Algorithms decide for you.
Social and matching apps rank every user — including you — and control who you see and who sees you. Premium tiers sell more visibility, never transparency. You're still trusting a ranking you can't see.
See who's around you.
Blizu finds compatible people around you right now — to make local friends, network, or connect while traveling. No algorithms, just real people nearby.
Free to download. Live on iOS; Android is in closed testing — join the waitlist.
Why this exists
Manifesto
Four problems. One app.
Blizu was built to solve specific problems with how people meet people today.
You text for weeks before you ever meet.
Texting first feels safe — it isn't. You sink weeks into a stranger, learn their texting style instead of who they are, and build someone up in your head before you've actually met them. Then you finally meet, and either it clicks or it doesn't — and you'd usually have known that in the first five minutes.
Approaching strangers got complicated.
People are busy, and walking up to someone in public reads differently than it used to. Sometimes it's welcome, sometimes it isn't — and there's no way to know in advance.
Making friends as an adult is hard.
School and university hand you friends; adult life doesn't. Not everyone clicks with the people they work with, and hobbies don't always deliver the crowd you hoped for. The older you get, the harder it is to meet someone you'd actually want in your life.
How it works
Four steps. Then real life.
Set your filters
Choose what matters to you — what you're here for, languages, life stage — and how strictly it should apply.
Scan your surroundings
Discover compatible people physically nearby, in real time — on a radar, not a feed.
See who fits
Everyone nearby appears with how well they fit your filters. Anonymous profiles stay masked until you both accept.
Match — then meet
Both must accept. You have five hours to connect — then the moment moves on.
What's different
Things no other app does.
People near you, not across the city.
Connect with people who are physically near you right now. The app is only useful when you leave your home. Your exact location is never shared with other users.
No algorithms, more filters.
You can set a variety of filters for who you want to meet. The app doesn't rank, boost or promote anyone — and it's free, with no premium tier that buys more visibility.
Say why you're here.
Local friends, study buddies, networking, fellow expats & travelers, hobby partners, language exchange — pick what fits, and the scan finds people here for the same.
Choose to stay anonymous.
Your name is masked and photos are pixelated until both users accept the match. This way you're completely unrecognisable to ensure your safety.
Five hours, then the moment moves on.
Matches expire in five hours. This isn't an app for collecting profiles you'll never meet — if someone is nearby and compatible, you have a window. Just like real life.
Events, but better.
Join an event and connect with the people who matter — without wasting time on small talk. Only people actually there can match.