtering (e.g., location-based coffee shop recommendations, interest-based matching), or integration with business communication tools. As 'Meet' app users suggested, implement advanced filters.
  5. Implement robust security measures to address user concerns about location tracking and data privacy, as seen in the Roger-Roger discussions. Offer clear and customizable privacy settings, allowing users to control their location sharing preferences.
  6. Actively solicit user feedback and iterate on your product based on their suggestions. The discussions surrounding similar products reveal valuable insights into user needs and pain points. The discussion of the Meet app suggests that robust fake account prevention and background verification are necessary.
  7. Consider a staged rollout, starting with a specific geographic area or user group. This will allow you to gather feedback and refine your product before launching it to a wider audience. Address a specific market need, as suggested by the user who struggled to find local tech enthusiasts during the Meet app's launch.

Questions

  1. Given the competition, what is the core, unique value proposition that will make your app stand out from existing scheduling and meetup apps? How will you ensure that your app doesn't become just another 'engineered serendipity' tool, but rather a genuine solution for connecting people in a meaningful way?
  2. How will you balance the need for user-friendly spontaneous meetups with the security concerns and privacy expectations of your target audience? Considering the negative feedback regarding location tracking, can you design a system that encourages connection without compromising user safety and peace of mind?
  3. Given the 'Freemium' nature of this category, what specific premium features or services will you offer that are compelling enough for users to pay for, without alienating your free user base? How can you leverage data and personalization to create a truly valuable experience that justifies a paid subscription?

Your are here

Your idea for an app that connects acquaintances for spontaneous meetups, like coffee dates, falls into the 'Freemium' category. This means many similar products exist, as evidenced by the 12 matches we found, which translates to higher competition. Users are generally interested in these types of apps, indicated by the average number of comments (10 per product, signifying medium engagement). However, the challenge lies in monetization, as people often enjoy using these apps for free. To succeed, you'll need to identify a premium feature or target a paying segment within your user base.

Recommendations

  1. Given the prevalence of similar apps like WAYF and Roger-Roger, focus on a clear differentiator. Instead of a broad 'meeting' app, niche down. Consider a focus on specific activities (e.g., coffee meetups for remote workers, study groups at libraries, or language exchange partners). Address the concerns that users had in the discussion summaries of similar products, e.g. the UI and UX of WAYF.
  2. Prioritize a seamless user experience. Roger-Roger was praised for its intuitive UI and fun design. Based on the WAYF's feedback, pay close attention to time zone support and calendar integration, as these are recurring pain points in scheduling apps. Implement features for 'time specification' as user requested in the WAYF discussions.
  3. Start with a core set of features and avoid feature bloat. The criticism of WAYF's barebones functionality highlights the need for a balance between simplicity and utility. Focus on nailing the core scheduling and notification functionality before adding advanced features. Consider to reevaluate taglines to non-technical audience as was mentioned in the discussion of the Roger-Roger product.
  4. Explore monetization strategies beyond individual subscriptions. Consider offering premium features like group scheduling, advanced filtering (e.g., location-based coffee shop recommendations, interest-based matching), or integration with business communication tools. As 'Meet' app users suggested, implement advanced filters.
  5. Implement robust security measures to address user concerns about location tracking and data privacy, as seen in the Roger-Roger discussions. Offer clear and customizable privacy settings, allowing users to control their location sharing preferences.
  6. Actively solicit user feedback and iterate on your product based on their suggestions. The discussions surrounding similar products reveal valuable insights into user needs and pain points. The discussion of the Meet app suggests that robust fake account prevention and background verification are necessary.
  7. Consider a staged rollout, starting with a specific geographic area or user group. This will allow you to gather feedback and refine your product before launching it to a wider audience. Address a specific market need, as suggested by the user who struggled to find local tech enthusiasts during the Meet app's launch.

Questions

  1. Given the competition, what is the core, unique value proposition that will make your app stand out from existing scheduling and meetup apps? How will you ensure that your app doesn't become just another 'engineered serendipity' tool, but rather a genuine solution for connecting people in a meaningful way?
  2. How will you balance the need for user-friendly spontaneous meetups with the security concerns and privacy expectations of your target audience? Considering the negative feedback regarding location tracking, can you design a system that encourages connection without compromising user safety and peace of mind?
  3. Given the 'Freemium' nature of this category, what specific premium features or services will you offer that are compelling enough for users to pay for, without alienating your free user base? How can you leverage data and personalization to create a truly valuable experience that justifies a paid subscription?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 12
  • Engagement: Medium
    • Average number of comments: 10
  • Net use signal: 24.4%
    • Positive use signal: 26.0%
    • Negative use signal: 1.6%
  • Net buy signal: -0.8%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 0.8%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

Similar products

Relevance

WAYF – A Simple Scheduling App

28 Jan 2024 Calendar

A dead-simple web app to find the best time for your next meetup with friends. No logins, no bloat. Schedule with a link.---When trying to schedule events with my friends, we often have a long text thread of sporadic dates and the group has to mentally combine all the messages to produce a date that works for all.There are plenty of apps out there to coordinate scheduling, but I found many of them were bloated with features that didn't matter to us, required user sign ups and app downloads. This friction is enough for us to prefer rudimentary long text threads. I wanted something that I could post in the thread once, my friends can add their availability on their own time (and can edit), and we can continue on our conversation.WAYF (When are you free?) is a fun side project that solves this issue. Bare-bones scheduling for what days you are free. No user accounts, no downloads, just paste a link and anyone can schedule. It's completely free.I hope you like it and find it useful, I would love feedback.

Users find the product handy for scheduling, with a promising start and great UI, but suggest improvements like shorter URLs, better mobile support, timezone and time support, and a simplified light/dark mode switch. Some prefer existing alternatives like Lettucemeet, When2meet, Doodle Poll, and Rally for their features and no account requirement. The term WAYF was confusing for some, and users are looking for a roadmap, source code, and a more efficient LLM-assisted version. Minor issues like error handling and disabling past dates were also mentioned.

Users criticized the product for missing time-related features, such as time specification, timezone support, and the ability to choose times. The UI was described as unappealing and unintuitive, with issues like button placement and a confusing light/dark mode switch. The product was also noted for its barebones functionality, lack of significant differences, and unclear feature impact. Users suggested adding explanations for abbreviations, improving the calendar, and making the product more user-friendly. The presence of UUIDs in URLs and the absence of source code were also mentioned.

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122
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roger-roger - Your app for spontaneous meet-ups

13 Dec 2023 Android Meetings Maps

Meet roger-roger, your app for spontaneous meet-ups📍✨. Connect in real-time for coffee, surprise visits, and more. It brings friends closer, turning days into adventures. Embrace the unexpected with roger-roger. Ready for today's journey?

Roger Roger's Product Hunt launch received overwhelmingly positive feedback, with users praising its ability to facilitate spontaneous meetups, track friends' locations, and engineer serendipitous encounters. Many users highlighted the app's intuitive UI, fun design, and potential for connecting with friends, both locally and globally. Several commenters congratulated the team on the launch and expressed excitement for future developments. Suggestions included a point system, uncommon interests matching, favorites lists with proximity notifications, an "activity roulette" feature, and a reevaluation of the tagline for broader appeal. A few users raised questions about security compared to existing apps.

Criticisms of the Product Hunt launch include concerns about security and continuous location tracking. Users also request a 'Date Mode' to disable tracking. The tagline 'engineered serendipity' may not resonate with a non-technical audience. A suggestion was made for a public mode to facilitate meeting new people, and a feature to match uncommon interests was proposed.

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208
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Relevance

Launching Vibe IRL: A New App to Revolutionize Real-Life Socializing

07 May 2024 Android Social Media Social Networking

Hey HN, we've just launched Vibe IRL, an app designed to bridge the gap between online connections and real-world interactions. In an era where digital interactions often replace face-to-face encounters, Vibe IRL aims to transform how people meet and interact in their local environments.Key Features:Mood-Based Matching: Users can find others based on current mood, promoting more meaningful and relevant meetups. Instant Local Meetups: Designed to encourage spontaneous real-life interactions, making socializing effortless and immediate. We created Vibe IRL as a free platform to help make genuine connections in local communities. We're excited about the potential to not only enhance how people socialize but to also provide a tool that combats the increasing sense of isolation in the digital age.The app is free to download and we're keen to hear feedback from the community to make it even better. Check it out here https://vibeirl.app and let us know what you think!

Users appreciate the spontaneous nature of forming friendships but are disappointed by the lack of PC support.

The product lacks support for PC, which is a significant drawback for users who prefer or require PC compatibility.

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Relevance

Meet people, have more conversations about what truly interests you

30 May 2024 Android Social Network Social Networking

Hi all, Andrew here. I hate smalltalk[1] but love deep conversations and want more of them, for myself and for others. This is why I made pairup.social. It's a conversation-finding and friend-finding app based on the things you'd most like to talk about. Sure, you have your friends, colleagues and family you can talk to, but it can be hard to go deep on your unique interests. Finding and reaching out to people on the internet is possible, but in practice I find I don’t really do it that much. It’s a bit awkward. If I found them on a single-topic discussion group, I don’t know much else about them, including other interests or even if they’re open to meeting people at all. None of this is impossible to overcome, but there's enough friction to mostly stop me from doing it. The goal of this app is to make this easy enough that it actually happens.How it works:1. Install the iOS or Android app. Sign-in can be deferred until after you’ve tried it out.2. Add a bunch of links to capture what you are interested in at the moment. These can be links to accounts you follow, communities you've joined, books, movies or podcasts you love, causes you support – anything really. Your links/interests simultaneously describe you to others and enable the app to match you to people with overlapping and compatible interests. Your combination of links can be incredibly specific and nuanced but also very easy to build and maintain (try it!)3. Complete your minimal profile: one picture, a name, optional bio, and locations you spend time in (if you want to emphasize local matches). Your interests are already a great way to describe you, so this kept very simple.4. Fuzzy matching occurs. People with overlapping interests (either the same links or other links about the same or similar things) are suggested to you. You can see their interests and decide if you’d like the option to chat with them. Typical mutual-opt-in mechanics result in “pairups” and you can both take it from there and start chatting whenever you’re ready. No pressure, you already have things to talk about.I'd love it if you gave it a try and let me know what you think![1] I did enjoy coding in Smalltalk in a past, past life https://techcrunch.com/2006/03/11/dabbledb-online-app-buildi... https://www.mercurynews.com/2010/06/10/twitter-buys-software...

Users are intrigued but suggest improvements for the Show HN product. They recommend inviting users with shared interests and are eager to try it. However, they request clearer sign-in instructions, better explanation of features like pair-ups, and the addition of an FAQ for clarity. One user struggles to find local tech enthusiasts, indicating a potential market need. A lack of content was also noted as a concern.

Users have reported issues with unclear user actions, a broken sign-in feature, and an opaque pair-up process. Additionally, there is a lack of local technical support available.

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Cielo – I built an app where you can get dinner with strangers(SF only)

19 Apr 2024 Tech

Heya HN! We built an app where you can set preferences for the kinds of people you want to meet and we make dinner reservations for you and 4 other people. doing a soft launch this week and just wanted to show off what we had built ;)How it works: sign up with google or apple answer a few quick questions about yourself. set your preferences(Industry, Interest, Age, etc) Click 'Join' for the day you are free. Show up to dinner and meet your people :)We are SF only for now! App is freeeeeeeeeee(for a short time)

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Exprescial - An interest based app to express and socialize

09 Jul 2023 Artificial Intelligence Social Media Social Networking

Its an interest based networking app where you can make friends based on specific interests. Like to meet someone into origami or maybe someone who likes glass blowing. You can find and meet friends at Exprescial

The product launch received positive feedback. Users congratulated the team and praised the app's realistic nature and cool features. The comments suggest the product is well-developed and impressive.

The primary criticism is that the product's realism might not be ideal for all users, although the general sentiment appears positive.

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Meet - Bridging the networking gap one swipe at a time

10 Jul 2024 Android Social Networking Business

Meet is a networking tool integrated into the Cake App, allowing you to find your next job, mentor, or tribe, exchange career stories, and grow together. You can now connect with anyone from anywhere, build valuable connections, and exchange knowledge at ease.

Users find the "Meet" app and job platform intuitive and beneficial for networking and job searching, particularly appreciating the ease of use and straightforward navigation. The location/salary job search functionality is well-received, but advanced filters are desired. A user reported the "Cake" name to be Taiwan only after completing the profile. There are some concerns raised, including the need for fake account prevention and background verification. Users are curious about the current user base and geographic distribution of users. Many congratulated the launch.

Users criticize the platform's lack of robust fake account prevention and background verification. There are requests for more advanced and granular filter options to refine job searches effectively. Users also find it necessary to clarify the information required before completing their profiles.

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139
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40.0%
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I made an app for coffee shops to go to work and network with others

29 May 2024 Productivity

Hey there!I realized I was compiling a list of coffee shops with highly curated reviews in my personal notes: chair comfort, Wi-Fi networks and passwords, internet speed, noise level, bathroom cleanliness, etc... It worked fine for me, but when I wanted to share my list to some friends I realized the underlying problem.So I created Workffee for two reasons:1. To allow me to save my reviews in a more convenient way and share them. 2. To connect with others who are interested in this information, and who knows, maybe share a coffee and a work session together eventually.I hope you like my app, and if you find it useful, I invite you to upload your coffee shops and reviews and join to our Telegram group (https://t.me/workffee)Would love to hear what you think about it!NOTE: I could scrape Google Maps and load everything automatically, but that's not the idea. My goal is for the content to be organic and created by a large community of people who enjoy working in coffee shops.Ata

Users appreciate the concept, comparing it to nomadlist for cafes. However, they note that maintaining a specialty coffee site and reaching a global audience can be challenging.

Users have pointed out the need for map browsing, sorting, and city grouping features. Additionally, there is a typo in 'Annymous user'. Another criticism is that the service is hard to get traction globally.

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