Both are good. They're built for different travelers. (Disclosure: we make Nomadtable — but we book hostels on Hostelworld too.)
side by side
| Nomadtable | Hostelworld chats | |
|---|---|---|
| How you meet people | Join activities posted on a map; city and trip group chats | Hostel chat and city chats |
| Access | Free for everyone | Free with a Hostelworld booking; paid pass otherwise |
| Works if you stay in hotels/Airbnbs | Yes | Only with the paid pass |
| See who's in your next city | Yes — trip timelines by date | Once you've booked there |
| Women-only meetups | Yes | No dedicated feature |
| Main purpose | Meeting travelers | Booking hostels (social is a feature) |
choose hostelworld if…
You're backpacking hostel to hostel and booking on Hostelworld anyway. The hostel chat is the easiest possible way to find people in your building.
choose nomadtable if…
You stay in a mix of places, want to join a specific plan (dinner, hike, night out) rather than chat, want to meet people before you arrive, or want women-only meetups. Nomadtable is also the bigger dedicated community for meeting travelers — 2M+ users.
or use both
Hostel chat for your building, Nomadtable for the city. That combination covers almost every trip. More options in the best apps to meet people while traveling.