an app to find pickup games: Plei, GoodRec, Meetup and more

Details come from each app's own website and store listings, checked in October 2026. Cities, sports and prices change, so check before you sign up.

Plei is a pickup soccer app that hosts its own games at facilities across the US. You browse a feed of daily games in your city, reserve and pay for a spot in the app, and add friends as guests.

Plei says it doesn't charge you if a game doesn't get enough players to go ahead. Game pages include details such as the facility address and where to park. Its site also lists free sponsored games in some cities.

It suits soccer players in US cities with Plei games who want to turn up to an organized game without arranging anything. For other routes, see our guide to finding pickup soccer.

GoodRec runs pickup soccer, basketball and volleyball in cities across the US, Canada and Ireland. It books the venue and brings the equipment, hosts sort the teams on the day, and if someone cancels it looks for a replacement.

You pay for your spot in advance, and prices vary by sport, venue and time. New York soccer games on its site were listed at about $10 to $15 a spot in October 2026. Cancel inside the window shown on the game and you get game credit. Players must be 18 or older, and GoodRec also runs soccer leagues.

It suits adults who want a reliable, organized game and are fine paying per game.

Volo runs adult social sports in 15 US cities as of October 2026, including New York, Boston, Washington DC, Denver and San Diego. It has leagues (a game every week, with playoffs), drop-ins (sub into a single league game) and pickups (turn up and Volo handles teams and gear), plus tournaments and events.

Sports range from soccer and volleyball to kickball and pickleball. You pay per league or session, or buy a Volo Pass membership that covers standard drop-ins and pickups. Volo leagues are 21+.

It suits people who want a season with the same team, or a social night built around a game, in a Volo city.

OpenSports is software for people who run pickup groups, leagues and clubs. Organizers post events, take payments, manage waitlists and refunds, and check people in. Players browse local groups in the app or on the web and join events.

Organizer plans start at $30 a month as of October 2026, and each organizer sets the price of their own events.

It suits organizers who've outgrown a group chat, and players whose local group already runs on it.

BenchApp is a team management app: RSVPs, schedules, team chat, lineups and fee collection for 16 sports, hockey, soccer, basketball, volleyball and pickleball among them. The free plan covers the basics, and PRO costs $9 a month per team as of October 2026.

Its Finder feature works the other way round. You say what you play and where, and teams in North American cities that are short a player can find you. Captains can charge spares a fee for the game.

It suits people on a rec team, or anyone happy to sub in for one. Finder fills spots on existing teams rather than listing open drop-in games.

ATH (short for Are They Hooping) is a pickup basketball app built around a map of courts and gyms. You check in at a court so others know you're there, see who's playing, schedule games and post highlights. There's also a social feed, basketball trivia and levels.

It's free with in-app purchases, on iPhone and Android.

It suits basketball players who want to know if a court has a run before they head out. If you're new to it, our pickup basketball rules guide covers the usual customs.

Meetup is a general app for interest groups and events, with soccer and basketball groups in cities around the world. A Meetup account is free. Organizers pay for their plan and can sell tickets or collect membership dues, so some groups and events cost money. Meetup+ is an optional paid membership for members.

Each group is run by its own organizer, so look at recent events and how many people went before you join one.

It suits newcomers to a city who want a regular group, especially where no sports app runs games nearby.

Footy Addicts is a UK app for casual football, from 5-a-side to 10-a-side, with games in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Leeds, Glasgow and many other areas. You pay online, and each game shows its own price per player. At one London venue in October 2026, prices ran from £4 to £12, and one women's session was free.

Full games have a waiting list. Anyone can organize a game, and hosts, who bring the balls and bibs and set up the teams, play for free.

It suits UK players who want to fit football around a busy week. Our guide to casual football in the UK has more options.

Scrim is an app for pickup games in ten sports: football (soccer), basketball, volleyball, tennis, padel, badminton, pickleball, table tennis, handball and field hockey. It shows public games near you, soonest first, on a list or a map, filtered by sport, day and distance, with names, faces and spots left before you join. To start a game, you pick a sport, a time and a place and share one link. Anyone with the link can take a spot by typing their name, with no account and no install.

There are no payments in the app: the host enters what the pitch costs, Scrim splits it per player, and you settle at the gate. It doesn't book pitches, run leagues or rate skill. It's on the App Store for iPhone and on Google Play for Android.

It suits people who run their own games and want friends without the app, or players nearby, to fill the spots.

games near you

An app is only as good as the games in your area. Before you sign up, look at this week's listings for your city. GoodRec and Footy Addicts show games on their websites, Volo lets you pick your city on its site, and BenchApp lists the cities its Finder covers.

paying in the app or not

Plei, GoodRec and Footy Addicts take payment when you book a spot. GoodRec says paying up front is how it knows a game has enough players to run. On OpenSports, Meetup and BenchApp, each organizer decides what to charge. ATH is free to use.

leagues vs drop-ins

A league means the same team every week for a season, usually paid up front. A drop-in means you play when you're free. Volo does both, GoodRec runs soccer leagues next to its pickup games, and BenchApp is for teams that already exist. Plei, Footy Addicts and ATH focus on one-off games.

which sports

In this list, soccer has the most options. Basketball players have GoodRec, ATH and Meetup groups, and volleyball players have GoodRec, Volo and OpenSports groups. Before an open gym, read our volleyball etiquette guide. For padel, tennis and pickleball, see our Playtomic alternatives.

which cities

Plei, Volo and BenchApp's Finder are North American, and GoodRec runs in the US, Canada and Ireland. Footy Addicts is UK only. Meetup and OpenSports go wherever their organizers are, and ATH maps courts worldwide.