With over 91 million people now using location-based mobile dating apps to meet someone special, new apps seem to pop up every day. The choices are overwhelming, and who’s got time to test drive them all?
Don’t waste your time with apps that aren’t worth the download. Instead, start swiping your way to success with these 7 best dating apps.
Start with the one you're most curious about, or check them all out!
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#1. Tinder
Available in 190 countries, it's the most popular dating app in the US. If you live in a large city, the potential dating pool is huge – the app claims to produce 26 million matches every day.
Because Tinder is location based and 76% of users live in urban areas, your odds of finding a match significantly decrease in smaller, rural cities.
You can Tinder for free, or opt for the “Tinder Plus“, “Tinder Gold” or “Tinder Platinum” subscriptions, all available as . Upgrading Tinder costs anywhere from $9.99 to $39.99 a month, depending on which membership you purchase.
If you’re a free user, you’re restricted to a daily budget of swipes. Once you’ve seen around 100 profiles, you have to wait about 12 hours before you can swipe some more. But upgrading allows you to swipe as much as you’d like.
If you tend to accidentally a lot, the monthly fee allows you to undo it. And if you travel frequently upgrading makes sense because it allows you to change your geographic location on Tinder. So with a little pre-planning, you can have attractive singles waiting to meet you at your destination before you’ve even stepped off the plane.
You’ll find singles of all ages using the app, although it’s most popular with the 16 to 34-year-old crowd. You can link like your Spotify and
Tinder’s been long considered a “hook-up” app, but you can also find people seeking long-term relationships there as well. Just like you can meet your future spouse at a bar, you can meet your future spouse on Tinder.
Want a date for the weekend? Check out these 11 Tinder Hacks! And for help with everything from your Tinder pictures to your bio, you won't want to miss this Ultimate Guide to Tinder.
You can use Tinder online, or download for both iOS and Android:
#2. Bumble
The second most popular dating app in the US, Bumble is a good bet. Especially if you’re on the hotter end of the spectrum, since only women can initiate contact. It's quickly become a for single tired of getting flooded with lame pick up lines.
And there's one other twist that sets it apart from apps like Tinder – once you’ve both swiped right, she only has 24 hours to send you a message before the match disappears. (And guys have the same amount of time to reply.)
If you upgrade to Bumble Boost, you can use the “Busybee” feature to add an additional 24 hours to the match window. “Rematch” allows you to reconnect with past matches for an extra 24 hours. Bumble Premium unlocks your “Beeline”, which consists only of singles who have already expressed interest by swiping right. It's packed with other handy features too, including privacy features.
For all the details on both options, check out this comparison!
If you do decide to upgrade, you're looking at $14.99 for 1 month of Boost, or $32.99 for 1 month of Premium.
But even if you use Bumble for free, your profile has to make potential dates want to engage in a conversation with you,
Having 6 strong photos and an interesting 300-character-or-less profile is crucial. According to one of the app’s founders, the odds of getting a message are in your favor – around 60% of matches result in a conversation.
The app’s gender demographics are supposedly about equal, with 55% of users being male. For everything Bumble, including message, profile and Move Makers examples, check out this Ultimate Guide!
#3. Hinge
When Hinge first launched, it tried to match users who share Facebook friends, so it was like Tinder without the randomness. But now you can also use Hinge without Facebook by signing up with just a mobile number.
Plus, Hinge requires users creating an account via Facebook to have a minimum of 60 friends. That cuts way down on the number of fake profiles, so you can be relatively certain the person you’re messaging actually exists.
On the downside, the user pool tends to be smaller than on an app like Tinder. But overall Hinge attracts singles seeking a serious, long-term relationship, so if that’s your goal you’ll find plenty of like-minded people.
Hinge only lets free users “like” 10 profiles daily (but upgrade to the premium version and you too swipe without limits).
Hinge profiles aren't the traditional “About Me” style. Instead of filling out a bio, you select a “prompt” to answer. Prompts are questions or statements like “If I had to get a tattoo of an emoji” or “two truths and a lie,” which you can fill out in 150 characters or less. You'll need to fill out 3 and upload all 6 photos/videos before you can interact with other users.
Profiles also reveal information about what college you went to and where you work. So you know a little more about your matches up front, which can help you decide if they are good prospects.
According to Hinge, the male/female ratio is 50-50, and 90% of users are between 23 and 36.
For plenty of expert Hinge help, check out this Ultimate Guide!
#4. happn
If you live in a major metropolitan area like New York City, Happn is worth a shot. This app took Tinder’s concept and added an interesting twist: Potential matches appear in your feed after you cross paths with them in real life.
Happn even has a handy map to pinpoint where you and your potential matches happened to enter your “dating radius.” You can expand that distance to a max of 55 miles.
It also notifies you when a potential match is currently within range, although for safety reasons you won’t know *exactly* where. But if you’re in line at Starbucks and she’s at a nearby table, you will appear in each other’s feeds. If you both accept the match, you can start messaging.
The app launched in Paris, and has been accumulating users around the world ever since. But since matches are based specifically on proximity, it's not one of your best options unless you’re in a heavily populated city with a big user base.
It's free, with the option to upgrade an unlock premium features. Starting at $24.99 for a month, you can hide your profile, turn off the geolocation feature, filter your matches and more.
For all the details on this popular dating app, check out this Happn review!
#5. Coffee Meets Bagel
Coffee Meets Bagel is similar to Tinder and Hinge, but takes a “men want selection, and women are selective” approach. This #LadiesChoice stance makes it one of the most popular mobile apps with women – they outnumber men 60:40 on CMB. You can use Facebook to set your profile up, or login with a mobile number.
Men receive up to 21 matches, called “bagels,” at noon every day. Women only see bagels who have already “liked” them, and who meet their search criteria.
CMB is a great option if you don’t have time to devote to the tons of swiping and messaging required for success on an app like Tinder.
Users have 24 hours to review each match, and can only exchange messages for 7 days.
Odds are good your matches will be checking out your profile, so it needs to stand up to scrutiny. Although you only have to write three sections (“I am”, “I like”, and “I appreciate when my date”), you’ll want to put some thought into your answers.
You can further round out your profile by answering additional prompts.
Curious exactly how Coffee Meets Bagel works? Check out this detailed dating app review!
#6. OkCupid
The mobile app allows you to manage your OkCupid.com account on your smartphone. You'll notice the mobile app version lets you swipe left and right on profiles, just like on Tinder. The dating app uses the same algorithm as the website, which shows you potential matches based on your answers to questions designed to gauge your interests, personality and values.
There are also questions that will help you attract , and a handy match score that lets you know how compatible you are with a particular .
One million people install the app every week, according to the company, and about 7.3 million messages are exchanged every week.
OkCupid is one of the most popular free dating sites, and it also offers 2 upgraded membership options. It used to be called “A-List“, but has since been renamed OkCupid Basic & OkCupid Premium. Upgrading starts around $9.95/month, or less when you commit to multiple months at a time.
Premium features include seeing who likes you, advanced search filters, and being shown to users with a higher attractiveness rating.
For the best chance of meeting someone special on this popular dating site, check out these OkCupid profile examples tips!
#7. PlentyOfFish
Plenty Of Fish also developed a great app for its dating site users. The company claims 80 percent of POF usage now takes place on mobile devices.
POF is one of the largest free online dating sites out there, and using the free app gives you access to a huge dating pool.
But that's the proverbial blessing and curse, as you'll likely find the quality of matches varies widely. Literally anyone can create a profile, provided they've got the patience to answer all the mandatory registration questions. As with any free dating app, you're far more likely to run across escorts, fakes, scammers and that sort of thing than you would on a paid one like Match mobile.
You'll find a robust selection of search filters, though, and you can screen for everything from height, age and body type to income, education and kids – all for free.
The app uses the same matching algorithm as the online site, so you can also check out your suggested matches. If you want to get even more compatible suggestions, take the Chemistry Test – it will give the app an idea of your personality, character traits, interests etc…
There’s no limit to the number of matches or messages you can send and receive, even as a free member. And if you want the hottest singles in your city sending messages your way, check out these POF profile tips!
There you have it – the 7 best dating apps. Online dating just got even more convenient. But if you’re not sure how to bring your A-game, or don’t have time to keep up with all that swiping, let us help.
Our dating experts know these apps inside and out, and we can find and message attractive women for you. All you have to do is show up to your dates! Click here to learn more about the quickest and easiest way to meet your ideal partner.
