Heylo vs Meetup: an honest comparison
Heylo is best for run clubs and social groups that want events, chat and payments in one app. Meetup is best for interest groups that meet regularly and want to be found by strangers. Here’s how they compare on what organizers actually need.
Checked October 2026 · By the Hiive team
The short answer
At a glance
Yes Partly No? Not confirmed from official sources
Where each one wins
Heylo wins on
- A free Base plan with unlimited members and events.
- Group chats, member directory, questionnaires and icebreakers.
- Member export by email on any plan.
Meetup wins on
- A large, established network of people searching for groups.
- Group discovery across many cities and interests.
- Pro tools for organizations running many chapters.
Pricing compared
Heylo
- Base: free, with a payment fee of 5% + $0.59.
- Plus: from US$19 a month, with a payment fee of 4% + $0.49.
- Pro: from US$59 a month, with a payment fee of 2% + $0.29.
- Business: from US$199 a month, with a payment fee of 1% + $0.10 and API access.
- Organization: custom pricing. Stripe processing fees apply on top of Heylo's payment fees.
Heylo's mobile apps are available in 100+ countries, but its supported payment currencies — USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD, SGD, HKD, JPY, CHF and COP — don't include the Indian rupee.
Meetup
- Starter: free — one group, up to 2 in-person events a month and 10 attendees, no online events, and no event fees.
- Standard: from US$29.99 a month (or $99.99 for 6 months, $174.99 a year).
- Pro: from US$55 per group per month, for organizations running many groups.
- Attendees pay Meetup a service fee on ticketed events. Event fees are collected through PayPal and member dues through Stripe.
Meetup is a global platform and is used in India. Meetup says plan prices may vary by location, so Indian pricing can differ from the US prices below.
Who should use which
Heylo is for
- Run clubs and social groups in countries where Heylo supports payments.
- Organizers who want chat, a member directory and events in one app.
- Clubs that want simple, published pricing.
Meetup is for
- Hobby and professional groups that meet regularly and grow through discovery.
- Organizers running free events who can work within the Starter limits, or who value discovery enough to pay for Standard.
- Organizations running many chapters that can justify Meetup Pro.
Need something neither does?
Neither pays out in rupees: Heylo doesn't list INR as a currency, and Meetup collects through PayPal and Stripe. Hiive pays out in ₹ and adds venue schedules and booking analytics.
Questions
Heylo is a lighter, cheaper way to run a club with chat, events and payments, and its free Base plan has unlimited members and events. Meetup has the far larger discovery network. Choose Heylo to run a club you already have; choose Meetup to be found.
Heylo: Base: free, with a payment fee of 5% + $0.59. Meetup: Starter: free — one group, up to 2 in-person events a month and 10 attendees, no online events, and no event fees. (as of October 2026 (US prices); check each provider for current pricing.)
Heylo: Heylo's mobile apps are available in 100+ countries, but its supported payment currencies — USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD, SGD, HKD, JPY, CHF and COP — don't include the Indian rupee. Meetup: Meetup is a global platform and is used in India. Meetup says plan prices may vary by location, so Indian pricing can differ from the US prices below.
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Written by the Hiive team. We make a competing product, so every claim about another product here comes from its own website or help centre, checked in October 2026. Prices and features change — check the provider before you decide. Spotted something out of date? Email jai@hiive.club and we’ll fix it.