Nextdoor

Nextdoor is a neighborhood-based social media app, bringing your neighborhood to your smartphone. Find or offer jobs, read the local news, buy or sell stuff, get to know people with it! Download Nextdoor for iOS and Android, and be aware of what goes on around you!

Functionality — 5/5

Nextdoor is meant for promoting activities and services that need to be around your home. For example, when you need something done at your home, you better search for local services. The same is with your power, water, post offices, police stations, hospitals, stores, and so on. The most important is probably knowing people around you, and that’s what Nextdoor is great at.

Design — 4/5

Nextdoor is designed more like a craigslist app than a social media client. It’s organized in sections, so you can look up any of them. The visuals are very schematic, but it’s not a game or a navigator; this app is mostly for reading. It’s comfortable with its white background and contrasting text, and it’s easy at loading pictures. Being informative and friendly, the app will take minutes to figure out.

Usability — 5/5

The sectional design really works here. If you need a babysitter or a specialist to repair and set up your home equipment, there’s a section for that. Want to read crime alerts to see the places to avoid or the measures to take for crime prevention? There’s a section for that. Need to sell old stuff without taking it to the garage? There’s a section for that, too.

Well, there is something similar to your feeds. That is, you can read local news of your area in a special section, and you can introduce yourself to your neighbors. That’s the way to do it without ceremonial running around; but if you want to have a party on this, you can arrange it with Nextdoor too.

As for September 2019, it covers over 202,000 neighborhoods all over the USA. It also covers the UK, Canada, Australia, Spain, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, and Sweden. Probably more countries will get covered soon.

Cross-Platform Use — 5/5

The app is available for Android and iOS, and for other platforms you can use its web interface on nextdoor.com. It sends you notifications to your smartphone or browser, so you will keep up with all the news you’re interested in.

In-App Purchases

The app is free to use. Though within it you can save or earn on sales and jobs, you need to use other payment systems or cash for transfers. It displays ads, but those concerning your neighborhood may be really relevant to you.

The Bottom Line

Nextdoor is probably the most visual illustration of how real and digital lives are bound. If you install Nextdoor, you’ll learn more about people and events around you, wherever you are, and keep track of what’s going on right now. One of the most useful apps, illustrating that smartphones are not only made to escape your reality.

• Graphics 5
• Gameplay 4
• Controls 5
• Replay Value 5

Pros

Covers many spheres of your local life;
Connects you to neighbors;
Lets you earn and save locally;
Free to use;
Available in many languages.

Cons

Only available in select countries.