As of October 11, 2024, several of Meetup’s advanced features are reserved exclusively for our Meetup+ members. These include:
- Sending unrestricted DMs—contact any other member on Meetup
- Getting a priority position on the waitlist—get first access when new spots open up
- Viewing complete event attendee and group member lists—see who’s part of the community
- Viewing member’s profiles—get to know other members better with additional insights about their interests and groups
From today, these changes are live on Meetup.com, and will roll-out to the Meetup iOS and Android apps within the next week.
What is Meetup+?
Meetup+ is our premium plan for members, available as a weekly, monthly, or annual subscription. A Meetup+ subscription unlocks a more powerful Meetup experience with the following benefits:
- 🆕 Unrestricted direct messaging with other members
- 🆕 Priority position on event waitlists
- 🆕 Full access to event attendee lists and group member lists
- 🆕 Full access to member profiles
- Full access to the “Who will be there” feature for upcoming events
- “First to know” event announcements
- Exemption from service fees when RSVPing to paid events
- Ad-free experience of Meetup across all platforms
- A distinct Member+ badge
- Custom phone home screen app icons
Still, everyone can enjoy the core of what Meetup has to offer, even without a paid subscription. Anyone interesting in exploring Meetup can:
- Discover new groups and events based on their interests and location
- Join and RSVP for an unlimited number of groups and events
- Connect with other members through public communication channels, like Group Discussion and Event Comments
- Connect with organizers and event hosts via direct messages
Accessing the Meetup+ features and benefits
- Meetup members can subscribe to access the Meetup+ features and benefits by navigating to their Account Settings, selecting Meetup+ subscription, and following the subsequent prompts.
- Starter organizers automatically have full access to their group member lists and the attendee lists for the events they host. To access the plan’s other offerings, they’ll need to start a separate Meetup+ member subscription following the same process as outlined in the point above.
- Members who already subscribe to Meetup+—as well as Standard and Pro organizers—automatically have full access to all the exclusive Meetup+ advantages.
Below, we dive into the specifics of which Meetup benefits are still accessible to everyone, and which are now reserved for Meetup+ members.
Direct messages
- All members can use the Messages feature to communicate with the leadership team members of the groups they’re in, meaning organizers, co-organizers, assistant organizers, and event hosts. Everyone also has unrestricted access to Meetup’s other communication tools: Group Discussions and Event Comments.
- Only Meetup+ members can send direct messages to other Meetup members.
- Members who are not subscribed to Meetup+ can chat with others via Messages if the conversation is started by an organizer or another member with a Meetup+ subscription.
- Members who are not subscribed to Meetup+ can continue sending direct messages in chats started before October 11.
- On Meetup, personal privacy settings take precedence. If you’ve blocked someone, they won’t be able to send you direct messages even if they have Meetup+.
Waitlists
- All members can join the waitlist for events they’re interested in.
- Meetup+ members get priority on the waitlist, meaning they have first access to any new spots that open up. If additional free spots remain, others on the waitlist will be added to the event on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Group member and event attendee lists
- All members can see the full details of members with leadership roles.
- All members can see “Familiar Faces” on an attendance list, in case they’ve attended an event with the same member(s) before. This feature allows everyone to immediately discern the people they’ve previously encountered through other Meetup experiences, before RSVPing to an event.
- Meetup+ members can see personal details of others in the group member and event attendee lists. Depending on each individual’s privacy settings, this may include full names (based on each member’s display name) and profile pictures. For other members, these details remain hidden.
Member profile
- All members can navigate to another member’s profile to see their profile picture, first name, and selection of their interests and the groups they’re part of.
- Meetup+ members can see the complete details that other members have chosen to share on their profile pages, which may include their full name, the entire list of interests, a comprehensive overview of group membership, social media links, and additional personal information in the “About me” and “I’m looking to” sections. Of course, an individual’s privacy settings still determine what others can see on their profiles.
Why did we introduce these changes?
We believe that the plans we offer to our members should reflect the different ways individuals use the Meetup platform. While the range of unique use cases is endless, we’ve identified that the vast majority of members’ needs can be separated into two distinct categories:
- Core needs: new group/event discovery, joining groups, RSVPing to events, and communication via public channels or private chats with organizers and event hosts.
- Advanced needs: on-platform networking, private member-member communications, priority access, and more.
We’ve reorganized Meetup’s features and perks to provide everyone with access to a free community and events platform, while reserving the most powerful tools for those who choose to subscribe for a more benefit-rich Meetup experience.
You can read more about Meetup+, including answers to the most frequently asked questions in our dedicated Support article.
Last modified on November 8, 2024
