How To Find The Best Dating App For You

Dating apps can lead you to a hot mess or hot night. The idea is to help you find someone you actually want to “date”. It can be hard to find an app that works best for you or for what you’re looking for. We broke down the most popular dating apps to help you find the right fit for you.

1. Hinge

With a slogan like “Designed to be deleted” it kind of gives us hope for a dating app. Hinge tries to get people to make meaningful connections in eight different ways. They have more detailed profiles, limited amount of likes per day and conversation ice breakers. The idea is quality and not quantity! The detailed profiles let you see more than just a face, so you’ll know right away if the person has the same interests or beliefs as you. Hinge uses an algorithm that will show you people who you are most compatible with. Try the free trial and if you like it, pay the $7 monthly fee to keep going!

2. Tinder

Tinder might have a slight reputation for being a hook up app. However, if you are just looking for something more causal this app is for you. You will see a variety of profile pictures come up on the screen and must decide if you want to swipe left or right. Swipe left to decline the profile, and swipe right to like the profile. If that person swipes right on your profile, it’s a match! You’ll get a notification and then you can start to message each other. If conversations go well, meet up with each other to see if you have a connection in person as well.

3. Bumble

Ladies you are in control with this dating app! Much like Tinder, you will create a profile and start to see other potential profile pictures. You’ll swipe right if you are interested in that person and swipe left if you are not feeling it. If that person also swipes right on you, you’ll be a match. This is when it gets interesting. Ladies, you have to make the first move. Reach out and let them know you are interested with a conversation starter. The thing is, the other person only has 24 hours to respond to your message. If they don’t respond within that time frame, the connection is lost!

4. Bumble BFF

Not only can you use Bumble to find a romantic relationship, you can also use it to find friendships! Bumble BFF is essentially the same as regular Bumble. Instead of looking for romantic partners, you are looking for people to hang out with. You still swipe right if you’re interested or swipe left if you’re not. The algorithm matches the people they think you are the most compatible with. It’s a great way to make new friends in a new city or broaden your friend group.

5. The League

Sounds fancy, right? That’s because it is! The League is one of the more prestigious dating apps. They screen members and you have to apply to be a part of this community. In some cities there is even a waiting list to join! So they must be doing something right. These profiles feature professionals and ivy leaguers. They are very focused on finding you a match with their six point system. They will even weed out the more potential matches from the less appealing ones. Link your LinkedIn profile to your account to connect with others in similar professional backgrounds.

6. OKCupid

You’re more than just a photo right? You have hobbies, interests and opinions. So with OKCupid you get to show off all your best traits and even the not so good ones too. This dating app wants to get to know the person behind the photos. Like most other apps, you have the ability to swipe right or left on a person. Unlike other sites, they ask you questions to get a feel for who you are. When you answer the questions you get a score, and that’s how you find suitable matches. They will match you up with someone who has similar answers to yours. Answer a question, make a match and go out on a first date. What’s the worst that could happen?

7. HER

Find your person in a fun and safe way on Her. It is for queer womxn and created by queer womxn. Not only can you find a relationship with this dating app, but you can find amazing events to attend as well. Create your profile, pick your gender (optional), upload photos and start liking other profile pictures. You can “like” each other and start a conversation going. They strive to create a safe environment where everyone can be themselves while looking for their other half.

8. Hornet

This is the one time you want to get a hornet “sting”. Hornet is a dating app where you can find your partner (hopefully). Similar to Grindr, Hornet allows men and others in the LBGTQ community to find each other, stay up to date on news or events happening in the area. Create a profile to start following and stinging users who you are interested in. Apply filters or use hashtags to really narrow down what you are looking for; those with closer proximity will show first. Create a friendship or start a relationship, the main thing is to start looking!

9. Coffee Meets Bagel

This is not a coffee shop app or find a bakery app. Coffee Meets Bagel (CMB) is actually a dating app! How fun is that! Once you create your profile, every day at noon, CMB will send you bagels, or matches. They are tailored specifically for you based off an algorithm. If you like one of the matches, go ahead and heart it. From there you can start a conversation to see if there are any sparks. If you have trouble finding something to talk about, CMB personalizes icebreakers to help you get started. Use the beans, or points to unlock different features in the app. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up at a coffees shop for a first date!

10. Match

Sometimes you have to start at the beginning to find a dating app that works for you. Match was the original dating app for singles and there is a reason it is still around today. They have the most detailed profile section of any of the dating apps. So, you actually get a glimpse of who the person is rather than just in photos. Another bonus is that you don’t have to actually match with someone to message them and start a conversation. Apply filters to narrow down what you are looking for. The only downside is that you have to have a subscription to use this app. If you end up with someone from the site, it could be the best money you ever spent!