Although dating apps can be overwhelming, they’re one of the most popular approaches out there and for good reason—we’re all on them now. If you’re looking to optimize your time, it might be a smart idea to approach the apps with a sense of intentionality, which means, signing up for the apps that will give you the best chance to meet your kind of people. After all, you’re not looking to meet everybody—you want to meet the right ones. (Here are all our best online dating tips, btw.) So, without further ado, we’ve rounded up the best dating apps for 2023, depending on what you’re looking for. Once the quiz is completed, you fill out your profile with prompts, photos, and icons to indicate your hobbies and interest. Our tester says the profile took at least 20 minutes to complete, although not all users include the same level of detail on their profiles. Luckily, putting extra effort into your profile pays off; you’ll receive a compatibility score for all potential suitors before you even connect. This score was an extra intriguing feature to our tester, who reported they’d never seen something similar on a dating app. Per our expert, this is key to make eHarmony one of the the best dating sites for serious relationships. “The profile list is limited since it’s for [the people] who don’t want to deal with the ups and downs of dating app culture and want to settle down,” Ruiz explains. Just be warned the best way to experience eHarmony is with a paid membership. Our tester found that certain features (like photos) are blurred in the free version, and chat functions are limited. While the membership is pricier with subscriptions starting at $30/month, new users can save 20% on them by entering promo code MBG20 at checkout. Want to know more? Read our full eHarmony review to discover why this might be the most intentional dating app. Cost: Memberships are available in 6, 12, or 24 month increments. Prices start at $60/month for the most affordable membership and drop down to $30/month for the biggest bundle. The dating side is widely known for its keyword search options, long-form profiles, and interactive personality quizzes. It’s a popular dating site if you want to get away from plain swiping and meet others with a high match percentage and shared interests. When you join OkCupid, you’ll be prompted to add up to six photos, write a bio, and take a 15-question comptability quiz. These initial responses will be used to start gauging your compatibility score with other users—and you’ll have the option to see exactly where you align (or disagree). If certain requirements are a dealbreaker, you can inform the app; otherwise you may end up receiving a high compatibility score with someone seeking marriage when you’re seeking a hook-up. [Pro tip: OkCupid offers 500+ compatibility questions and answering more will ensure a more accurate match.] The UX is a little less intuitive than other dating apps; you still swipe left or right to “like” another user, but you’ll need to click the bottom of the screen to open their profile. Once in the profile, you can swipe through photos and open the compatibility feature. If you forget to open the profile before attempting to swipe on profile photos, you may accidentally swipe left on a potential match. Thankfully, the reverse button is free, unlike many other popular dating apps. What’s not free? The ability to see who already “likes” your profile (unless they sent an “intro”) or view certain match filters, like “new users” or “popular users.” Cost: OkCupid premium starts $44.99/month with discounts for a 3-month membership ($29.99/month) or a 6-month membership ($22.49) Hinge also comes with limited swipes (unless you pay for a premium account), but this feature is a good thing. A smaller number of likes will motivate you to slow down and see each profile as a person, instead of another face in a sea of faces, which helps avoid mindless swiping. “This is a great option for those who are just entering the dating scene,” Schneider says. “It has a lot of great questions to get to know potential matches on the app and a new voice note feature. It’s immensely helpful to see if someone’s voice piques your interest.” When you do decide to go on a date, be sure to let Hinge know about your interactions. As the app learns more about your preferences, it will adjust your algorithm to recommend better matches. The only downside? A few of these top matches may be located it the “Standouts” section of the app, which requires you to send a rose to match. You only receive one rose per week with an option to pay for additional roses. These curated profiles may occasionally enter the regular batch of potential matches or “Discover” section, but it’s rare—so you’ll likely need to save your rose or pay to connect with them. Cost: Premium memberships start at just $15/month when you sign up for six months and increase to $30/month for a one-month membership. If you’re looking for a long-term relationship, Match is known as a site for serious daters. The more questions you answer, the more targeted your matches will be. The detail-rich site lets you search around the database and check out members with similar preferences as yours. It also displays when members were last active, so it’s likelier to match with someone who was recently online. Plus, you can see who’s checking out your profile as a paid user. A top dating site for those over 50, Match stands out for the way it filters potential connections, per our tester. It allows you to partake in reverse matching, which shows people who are specifically looking for your likes, interests, etc. Otherwise you can opt to mutual matching, which shows you people who fit your specific criteria—and both are free. We also love that the robust profiles allow up to 26 (!!!) photos with an option to work with a dating expert to better curate your profile. However, many of the apps best features, like read receipts, are blocked behind a membership, and free users can only chat with one person a day. Cost: Match offers a few subscription plans starting at $19/month when you sign up for a one-year membership. The one-month membership is a commitment option but costs a whopping $46. Tinder also still has some viable dating prospects on the app; you may just have to weed through a lot of matches to find them. Although plenty of people these days have met their forever partners on Tinder, Schneider says it generally may not be the best app for serious dating due to its oversaturation. But its strong reputation is also its strong suit: “I find with my clients that it’s still widely used, which can be helpful if you’re not in a city and live in a more remote area,” she says. Cost: Tinder Plus, Gold, & Platinum are available starting at $20 per month. Because of Feeld’s transparency and refreshing openness, it’s simpler to have honest conversations about your sexual preferences without it feeling creepy or unsolicited. Feeld also has a powerful matching algorithm that makes it comfortable to connect with like-minded partners for casual sex and fantasy fulfillment. Cost: Sign up for the premium “Magestic Membership” for $11.99/ month or save with a 3-month membership for $23.99 (~$8/month) Women have to make their first move within 24 hours, which adds urgency to the interaction and minimizes conversations falling to the wayside. We suggest trying these expert-recommended conversation starters on Bumble to make the most of your connection. You don’t have to just look for a romantic match on Bumble either. They have other features for business and BFF connections, too. Cost: Select features like the “Spotlight” (a bump to the top of others swiping queue) and SuperSwipe (a bold way to show your interest) start around $2. Upgrading to premium will cost $25/ month, but you can also for a cheaper “boost,” which unlocks a handful of premium features. Her strives to create an inclusive interface that actively bucks against heteronormative narratives, with the app encouraging its users to be open about their intersecting identities and relationship orientations. The dating experience is relatively uncomplicated—you can view profiles, “like” other users, match with people, and get to know someone via chat. It also comes with an additional social networking segment where you can learn about queer events, local parties, find new friends to meet up with, and spaces to discuss your interests. Cost: Premium starts at just $7.50/ month with a one-year membership and rises to $15/month with a month-to-month subscription. For that reason, Schneider agrees it’s one of the best LGBTQ+ social and dating sites out there. The open-ended possibilities help foster different connections of all types: a friend, new hookup, or someone to obsess over your favorite new TV show with. Cost: No premium offerings available Grindr consists primarily of a bio, pictures, and an ability to favorite others to keep track of the people you’re interested in. It also has an efficient geo-social location-based feature to connect with others within a close radius. Cost: Grindr offers two premium membership options: Xtra and Unlimited. Xtra starts at $19.99/month (or $99.99/year), while Unlimited is $39.99 for one month or $239.99 for a full year. Honorable Mention: Similar to Grindr, Scruff is popular among gay men but offers additional features for those looking for something more than a casual relationship. It has refined features to produce better conversations and offers varying filters to search for unique matches. Blk offers many of its options for free. Every day, you receive a personalized group of profiles to vet and chat with other users who have liked your profile. If you do decide to pay for a premium account, you can briefly boost your profile to be a top profile in your area, send an unlimited amount of likes, and rewind on people to give them a second chance. Cost: Premium membership starts at $9.99 a month, while the Elite option costs $19.99/month. The latter packs all the benefits of premium, as well as the option to see who has liked your profile. Once in a while, the app will periodically give you a few free likes for when you want to take your matches into your own hands. “Coffee Meets Bagel is best for those who have specific preferences in what they want from their match,” Ruiz says. It is a solid option for those who are looking for a relationship without wanting to spend a lot of time on the apps. Cost: Membership costs $35/month and unlocks features such as read receipts and profile boosts. He notes there’s a paid membership that can be much pricier than other dating apps, so it’s probably better suited for those who can financially afford the ongoing cost of a premium experience. For both free and paid users, it comes with a live feature where you can go on video speed dates. Cost: The League offers three membership tiers: a Member subscription for $299.99/month, an Owner subscription for $399.99/month, and an Investor subscription for $999.99/month. Ruiz points out there’s also a special feature to create a mixer, similar to a social event, and meet other singles that are part of the group. The interface resembles a social media website with icebreakers for easier conversations. Cost: Clover Premium is $9.99/ month with discounts for 3- or 6-month bundles. Happn has an element of kismet to it since it tallies how many times you and your potential matches cross paths with each other. Since you’re hanging around the same areas, it makes it exponentially easier to set up a date or grab a quick coffee at your favorite neighborhood coffee shop. Ruiz recommends Happn for consistent travelers or those who live in highly populated cities, so you’re not running into the same people repeatedly. Cost: Happn Premium costs $24.99/ month, unlocking premium features and blocking adds in your feed. Christian Mingle, for example, asks for and culls information about someone’s upbringing, education, interests, and their relationship to spirituality, so it appeals to serious daters. It also has enhanced privacy features and the ability to sort through matches by age and location. JSwipe is a leading dating app for Jewish millennial singles. The app boasts a strong database of users in their 20s and 30s, with many free basic features. One of the big negatives is that you’ll need a Facebook account to join. Salams was originally created to matchmake single Muslims, but it’s since expanded into connecting others for friendships and networking. Per the matchmaking angle, Salams prioritizes your cultural background, family upbringing, core beliefs, and overall personality over looks—so much so that in certain countries, photos are blurred until you’re ready to reveal it to your match.
