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Meetup vs Luma: group discovery and event organisation?

By Official AppDuo editorial team · Updated

Meetup logoMeetup6.4/10Freemium · $29.99/moLuma logoLuma7.6/10Freemium · Free

Quick verdict

Meetup vs Luma: group discovery and event organisation.

Meetup: People looking for local events, hobby clubs or professional groups.

Luma: Community, meetup and workshop hosts who want a free, polished registration page.

Choose for your main task, existing devices and plan limits; the overall score cannot replace your requirements.

Head-to-head

Meetup leads on 3, Luma on 4, 2 even

FeatureMeetupLuma
Free plan for organizers[5],[12]Starter for first-time organizers only: 1 group, up to 2 in-person events/month, 10 attendees per eventFree: unlimited events and guests per event, up to 500 invites/newsletters per week, 3 calendar admins
→ Organizers who want to host regularly without a fixed fee get far more room on Luma than on Meetup's Starter plan.
Paid organizer plan for individuals[4],[12]Standard from $29.99/month, $99.99 per 6 months or $174.99/year; prices vary by locationNo paid plan for individuals found. The paid Plus plan is a business plan: $59/month billed annually, no monthly price published
→ Luma only sells a business paid plan, so Plus is not directly comparable with Meetup Standard; Meetup can be paid monthly, while Luma Plus requires an annual commitment.
Fees on ticket sales[4],[12],[16]Standard supports ticket fees and group dues; AppDuo found no public information on a platform fee rateFree plan takes a 5% platform fee on paid events plus Stripe fees; Plus is 0%
→ High-volume ticket sellers on Luma should check whether the 5% fee outweighs the cost of Plus.
What free attendees get[6],[7],[13]Join and RSVP unlimited, message organizers; attendee lists need Meetup+ ($4.99/$9.99 on App Store)Free registration; hosts may share guest data with other guests
→ Meetup attendees often hit Meetup+ upsells just to see who is coming, which Luma does not charge for.
Discovering groups and events[1],[10]Find events by category, keyword or map; interest-based group suggestions, group discussionsFocused on event pages, invites and check-in; AppDuo found no public information on discovery features
→ People looking for local clubs or interest groups to join are better served by Meetup.
Integrations and API[2],[12]Mailchimp and the Meetup API only on Pro (from $55/group/month)Stripe, Zoom, Zapier, HubSpot, Salesforce, iCal; API and Zapier on Plus
→ Teams connecting events to a CRM or automation tools get more options for less money with Luma.
Mobile app ratings[9],[10],[19]App Store 4.7/5 (272,676 ratings); Google Play 3.8/5 (about 236,000), Android app shows adsApp Store 4.9/5 (20,000 ratings); Google Play 4.9/5 (4,420 ratings)
→ Android users in particular should note the gap between Meetup's 3.8/5 and Luma's 4.9/5.
Interface languages[10],[18]English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, RussianEnglish only
→ Multilingual communities will find Meetup easier to use.
Subscription refund policy[8],[14],[16]Monthly plans within 20 days, yearly within 60 days; no refunds for App Store purchases; EU 14-day withdrawalAppDuo found no public information on Plus refunds; fees charged before Plus activation are not refunded
→ Organizers who want a safety net when trying a paid plan get clearer terms from Meetup.

Choose Meetup if…

  • People looking for local events, hobby clubs or professional groups
  • Organizers who want scheduling, messaging and member management in one app
  • Companies and organisations running a network of groups with Meetup Pro

Choose Luma if…

  • Community, meetup and workshop hosts who want a free, polished registration page
  • Small and mid-sized ticketed events that can accept a 5% fee or upgrade to Plus

How the products differ

Meetup: Meetup suits people looking for in-person interest groups and events, and organizers who want ready-made group tools. The trade-offs: organizers pay from $29.99/month once past a very limited free Starter plan, members need Meetup+ to see attendee lists, and the Android app shows ads and rates only 3.8/5.

Luma: Luma suits organizers who want an event page, invites and check-in without a fixed fee, since the Free plan has no cap on events or guests. The trade-offs are a 5% platform fee on ticketed events on top of Stripe fees, limited published support channels, and a privacy policy that is light on retention detail.

Choose around your use case

Meetup: Fits People looking for local events, hobby clubs or professional groups; Organizers who want scheduling, messaging and member management in one app. Strengths: The iOS app scores 4.7/5 from 272,676 ratings and offers 12 interface languages; Find events by category, keyword or map; messaging and group discussions.

Luma: Fits Community, meetup and workshop hosts who want a free, polished registration page; Small and mid-sized ticketed events that can accept a 5% fee or upgrade to Plus. Strengths: Free plan has unlimited events and guests per event; iOS and Android apps, Apple/Google Wallet tickets and QR check-in.

Costs and limits to check

Meetup: Standard: 29.99 USD/month, as recorded in the review. Trade-off: Organizers must pay: Standard from $29.99/month or $174.99/year, Pro from $55/group/month.

Luma: Paid prices depend on plan and purchase channel; see the product review. Trade-off: 5% platform fee on ticketed events on the Free plan, plus Stripe fees. Prices retain the currency and billing units recorded in the source profiles; no currency conversion or plan equivalence is assumed. Check official prices, limits and terms before payment.

When to consider another option

Meetup is not aimed at: Organizers who want to run a group for free long-term; Starter is for newcomers only, capped at 2 events a month and 10 attendees per event; People wary of data sharing: profile, RSVP and location data may be processed for targeted advertising.

Consider alternatives to Luma if you are: Organizers who need phone or live-chat support. Read these limitations alongside the feature table before deciding; a single strength cannot compensate for a missing requirement.

Frequently asked questions

Should I choose Meetup or Luma?

Meetup vs Luma: group discovery and event organisation. Meetup: People looking for local events, hobby clubs or professional groups. Luma: Community, meetup and workshop hosts who want a free, polished registration page. Choose for your main task, existing devices and plan limits; the overall score cannot replace your requirements.

Does a higher score always mean a better fit?

No. Overall scores are editorial judgements across several criteria. Your task, allowance and existing ecosystem may matter more; the table separates those differences so you can decide.

Where do prices and limits come from?

From each product’s researched profile, with source links and check dates in the review. This comparison reuses that evidence; its compilation date does not mean every price was rechecked that day.

Sources

Numbers in the table refer to these sources, read on the dates shown.

  1. 1.Meetup About · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  2. 2.Meetup Pro · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  3. 3.Meetup Privacy Policy (Help Center) · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  4. 4.Meetup Help Center: Organizer Subscription prices overview · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  5. 5.Meetup Help Center: Can I organize a Meetup group for free? · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  6. 6.Meetup Help Center: Using Meetup without Meetup+ · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  7. 7.Meetup Help Center: Meetup+ free trial · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  8. 8.Meetup Help Center: Meetup subscription refund policy · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  9. 9.Google Play: Meetup: Social Events & Groups · store · Nov 10, 2026
  10. 10.App Store: Meetup: Social Events & Groups · store · Nov 10, 2026
  11. 11.Wikipedia: Meetup · Community-reported · Nov 10, 2026
  12. 12.Official pricing page · Vendor-provided · Nov 11, 2026
  13. 13.Official privacy policy · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  14. 14.Official terms of service · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  15. 15.Luma Help Center · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  16. 16.Help Center: Luma Plus · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  17. 17.Help Center: Luma iOS app · Vendor-provided · Nov 10, 2026
  18. 18.App Store listing · store · Nov 11, 2026
  19. 19.Google Play listing · store · Nov 11, 2026
  20. 20.Crunchbase News (2020-12-07) · press · Nov 10, 2026

Prepared by the AppDuo Editorial Team from the sources cited in this article. AI assists with organising and cross-checking data; editorial responsibility remains with AppDuo.

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