Blog

Short on time?

How to Choose a Hayi Alternative

When you evaluate a community app, use the same yardstick for each option:

1. Verification & privacy – Does it verify residents (address/geo location)? Can you block/report users? Is it aligned with UAE PDPL (Personal Data Protection Law) principles?
2. Core community features – Announcements, building notices, events, polls, lost & found, emergency alerts, FREE to use classifieds (buy/sell).
3. Resident services – easy communication with neighbors and community members. Freedom to post, ask, recommend and advise without the fear of being banned.
4. Community operations – Role-based access (resident, business, building management).
5. Localization – Dubai-specific needs (weekend pattern, heat alerts, news and updates).
6. Ad experience – Ad-free or ad-light? Clear monetization?
7. Onboarding – Smooth join flows, resident directory, welcome post template, clear rules.
8. Support & price – Human support for admins, training, pricing clarity.
9. Availability in the UAE – If unsure, check availability in Dubai before migrating your community.

Deep Comparisons

DORZ

What it is

A Dubai-first community app built for residents, businesses, and community managers. It combines a clean, ad-free feed with the operational tools buildings actually need.

Who it’s for

High-rise towers, gated villa communities, townhouse compounds and mixed developments. Also useful for facility management teams and resident associations that want structured communication.

Key features

1. Verified onboarding (community/building-specific access)
2. Community feeds & announcements with pinning and categories
3. Categorized discussion topics, lost & found, classifieds (resident-only buy/sell)
4. FREE for all residents
5. Access to emergency numbers 
6. Role-based admin (resident, business, building management) & analytics
7. Customer support; built with Dubai’s usage patterns in mind
8. Ad-free resident experience

Privacy & safety

Resident verification, block/report, admin moderation, and data-minimization aligned with UAE PDPL principles. Clear separation between public-facing posts and private service requests.

Pricing & availability

Free downloads and full functionality for residents; subscription plans available for 57 categories of businesses. Available across all Dubai communities.

Best for

Ready to try DORZ? Download on iOS/Android or book a demo for your bisiness.

What it is

A messaging app used by nearly every Dubai resident. Easy to spin up building groups or community broadcasts.

Who it’s for

Small buildings or temporary groups that need quick coordination.

Strengths

1. Everyone already has it; onboarding is instant.
2. End-to-end encryption.
3. Voice notes, quick photos/videos for urgent issues.

Limitations

1. No resident verification; invite links spread easily.
2. High noise/spam; important notices get buried.
3. Nofacility booking, visitor passes, poll analytics or reporting.
4. Hard to enforce rules; admins burn out.
5. Illegal when it comes to collecting data. You basically give away your personal data to a stranger who decided to be a group admin.

Pricing/availability

Free (partially); available everywhere.

Best for

Back-up alerts and chat—not as your primary community platform.

Facebook Groups & Marketplace

What it is

Large social network with Groups for neighbourhoods and Marketplace for buy/sell.

Who it’s for

Residents who want wider reach for classifieds or event promotion.

Strengths

1. Familiar, discovery-friendly; events and live streams are easy.
2. Marketplace is strong for buy/sell.

Limitations

1. Weak residency checks; trolls/scammers slip in.
2. Algorithm noise and ads reduce visibility of urgent posts.
3. Limited building ops; no visitor/facility tools.

Pricing/availability

Free; available across UAE.

Best for

Public-facing promotions and city-wide classifieds—use alongside a resident-verified app like DORZ.

Telegram Channels/Groups

What it is

Messaging with Channels (broadcast) and Groups (chat). Popular with tech-savvy users.

Who it’s for

Communities that mainly need top-down announcements.

Strengths

1. Handles large audiences; Channels reduce chatter.
2. Good media delivery; desktop & mobile apps.

Limitations

1. Not resident-verified; join links leak.
2. Moderation burden; spam and scams are common.
3. No facilities, passes or structured service requests.

Pricing/availability

Free; widely used in UAE.

Best for

Side-channel broadcasts. Pair with a proper community platform for services and verification.

Meetup

What it is

Event platform for interest-based gatherings—from fitness groups to language exchanges.

Who it’s for

Residents who want to discover or host events city-wide.

Strengths

1. Great discovery; powerful RSVP tools.
2. Ideal for hobby clubs and workshops.

Limitations

1. Not a building app; no resident verification or facility/visitor tools.

Pricing/availability

Free for attendees; organiser fees may apply. Works in Dubai.

Best for

Back-up alerts and chat—not as your primary community platform.

Facebook Groups & Marketplace

What it is

Large social network with Groups for neighborhoods and Marketplace for buy/sell.

Who it’s for

Strengths

1. Familiar, discovery-friendly; events and live streams are easy.
2. Marketplace is suitable for buy/sell

Limitations

1. Weak residency checks; trolls/scammers slip in.
2. Algorithm noise and ads reduce visibility of urgent posts.
3. Limited building ops; no visitor/facility tools.
4. Paid if it violates the group policies.

Pricing/availability

Best for

Telegram Channels/Groups

What it is

Who it’s for

Strengths

1. Handles large audiences; Channels reduce chatter.
2. Good media delivery; desktop & mobile apps.

Limitations

1. Not resident-verified; join links leak.
2. Moderation burden; spam and scams are common.
3. No facilities, passes or structured service requests.
4. Bans and limitation on posting if admins simply don’t like you.
5. Illegal charges for certain posts (restaurant recommendations or promotions).

Pricing/availability

Best for

What it is

Event platform for interest-based gatherings — from fitness groups to language exchanges.

Who it’s for

Residents who want to discover or host events city-wide.

Strengths

1. Great discovery; powerful RSVP tools.
2. Ideal for hobby clubs and workshops.

Limitations

1. Not a building app; no resident verification or facility/visitor tools.
2. Paid

Pricing/availability

Best for

Master-Developer Resident Portals/Apps (Emaar, Nakheel, etc.)

What it is

Who it’s for

Strengths

1. Authoritative source for dues, service requests and documents.
2. Integrated with developer workflows.

Limitations

1. Often ops-only (less social/community feed).
2. May not include classifieds, polls, events or resident-to-resident chat.
3. Not available for all family members, only those on Ejari.

Pricing/availability

Best for

dubizzle & Other Classifieds

What it is

Dubai’s leading classifieds marketplace for buy/sell/rent.

Who it’s for

Strengths

1. Huge audience; rich categories.

Limitations

1. Not private to your building; no resident verification.
2. Be privacy-aware; meet in public places and use platform safeguards.
3. Paid

Pricing/availability

Best for

Feature-by-Feature Comparison (Snapshot)

Which Alternative Is Best for You?

1. Families in towers: Choose DORZ for verified resident feeds, easy navigation, categorized discussions, and easy Buiness Directory within communities. Keep a WhatsApp group as a backup alert channel.
2. Villa compounds / gated communities: DORZ everything, from community updates to classifieds. Use the developer portal for official dues and NOCs.
3. Community managers / Developer portal (official ops) is good for NOCs and official paperwork. Use DORZ for engagement, analytics, and resident feedback (polls, surveys, ticketing).
4. Buy/sell hunters: Use dubizzle for city-wide reach and paid classifieds, but prefer DORZ classifieds for resident-only listings within your building/compound. FOR FREE.

Privacy, Safety & UAE PDPL — What to Know

1. Share less, not more: Only provide data required for verification; avoid posting IDs or tenancy documents in chats.
2. Verified spaces: Prefer platforms that verify residence and let you block/report quickly.
3. Clear rules: Post community guidelines (buy/sell etiquette, respectful language, no spam).
4. Screenshots & forwards: Assume public visibility; keep personal addresses and phone numbers in private channels.
5. Compliance mindset: Choose apps that respect UAE PDPL principles—data minimization, purpose limitation and resident controls.

Start now: Download DORZ or book a manager demo..

FAQs

Is Hayi still active in Dubai?

What is the best community app in Dubai right now?

For a verified, ad-free resident feed plus business directory, emergency numbers and themed & categorized discussions, DORZ is a strong all-round choice. Pair it with your developer portal for official processes.

Apps like DORZ use building/community verification. General social apps (WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram) do not verify residents, and they are not really legal.

Most social apps are free to a certain extent. Most Telegram, WhatsApp and Facebook groups will ban, block or ask you money if you post something AGAINST their policy or sponsored ads.

You can, but expect noise, spam and no verification or facility/visitor tools, and data loss. Most communities use WhatsApp as a backup channel.

Final Verdict

If you want a safer, verified and genuinely useful community space for your Dubai building or villa compound, choose a platform built for the job. DORZ combines an ad-free resident feed with the business directory, emergency numbers and themed & categorized discussions. Completely free for all residents.

Ready to switch?

1. Residents & Businesses: Download DORZ (iOS & Android)
2. Community managers: Book a demo to see DORZ in action

3. Learn more: Explore DORZ features