Meetup Starter offers new and would-be organizers the opportunity to manage their own groups and events in a lightweight environment. This free plan is designed to ease first-time organizers into the Meetup experience with a sampling of the tool’s core benefits.
Meetup Starter is currently available in most areas where Meetup is active.
Meetup Starter includes:
- 1 group with unlimited members
- Up to 2 in-person events per month
- Up to 10 attendees per event
- In-app communications via Groups Discussions and Event Chat
By providing new organizers with a simplified option, we hope to make Meetup’s ecosystem richer with an ever more diverse range of organizers, groups, and events. We look forward to welcoming our new Starter organizers to the Meetup community!
If you’d like to subscribe to Meetup Starter, you can sign up here by selecting Starter.
FAQ
What are the main differences between Meetup Starter & Standard?
Meetup Standard is still our primary plan for organizers—it includes all the tools needed to confidently manage up to three different groups and host an unlimited number of events every month.
Meetup Starter is a simplified version of the Meetup Standard organizer experience. As it’s designed to make event-management accessible for new organizers, it focuses on the basics of community and event management.
If you’re seeking a complete management tool, Meetup Standard is likely the better choice.
You can compare the two plans using the table below:
| Starter | Standard | |
| Max. number of groups | 1 | 3 |
| Max. number of events | 2/month | Unlimited |
| Max. number of attendees per event | 10 | Unlimited |
| Groups & events promotion | Limited | Unlimited |
| Basic group communication features (Group Discussions & Event Chat) | ✅ | ✅ |
| In-person events | ✅ | ✅ |
| Advanced communication tools (Direct messages, broadcast communication) | ❌ | ✅ |
| Online events | ❌ | ✅ |
| Recurring events | ❌ | ✅ |
| Ticket fees and member dues | ❌ | ✅ |
| Co-organizers | ❌ | ✅ |
How much does Starter cost?
Meetup Starter is currently available for free to new organizers.
Can I downgrade from Standard to Starter?
The Starter plan is exclusively for new organizers. If you already have a Standard subscription, it’s not possible to downgrade to Starter at this time.
Can I upgrade from Starter to Standard?
Yes, you can upgrade at any time. This can be done by clicking on a paywall on Meetup web or mobile, or from your account (go to Settings > Organizer subscription > Manage subscription and select the Standard plan).
How do I cancel my Starter subscription?
To cancel a recurring subscription, follow the steps listed in the article Canceling a recurring subscription. However, keep in mind that your group will not be closed automatically when the subscription expires. Instead, you can choose to either step down and nominate a new organizer or to close your group permanently.
How do I close my group?
You can follow these steps to close your group:
- Start by letting your members know you intend to close the group, so everyone has time to save any photos or reach out to other members.
- Open the group you’d like to close in your Meetup account;
- Click on Manage Group;
- Tap on Transfer Group ownership;
- Choose whether to transfer the group or cancel it;
- Follow the further cancelation questions;
- At the end of the whole process, click on Close group permanently;
- As soon as the flow has ended, you’ll see a green banner confirming the cancelation of your group.
Why did we decide on these particular benefits?
Meetup Starter is for new or would-be organizers who are new to Meetup (or community and event management in general). After speaking to such individuals and looking at real-life data about how organizers currently use Meetup, we landed on the Starter experience we have today: a lightweight version of our more powerful Standard plan to give these organizers a chance to get familiar with the platform before diving into the more advanced features.