Free Dating Apps

It makes sense that not everyone was so down to leave romance up to chance, so dating app usage exploded (and that was even before the pandemic necessitated it). In 2019, the Pew Research Center found that from a survey of about 4,800 adults in the U.S., 30% of them have used dating apps.

Fast forward to 2023, factor in the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and our dating landscape has evolved. Even with the disillusionment these days that has led some to opt for blind dates and speed dating, dating apps are still a worthwhile way to meet a partner, even if it takes some time.

Free Dating Apps

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Dating apps give you the rare opportunity to connect with hundreds of people you wouldn't have known otherwise while also allowing you to explore your sexuality and find out what you want in a partner. Yes, that includes potentially connecting with hundreds of people you'd rather not have known, but we still think that the pros can outweigh the cons in a lot of cases.

Statista predicts that the online dating audience will grow to 53.3 million by 2025, a leap from 44.2 million users in 2020. It's also becoming more and more common to meet serious, long-term partners on apps. From a 2022 survey, the Pew Research Center found that out of the nearly 6,000 respondents they heard from, one in 10 partnered adults (those who were married, in a long-term relationship, or living together) met through a dating app.

With so many dating apps out there, it's easy to feel confused or overwhelmed by the options. While Match Group (Tinder, Match, Archer, OkCupid, Hinge, Plenty of Fish, and The League, among others) continues to dominate the market, you don't have to limit yourself to just one brand when looking for the best dating app.

Finding the best dating app is purely subjective. To help you out, we've narrowed down some of the best dating apps of 2023 based on hands-on testing, customer reviews, overall functionality, availability (all are available on the App Store or Google Play), and user-friendliness:

Match also offers several premium features, including unlimited likes and the ability to see who's viewed your profile, which can increase your chances of finding a compatible partner. Plus, Match is serious about cracking down on fake profiles. Now, you need to upload three photos to set up your profile, which helps ensure a safer and more authentic dating experience.

Hinge isn't your traditional dating app: It's geared towards younger adults in their 20s and 30s who are tired of swiping and interested in starting a real conversation. Approximately 49% of Hinge users are between 18 and 29 years old. Only 2% of users are over the age of 50.

eharmony is a popular dating app for people looking for serious relationships and long-term commitments. It's more of a traditional dating app than a hookup app; the algorithm focuses on compatibility, personality traits, shared interests, and core values.

eharmony users tend to skew older, most falling into the 35-54 age range. So, if you're out of your 20s and ready to settle down, are conservative, or value religion in your dating preferences, eharmony might be worth looking into.

OkCupid (also a part of the Match Group) is a popular dating app for singles who aren't afraid to share their opinions on social and political issues. With 22 gender identities and 12 sexual orientations, OkCupid welcomes people of all gender identities and orientations.

Tinder is basically a mobile app for finding hookups or a date within the hour. This doesn't mean all your connections will be surface level, but users go in with a different mindset than they would on say, Match. Its interface is simple and intuitive, and its premium features, such as Tinder Plus and Tinder Gold, offer additional perks for people interested in casual dating.

If there's one app that fits the bill for this category, it's Tinder. The Tinder app has become one of the most popular dating apps for casual dating and steamy one-night stands. With its pioneering swiping feature, Tinder has transformed how people date and has become a household name in online dating, boasting 1.6 billion swipes daily.

The app's straightforward formula is well-known: swipe right if you like what you see, and swipe left if you don't. When both parties swipe right, it's a match. It's simple, effective, and widely copied in the dating app world. If you like to know a bit more about your matches than the standard bio might divulge, Tinder has finally taken a page out of Hinge's book by adding prompts to profiles. And if you need help narrowing down your options, Tinder's new matchmaker feature allows you to invite your friends and family (whether or not they have accounts themselves) to send you recommended profiles.

Bumble is a dating app that puts women (and non-binary users) in the driver's seat. The app's unique selling point from the beginning was that women have to make the first move, so if you're a woman who's tired of receiving unsolicited messages from men on other mainstream dating apps, Bumble could be the solution you're looking for.

Unlike other dating apps, Bumble requires women and non-binary people to make the first move, giving them more power to choose who to talk to and when. This unique feature helps filter out unwanted messages and creepy encounters they often face on other dating apps.

HER is a dating app designed specifically for LGBTQ+ people, queer women, and non-binary individuals seeking a safe and inclusive online dating experience. Unlike other dating apps, HER is not just an afterthought or an add-on for queer women. It's a space that centers their experiences and allows them to connect with other like-minded people in a fun and meaningful way.

If you're a queer woman looking for love, chances are you've had your fair share of frustrating experiences on heteronormative dating sites. Between straight people looking for threesomes and creepy men pretending to be women, finding a safe and inclusive space to meet potential partners can be tough. That's where HER comes in. Designed by and for queer women, this award-winning app offers a refreshing alternative to mainstream dating sites.

With a rapidly growing user base of over 4 million, HER is quickly becoming the go-to app for queer women who want to expand their dating pool beyond their existing social circles. And with cool profile features that let you get creative with your gender, sexuality, pronouns, and diet preferences, HER makes it easy to express your authentic self.

Grindr is the go-to online dating app for gay and bisexual men looking for other men. If you've had enough of the mainstream dating apps that don't cater to your preferences or are tired of explaining your sexuality, Grindr is the perfect place to be yourself.

Grindr has been the No. 1 dating app for gay and bi men since 2009, and that's because finding someone to talk to is damn near-instantaneous. Instead of swiping right or left to match, the app uses geolocation to connect users with nearby singles.

Feeld is a dating app for people interested in exploring non-traditional relationships and sexual experiences. It's perfect for individuals and couples who are polyamorous, open-minded, or curious about alternative lifestyles, calling itself the "dating app for the curious."

Feeld is a niche dating app for couples and singles to find threesomes, foursomes, twosomes or however many people you want. (This isn't the first dating site to focus on non-monogamous sex and kink, but it's the first to do it in a way that doesn't look like a pop-up ad.)

The Pure dating app is designed for people who are looking for casual hookups with no strings attached. It's for those who want to cut straight to the chase without dealing with the hassle of traditional dating apps and those who value their privacy and anonymity.

Coffee Meets Bagel is ideal for people who are tired of endless swiping on other dating apps and prefer a more curated selection of potential matches. It's also great for those who are looking for a serious relationship, as the app's algorithm focuses on quality over quantity and encourages users to take the time to get to know each other before meeting in person.

Grabbing coffee is the low-pressure date idea that lets you skip trying to choose a dressy-but-not-too-extra outfit for a concert or a restaurant. Coffee Meets Bagel is like the "grabbing coffee" version of dating apps, aiming to bring an easygoing atmosphere to folks who might just be a little rusty. The now-successful Shark Tank bust is one of those rare dating apps that actually gets decent feedback on Reddit. Every profile shown to men has already been okay-ed by the women, so the chance of getting unsolicited messages from creepy guys (or the worry of being seen as creepy) is drained a bit.

Heybaby is a dating app designed specifically for people who want to start a family or find a partner who shares their desire to have children in the future. Whether you're ready to have a child now or in the near future, Heybaby is the perfect app to connect you with singles who are looking for the same thing.

Heybaby also has a more intensive verification process than most other apps. Once you've uploaded photos, you send another picture to the app mimicking a pose they show you so they can confirm that your profile photos are, in fact, real. Then, you wait for an email that'll tell you whether or not you've been verified.

If it weren't for all the dead profiles (and out-of-date interface), Zoosk could be a dating app suitable for people looking for a diverse and active dating pool. Still, unlike most other apps on this list, it's not owned by the Match Group.

When Zoosk switched from a social media app to a legit dating site, it was more or less in a league of its own. Incorporating "liking" photos and having a similar look to a Facebook feed was super attractive to young, single people... in the early 2000s. The problem is that Zoosk hasn't changed much since then.

Every app in our list has been extensively tested by Mashable staff writers or freelance writers with experience researching and writing about relationships and dating. We're passionate about helping people find love and want to ensure our readers have the best possible experience when using our dating app recommendations. ff782bc1db