Open the appGuide · Last updated July 11, 2026
The best apps to find people to play sports and games with (2026)
The best app depends on what you play and where you live: Gameli for any game anywhere, Playtomic for club padel and tennis, GoodRec and Plei for organised pickup sessions in their cities, OpenSports for organisers, and Meetup for social groups. Here is the honest version of each, from someone who builds one of them.
Disclosure: I founded Gameli, so read that entry knowing it. The other entries are written the way I would want a competitor to write about mine. Facts checked against each product’s own site and store listings, July 2026.
1. Gameli: Every game, anywhere, player-hosted
Gameli covers the widest ground of anything on this list: football, tennis, padel, basketball, pool, darts, chess, board games, video games and custom games you define yourself. You see open games and players near you, join in a tap, or host your own (instant or scheduled) so nearby players come to you; venues can also list courts and tables for in-app booking. It is free, works worldwide, and is the strongest option outside the big US and European metros where the organised-session apps do not operate. The honest trade-off: it is newer, so in a brand-new area you may be the one hosting the first game rather than joining one.
www.gameli.app2. Playtomic: Best for padel and tennis at partner clubs
The heavyweight of racquet sports: court booking plus level-based matchmaking across thousands of partner clubs, with a rating system serious players care about. If you play padel or tennis and your local club is on it, Playtomic is excellent. It is racquet-only, club-dependent, and thinner outside Europe and Latin America.
playtomic.io3. GoodRec: Best for turn-up-and-play sessions in its cities
GoodRec runs organised pickup games (football, basketball, volleyball and more) where you book a spot in a session and just show up; hosts handle the rest. Reliable quality, growing city list in the US and Europe. If you live in a GoodRec city it is a great answer; if you do not, it is not an option, and you pay per game.
www.goodrec.com4. Plei: Best for pickup football in its US metros
Plei focuses on football (soccer): find a game, pay for your spot, play. Strong in Miami and a growing set of US cities, with solid game quality from repeat players. Football-only and geography-limited, but very good at the one thing it does.
www.plei.co5. OpenSports: Best for organisers running recurring groups
OpenSports is really infrastructure for organisers: waitlists, payments, memberships and recurring events for an existing sports community. If you are trying to find a game as an individual it depends entirely on whether an organiser near you uses it; if you run a weekly game, it is built for you.
opensports.net6. Meetup: Best for social groups that happen to do sport
Meetup is the generalist: hiking groups, running clubs, casual football, board-game nights. Groups skew social and recurring rather than on-demand, and quality varies by organiser. Good for meeting people around an activity; less good when you want a game today at your level.
www.meetup.comQuick comparison
| App | Sports | Where | Cost to play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gameli | All sports, games, custom | Worldwide | Free (court booking optional) |
| Playtomic | Padel, tennis, pickleball | Partner clubs, ~60 countries | Court fees |
| GoodRec | Football, basketball, volleyball+ | Selected US/EU cities | Pay per session |
| Plei | Football only | US metros | Pay per game |
| OpenSports | Organiser-defined | Organiser-dependent | Set by organiser |
| Meetup | Any activity | Worldwide | Free to join, varies |
Deeper side-by-side on the pickup apps: Gameli vs OpenSports, GoodRec and Plei.
Try Gameli free
Any game, anywhere. See who wants to play near you.