swapfolk
Austin is open. Founding members, check your email.

Swipe for skills.

Trade what you know for what you want to learn.

Swapfolk matches people in Austin who teach each other. Guitar for Spanish. Google Ads for Mandarin. Meal prep for piano. You are not paying for a lesson, you are trading one.

Join the waitlistHow it works

Austin opens at 100 founding members. Founding members get premium free for life. Made in Austin; more cities after Austin fills.

How a swap works

Swipe through people in Austin, match with someone who wants what you have, and trade. Both of you walk away better at something.

1

Say what you can teach

Anything you are good at counts. A language, an instrument, a recipe, a trade, the software you use at work.

2

Say what you want to learn

We match you with someone in Austin who has it and wants what you have.

3

Meet up and trade

Coffee shop, park, a kitchen, a gym, or video. An hour, an afternoon, a few sessions. How long and how often is up to the two of you.

4

Level up, then swap again

Keep going with the same person, or trade the skill you just learned with someone new. Every swap makes you more useful to the next one.

The kind of trades people are lining up for

Real examples of what people want to teach and learn. These are the first swaps we are matching when Austin opens.

WeiAustin

I teach Mandarin at an Austin language school. Happy to start from zero or polish tones.

TeachesMandarin
swap
WantsGuitar
GraceAustin

Church pianist for ten years. Starting a lesson business and need people to find it.

TeachesPiano
swap
WantsHelp getting found on Google
JordanAustin

Coach for 8 years. I can make a week of food in 90 minutes. I cannot play a single chord.

TeachesMeal prep
swap
WantsGuitar
SofiaAustin

Grew up in Monterrey. Casual conversation over coffee, no textbooks.

TeachesSpanish conversation
swap
WantsGuitar
LuisAustin

I run a salsa night on Thursdays. Want to build a coffee table this year.

TeachesSalsa dancing
swap
WantsWoodworking
DanaAustin

I sell mugs at the Cherrywood market and nobody finds my site.

TeachesWheel throwing
swap
WantsWebsite help
DevAustin

Data analyst. I can automate anything you do in Excel. My bike has had a flat since March.

TeachesPython and spreadsheets
swap
WantsBike repair
TheoAustin

Freelance photographer. Manual mode and editing in two sessions. Heading to Oaxaca in the spring.

TeachesPhotography
swap
WantsSpanish

Trades people would actually make

Anything you are good at is currency. Here are the kinds of swaps we expect to see in Austin, and most people have three or four things on this list they could teach.

GuitarswapSpanish
Google AdsswapMandarin
Meal prepswapPiano
Excel and spreadsheetsswapYoga
Resume and interview prepswapHaircuts
Tax basicsswapGuitar
PotteryswapWebsite help
SalsaswapWoodworking
PhotographyswapSpanish
Public speakingswapBike repair
Sewing and alterationsswapPython
ChessswapCooking Thai food
Car maintenanceswapSpanish
GardeningswapSocial media
DrawingswapMandarin
Home repairswapBookkeeping
Lifting and formswapVideo editing
Baking breadswapPhotography
FrenchswapTrip planning
Notion and productivityswapRunning coaching
BartendingswapGraphic design
NegotiationswapPiano
Sign languageswapGuitar
KnittingswapExcel
Dog trainingswapSpanish
ImprovswapCoding
Real estate basicsswapFitness
Canva and designswapCooking
Interior stylingswapMarketing
PokerswapSalsa
DJingswapBookkeeping
ClimbingswapPortuguese
WeldingswapWebsite help
SongwritingswapPersonal finance
Jiu jitsuswapPhotography
SourdoughswapGuitar

Not on the list? That is the point. Put it on the form.

What people in Austin want to learn

Each of these has a page on what the swap looks like and who is offering it.

GuitarSpanishPianoMandarinPotteryCookingSalsa dancingPersonal trainingPhotographyGoogle ads

Founding members get premium free for life.

Austin opens the day the list hits 100 members. Everyone on it by then gets the premium tier, which will include more pitches a week and matching outside Austin, free for as long as the app exists. One email when it opens, nothing else.

Founding members get premium free for life. No spam, one email when it opens.

A

Why I am building this

I am Andrew. I run ads and SEO for a living, I play guitar badly, and I have wanted to learn Mandarin for years. Every time someone asked me for marketing help I thought, I would happily do this if you taught me something. Swapfolk is that trade, made easy to find: you get better at something you want, by being good at something you already are. It starts in Austin because that is where I live.

Questions

Is it really free?
The swap is free. You trade a skill for a skill. Later there will be an optional premium tier with more reach, and founding members get that free for life.
Will there be paid sessions?
Possibly, later. Some people will want to charge for lessons once they have a track record on Swapfolk, and we may add that as an option. The core of Swapfolk stays the trade, and we will say so clearly before anything paid turns on.
How long is a swap?
Whatever you two agree. Some people trade an hour over coffee, some spend an afternoon in a kitchen, some meet weekly for a month. There is no clock.
What if I am not good enough to teach?
If you are a step ahead of someone, you can teach them that step. Most swaps are beginner to intermediate, taught by people who were beginners not long ago.
Where do swaps happen?
Wherever the two of you agree. Coffee shops, parks, a kitchen, a gym, or video. Swapfolk does not require a public place; that is your call.
Is this dating?
No. It is skill trading. Profiles show what you teach and what you want, not photos first, and there is a report button on every conversation.
Can I verify who I am swapping with?
ID verification will be optional, with a verified tag on profiles that do it. It is handled by an ID partner and Swapfolk never sees your ID number.
I am not in Austin. Can I join?
Yes. Pick "Outside Austin" on the form and tell us your city in the skills box. Austin is first because it is where I live and where I can run the first Swap Nights in person. The next cities come from where the waitlist fills up.
When does it open?
Austin opens at 100 founding members. The counter at the top of the page shows how many spots are left. You will get one email when it does.