Let's be real, you've probably felt a bit fatigued by the whole dating thing over the past year, with multiple lockdowns and confusing tier systems meaning the only way to meet someone was with a stroll in the park or a virtual chat.

But now that lockdown is well and truly behind us and the country has opened up, we're faced with the dizzying choice of different options and boastings on offer from the best dating apps. Swiping on Tinder? Pinging a message on Bumble? Formulating a crackin’ profile on Hinge? Trying out brand new app Curtn, which is basically a hybrid of Tik-Tok and Tinder (yep, this one's for you, gen Z)?

It’s a jungle out there and whilst you might previously have turned your nose up at dating apps and preferred to meet people at your local bar, dating apps a vital opportunity to meet people, whether you're looking for love or just a bit of fun. In fact, according to a study from Bumble, over two thirds of respondents are using apps to find a steady relationship.

Tinder has released some tips for those looking for love post-lockdown too. According to the app, 71% of users consider it a deal breaker if their match has different political beliefs to them and 74% of users won't date someone who has a different view on the environment and sustainability, so maybe use these topics as an ice breaker to get them out of the way early.

So, how do you know which apps have the best tech? What are the new features they're developing? Which are the ones with the ‘best’ single people lurking on them, whether you define that by most intelligent, tallest, or your perfect astrological match?

You’re in luck, we’ve tried and tested the best dating app options on the market and we’re here to help you find your perfect match (the app, that is. No guarantees on the new beau, sorry).

Stuck for what to say? Try the best opening lines for Bumble to get initial conversation flowing easily.

Need profile tips? Here are the top tips from Tinder on how to have the best dating app profile.

Whether you love or loathe Tinder, there is no denying it has changed online dating forever.

As a result there is now no end of apps with the same aim of helping you fall in love and live happily ever after, or at the least find someone to hang out with next weekend.

Whether it's matching you on your favourite interests or finding someone who you share mutual friends with. Here, we take the biggest alternatives to Tinder and give them a spin to find out what (if anything) they do differently and what sets them apart.

Parship

The USP: The serious dating site for serious daters. This Hamburg-headquartered company leads with a couple of facts: a 38 percent success rate for premium Parship members and 23,000 new members each week. The idea is that Parship uses strictly objective, scientific processes to matchmake, which does rather click with the comedy German stereotype. Imagine Thomas Tuchel reading this bit of bumph from the website: "Sounds complicated. Mathematical. Psychological. But it is very simple. Parship searches – you find." Haunting.

Pros: There's an ID check feature which feels extremely sensible, and the emphasis on finding a match for you who does actually fit what you want and who you are is a good thing.

Cons: You register for free, but then there's a fair old monthly fee of £14.90 for the basic membership package – and it'll renew automatically, so you'd best not forget about it. There are a lot of extremely grumpy reviews from people struggling to make head or tail of the app. Plus, the pool of people in the UK isn't gigantic.

Verdict: Like a more intense reworking of OK Cupid, but without the charm or easy functionality for a casual user, this one feels like it's got some way to go before it goes overground.

Kippo

The USP: Liking the same things is the starting point of so many relationships, it does make a lot of sense to build a dating app around finding the fandoms and subcultures you're into already. Kippo doesn't style itself explicitly as a dating app, rather a place to find friends and hang out, but there's certainly a lot of sifting through profiles in hope of matching with people you fancy in the time-honoured manner. Fill out a form detailing which games you love plus the usual trad stuff about what you're looking for in a friend/partner, and on you go. It's the dating app for proud nerds and hardened gamers.

Pros: It's not just a case of sifting through pictures – there's the Kippoverse to wander around, looking something like a GameBoy era Pokémon universe. Play games, hang out with people, and audio chat with new mates. Depending on how much you liked Habbo Hotel, you might find the interface endearingly retro or maddeningly cutesy.

Cons: The clientele definitely skews younger, which might make you feel extremely 'How do you do fellow kids'. Suspicions that the Metaverse-lite interface is a bit too close to the thing Zuckerberg wants to boot you and your consciousness into will persist.

Verdict: For the shy dater, this is a godsend: there are so many icebreakers at hand to give you a simple in with whoever you're chatting to, plus the audio call functionality is both more intimate than just text and less open to abuse than video calling. You might not go out with someone just because they also like PUBG but it's a foot in a door.

The Sauce

The USP: The TikTokification of dating apps has already started, but The Sauce does away with stuffy, boomerish concepts like 'still images' entirely and instead has users approve or disapprove of each other by uploading videos of themselves. That, co-founder Sachin Kara says, means you can expect "Instagram stories, Reels, the odd TikTok and playful videos usually filmed by someone’s mate thrown into the mix, allowing members to get to know their match before they’ve even sent their first like".

Pros: Getting a read on someone's vibe is a lot easier with sound, movement and the sudden realisation that you were both in Rowan's arcade room the other Saturday night. Plus, you've got a lot more leeway to get creative and avoid the dreaded profile picture triumvirate of 'man holding fish', 'man with arm around four other men', and ''

Cons: Watching other people's Insta stories can be a bit tedious at the best of times. Also, might feel a bit like doing one of those excruciatingvideo pre-interviews for an internship. Let's keep those memories pushed deep, deep down.

Verdict: A lot livelier and more fun than your average app format, and it does make it easier to filter out anyone who's got a sideline in lame Olly Murs-lite pranks.

thesauceapp.co

Victoria

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The USP: Properly styled as 'Victoria the app', just in case you get it mixed up with 'Victoria the rail terminus' or 'Victoria the Beckham', this is less a straightforward dating app than a member's club with a bit where you can get your sauce on. The idea is to help people connect through curated experiences suggested according to your shared interests. It's also got a networking function for anyone looking for a partner in the boardroom rather than the bedroom.

Pros: There's an extremely no time-wasters vibe to the whole enterprise, and you're not likely to end up doing the same thing as you always do if you hit it off with someone on the app and meet up in real life. The app has a load of

Cons: It's a bit Soho House. If you've limited patience for hearing about your date's plans to push into SaaS marketing or minting some NFTs of some pieces from their flatmate's art show in Deptford, you might find it a little much.

Verdict: If you're comfortable with only dating within a very particular echelon of society, and aren't put off by the slightly wiffly 'Who is the Victoria member?' section on the website ("Driven — Members pursue their dreams and passions with intensity. They are pushed to excel, to do more, to be better in every facet of their career and personal life" etc), then jump in.

victoriatheapp.com

The Intro

The USP: The Intro positions itself as the dating app for the busy urban professional. It skips the bit where you spend three weeks running through the 'have you got any brothers or sisters' stage and skips straight to video calls, and it even does the scheduling for the pair of you too. It's a bit like having a PA whose only remit is to sort out facetime with hotties.

Pros: It's a lot more time efficient, person-focused and tactile than tapping out messages for however long, and you can get a proper vibe off someone before you go spending a whole evening of your precious, precious time with them.

Cons: There's a teeny whiff of the, "Hi, yah, buddy" Square Mile broseph about it. Just because you're spending 15 hours a day squeezing emerging markets and shifting units before Tokyo opens, it doesn't mean you should be spared the swipe-match-chat-ignore drudgery of most apps. It's the great leveller.

Verdict: A little bit Train Guy in the conception, but anything that whittles down the chances of anyone using the monkey hiding its eyes emoji to take the edge off whatever wildly overfamiliar opening line they've used 50 times that day is a good thing.

theintro.com

Jungle Dating

The USP: Throwing yourself into solo dates all the time can end up feeling quite lonely, especially if they're not tending to go quite how you'd like them to. So, Jungle is a platform for organising double dates for yourself and a mate.

Pros: Turning the dating game into a team pursuit makes it a lot more fun, and at the very least you and whichever mate you bring along will get some anecdotes out of the whole thing. Hopefully it's a dynamic which will make single women feel more comfortable, and there's also a lot more chance you're going to just make some new friends, which is always nice.

Cons: It only launched in July in London, so the pool is likely to be a little smaller than the other apps on this list. Also kind of depends on you having mates who are good crack, but not such great crack that your opposite numbers only fancy them and not you. And if you thought sorting out a time to go for brunch with one other person, try it with four diaries on the go.

Verdict: A nice idea, especially in a gigantic megacity that sees thousands of awkward two-drink Tuesday night dates every week. One to keep an eye on.

bit.ly/getjungle

Thursday

The USP: Many conversations you have on dating apps go absolutely nowhere. There are a number of reasons for this. Some nascent chats are simply overwhelmed by the sheer number of other romantic options that are available to the user at all times (why tolerate some less-than-stellar small talk when there are so many other people to talk to?) while longer conversations peter out over the course of weeks, as incessant back and forth robs both parties of their best material before they’ve even met up. Thursday attempts to solve this problem by only allowing users to match and talk on – you guessed it – Thursday. It builds anticipation, allows people to get straight to the point, and encourages the organising of actual dates.

Pros: While other apps can often function as a game at this point – something to swipe while you’re on the bus – Thursday is all about spontaneity and IRL encounters. It’s been a big thing in New York for a while, but has only recently launched in London.

Cons: Its strengths are also its drawbacks. Most people go on their dating apps on the weekend, specifically Sunday. A strict 24-hour period, on a working day no less, adds a sense of pressure to proceedings.

Verdict: An interesting concept.

getthursday.com

Feeld

The USP: Originally called 3nder, Feeld is sex-positive dating app for polyamorous couples who want to explore bringing a third into their bedroom, but it’s also a place where people can explore other kinks as well. That being said, it doesn’t allow nudity and takes great lengths to ensure users feels safe on the platform. The audience is mostly made up of young straight couples, but the app encourages everyone to join in and gender options are relatively vast for a dating app. Usefully, there’s a mode which allows you to stay invisible to any Facebook friends who might be using the app too (you have to sign in through the social media site in the first place, which it scrapes your personal information from.)

Pros: The platform creators care about the safety and privacy of their user base, and have created a respectful community as a result. The group chat feature is handy, obviously. Safer than many other options on the internet.

Cons: Fake profiles abound. At £14.99 a month it’s not exactly cheap, but you can get a better deal by going for a 90 day membership package. Some people might resent the need for Facebook verification.

Verdict: Of all the threesome apps on the market, this is the only one to break into the mainstream. It’s easy to see why.

feeld.co

MATCH

The USP: Match.com is Old Internet – it launched in 1995! Before Google! Before you even had a computer! – so we understand any scepticism you might have. What are we going to suggest next, an AOL chat room? Habbo Hotel? The dating world is about gimmicks and ever-advancing AI. Why would you look backwards when you could just download the trendy new app?

But Match.com has survived this long for a reason. It’s moved with the times from an algorithmic standpoint but remains extremely stripped-back and basic. The filters are extensive, and while the ‘like’ system is very similar to Tinder, the discover page allows a more curated window-shopping experience. The MatchPhone feature also provides you with a custom, totally anonymous phone line that allows you to chat without monitoring (you can block the caller if need be).

Pros: The phone app is simple, and the service has a wide database of users.

Cons:A one-month subscription is £29.99, which is pretty crazy. Three months works out at £19.99/m and six boils down to £9.99/m.

Verdict: VINTAGE FUN with a NEW AGE FEEL.

uk.match.com

Facebook Dating

The USP: It’s safe to say that Facebook Dating has arrived about a decade too late. People are probably far less keen to involve Zuckerberg and co in their love lives following the Cambridge Analytica privacy fall-out of 2018, and the site’s popularity amongst young people is dropping off. Still, it was always perfectly suited to hosting a dating app and now it's here, completely free, simple to set up and integrated with the rest of site’s myriad social features.

Pros:It’s easy to find others with similar interests through the group function, and there’s a ‘Secret Crush’ feature that allows you to select Facebook friends who you’re interested in (they won’t see if they don’t choose you too.)

Cons: It’s Facebook.

Verdict:Free and easy to use

facebook.com/dating

Hinge

The USP: "Designed to be deleted", as the company's motto goes.

Pros: It delves deep into your preferences to make sure matches are as suitable as possible, and it easily has the most impressive (and sleek) profile experience. You can also send 'likes' in reference to specific elements of their profile, and send messages to mutual matches.

Cons: The sheer amount of profile questions and features creates a pressure to impress – but then, is that any different to other dating apps?

Verdict: A great experience from start to finish.

hinge.co

Badoo

The USP: With more than 400 million members, Badoo is one of the world's most popular dating apps and part of the same umbrella company as Bumble. Uniquely, it allows users to live stream to potential partners.

Pros: It's a non-swiping app and allows you a smaller pool of potential dates tailored to your taste.

Cons: It's doesn't have quite as many features as some competitors.

Verdict: If you've got very specific tastes Badoo might work for you but fancying someone because they look like a celebrity is so rarely how attraction works.

badoo.com

Guardian Soulmates

The USP: As one of the longest standing dating sites on the internet, The Guardian’s Soulmates service doesn’t need to prove its credentials. Perhaps that’s why it’s one of the only apps that requires a paid subscription to fully utilise (and at £35/month, it doesn’t come cheap.)

So what are you getting for that money? None of the bells and whistles that we’ve come to expect from modern dating apps, that’s for sure. This is a back-to-basics service that relies on its like-minded and loyal user base (more than 80 per cent of members read the Guardian, and unlike many dating apps men only slightly outnumber women). It also offers regular singles events for users, a regularly updated Soulmates blog and a highly refined search function.

Pros: A strong reputation and compatible crowd

Cons: Not as innovative or packed with features as newer dating apps.

Verdict: Worth the money if sitting in the pub on a Sunday quietly reading The Observer is one of your kinks.

soulmates.theguardian.com

Coffee Meets Bagel

The USP: Their mantra and methodology is explained thus: "Each day at noon, guys will receive up to 21 quality matches – known as 'Bagels'. They are given the option to either LIKE or PASS. Then, Coffee Meets Bagel will curate the best potential matches for women among the men who expressed interest."

Pros: A more curated selection than just endlessly swiping through everyone.

Cons: The app requires you to give over control over to someone else to decide for you.

Verdict: CMB only lets you see people who have liked you, so no torturing yourself about 'the one that got away'. Think of it as a time-effective dating app.

coffeemeetsbagel.com

Down

The USP: Gives you the chance to tell your friends (rather than strangers) that you want to sleep with them.

Pros: There is a strange thrill in being able to 'swipe' that acquaintance you've always fancied, asking them for a date (up) or telling them you want to sleep with them (down). Until you realise how pathetic it is.

Cons: It pulls in every single woman who happens to be your friend on Facebook, even if they haven't joined Down yet (your cowardly come on will be waiting for them if they ever do), making it rather pointless.

Verdict: The more you think about it, the less sense Down makes. Isn't the whole point of internet dating that you can meet someone new? This hook-up app for friends (and friends of friends) is the equivalent of passing 'I Like You' notes in class.

downapp.com

Happn

The USP: Hook up with the people you walk past on the street.

Pros: Once you get over the slight stalker complex Happn instils on you by showing women who walked past your front door an hour ago, matching with users within a 250-metre radius is actually quite handy. Chances are you live or work in the same area, so arranging a date becomes a lot simpler.

Cons: If the date goes horribly, there are no assurances you won't bump into her when you're buying milk a few days later. Also, spend too much time on it and you start getting paranoid you're seeing 'someone you liked on Happn' every time you sit in your local cafe.

Verdict: One of the most effective – and convenient – dating apps out there. Until it isn't.

happn.com/en

HER

The USP: A progressive dating app designed for queer, bisexual and lesbian women that boasts a worldwide membership of 4 million, the free version of the app allows users to view mutually matched profiles and chat, while the premium option lets you view the photos and names of those who like you, and gives you unlimited swipes. The gender options are also very inclusive, including female, non-binary, agender, gender fluid and intersex.

Pros: The app notifies users about LGBTQ+ events that are happening in the local area.

Cons: It only lets you sign up through your Facebook or Instagram account, which many are loath to do (but it only uses your first name).

Verdict: The most popular lesbian dating app in the world for a reason.

OKCupid

The USP: Endless personality quiz questions that give you a match percentage with would-be partners.

Pros: You can weed out people with traits or points of view you find simply unacceptable. Racists, bigots and Mumford & Sons fans, then.

Cons: Too many basic functions are restricted to paid membership.

Verdict: Worth a shot, if only to kill time answering bizarre questions about yourself.

okcupid.com

Plenty Of Fish

The USP: It's a huge ocean, with more members than any of the others (around 70 million).

Pros: Unlike most of the other apps, doing the basics on PoF – looking at profiles, sending and reading messages – is absolutely free.

Cons: A high number of sexually frustrated virgin-trolls means a lot of women find using it a harrowing experience, which understandably makes them cagey when you, a normal man, comes along. It's disheartening how many women have to resort to 'please no sex pests' appendices on their profile information.

Verdict: Easy to navigate, simple and free to use, void of distracting gimmicks. And unlike Tinder, users tend to write a bit about themselves, meaning you have more to go on (and sell yourself with) than just your five least-worst selfies.

uk.pof.com

Grindr

The USP: It really works. If you happen to be gay, bisexual or curious.

Pros: Easy and efficient to use, you can find a hook-up within minutes.

Cons: It is notoriously 'glitchy', with messages disappearing and some functions not working properly.

Verdict: The app that started it all, Grindr has been helping men who like men improve their sex lives since 2009. Whether they are honest about it or not, every heterosexual internet dating app out there aspires to be the 'Grindr for straight people'. Has is happened yet? Not even close.

Grindr

Lumen

The USP: Dating for over-50s.

Pros: Most (if not all) dating apps provide age boundaries, but Lumen is the first dedicated service for people over the age of 50, with a verification system that keeps bots and scammers at bay.

Cons: Not a lot of search filter options. All opening messages must feature more than 50 characters, which means you can't rely on the tried-and-tested "Wazzzuuuppp?!?!"

Verdict: Asimple interface, strong security focus and growing community means that Lumen's future is bright for this mature dating app.

Inner Circle

The USP: Members are vetted, and they also run IRL singles events.

Pros: The screening process ensures out-and-out perverts are banished, which means everyone wins (except the perverts). The fun and well-organised events means membership feels a bit more like a club, and less like pin-balling around a vast galaxy of random singletons.

Cons: After sending someone a message, you're notified when they're checking your profile, which means you can actually see yourself being rejected in real time. But hey, that's life.

Verdict: Pulling together the best elements of other older dating apps, Inner Circle is the best all-rounder out there with the highest quantity of people you'd actually like to meet. £5 a week for the advanced user options is just too much, though.

theinnercircle.co

Bumble

The USP: Like Tinder, except once you match, only the ladies can make the first move and say hello.

Pros: It means women have an extra barrier against the 'hey hun wanna fuk??' brigade, which is good for all concerned. It also means if she's got in touch with you, you definitely weren't an 'accidental swipe', meaning you'll be leaving less of those unanswered hellos that slowly chip away at your soul.

Cons: None, really. Though one minor gripe is that Bumble's algorithm clearly pulls ten of the highest rated profiles to the top of your feed every time you log in. Parading the hottest – and least obtainable – women in front of your face every time you log in feels a little bit manipulative.

Verdict: A dating app where women need not fear to tread, and where the sting of rejection is largely removed for you. Win-win.

bumble.com

Luxy

The USP: Connect with verified millionaires.

Pros: The site boasts a large portfolio of high earners and offers 24/7 customer service for their members.

Cons: Sadly, you also need to be a millionaire. People tend to upload shots of their huge houses.

Verdict: Aside the obviously Dickensian classism all over the site, it also has an understandably odd mixture of trust fund brats and retired divorcees. Luxy does however offer high security to protect your privacy and weeds out people looking for a sugar daddy or mumma.

onluxy.com

Muddy Matches

The USP: It's a dating service for countryside lovers, rather than people who don't bathe.

Pros: You don't actually have to live in the countryside. You just need to be into the rural scene. Rambling, jodhpurs, chortling, wax gilets, shovelling poo. All that good stuff.

Cons: Full membership (which allows you to send messages) comes in at £94/year.

Verdict: No other app can guarantee you a weekly polo tutorial. For that, it's worth the yearly fee.

Tastebuds

The USP: Fall in love with someone who shares your music taste.

Pros: A nice way to connect with people on something you're passionate about, or it can be used to find friends to visit gigs with.

Cons: Just because you both like Kings of Leon doesn't really mean you're made for each other.

Verdict: A nice concept and considering music is a personal passion that connect a lot of people, Tastebuds actually has more of a USP than most niche interest apps. However the same warnings apply – you may be looking for your dream girl who loves Ok Computer, but you're going to end up with a page of middle-aged Radiohead loving blokes like yourself.

tastebuds.fm

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Whether you're looking for a long-term relationship or a quick booty call, there's a dating app for everyone. From the hyper-specific—FarmersOnly, JDate, 3Fun—to the general ones we review here that cast wider nets, there are many, many options. Bars, nightclubs, and other traditional meeting places may be starting to reopen, but how safe are they? Dating sites and apps are the way to go these days, with new services cropping up all the time. A dating app that only works on Thursday? What a concept! Many even have special video services they've introduced specifically to deal with dating in a post-COVID world, as we'll explain later. With so many choices, how can you find your perfect, loving match?

Getting Started With Our Top 10 Dating Apps

The first thing you need to decide is your commitment level. As in, how much do you want to pay to make your heart go pitter-patter? Some apps, like Plenty of Fish, let you view profiles and send messages for free. Most of the others let you view your potential matches without charging, but they make you pony up and subscribe if you want to actually reach out to them without limits—especially if the interest is one-sided. While the monthly charges for the apps we review here range in price from $10 to more than $40, most offer a discount if you commit to a long-term subscription, such as six months or a year. (You're not afraid of commitment, are you?) 

Then there are all the add-ons. Options—letting you pay to boost your ranking in search results, letting someone know that you are really, really interested in him or her or them, or undoing a dreaded left-swipe that was supposed to be a right-swipe—will cost you extra. While some apps may advertise themselves as free, all of them try to get a buck from you in the end. Only Facebook Dating is totally free, and that’s only if you don’t consider your existing personal Facebook profile data to be currency.

Selling Yourself

When it comes down to actually putting yourself out there and creating a profile, all apps ask for the basics: name, age, location, a photo, a short blurb about yourself, and (usually) if you can stand a person who smokes. Beyond that, it can be a bit of a crapshoot. Some apps, like Tinder, value photos over personality. Others, like eharmony, make you fill out an endless questionnaire before you can even think about browsing for your match. Still, Zoosk and other, similar apps ask so little that you're left to wonder what's being used to actually match you with like-minded love-seekers.

If you don't fall into the cis-hetero dating pool, you'll be happy to know that most of the apps reviewed here are inclusive. Even eharmony now finally allows for same-gender couples. However, some are friendlier to the LGBTQ community than others. For example, OkCupid goes beyond forcing users to choose between being a male or female, including options like Hijra, genderfluid, and two-spirit. Other apps target identities beyond gender and sexuality. For example, Kippo's nerd-friendly features attracts gamers, Vinylly connects matches people through shared love of music, and SilverSingles reskins EliteSingles for a senior audience.

Time to Connect

Once you pick that perfect selfie and write paragraphs to sell all your best attributes to your future digital Valentine, it's time to start browsing. This is where the big differences between these apps are apparent. For instance, Tinder, with its famous hot-or-not swiping interface, makes it quick and easy to find your next date. Bumble, on the other hand, puts all the power in women's hands; men can't even contact a woman unless she's first expressed interest. Others, like Match and OkCupid, have robust profiles that let you dive deep into a user's personality (or at least the one he or she has decided to present to you), before you decide to go on the pursuit. Hinge lets users create profiles that are a beautiful blend of visuals and text.

Now that you've perused the dating pool and have your eyes on that special someone, it's time to bite the bullet and actually reach out to them. Each app offers different ways of showing your interest. Match will let you Wink at a fellow member for free, and Plenty of Fish doesn't charge for messaging. In most dating apps, messaging is typically free when both users like each other. However, free users only get so many likes per day, with Hinge being especially limited. In other instances, you'll get charged for reaching out. If you're not ready to express your feelings in words, Bumble lets you send Bumble Coins to prospective matches, for $2 a pop. Zoosk offers the slightly creepy option of buying coins to anonymously browse profiles, as well as reward anyone who views your own profile (for an additional fee, of course). 

Staying in Touch

As this is 2021, all of these services, even the decades-old Match, offer both iPhone apps and Android apps. Most also have desktop counterparts for when you're at work and want to take a break from your spreadsheet to set up a weekend tryst. Just be aware that the functionality can vary substantially between the app and desktop interfaces. For example, there's no swiping on Tinder's browser version. Facebook Dating and Hinge are only available as mobile apps.

Once you've installed these apps and signed up for the services, get ready for a barrage of notifications and email. Some, like daily match suggestions, are helpful, while others, like alerts that tell you every new "like" you get, can just be annoying. The good thing is you can easily tweak these alerts by drilling down into the settings menus in each of the apps.

Any activity that involves meeting strangers from the internet carries some safety risks. If you find yourself in a toxic situation and need to cut off contact, all of these apps let you block and report users who haven’t taken the hint. These services try to vet their profiles and keep unwanted inappropriate material from appearing. Bumble blurs nudes with AI. Tinder lets you secretly alert emergency services if you’re on a particularly bad date. There are even third-party solutions. UrSafe is a hands-free, voice-activated personal safety app with features for online daters who are looking to meet up with their matches in-person. Not having to use your hands is especially appealing during a viral pandemic, which brings us to our next section.

Dating While Social Distancing

In case dating wasn’t difficult enough, our social lives were upended by the COVID-19 epidemic. Ideally, online dating should lead to meeting up in real life. However, sometimes the responsible thing to do is to stay home, and that created quite a dilemma for dating apps. Fairytrail, a dating app for connecting via shared travel destination dreams, saw an bittersweet increase in use. Similarly, Zoosk's Great Dates feature lets couples virtually tour exciting locales safely at home.

The most straightforward virtual dating solution is video chatting, which lets you at least see each other face to face instead of just texting. Bumble, Clover, eharmony, Hinge, Match, Plenty of Fish, and Tinder all offer video chat. Apps with more specific target audiences are also adopting this feature, including the mobile-only Muslim dating app Muzmatch. Snack introduces TikTok-style video functionality to dating profiles.

Even apps without video chat acknowledge the crisis in their own ways. OkCupid added personality questions about how you’re coping with the pandemic. Facebook Dating users can choose to use other Facebook communications apps, such as Messenger or the experimental Tuned and Sparked, apps specifically for quarantined couples and speed dating, respectively. Kippo created an entire online shared social space, a "metaverse," where matches can connect and play games while communicating over audio chat.

Which Dating App Should You Use?

Dating is hard work, so we did some of the legwork for you by taking a deep dive into 10 of the most popular apps. We weren’t popular enough to get into The League, the dating app for celebrities. Everyone's needs and wants are different, so not every app will be a great fit for you. Match and Tinder are both Editors’ Choice picks because they excel in their respective lanes: lasting relationships and fast hookups. Other apps have strengths, too, and you can learn more by reading our in-depth reviews. If things don't work out, we a have a handy list of the best breakup apps, too.

For more on dating, check out: How I Ended Up in a Tinder Ad Campaign, Match vs. Tinder: Which Dating Service Deserves Your Everlasting Love?, and the Best Hookup Apps.

Where To Buy

• Best for Long-Term Relationships

  Match

• Best for Woman-First Dating

  Bumble

• Best for Beautiful Profiles

  Hinge

• Best for Test Takers

  eharmony

Plus, Covid brings a rush of new dawn daters: one in five UK Bumble users say they’ve joined after ending a committed relationship as a result of the pandemic. And if you want to meet them, make sure you block out your Thursday nights for the foreseeable: new app Thursday has made the fourth night of the week the capital’s mass date night, so you can forget scrolling and embrace party season on the other six nights of the week.

Thursday isn’t the only dating app new on the scene. Londoner Sanjay Panchal has launched the world’s first anti-ghosting app (finally!); everyone’s talking about POM, which pairs you based on music tastes; and new video dating app The Sauce has just announced it will plant a tree for every match - add that to your post-COP26 to-do list.

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So which app to commit to? From the new safe dating platform to Hinge’s new voice prompts, here’s a guide to the top dating apps to use in 2021. 

Profoundly: for personality over pictures 

Profoundly helps you open a conversation with interesting questions and  entertaining icebreakers. Only when you’ve chatted enough will it unlock your match’s photos - the 2021 edition of Blind Date. 

It’ll match you with people nearby who have similar interests and lets you send anonymous confessions to Facebook friends so you can finally tell that guy from school you always fancied him. 

The app has more than 12 million users and more than 40 million messages are exchanged every day. 

Download on iOS and Android

Badoo: to meet anyone

Your pals might tell you everyone’s on Hinge but Badoo is the biggest dating app in the world. The app was launched by Russian tech entrepreneur Andrey Andreev in 2009,  three years before Tinder, and it now has more than 500 million customers, operates in 190 countries and is available in 51 different languages. 

The app recently launched Private Detector, a safety feature which uses AI to detect the sending of unsolicited dick pics, giving users the choice to either open and view this content, or avoid it altogether. It’s proven to by 98 per cent accurate. 

 Download on iOS and Android

The Sauce: to swipe sustainably

Sick of swiping? Here’s an incentive that’ll make Greta proud: this month, video dating app The Sauce announced it will plant a tree for every match - an important step towards its mission of becoming a carbon neutral company.

“This is an issue we care about greatly and we’ve spoken to thousands of our members who are also hugely concerned about the dire environmental trajectory we are on,” says co-founder Sachin Karia. “We found a truly great partner in onHand, a company that places community at its core, makes volunteering effortless and accessible and is helping businesses to engage in and fight the climate crisis.”

That’s not The Sauce’s only USP. The app says it’s on a mission to get rid of “dry dating” by offering video profiles, so you feel like you’ve already met someone before you actually do. Profiles feature short video clips so you can see each person’s energy - their voice, their laugh, how they dance - basically all the intangible qualities that build an attraction in real life.

Download on iOS and Android

POM: to meet fellow music-lovers

Match according to your music tastes: POM stands for Power of Music, and it’s a smart idea. The app uses an emotional algorithm to create a ‘profile’ of users from their imported music library, such as Apple or Spotify. Along with asking you six seemingly random questions, it’ll then collect your data and analyse it, including the type of music you listen to, when you listen to it, your emotional reaction when you listen to music and what it says about your character.

The app was founded by Vihan Patel, 22, who first made the connection between dating and music when he accidentally sent a playlist to the wrong girl at school. After bonding over the playlist, they then went on to date for a couple of years. Just think: you could be next.

Download on iOS and Android

Friended: to found love on friendship

Friended might be designed for making friends but many of its success stories have turned romantic. “I found my soulmate on this app,” says one happy user. “You guys changed my life. My girlfriend and I would like to thank you for your hard work for it joined us,” says another.

The app works by matching people through fun games, personality quizzes and icebreakers - psychologists say these help create honest one-to-one conversations. Scroll through other users’ thoughts, opinions and interests and once you see someone or something you relate to, you can direct message them and chat more about it.

Download on iOS

SafeDate: to send your friends your location

After a year in which nighttime safety has been talked about more than ever, SafeDate does what singles have been asking for for years: it makes sure your friends, housemates or family have your back, by sending them your location and alerting them when you get home (you can use it alongside any dating app, including Hinge, Bumble and OKCupid).

Just add your date plans into the app, choose your Safe Mates from your contacts and set a safe time to check-in after your date finishes. Your mates will only get notified if you don’t check-in, so you don’t have to worry about sending them constant notifications.

Download on iOS

Thursday: to switch off six days a week

Thursday wants to eliminate all the elements of dating that have made it start to feel like a chore: the evenings spent swiping, the conversations fizzling, the admin of planning your week around possible evenings your match might like to go for a drink. After 13 months spent staring at screens, “lockdown has made dating stale”, say co-founders George Rawlings and Matt McNeil Love, listing the reasons for launching their new dating app. Thursday’s solution? Bringing the thrill back - hopefully - by only making the app available for one day a week (yep, you got it).

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The app also wants to minimise admin and make dating “proactive” again. All matches and conversation disappear at midnight, so you have to act quickly and be a bit spontaneous if you want to secure a date (to boost safety, members are verified using a passport or driving license and will be booted off the app if they are reported once. Though geography plays a part in suggestions, precise locations are not shared).

From May 6 (pre-registrations are open), getthursday.com

Luxy: to find your model partner

Luxy calls itself a bespoke dating app for connecting “sophisticated and wealthy singles with likeminded matches”. Many of its members are models, athletes, influencers, celebrities and high-flying execs.

Since launching in 2014, the app has had more than 3.5 million downloads worldwide, with only 20-30 per cent of applicants achieving membership due to its strict criteria. According to Luxy, it’s all about targeting the top 1% of singles. Whether you qualify in that is unfortunately up to them.

Download on iOS and Android

Playdate: to meet other single parents

If you’re one of the 2.9 million single parents currently living in the UK, Playdate wants to be your matchmaker. The app is the first in the country aimed at single parents and wants to help them overcome the challenges of dating when you have children by matching members with others in their area and suggesting child-friendly restaurants, cafes and bars to meet at if the first few dates go well.

The app has also thoughtfully partnered with babysitting app Bubble to provide users with instant childcare solutions - there’s even a special discount for Playdate members.

Download on iOS and Android

Bumble: to meet the nice guy

Bumble’s USP is that it challenges female users to make the first move, basically eliminating the bro-culture of other dating platforms. In traditional apps, when women match with guys, the unspoken rule is that they hesitate to initiate a conversation for fear of seeming weird or desperate. On Bumble, women have no choice in the matter.

Its founder Whitney Wolfe told us that her feminist matchmaking tool is designed to reset the “heteronormative rules in our current landscape”, giving women the power to message their matches without stigma.

The bloke you’re likely to meet on here? Someone who’s on board with the idea of evening out the romantic playing field. Typically, those guys are keepers.

Over-50s dating app Lumen is now part of Bumble too. 

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

String: to hear what your match sounds like

The dating app for voice-note lovers. String launched this year as a way to make dating during self-isolation more personal. Rather than sending strings of robotic one-liners, the app lets you put a voice to your matches’ pictures by sending each other voice-notes. No texting is allowed: you can either react with an emoji or send one back. 

For extra audio points, Spotify is now integrated into the app so you can add your favourite song to your profile. 

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Lox Club: for Jews with high standards

This membership-only app started as a joke, according to its 29-year-old LA product designer founder Austin Kevitch, but it officially launched worldwide at the end of last year after receiving thousands of applications. 

Forbes says its membership committee is “scrupulous” and Vogue calls the app a “Jewish Raya”, though it’s not solely for Jews. Founders say it’s like a deli: “it’s culturally Jewish, but you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy it. We’re open to all levels of observance and all religions.” 

To be accepted, Lox Club says it’s looking for “non-douchey, ambitious, funny, down-to-earth people who are looking for that type of person as well. Someone you’d bump into at a house party and end up talking with in a corner for hours." The current number of applicants awaiting approval is more than 20,000 and fees start at $36 for three months. 

Download on iOS

Coffee Meets Bagel: to meet The One

It’s been described as “the anti-Tinder” - and with good reason too. Coffee Meets Bagel’s radical focus is on the quality of matches it offers, rather than an endless sea of faces you find yourself vacantly swiping through elsewhere. Every day, you’ll be offered just one single ‘holy grail’ match based on information you’ve already inputted on your tastes, preferences and hobbies.

Don’t like what you see? Hold your horses, wait until tomorrow. No one said true love was easy to find.

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Taimi: to meet queer people

Taimi isn’t just a dating app, it’s the world’s largest LGBTQ+ social platform, with almost nine million users and social features from chat-based networking to video streaming.  

It’s all about making users feel safe: the app uses several layers of verification, 24/7 profile moderation, live support and PIN/fingerprint/Face ID so your data and interactions are in safe hands. 

Download on iOS and Android

Happn: to meet your park crush

Got your eye on your local barista? Get on Happn. The French app plays on natural serendipity by flagging mutual interests in real time. Maybe you’ll finally be that couple that can tell all your friends you met on the Tube.

It works as simply as this: every time you cross paths with someone in real life, their profile shows up on your timeline - handy given a recent study found that 48 per cent of people are now inclined to date locally. The app captures other users within a 250m radius of your own smartphone, giving you a cross-section of Londoners around you - and potentially your coffee house or (pre-pandemic) rush hour crush.

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Hinge: to find your type 

Hinge’s slogan “designed to be deleted” is clearly clever marketing, but users say it works. Founder Justin McLeod says it’s all about vulnerability - by putting yourself out there “honestly” in a series of Q&A prompts, you’re bound to make better connections than just swiping on who you fancy. 

Plus it uses AI to learn the kind of people you like - read more about it in his interview with the Evening Standard here (McLeod’s own love story is also worth a read).

Despite the pandemic, Hinge’s downloads are up 82 per cent this year so it’s the perfect platform for finding your own lockdown love story. 

The app has also just launched video and voice prompts for those who want to continue virtual dating or love a voice note: once you’re both on the video call, open “video prompts” and you’ll both be shown a card ranging from warm-up questions to “dive in deep” topics which help you skip straight to the important stuff. Are you brave enough?

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Elate: for people who hate ghosting

The anti-ghosting app for people who prefer dating one person at a time. Elate was launched by Londoner Sanjay Panchal this year in response to research that found ghosting to be the number one complaint amongst dating app users: 95% of those surveyed this year say they’ve been ghosted and 75% admit to doing it to others.

Elate’s solution? It only lets you chat with three matches at once and will let you know if one moves on to chat to someone new (so you're not left wondering and waiting).

In line with this more respectful approach, it also shows potential matches’ bios over photos so you’re not distracted by a pretty face until you know they’re worth it.

Download on iOS 

OKCupid: to match on what matters

Founded in the US in 2004, OkCupid revolutionised the online dating landscape by featuring multiple-choice questions in order to match members. It was also the first dating app to engineer a non-binary dating experience, with 22 gender options and 13 sexual orientations.

Read it’s latest dating trends report here. 

Download on iOS and Android

The Intro: to swerve small-talk

Launched in London a year ago, The Intro is all about meeting IRL instead of weeks of pre-date chit-chat. When two users match, they can't chat, instead they schedule a date. Just tell the app when you’re next free and it’ll work out a mutual slot and suggest meeting spots (currently in parks) between the two of you - like your own dating concierge.

Video dates are now available if you can’t meet in person and there’s a ‘speed date’ option for two-minute virtual dates with other online members.

Profiles are the classic Hinge or Bumble six-picture format with bios and Q&As. The added bonus? Friends, family (and even exes) can contribute to your profile.

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Tinder: for the casual hook-up

Arguably the most well-known dating app, Tinder was once the place for social introverts to meet their significant other. Now it’s a tool for swiftly finding an insignificant one-night stand - whether you're straight, gay, bi, transgender or gender-fluid.

In 2015, Vanity Fair declared Tinder as the ultimate place that twentysomethings go to “hit it and quit it”, claiming that the app was solely responsible for a “dating apocalypse”. While die-hard romantics might agree, others say the app has revolutionised the process of hunting down no-strings fun at relatively little expense. The tool basically works by swiping yes or no based on each user’s picture.

Not sure where to start? These are the 30 most right-swiped Brits on Tinder right now.

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Raya: to meet a celebrity

Ever wanted to date a celebrity? This ‘illuminati Tinder’ app Raya is the place to go if you’re after a bedfellow with money and fame. Cara Delevingne, Ruby Rose and Elijah Wood are all reported to be members of Raya, the world’s most exclusive dating app, and rumour has it Amy Schumer met her husband on here.

Getting on there, however, is harder than finding a great date. You’ll have to be very beautiful, very successful and have 5,000-plus Instagram followers to get in. It’s basically the Soho House of dating. Good luck.

Download on iOS

The League: for the elites

If you can’t get on Raya, then you can also try The League, dubbed Tinder for elites. It’s a selective dating app for young, successful individuals, which first launched in San Francisco before making its way to London at the end of last year.

Many of the members work in careers such as finance, technology, consulting and fashion.

Download on iOS

Inner Circle: to refund your sh*t date 

This exclusive dating website and app, bills itself as a network for "an app that matches you on values and interests, making it easier to meet people you really connect with". Users say it’s basically city bankers who want to find good looking dates without having to scour Mayfair's Whisky Mist and Barts in Chelsea.

The app has a shiny new look this year, with profiles that show off values and interests and filters that let you find matches and events. It’s available in 42 cities across the world and more than 10,000 happy couples have been in touch since its launch. 

Inner Circle’s newest and best feature yet? Letting you refund your worst pandemic dates from 2020. The app launched Refund My Sh*t Date - The Pandemic Edition - last month and it’s the ultimate cure for anyone who’s feeling exhausted after their nine hundredth ghosting.  

Head to refundmyshitdate.com and check out ‘stories’ for the funniest dating tales from the last year. Those who’ve been through the biggest turmoils can win self-care prizes from Headspace subscriptions to massages - all stories are anonymous, so let it rip. 

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Geek Meet: to talk nerdy

Star Wars obsessives, video game addicts and computer nerds, listen up. Geek Meet says it’s for those who feel too geeky for Tinder - a dating app that lets you embrace your nerdy passions, not hide them.

The site features geeky quizzes from ‘which Buffy The Vampire Slayer character should you date?’ to ‘which Hogwarts house should you date?’ and comes with date suggestions, from board game-themed dates to Marvel movie nights.

Download on Android, coming soon to iOS

Muzmatch: to meet Muslims

Muzmatch wins the award for the best dating ads on the Tube, including 'Halal, is it meet you're looking for', and 'You had me at Halal'. Genius.

As you can probably guess, the basis for Muzmatch is to find fellow Muslims to date.

The user interface looks similar to Tinder and verifies you using your phone number and a selfie, not a Facebook account. There's also the option to choose to keep your photos blurred until you match with someone, though the app says profiles with visible photos recieve 300 per cent more matches.

Download on iOS and Android

Salt: to meet Christians

Like Muzmatch, Salt's USP depends on religion: helping Christians to find and date one another online.

The app launched at the end of last year by an all-Christian team who were disillusioned about trying to meet other Christians in the wild. In particular, the team behind Salt hope to make Christian dating "a little less awkward and a lot more fun."

The design of the app is gorgeous, all muted greys and subtle pinks, so you can download and get swiping.

Download on iOS and Android

Her: for women to meet women

Originally launched as ‘Grindr for girls’, Robyn Exton’s LGBTQ dating app Her has grown to be the biggest community for lesbian, bisexual and queer women worldwide. The app mixes dating and social networking, with a timeline to read the news, find out what’s happening in your city and make connections.

Meet your soulmate or just meet a new group of friends. The choice is yours.

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Grindr: for men to meet men

Before there was Tinder, there was Grindr. Having first launched in 2009, the app is credited with being the precursor to the current swathe of digital dating apps.

Things to note: it’s an all-male dating app for both gay and bisexual men, it uses your mobile device’s location-based services to show you the guys closest to you who are also on surfing the app and it’s most popular in London, meaning your living in the best city to try it out.

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Traditional Dating Club: to go back to basics

Traditional Dating Club doesn’t believe in algorithms or computer matching. Once you’ve scrolled through its profiles and found someone who takes your interest, you’re encouraged to send them a polite opening message (no nudes, please) and meet as soon as you can.

Founder Dennie Smith says her site is all about being “respectful”. She runs it the old-fashioned way, with a small team of five, vetting every profile, emailing members directly and sending monthly newsletters with dating tips. She’ll email you personally if she thinks you should edit your profile or change your photo.

“I’m not about the money,” she says. She hasn’t made a single penny from the site yet, she’s just passionate about singles having a positive dating experience.

traditionaldatingclub.co.uk

Sick of having to swipe endlessly without finding that special someone that finds a way to your heart to build a love relationship? Once one of the leading dating apps in Europe gathering up to 10M singles and creating thousands of couples and friendly relationships. All this with a simple love recipe. No need to swipe. Everyday at noon you get a match that are specifically picked for you. When you discover them, they find out about you as well. If you like each other, love is in the air, it’s a match! You can then chat, talk, and maybe meet in UK cities like London, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, or Birmingham.

How does the dating app work?

Don’t want to wait for the next dating app match ?

Still single? You need more matches!

Even with Valentines Day in the rear view mirror, the best dating apps can help you meet new people so that you have someone to spend the holiday with next year. And even if romance isn't on your mind, dating apps have pivoted from arranging hook-ups to just putting you in touch with people who share the same interests.

While you might think that two years and counting of a coronavirus pandemic may have stopped the best dating apps in their tracks, the opposite has happened. Dating apps have gotten even more popular by adding new features aimed at helping you forge relationships even when you're sticking close to home. Video chats, remote dating and similar tools are now a mainstay among these types of apps.

Whether it's friendship or something more, the best dating apps can help you widen your circle of acquaintances. And the apps we've selected have moved beyond simple swiping by adding features such as video meetups and security checks to make the world of online dating a lot better than it was before.

If you find yourself looking for some companionship, we can help you sort through a bunch of competing options to find the best dating apps that fit your particular needs.

What are the best dating apps?

When it comes to finding love in the mobile age, it's hard to topple Tinder, one of the biggest and best dating apps that also enjoys a wide reach. Tinder has a reputation for helping you find quick hook-ups, though it's also geared to finding more permanent partners and recent additions to the app have improved user safety while adding video features.

Other dating apps boast strengths of their own. Bumble gives the power to make new friends to its female members, while OKCupid offers several different tools for finding romance. Eharmony has its famous algorithm for pairing up people, while Hinge's ultimate goal is to get people to delete its app off their phones (presumably because you've found a lasting connection and not out of frustration). Even Facebook has gotten into the act, with a dating service tied to its massive social network.

Looking for a same-sex partner? Grindr was the pioneer in that space, while Her offers a dating app for lesbian and bisexual users. 

Before diving in to find the right dating app to find the best possible mate, don't forget to consider privacy. Don't just skim past the privacy policies of any dating app you use, as those policies can outline exactly what a dating site does with your personal data. Also be aware that many dating apps — including several on this best dating apps list — are owned by the same company. The Match Group, for example, not only operates Match.com but also Tinder, OKCupid and PlentyOfFish.

The best dating apps right now

1. Tinder (Android; iOS)

Tinder blazed the trail set by Grindr toward a world of swipe and scroll dating apps. On its face, Tinder encourages you to make shallow, snap judgments about potential partners. You create a simple profile with a handful of photos and a few sentences about yourself, then throw yourself at the Internet's mercy. 

The app displays singles in your area. If you like one, swipe the photo to the right; otherwise, swipe to the left. If you both swipe right, you can send messages and set something up. (Interested in upping your Tinder game? We've got tips on how to use Tinder like a pro.) Upgrading to a paid Plus or Gold membership at Tinder gives you premium features like unlimited likes or rewinds that give would-be partners a second chance.

Tinder continues to tinker with its formula, rolling out a video feature that allows you to make in-app video calls to matches without exchanging personal details. A Safety Center feature ties into Noonlight app and provides a panic button in case you wind up on a date where you feel unsafe, and you can run background checks based on data from public records. Tinder may even add a "swipe party" feature that lets your friends join in on the fun of helping pick out a would-be partner for you.

Download Tinder: Android, iOS

2. Bumble (Android; iOS)

Apple recognized Bumble as one of the top iOS apps for 2021 — don't worry, Android fans, Bumble works on your phone — and it's easy to understand why. The app can help you line up dates or make new friends, with the power to connect in the hands of its women users. 

Women get to make the first move after two people mutually connect and are part of each other’s hive. From there, you've got just 24 hours to make some kind of contact or the connection disappears forever. For same-sex connections or friendships, either person has to make a move within 24 hours before that connection is gone, though you can get a 24-hour extension. 

Just looking to widen your circle of friends, as opposed to a romantic relationship? Bumble has a BFF feature for people who are not looking for dates and a separate section for making business contacts. The Bumble Boost upgrade, which ranges from $2.99 to $8.99, makes it easier and faster to meet or date people. 

Bumble added video a couple years ago, giving one of the best dating apps a leg up in the shelter-in-place era. A Night In addition added games starting with a trivia game to give you and your date something to do on your video chat.

Download Bumble: Android, iOS

3. OkCupid (Android; iOS)

OkCupid features a massive userbase and straightforward dating tools. But rather than rest on its laurels, OKC keeps refining and adding on features to its top dating app, such as a "Flavors" system that allows users to quickly view evocative flavors of potential matches, such as Kinky Nerds, Beard Lovers, World Travelers, etc. 

All this is in addition to OkCupid's messaging tools, personality quizzes, Instagram integration and other old favorites. A premium subscription adds other features, such as refined search tools and the ability to see users who have liked you. 

Download OKCupid: Android, iOS

4. Match.com (Android; iOS)

Match.com offers its users a freemium dating experience on Android and iOS. Free users can set up online profiles, upload a few pictures of themselves and then engage in some online flirting with "winks", and have new matches delivered to them daily. More comprehensive features, such as the ability to see who has checked out your profile and liked your pictures, can be unlocked by a Match.com subscription. 

Match has continued to add on to its features, such as a Tinder-like Mixer, Android Wear and Apple Watch integration, and the addition of voice and video snippets to your profile. Vibe Check, launched in the spring, lets you enjoy video chats with your matches, while Match also lets you pay a little extra to have real-life dating coaches make matches for you.

Like Tinder, Match also added a safety feature that lets you alert friends if you're on a date and feel unsafe. You can even set your political views in Match, so you can better find a person whose outlook lines up with yours (or don't, if you believe that opposites attract).

Download Match.com: Android, iOS

5. Grindr (Android; iOS)

Grindr allows gay and bisexual men to meet up with like-minded men nearby. Profile creation is a fairly minimal experience, focusing on a profile pic, user name, and a few simple questions, and choosing a "Tribe" that describes your type, and then you're up finding other users and chatting them up in minutes. 

Grindr is free to use and advertisement-supported, but the premium version, Grindr Xtra, offers ad-free browsing in addition to other features like adding multiple Tribes and advanced search filters. One notable downside? Unlike other dating apps, push notifications for messages require Grindr Xtra. 

Download Grindr: Android, iOS

6. eharmony (Android; iOS)

eharmony is a long-time player in the online dating game, and the first service to push an algorithmic system to try to make the best possible dating matches for its members. Once you create an account, users go through a "Relationship Questionnaire" to create a personality profile that helps match you with other users that eharmony thinks you'll click with. Every day, the app will provide you with a selection of matches and your areas of compatibility; you'll have the option to connect if the interest is mutual. 

Premium subscribers get expanded matching and discovery options, and other features like being able to see who has recently viewed your profile.

Download eharmony: Android, iOS

7. Facebook (Android, iOS)

Facebook Dating has been around for a few years now, added on as an opt-in service built into the social network, Facebook Dating focuses on helping you find long-term relationships, not hook-ups. You access the Dating section from within Facebook's mobile app, setting up a Dating profile that's separate from your regular Facebook profile. From there, Facebook finds matches for you based on your preferences, interests and activities on the social networking site. 

Facebook won't suggest matches among people you already know on Facebook, unless you use the service's Secret Crush feature in which you can select up to nine Facebook friends or Instagram followers you have an interest in. If they also express an interest in you via Secret Crush, Facebook will match you up. 

You can add Instagram posts to your Facebook Dating profile as well as share Facebook and Instagram stories. Like other dating services, Facebook Dating also introduced the ability to make video calls to your would-be sweetie, using the Messenger app.

Download Facebook: Android, iOS

8. Coffee Meets Bagel (Android; iOS)

Coffee Meets Bagel takes the opposite approach to many of the best dating apps, trying to focus on quality rather than quantity. Every day at noon, the app will send men a small selection of potential matches based on their profile and preferences, and women are then sent a number of matches who've shown interest in them, leaving the ladies the option of reciprocating the like. If the attraction is mutual, then the app will set you up with a 7-day chat window and icebreaker. 

A redesign of the dating app puts a greater emphasis on user profiles, giving you the ability to comment on profiles and photos in hopes of fostering more connections between Coffee Meets Bagel users.

Download Coffee Meets Bagel: Android, iOS

9. Her (Android; iOS)

Her is a dating and social network app designed with lesbian, bisexual and queer users in mind. You sign up with Facebook or Instagram accounts, and then view a stream of activity from other verified Her users both in your area and globally. You can Like photos of other users, and if the interest is mutual, the app will link you up to chat. 

Of course, it's also more than just meeting prospective dates, with the app offering social features, news and articles about LGBTQ issues, events, questions and more. While the app is free to use and sign up for, a premium subscription adds extra features.

Download Her: Android, iOS

10. Hinge (Android; iOS: $10.99/month)

Refusing to follow the trail blazed by swipe-driven apps like Tinder, dating app Hinge puts its focus on relationships and interesting conversations. In fact, the service's explicitly stated goal is to get you to the point where you've deleted the app altogether — presumably because you've found love and not because you've had it with the app.

Hinge turns its nose up at swipes for a more detailed profile that you fill in with pictures and stories. Users can then choose to like and comment on something in that profile, and that serves as a mutual conversation starter. Each day, you can check out new recommendations, as well as see people who have liked something in your profile.

Hinge responded quickly to our shelter-in-place situation imposed by the coronavirus pandemic by rolling out Date From Home features. Other changes include teaming up with the likes of Chipotle and Uber Eats to encourage users to have socially distanced dinner dates. And a redesign last year introduced Standouts feature that highlights people who are more likely to be your type, along with topics that Hinge thinks will spark a conversation with your would-be match.

Download Hinge: Android, iOS

11. Snack (iOS)

Imagine TikTok, but for dating, and you've got a pretty good sense of what Snack has to offer. This dating app puts an emphasis on short videos. You sort through a feed of introductory videos to see if anyone sparks your interest, favoriting the ones of people you'd like to get to know. Should they favorite your video, you'll be able to DM each other.

The emphasis on videos makes Snack a good dating app option for our socially distant times, though the focus is clearly on the under-30 crowd. Snack is only available on the iPhone at the moment, though you can sign up to be notified when an Android version drops.

Download Snack: iOS

12. LOLO Dating & Icebreaker Games (Android, iOS)

Previously known as XO, LOLO Dating & Icebreaker Games wants to put some of the fun back into dating by using games to help break the ice. Quizzes, drawing games and other party activities let you share a laugh with somebody new and maybe forge a connection that leads to a relationship.

You find matches by filling out a profile and meeting up with someone who has similar likes. Or you can try one of LOLO's other, more random pairings. Blind Date puts you in touch with someone to play a game and exchange messages before you see their profiles, while Random puts you in touch with someone from anywhere in the world.

People who are serious about finding a significant other right now may want to some of the other best dating apps, but LOLO seems like a fun, casual way to make new friends — and maybe that friendship blossoms into something more.

Download LOLO Dating & Icebreaker Games: Android, iOS

13. Kippo (Android, iOS)

Of course, there's more than one way to game online, and Kippo looks to attract online gamers in search of a little companionship. The app lets you customize your own profile — the more unique, the better — in which you can show off the things you're truly passionate about. The app then tries to find matches based on the games you like.

Once you find a match, you're ready to DM and chat, though the free tier of Kippo has some limitation on just how many profiles you can swipe each day and how many messages you can send. Joining a paid Kippo Infinity tier for $10 a month removes those restrictions.

Kippo says it verifies that everyone using its service is a real person, and there's moderation to keep out any bad actors. 

Download Kippo: Android, iOS

15. Thursday (Android, iOS)

If you're getting a little tired of using dating apps all the time, the developers behind Thursday have heard your complaints. They've built an app you're only supposed to use one day a week — Thursday, naturally — to meet new people

Every Thursday, the app reveals people around you that want to go on a date that specific evening. The idea is to do away with the seemingly endless online flirtations and get straight to finding out if you've met your match.

Thursday is live in New York and London at this point, and the app is currently free to use, though a $14.99 "Black Card" membership boosts your presence and gives you an unlimited number of likes to find would-be matches.

Download Thursday: Android, iOS

15. Once (Android, iOS)

Once wants to slow down those frantic swipes as you try to find your ideal match. Instead of an unending string of photos to sort through, Once pairs you up with one potential partner a day, and you've got 24 hours to make a connection. You can keep chatting after that if both of you like another, but the idea is to focus on just one person at a time, so you can see if a more lasting connection is possible.

Matches are created with Once algorithm, which draws on your profile and your past behavior to find an ideal match. You can use Once for free, but paid memberships speed up the searching process and give you more matches per day if you prefer.

Download Once: Android, iOS

16. Happn (Android, iOS)

Happn is all about the people whose paths you might have crossed who you might find interesting and might also be doing the same things you are. A location-based dating service, Happn shows you the profiles of other Happn users you've crossed paths with, along with time and location. You can like any of the profiles that show up, and if the feeling is mutual, the app gives you the option to connect. Paid options offer the ability to “Say Hi” to other profiles, which includes a notification, as well as the ability to see profiles which have liked you.

Download Happn: Android, iOS

17. SwoonMe (Android, iOS: Free)

Let's face it — even the best dating apps are heavily skewed toward swiping through photos to find a match. But SwoonMe wants you to look beyond the surface when you're trying to meet someone new, whether it's for friendship or a more serious relationship.

To that end, the SwoonMe app does away with photos in exchange for avatars — the photo you upload to the dating app is converted into a cartoon version of yourself. Instead, you search for a would-be significant audio by listening to short audio clips the person has recorded. If you like what you hear, you can further communicate through audio messages, eventually reaching the point where you can reveal your true picture.

It's a different take on dating than some of the other apps here, and as a fairly new service, SwoonMe isn't as polished as some of its more well-established competitors. But it's worth checking out if you find other dating apps to be overly superficial.

Download SwoonMe: Android, iOS

18. Plenty of Fish Dating (Android; iOS)

Plenty of Fish Dating lacks the depth of features found in some other apps, but it makes up for in breadth. This free dating app is one of the largest and most popular in the world, boasting more than 70 million members spanning the whole English-speaking world. 

Users set up a simple profile, including age, education and profession, then search through potential matches and message them. Plenty of Fish keeps adding small tweaks to its app, including Chat Heads for Android users, VoIP calling for premium users and Instagram image uploads. You'll also find a free livestream feature that encourages dating over video.

Download Plenty of Fish Dating: Android, iOS

19. Badoo (Android; iOS)

A standout in a rich field of dating apps, Badoo features 370 million-plus users from more than 190 different countries, all sharing their profiles and photos as they search for matches. The app uses a lot of varied means to find interesting matches, from a Tinder-like swiping system to viewing the profiles of nearby users. 

Badoo puts a premium on making sure that its users are actual verified people, instead of "catfish"-style scams, with verification methods based on uploaded photos, connected social media accounts and phone verification. While the app is free to use, you can also buy premium credits for $2.99 to increase visibility or subscribe to gain "Super Powers," which provide expanded features.

Download Badoo: Android, iOS

20. Clover Dating App (Android; iOS)

A little bit of Tinder and a little bit of OkCupid, Clover takes a grab bag approach with a variety of ways to find and meet potential matches, from Tinder-like swiping to questionnaires, date planners, and detailed profiles with lists of interests. 

Clover avoids the one-trick pony trap of more focused dating app experiences, so if you ever get bored of the swiping style, you can always try participating in live mixers, check out the 20 Questions game, or even experiment with Clover's "on demand dating." As with other apps, Clover has premium tiers that can improve visibility and add or improve existing features.

Download Clover: Android, iOS

How to find the best dating app

You're going to have the biggest success finding romance through a dating app if you first settle on what exactly you're looking for. If casual flings and hook-ups are your focus, shy away from apps designed to help you find long-term relationships. Similarly, if you're tired of one-night stands, dating apps that put a greater emphasis on swiping than on matching up compatible people are more likely to frustrate you.

Speaking of frustrations, nothing's more irritating than using a dating app filled with fake profiles. Pay attention to what dating services do to make sure that you're only being paired up with people who are taking things seriously (or at least as seriously as you are.) It's also a good idea to pay attention to what services are doing to protect the privacy of their users.

Since many cities still have a limit on just how many people can gather in public places, it would be good to consider apps that offer some form of video chat, so that your love life doesn't get put on hold during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

As best you can pay attention to security measures and how much of your data gets shared. Dating sites can suffer security breaches, just like any service, so use good password practices and don't re-use login info you've tied to other accounts.

Whether you're looking for love or just looking to hook up, get these 11 dating apps on your phone right now...

1. Spark

Like ’Rush Hour Crush’ but on your phone, this app revolves around the tube. Well, there are millions of singletons on the tube each day, right? Connecting those who gaze upon each other on the Northern line (or normally gaze into a sweaty armpit), users send one ‘spark’ a day upon seeing someone on the app they like – so choose wisely. 

2. Tinder

The big daddy of dating apps is synonymous with online dating for a reason. Around since 2012, Tinder’s got a well-earned name when it comes to hookups – but now it’s also known as an app that plenty of married couples used to meet on as well. Literally everyone and their dog is on it – which is both a blessing and a curse. Prepare to swipe through hundreds of frogs along the way before that fittie magically matches you back.

3. Bumble

Bumble’s USP is that the ladies get to make the first move. (This can be seen as feminism, but it can also be seen as annoying when you’re not in the mood to make all the effort.) Men then have 24 hours to reply before the match disappears. Which is annoying if said man hasn’t checked his app in a few days, and thus missed out on the potential love of his life. Sigh. There are definitely hotter blokes on this app, though, FYI.

4. Hinge

Aimed at people who want a little bit more than just a hookup (read: relationship types), this newer app is interesting because you comment not just on photos, but also bios (so try and be super funny if you can). If s/he makes a funny joke, that’s a conversation starter – it’s not just about swiping right on faces. That being said, when a Time Out writer tried this app, one match immediately requested a threesome. Hinge might not quite be being used for what it’s meant for just yet… give it time, it’s just getting started.  

5. Happn

Happn matches people who both have the app and cross paths, say at the pub, a club, or that cute girl in the canteen at work. There’s also the probability that you’ll match with your Uber driver, seeing as he crossed paths with you outside your house. Not bad if they’re hot, though… 

6. Once

Romantic or just lazy? Once claims that its matchmakers handpick one match a day for users. If you’re not feeling said match, you’ve got to wait a whole 24 hours for the next one. Basically it’'s like the slowest version of Tinder in the entire world.

7. Grindr

The app for men looking to meet men has been around since 2009 and shows you which men close by are also on the app. Living in London, that means there’s a lot of choice. Grindr is known for hookups, but that’s not to say that many relationships haven’t been borne from it, too. 

8. HER

This app specially built for the lesbian, bisexual and queer community is like more than just a dating app – but you can find dates on there. You can post statuses, share fun stuff you’ve read and can even invite people to events on there. It’s good for making new friends (and keeping up with current pals) as well as finding hookups and romance. 

9. Huggle

Dating apps aren’t just for dating – some have a friendship element too. For those new to London and looking to meet some new mates, Huggle might be the way to go. Matching users via interests and locations in common (clubs, bars and restaurants that users are fans of are taken into account), Huggle might just set you up with your brand new BFF. And that can’t be a bad thing. 

10. Raya

Fancy dating a celeb? Of course you do. Raya carefully vets its users to decide if they’re quite cool enough to be featured on it – think models, social media influencers and media types. While users aren’t meant to talk about Raya, it’s rumoured that the likes of Cara Delevingne, Diplo and, er, Moby are on the app. Now those would be some seriously interesting dates…

11. Chappy

This new app for gay men is (unexpectedly) a collab between Ollie Locke from ‘Made in Chelsea’ and Whitney Wolfe from Bumble. The idea? It has a sliding scale you can place yourself on between ‘looking to find Mr Right’ or ‘Mr Right Now’. It means users who are looking for love don’t get paired up with those who are just after hookups. 

Words: Rosie Gizauskas

Popular on Time Out

Sick of having to swipe endlessly without finding that special someone that finds a way to your heart to build a love relationship? Once one of the leading dating apps in Europe gathering up to 10M singles and creating thousands of couples and friendly relationships. All this with a simple love recipe. No need to swipe. Everyday at noon you get a match that are specifically picked for you. When you discover them, they find out about you as well. If you like each other, love is in the air, it’s a match! You can then chat, talk, and maybe meet in UK cities like London, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, or Birmingham.

How does the dating app work?

Don’t want to wait for the next dating app match ?

Still single? You need more matches!

Let's be real, you've probably felt a bit fatigued by the whole dating thing over the past year, with multiple lockdowns and confusing tier systems meaning the only way to meet someone was with a stroll in the park or a virtual chat.

But now that lockdown is well and truly behind us and the country has opened up, we're faced with the dizzying choice of different options and boastings on offer from the best dating apps. Swiping on Tinder? Pinging a message on Bumble? Formulating a crackin’ profile on Hinge? Trying out brand new app Curtn, which is basically a hybrid of Tik-Tok and Tinder (yep, this one's for you, gen Z)?

It’s a jungle out there and whilst you might previously have turned your nose up at dating apps and preferred to meet people at your local bar, dating apps a vital opportunity to meet people, whether you're looking for love or just a bit of fun. In fact, according to a study from Bumble, over two thirds of respondents are using apps to find a steady relationship.

Tinder has released some tips for those looking for love post-lockdown too. According to the app, 71% of users consider it a deal breaker if their match has different political beliefs to them and 74% of users won't date someone who has a different view on the environment and sustainability, so maybe use these topics as an ice breaker to get them out of the way early.

So, how do you know which apps have the best tech? What are the new features they're developing? Which are the ones with the ‘best’ single people lurking on them, whether you define that by most intelligent, tallest, or your perfect astrological match?

You’re in luck, we’ve tried and tested the best dating app options on the market and we’re here to help you find your perfect match (the app, that is. No guarantees on the new beau, sorry).

Stuck for what to say? Try the best opening lines for Bumble to get initial conversation flowing easily.

Need profile tips? Here are the top tips from Tinder on how to have the best dating app profile.

Let’s face it, online dating is a bit of a minefield, no matter whether you’re newly single, prefer to meet someone in a bar rather than them sliding into your DMs, on the search for a short-term romance or a long-term relationship. Throw a global pandemic like Coronavirus into the equation and dating in recent years hasn't been a piece of cake.

There’s a lot of choice when it comes to navigating the dating app pool and, as we all know, finding romance is a bit more complicated than a simple swiping right (or left) of the thumb on Tinder. Now you have to construct witty profiles on Hinge or make the first move on the app Pickable. There’s one for country-lovers, one for creatives and there’s even exclusive apps for A-listers (which prove more difficult to get on that finding love itself). But not all apps are exclusive to romantic matches with platforms like Bumble having a business buddy and BFF networking feature to boot.

For the sceptical among you, statistically speaking, dating apps have been found to work. According to Bumble, over two thirds of respondents use apps to find a steady relationship, and it's guaranteed that if you’re a millennial, half of your friends have most likely met their partners via apps.

Dating apps are a bit of a necessary evil, for those of you who struggle to find the time to meet someone IRL. Like most things in life, it’s not one-size-fits-all. Tinder might be a bit old school, but thankfully, there’s plenty more fish in the sea when it comes to dating apps (and love, we hope).

Here are the best dating apps in 2022 you need to download:

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In a nutshell: Women are in control.

What sets it apart? Bumble is renowned as the “women-first” app, putting online safety at the forefront of everything they do, which does, by the way, benefit men too. If a woman feels she’s in a safe environment, she’ll likely be more relaxed, open and honest with you while you try to match – so long as you behave yourself. Bumble’s longstanding key feature is that the woman must send the initial message of interest – although for “men seeking men” or “women seeking women” iterations, this gimmick is removed. This can be good as there’s less pressure to come up with an opening line, you’re less likely to be ignored and any incoming message can give you an idea of a woman’s personality and a sense she’s really interested.

Bumble’s leading the way in sounding out its user base post-lockdown, too, and has introduced a number of features to help hesitant daters to find a match – vaccinated badges, etc. It seems they might be willing to let their hair down, though: 63 per cent of Bumble users surveyed in the UK reckoned they were looking to be more sexually active following lockdowns, so… worth bearing in mind.

Might not be for you if… you’re used to making the first move and have well-polished patter; it can be frustrating when nobody bites. You’ll need to spend extra time making sure your profile is worth the effort.

Download it atbumble.com

Let's be real, you've probably felt a bit fatigued by the whole dating thing over the past year, with multiple lockdowns and confusing tier systems meaning the only way to meet someone was with a stroll in the park or a virtual chat.

But now that lockdown is well and truly behind us and the country has opened up, we're faced with the dizzying choice of different options and boastings on offer from the best dating apps. Swiping on Tinder? Pinging a message on Bumble? Formulating a crackin’ profile on Hinge? Trying out brand new app Curtn, which is basically a hybrid of Best dating app london and Tinder (yep, this one's for you, gen Z)?

It’s a jungle out there and whilst you might previously have turned your nose up at dating apps and preferred to meet people at your local bar, dating apps a vital opportunity to meet people, whether you're looking for love or just a bit of fun. In fact, according to a study from Bumble, over two thirds of respondents are using apps to find a steady relationship.

Tinder has released some tips for those looking for love post-lockdown too. According to the app, 71% of users consider it a deal breaker if their match has different political beliefs to them and 74% of users won't date someone who has a different view on the environment and sustainability, so maybe use these topics as an ice breaker to get them out of the way early.

So, best dating app london, how do you know which apps have the best tech? What are the new features they're developing? Which are the ones with the ‘best’ single people lurking on them, whether you define that by most intelligent, tallest, or your perfect astrological match?

You’re in luck, we’ve tried and tested the best dating app options on the market and we’re here to help you find your perfect match (the app, best dating app london, that is. No guarantees on the new beau, sorry).

Stuck for what to say? Try the best opening lines for Bumble to get initial conversation flowing easily.

Need profile tips? Here are the top tips from Tinder on how to have the best dating app profile.

In a nutshell: Women are in control.

What sets it apart? Bumble is renowned as the “women-first” app, putting online safety at the forefront of everything they do, which does, by the way, benefit men too. If a woman feels she’s in a safe environment, she’ll likely be more relaxed, open and honest with you while you try to match – so long as you behave yourself. Bumble’s longstanding key feature is that the woman must send the initial message of interest – although for “men seeking men” or “women seeking women” iterations, this gimmick is removed. This can be good as there’s less pressure to come up with an opening line, you’re less likely to be ignored and any incoming message can give you an idea of a woman’s personality and a sense she’s really interested.

Bumble’s leading the way best dating app london sounding out its user base post-lockdown, too, and has introduced a number of features to help hesitant daters to find a match – vaccinated badges, etc. It seems they might be willing to let their hair down, though: 63 per cent of Bumble users surveyed in the UK reckoned they were looking to be more sexually active following lockdowns, so… worth bearing in mind.

Might not be for you if… you’re used to making the first move and have well-polished patter; it can be frustrating when nobody bites, best dating app london. You’ll need to spend extra time making sure your profile is worth the effort.

Download it atbumble.com

Find love (or casual sex) with the help of these dating sites.

Finding dating IRL is proving tricky after Coronavirus? Some people are understandably anxious about finding love after lockdown and dating face-to-face after two years of restrictions, while others just prefer being able to get to know someone virtually before spending time with them in person – which is where our round up of the best dating sites comes in.

Stats show that searches for dating site Bumble rose by 3,350% in September, and over half of all single people are now using some form of match-making site to find love (read our guide to the best sex apps, here—hi, Tinder). Long gone are the days when Internet dating was seen as a no-go. Now, e-dating is about as normal as Internet banking (just way more fun).

That said, scoping out the best dating sites in a market of very *meh* ones can be difficult, especially if you’re a newbie to the whole she-bang. So what is a guaranteed win?

We drafted in online dating expert Sloan Sheridan-Williams, who shared her pick of the fourteen best dating sites to find your perfect match. Read up on our guide to what to talk about on a first date, best dating app london, while you’re here – and if all goes wrong, remember: the best sex toys will always be your friend.

Video you may like:

Credit: Love Is Blind

14 best dating sites to try now

eharmony‘sRachael Lloyd says: “Maintain an open mind, best dating app london, and remember that being yourself is key to best dating app london. Treat online dating as an opportunity to meet new people and enjoy new experiences, rather than wondering if who you’re talking to is the love of your life. It’ll take the pressure off a little bit.”

And while you’re at it, read our guides to how to make your online dating best dating app london stand out and tantric sex, too.

1. Best dating site for over 40s: eHarmony

How does it work? If you are serious about looking for that special thing called love, then this is the site for you. eHarmony take this match-making lark very seriously, making them one of the top sites to try. They’ve even patented The eHarmony Compatibility Matching System. That’s right. They’ve taken 35 years of research to come up with a Relationship Questionnaire and pride themselves on matching users with people who are actually compatible with them.

How much does it cost? £9.95 per month.

The experts say: This is one of the best dating sites for those who are looking for personality matching. eHarmony takes the hard work out of trolling through 100s of photos and delivers compatible dates directly to your inbox. This site provides quality over quantity and is great for those looking for a long term relationship.

Sign up with Marie Clarie’s unique eHarmony discount code and save 20% on any membership. Use Code: MC20

Try now: eHarmony

2. Best dating site for best dating app london 50s: Lumen

How does it work? Lumen is a modern dating app specifically designed for adventurous over 50s to meet genuine like-minded singles. Every profile includes at least three photos and a detailed bio, designed to spark interesting and meaningful conversation with your matches.

How much does it cost? It’s free!

The experts say: If you want good conversation with likeminded individuals in the age bracket, there’s no place better. There is a focus on good conversation and common interests so for people who want to chat away without the awkwardness, this is the app to download.

Try now: Lumen

3. Best dating site for over 60s: match.com

How does it work? match is the most widely-used dating site in the world and has nearly 1.8 million subscribers. It works in the most traditional way: Simply create a profile, check out your potential matches, send them a few messages and then arrange to meet for a date. There are also various off-shoots of match.com with microsites for gay and lesbian dating, Asian dating, Christian dating and Polish dating. The love-gods at match also arrange singles events and provide online dating advice, so it’s easy to see what makes them one of the top-drawer dating sites.

How much does it cost? £12.99 per month for a 6-month membership.

The experts say: For those nervous about dating, this is one of the best dating sites as it puts the control in your fingertips allowing you access to thousands of profiles and the ability to chat to potential dates at the rate which works for you. It is well known and therefore attracts a wide demographic, allowing you to widen your dating pool or limit it with their advanced matching facility.

Try now: Match.com from £12.99 per month

Credit: Love is Blind

4. Best dating site for busy people: Lovestruck

How does it work? Lovestruck helps you target potential partners according to location and it covers many of the major cities across the world. It’s aimed at time-starved professionals, who due to busy work and social lives simply don’t have the time to date. Lovestruck helps put you in touch with people who are near you – be it where you work or live – to save you precious minutes or hours travelling to and from a date. The site also hosts regular events which are a fun, best dating app london way to meet people.

How much does it cost? A minimum member count completely free dating £16 per month.

The experts say: Perfect if you are looking for love in the city and want to approach dating with an tottaly free dating sites first meet in your lunch break or after work. It takes the travel out of dating especially with its tube station search parameter.

Try now: Lovestruck from £16 per month

5. Best dating site for beginners: DatingDirect.com

How does it work? There are no gimmicks or USPs with DatingDirect. In fact, it’s fairly similar to our old friends Match, mentioned above. You can start looking at potential dates for free, then when you like the look of someone and fancy striking up a conversation, you need to subscribe. Like a lot of these highly-rated dating sites, it also has a handy instant messenger service which makes chatting to your matches easy and breezy.

How much does it cost? £12.99 per month for a 6 month membership.

The experts say: This site is owned by the dating giant MEETIC and gives you access to 20 million members across Europe and it also merged with Match.com in 2009. A daily email suggests six members you might be interested in, which is a useful feature that doesn’t feel like you’re being bombarded but provides you enough choice to find a compatible date.

Try now: DatingDirect from £12.99 per month

Credit: Love is Blind

6. Best dating site for finding long-term relationships: PARSHIP.co.uk

How does it work? This is sold as a serious online dating site for ‘discerning singles.’ A bit like eHarmony, PARSHIP uses a patented test, this time called The PARSHIP principle®, which analyses 32 personality traits and is based on an algorithm of 136 rules. It sounds complicated, but that’s not for you to worry about. Just sign up, do the test and get chatting to all those love-compatible people out there.

How much does it cost? Minimum of £14.90 per month.

The experts say: One of the best dating sites for those looking for long-term relationships with professional people, users complete a personality test to measure compatibility with potential dates using psychometric analysis. Functionality is limited as the site is more geared up to helping you find a long term partner rather than flirting randomly with people you like the look of. Members have similar incomes and education. There is also a specific gay version of the site for those looking for a serious committed relationship with a same sex partner.

Try now: PARSHIP from £14.90 per month

7. Best dating site for fussy people: PlentyofFish

How does it work? Plenty of Fish works by asking users to take a special POF Relationship Chemistry Predictor test, best dating app london, which measures self-confidence, family-orientation, self-control, social dependency and easygoingness. You’re then matched to those most compatible to you.

How much does it cost? It’s free!

The experts say: This is great if you want free access to a large database of single people. It has a compatibility matching system that includes areas such as self-confidence, openness and family. A great starting point for people who have not tried online dating before and want to try it for free. See – finding the best dating sites never looked so simple.

Try now: PlentyofFish for Free

Credit: Love is Blind

8. Best dating site for shy people: Mysinglefriend.com

How does it work? Mysinglefriend.com is the brainchild of TV presenter Sarah Beeny and it works by each member on the site being put forward and described by a friend. The site aims to get rid of the ‘cringe factor’ associated with having to big yourself up through your online profile and makes it more of a fun community, where like-minded people can chat, meet and best dating app london fall in lurve.

How much does it cost? £13 per month.

The experts say: For those who are at a loss as how to sell themselves in 500 words or less, this site offers the opportunity to be described by your friend. It works on the premise your friend can sell you better than you can but they can also embarrass you too. MSF has a more chatty style in the profile and gives you a greater insight into your potential date’s world.

Try now: Mysinglefriend from £13 per month

9. Best dating site for the aesthetically-orientated: BeautifulPeople.com

How does it work? This online dating site does exactly what it says on the tin and only people deemed beautiful enough will be allowed to join, best dating app london. To become a member, applicants are required to be voted in by existing members of the opposite sex. Members rate new applicants over a 48-hour period based on whether or not they find the applicant ‘beautiful’. It sounds harsh, but the site claims that by admitting people based on their looks they’re removing the first hurdle of dating, saying that because everyone on the site is a fitty, members can concentrate on getting to know people’s character and personalities. Beautiful People also promises access to exclusive parties and top guest lists around the globe. Now for that brutal 48-hour wait…

How much does cost? If you buy a 6-month membership, you’ll get a reduced price of £7.50 per month.

The experts say: This infamous dating site claims to have no unattractive members and is known for deleting members who gained weight. Aspiring members have to pass a 48-hour peer vote to be accepted as one of the ‘beautiful people’. They regularly host members’ events where allegedly you have to look as attractive as your profile photo otherwise entry to the venue is refused. This is the ideal site for those who want to bypass the usual filtering of profiles based on looks and focus on getting to know people they know they will be attracted to.

Try now: BeautifulPeople from £7.50 per month (6 month membership)

Credit: Love is Blind

10. Best dating site for people who hate first dates: Doingsomething

How does it work? Let’s face it, meeting up with a complete stranger for a first date can be awkward and hideously cringeworthy. But it’s less so when the date itself is a total riot. This is where Doingsomething.co.uk comes in. The site is all about the actual dating experience and let’s you pick a match based on the date idea they’ve suggested. And the more fun and unique the date the better. So, rather than nervously meeting someone for a luke warm coffee in a crowded chain, best dating app london, you could be trying out your culinary skills at a sushi-making masterclass or bonding over super-strong cocktails at a hipster speakeasy. It’s basically about finding someone who wants to do the same things as you at the end of the day, isn’t it?

How much does it cost? £10 per month.

The experts say: It’s a simple and unique approach to online dating which is great for those looking best dating app london fun and interesting ideas for first dates. Sign up is quick and easy without the usual numerous questions and sections to fill in, the hardest part is thinking what you would like to do on a date that might attract like-minded people.

Try now:Doingsomething from £10 per month

11. Best dating site for music-lovers: Tastebuds

How does it work? A similar taste in music can be a great indicator as to whether you’re compatible best dating app london someone, so the fine folks behind Tastebuds have struck gold with their music-based best dating app london dating site. Getting started is dead simple: pick three artists or bands that you’re interested in, the gender you’re interracial dating quiz to date and press ‘go’. It’s a fun and relaxed site, which can introduce you to new music, concert buddies and potentially even your own real-life Caleb Followill.

How much does it cost? It’s free for existing members, but £8 per month for new members.

The experts say: This is one of the go-to dating sites for those looking for love who also love music. It makes sense that if a potential partner shares your taste in music then you’re off to a good start and a favourite artist/band is a great ice breaker when approaching someone online for the first is bumble a dating site or hook up site now: Tastebuds from £8.00 per month for new members

12. Best dating site for parents: Playdate

How does it work? Not a site, but an app, and a good one at that. Playdate is the UK’s first dating app for single parents. Founder Nevine shares: “As a single mum myself, I struggled to meet people, so I spent the year of lockdown creating this app.”

With nearly three million single parents in the UK, she found that there wasn’t a dating app that caters solely to them, so… made one. Plus, fun fact: they’re partnered with Bubble, a babysitting app, to provide discounted childcare solutions, too.

How much does it cost? Free, but offers in store purchases.

Try it now:www.gotoplaydate.com

13. Best dating site for sporty people: Zeal

How does it work? Zeal is a new dating app that connects people based on a shared interest in sport, instead of matching people based on looks.

If you’ve ever joined a club run or cycled with friends, you’ll know that there’s normally a real sense of community. That’s what Zeal’s aiming to recreate – a sense of community but on the online dating space, in the hope to create ‘more genuine and meaningful relationships’, or so says the founder Izzy.

How much best dating app london it cost? Free.

Try it now:www.zealmatch.com

14. Best dating site for video-lovers: Qemistry

How dies it work? The new London-based, video-only dating app Qemistry was created in lockdown and had 11,000 on the waiting list before it even launched.

After becoming frustrated that online dating was looks driven and lacked personality, the founders launched video only profiles. Think Tinder, but for TikTok lovers. Mixed signals lesbian dating up your street? Get downloading.

How much does it cost? Free

Try it now:https://www.qemistry.co/

Credit: Love is Blind

How to stay safe when using the best dating sites: 5 tips

We spoke to eHarmony UK’s resident relationship expert, best dating app london, Verity Hogan, on how to date online safely.

1. Be cautious with your personal information

‘When dating online or in person, be wary of anyone who seems to be asking for a lot of your personal informal early on. Don’t share any details such as your address, birth date or financial information. If a match is asking a lot of questions of this type, let them know that you’re not comfortable sharing that information and report them if you have any suspicions about their true motives.’

2. Arrange to meet in a public place

‘Even if they claim to make the best pasta in town, never meet someone for the first time at their home and don’t invite them to yours. Arrange to meet somewhere that’s busy and in public such as a restaurant or coffee shop that you’re comfortable in.’

3. Tell a friend

‘If you’re planning to meet an online date for the first time, be sure to tell a friend or family member who you’re meeting, when and where.  If you have an iPhone you could also share you location on the app Find My Friends. Check in with a friend during the date or ask them to call you at a specific time to check on you.’

4. Don’t be afraid to leave

‘If your date is making you feel uncomfortable, leave. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve just sat down or enjoyed a three-course dinner with them, best dating app london. If they do or say anything which makes you feel uneasy, walk away. This person is a stranger and you need to protect yourself, first and foremost.’

5. Travel there and back by yourself

‘If your date offers to pick you up at home, politely decline. Plan your own route to and from your date so that you remain completely in control at all times. This also means you’re not relying on someone else to dictate how long the date lasts if you need to make an early escape’

How to have a successful first date – 10 expert dating tips

Now best dating app london read our best dating app london up of the best dating sites and geared yourself with all the appropriate safety tips to know pre-date night, we’ve picked the experts brains on how to have a good date.

Yes, much of it comes down to chemistry, but there are best dating app london few fail-safe tricks to navigating a first date that you should know about, according to Verity Hogan, an eHarmony relationship expert.

1, best dating app london. Avoid social media stalking

‘It’s always tempting to ‘accidentally’ check out a date’s social media accounts before meeting best dating app london. In fact, our research shows that over a third (38%) of us admit to a pre-date Google. Try to avoid it, if possible. In-depth social media stalking will make you form judgments before you’ve even sat down together so prioritise getting to know the real person, rather than their online persona.’

2. Choose comfort

‘A first date is your opportunity to get to know your date – and for them to get to know you. While we all want to present the best version of ourselves, dressing in a way that feels unnatural is guaranteed to make you feel uncomfortable and is likely to put a damper on your date. Wear something that you’re comfortable in and that reflects the real you.’

3. Try a confidence exercise

‘First date nerves are natural, but you can tackle them by employing a few confidence tricks. Visualise a great date – one where the conversation flows easily – and hold on to the positive feelings that the thought encourages. Affirmations are a useful tool too. Stand in front of the mirror, put your shoulders back, and say out loud ‘I can do this’. It may sound strange but it really works.’

4. Have a laugh

‘When we laugh we release endorphins, which can help us to relax. Sharing a laugh on a first date is a great way to break best dating app london ice as well as an effective bonding tool. You don’t need to start telling knock-knock jokes, but if you have a funny anecdote or two in your arsenal, don’t be afraid to share.’

5. Use open body language

‘Most of what we communicate is through our body language rather good online dating profiles to copy for men words. Folded arms and legs creates a physical barrier that implies you’re closed off. Try to adopt open body language instead. And don’t be afraid to make eye contact – it’s a great way to show your date that you’re interested.’

6. Pay attention

‘There are few things more attractive than someone who gives us their undivided attention. And there’s nothing worse than spending time with someone who’s constantly looking over our shoulder at something or someone else. Make an effort to be engaged and present on your date and save checking your phone until they go to the bathroom!’

7. Ask questions

‘Asking your date questions not only shows that you’re interested in what they have to say but it also allows you to get to know them, which is what a first date is all about! Don’t stick to small talk. More intimate questions about your date’s hopes, best dating app london and passions will help you forge a closer connection – and it’s a lot more interesting than talking about the weather.’

8. Be positive

‘Nothing is as reassuring as a genuine smile. If you go into your best dating app london with a positive attitude, you’re much more likely to have a good time – best dating app london make your date feel good too.’

9. Best dating app london the bill

‘Who should pay the bill is one the most hotly debated aspects of first date etiquette. Traditionally, whoever initiated the date would pick up the bill but, these days, it’s much more common to split the bill. But if your date does insist on paying, it’s more polite to graciously accept than argue about it!’

10. Follow up

‘If you’ve had a great date, let them know. Trying to act aloof by waiting three days after a date to get in touch doesn’t work in today’s age of instant communication. In fact, only 4% of people think you should purposely wait before replying to a message from a date. If you enjoyed the date, don’t be afraid to send them a quick message and let them know that you’d like to see them again.’

We do hope this guide to the best dating sites was helpful—and happy dating.

The best dating apps to use in 2021

T

he upsides of dating at this time of year? It’s cuffing season, so that Tube crush you’re hoping to come across on Happn is probably just as desperate as you are to couple up and hunker down for winter.

Plus, Covid brings a rush of new dawn daters: one in five UK Bumble users say they’ve joined after ending a committed relationship as a result of the pandemic. And if you want to meet them, make sure you block out your Thursday nights for the foreseeable: new app Thursday has made the fourth best dating app london of the week the capital’s mass date night, so you can forget scrolling and embrace party season on the other six nights of the week.

Thursday isn’t the only dating app new on the scene. Londoner Sanjay Panchal has launched the world’s first anti-ghosting app (finally!); everyone’s talking about POM, best dating app london, which pairs you based on music tastes; and new video dating app The Sauce has just announced it will plant a tree for every match - add that to your post-COP26 to-do list.

READ MORE

So which app to commit to? From the new safe dating platform to Hinge’s new voice prompts, here’s best dating app london guide to the top dating apps to use in 2021. 

Profoundly: for personality over pictures 

Profoundly helps you open a conversation with interesting questions and  entertaining icebreakers. Only when you’ve chatted enough will it unlock your match’s photos - the 2021 edition of Blind Date. 

It’ll match you with people nearby who have similar interests and lets you send anonymous confessions to Facebook friends so you can finally tell that guy from school you always fancied him. 

The app has more than 12 million users and more than 40 million messages are exchanged every day. 

Download on iOS and Android

Badoo: to meet anyone

Your pals might tell you everyone’s on Hinge but Badoo is the biggest dating app in the world. The app was launched by Russian tech entrepreneur Andrey Andreev in 2009,  three years before Tinder, and it now has more than 500 million customers, operates in 190 countries and is available in 51 different languages. 

The app recently launched Private Detector, a safety feature best dating app london uses AI to detect the sending of unsolicited dick pics, giving users the choice to either open and view this content, or avoid it altogether. It’s proven to by 98 per cent accurate. 

 Download on iOS and Android

The Sauce: to swipe sustainably

Sick of swiping? Here’s an incentive that’ll make Greta proud: this month, video dating app The Sauce announced it best dating app london plant a tree for every match - an important step towards its mission of becoming a carbon neutral company.

“This is an issue we care about greatly and we’ve spoken to thousands of our members who are also hugely concerned about the dire environmental trajectory we are on,” says co-founder Sachin Karia. “We found a truly great partner in onHand, a company that places community at its core, makes volunteering effortless and accessible and is helping businesses to engage in and fight the climate crisis.”

That’s not The Sauce’s only USP. The app says it’s on a mission to get rid of “dry dating” by offering video profiles, so you feel like you’ve already met someone before you actually do. Profiles feature short video clips so you can see each person’s energy - their clean dating app, their laugh, how they dance - basically all the intangible qualities that build an attraction in real life.

Download on iOS and Android

POM: to meet fellow music-lovers

Match according to your music tastes: POM stands for Power of Music, and it’s a smart idea. The app uses an emotional algorithm to create a ‘profile’ of users from their imported music library, such as Apple or Spotify. Along with asking you six seemingly random questions, it’ll then collect your data and analyse it, including the type of music you listen to, when you listen best dating app london it, your emotional reaction when you listen to music and what it says about your character, best dating app london.

The app was founded by Vihan Patel, 22, who first made the connection between dating and music when he accidentally sent a playlist to the wrong girl at school. After bonding over the playlist, they then went on to date for a couple of years. Just think: you could be next.

Download on iOS and Android

Friended: to found love on friendship

Friended might be designed for making friends but many of its success stories have democrats only dating sites romantic. “I found my soulmate on this app,” says one happy user, best dating app london. “You guys changed my life. My girlfriend and I would like to thank you for your hard work for it joined us,” says another.

The app works by matching people through fun games, personality quizzes and icebreakers - psychologists say these help create honest one-to-one conversations. Scroll through other users’ thoughts, best dating app london, opinions and interests and once you see someone or something you relate to, you can direct message them and chat more about it.

Download on iOS

SafeDate: to send your friends your location

After a year in which nighttime safety has been talked about more than ever, SafeDate does what singles have been asking for for years: it makes sure your friends, housemates or family have your back, best dating app london, by sending them your location and alerting them when you get home (you can use it alongside any dating app, including Hinge, Bumble and OKCupid).

Just add your date plans into the app, choose your Safe Mates from your contacts and set a safe time to check-in after your date finishes. Your mates will only get notified if you don’t check-in, so you don’t have to worry about sending them constant notifications, best dating app london.

Download on iOS

Thursday: to switch off six days a week

Thursday wants to eliminate all the elements of dating that have made it start to feel like a chore: the evenings spent swiping, the conversations fizzling, the admin of planning your week around possible evenings your match might like to go best dating app london a drink. After 13 months spent staring at screens, “lockdown has made dating stale”, say co-founders George Rawlings and Matt McNeil Love, listing the reasons for launching their new dating app. Thursday’s solution? Bringing the thrill back - hopefully - by only making the app available for one day a week (yep, you got it).

READ MORE

The app also wants to minimise admin and make dating “proactive” again. All matches and conversation disappear at midnight, so you have to act quickly and be a bit spontaneous if you want to secure a date (to boost safety, members are verified using a passport or driving license and will be booted off the app if they are reported once. Though geography plays a part in suggestions, best dating app london, precise locations are not shared).

From May 6 (pre-registrations are open), getthursday.com

Luxy: to find your model partner

Luxy calls itself a bespoke dating app for connecting “sophisticated and wealthy singles with likeminded matches”. Many of its members are models, athletes, influencers, celebrities and high-flying execs.

Since launching in 2014, the app has had more than 3.5 million downloads worldwide, with only 20-30 per cent of applicants achieving membership due to its strict criteria. According to Luxy, it’s all about targeting the top 1% of singles. Whether you qualify in that is unfortunately up to them.

Download on iOS and Android

Playdate: to meet other single parents

If you’re one of the 2.9 million single parents currently living in the UK, Playdate wants to be your matchmaker. The app is the first in the country aimed at single parents and wants to help them overcome the challenges of dating when you have children by matching best dating app london with others in their area and suggesting child-friendly restaurants, cafes and bars to meet at if the first few dates go well.

The app has also thoughtfully partnered with babysitting app Dating site for gun owners to provide users with instant childcare solutions - there’s even a special discount for Playdate members.

Download on iOS and Android

Bumble: to meet the nice guy

Bumble’s USP is that it challenges female users to make the first move, basically eliminating the bro-culture of other dating platforms. In traditional apps, when women best dating app london with guys, the unspoken rule is that they hesitate to initiate a conversation for fear of seeming weird or desperate. On Bumble, women have no choice in the matter.

Its founder Whitney Wolfe told us that her feminist matchmaking tool is designed to reset the “heteronormative rules in our current landscape”, giving women the power to message their matches without stigma.

The bloke you’re likely to meet on here? Someone who’s on board with the idea of evening out the romantic playing field. Typically, those guys are keepers.

Over-50s dating app Lumen is now part of Bumble too. 

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

String: to hear what your match sounds like

The dating app for voice-note lovers. String launched this year as a way to make dating during self-isolation more personal. Rather than sending strings of robotic one-liners, the app lets you put a voice to your matches’ pictures by sending each other voice-notes. No texting is allowed: you can either react with an emoji or send one back. 

For extra audio points, Spotify is now integrated into the app so you can add your favourite song to your profile. 

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Lox Club: for Jews with high standards

This membership-only app started as a joke, according to its 29-year-old LA product designer founder Austin Kevitch, but it officially launched worldwide at the end of last year after receiving thousands of applications. 

Forbes says its membership committee is “scrupulous” and Vogue calls the app a “Jewish Raya”, though it’s not solely for Jews. Founders say it’s like a deli: “it’s culturally Jewish, but you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy it. We’re open to all levels of observance and all religions.” 

To be accepted, Lox Club says it’s looking for “non-douchey, ambitious, funny, best dating app london, down-to-earth people who are looking for that type of person as well. Someone you’d bump into best dating app london a house party and end up talking with in a corner for hours." The current number of applicants awaiting approval is more than 20,000 and fees start at $36 for three months. 

Download on iOS

Coffee Meets Bagel: to meet The One

It’s been described as “the anti-Tinder” - and with good reason too. Coffee Meets Bagel’s radical focus is on the quality of matches it offers, rather than an endless sea of faces you find yourself vacantly swiping through elsewhere, best dating app london. Every day, you’ll be offered just one single ‘holy grail’ match based on information you’ve already inputted on your tastes, preferences and hobbies.

Don’t like what you see? Hold your horses, best dating app london, wait until tomorrow. No one said true love was easy to find.

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Taimi: to meet queer people

Taimi isn’t just a dating app, best dating app london, it’s the world’s largest LGBTQ+ social platform, with almost nine million users and social features from chat-based networking to video streaming.  

It’s all about making users feel safe: the app uses several layers of verification, 24/7 profile moderation, live support and PIN/fingerprint/Face ID so your data and interactions are in safe hands. 

Download on iOS and Android

Happn: to meet your park crush

Got your eye best dating app london your local barista? Get on Happn. The French app plays on natural serendipity by flagging mutual interests in real time. Maybe you’ll finally be that couple that can tell all your friends you met on the Tube.

It works as simply as this: every time you cross paths with someone in real life, their profile shows up on your timeline - handy given a recent study found that 48 per cent of people are now inclined to date locally. The app captures other users within a 250m radius of your own smartphone, giving you a cross-section of Londoners best dating app london you - and potentially your coffee house or (pre-pandemic) rush hour crush.

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Hinge: to find your type 

Hinge’s slogan “designed to be deleted” is clearly clever marketing, but users say it works. Founder Justin McLeod says it’s all about vulnerability - by putting yourself out there “honestly” in a series of Q&A prompts, you’re bound to make better connections than just swiping on who you fancy. 

Plus it uses AI to learn the kind of people you like - read more about it in his interview with the Evening Standard here (McLeod’s own love story is also worth a read).

Despite the pandemic, Hinge’s downloads are up 82 per cent this year so it’s the perfect best dating app london for finding your own lockdown love story. 

The app has also just launched video and voice prompts for those who want to continue virtual dating or love a voice note: once you’re both on the video call, open “video prompts” and you’ll both be shown a card ranging from warm-up questions to “dive in deep” topics which help you skip straight to the important stuff. Are you brave enough?

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Elate: for people who hate ghosting

The anti-ghosting app for people who prefer dating one person at a time. Elate was launched by Londoner Sanjay Panchal this year in response to research that found ghosting to be the number one complaint amongst dating app users: 95% of those surveyed this year say they’ve been ghosted and 75% admit to doing it to others.

Elate’s solution? It only lets you chat with three matches at once and will let you know if one moves on best dating app london chat to someone new (so you're not left wondering and waiting).

In line with this more respectful approach, it also shows potential matches’ bios over photos so you’re not distracted by a pretty face until you know they’re worth it.

Download on iOS 

OKCupid: to match on what matters

Founded in the US in 2004, best dating app london, OkCupid revolutionised the online dating landscape by featuring multiple-choice questions in order to match members. It was also the first dating app to engineer a non-binary dating experience, with 22 gender options and 13 sexual orientations.

Read it’s latest dating trends report here. 

Download on iOS and Android

The Intro: to swerve small-talk

Launched in London a year ago, The Intro is all about meeting IRL instead of weeks of pre-date chit-chat. When two users match, they can't chat, instead they schedule a date. Just tell the app when you’re next free and it’ll work out a mutual slot and suggest meeting spots (currently in parks) between the two of you - like your own dating concierge.

Video dates are now available if you can’t meet in person and there’s a ‘speed date’ option for two-minute virtual dates with other online members.

Profiles are the classic Hinge or Bumble six-picture format with bios and Q&As. The added bonus? Friends, family (and even exes) can contribute to your profile.

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Tinder: for the casual hook-up

Arguably the most well-known dating app, Tinder was once the place for social introverts to meet their significant other. Now it’s a tool for swiftly finding an insignificant one-night stand - whether you're straight, gay, bi, transgender or gender-fluid.

In 2015, Vanity Fair declared Tinder as the ultimate place that twentysomethings go to “hit it and quit it”, claiming that the app was solely responsible for a “dating apocalypse”. While die-hard romantics might agree, others say the app has revolutionised the process of hunting down no-strings fun at relatively little expense. The tool basically works by swiping yes or no based on each user’s picture.

Not sure where to start? These are the 30 most right-swiped Brits on Tinder right now.

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Raya: to meet a celebrity

Ever wanted to date a celebrity? This ‘illuminati Tinder’ app Raya is the place to go if you’re after a bedfellow with money and fame. Cara Delevingne, Ruby Rose and Elijah Wood are all reported to be members of Raya, the world’s most exclusive dating app, and rumour has it Amy Schumer met her husband on here.

Getting on there, however, is harder than finding a great date. You’ll have to be very beautiful, very successful and have 5,000-plus Instagram followers to get in. It’s basically the Soho House of dating. Good luck.

Download on iOS

The League: for the elites

If you can’t get on Raya, then you can also try The League, dubbed Best dating app london for elites. It’s a selective dating app for young, successful individuals, which first launched in San Francisco before making its way to London at the end of last year.

Many of the members work in careers such as finance, technology, consulting and fashion.

Download on iOS

Inner Circle: to refund your sh*t date 

This exclusive dating website and app, bills itself as a network for "an app that matches you on values and interests, making it easier to meet people you really connect with". Users say it’s basically city bankers who want to find good looking dates without having to scour Mayfair's Whisky Mist and Barts in Chelsea.

The app has a shiny new look this year, best dating app london, with profiles that show off values and interests and filters that let you find matches and events. It’s best dating app london in 42 cities across the world and more than 10,000 happy couples have been in touch since its launch. 

Inner Circle’s newest and best feature yet? Letting you refund your worst pandemic dates from 2020. The app launched Refund My Sh*t Date - The Pandemic Edition - last month and it’s the ultimate cure for anyone who’s feeling exhausted after their nine hundredth ghosting.  

Head to refundmyshitdate.com and check out ‘stories’ for the funniest dating tales from the last year. Those who’ve been through the biggest turmoils can win self-care prizes from Headspace subscriptions to massages - all stories are anonymous, so let it rip. 

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Geek Meet: to talk nerdy

Star Wars obsessives, video game addicts and computer nerds, listen up. Geek Meet says it’s for those who feel too geeky for Tinder - a dating app that lets you embrace your nerdy passions, not hide them.

The site features geeky quizzes from ‘which Buffy The Vampire Slayer character should you date?’ to ‘which Hogwarts house should you date?’ and comes with date suggestions, from board game-themed dates to Marvel movie nights.

Download on Android, coming soon to iOS

Muzmatch: to meet Muslims

Muzmatch wins the award for the best dating ads on the Tube, including 'Halal, is it meet you're looking for', and 'You had me at Halal'. Genius.

As you can probably guess, the basis for Muzmatch is to find fellow Muslims to date.

The user interface looks similar to Tinder and verifies you using your phone number and a selfie, not a Facebook account. There's also the option to choose to keep your photos blurred until you match with someone, though the app says profiles with visible photos recieve 300 per cent more matches.

Download on iOS and Free and new usa dating site to meet Christians

Like Muzmatch, Salt's USP depends on religion: helping Christians to find and date one another online.

The app launched at the end of last year by an all-Christian team who were disillusioned about trying to meet other Christians in the wild, best dating app london. In particular, the team behind Salt hope to make Christian dating "a little less awkward and a lot more fun."

The design of the app is gorgeous, all muted greys and subtle pinks, so you can download and get swiping.

Download on iOS and Android

Her: for women to meet women

Originally launched as ‘Grindr for girls’, Robyn Exton’s LGBTQ dating app Her has grown to be the biggest community for lesbian, bisexual and queer women worldwide. The app mixes dating and social networking, with a timeline to read the news, find out what’s happening in your city and make connections.

Meet your soulmate or just meet a new group of friends. The choice is yours.

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Grindr: for men best dating app london meet men

Before there was Tinder, there was Grindr. Having first launched in 2009, the app is credited with being the precursor to the current swathe of digital dating apps.

Things to note: it’s an all-male dating app for both gay and bisexual men, it uses your mobile device’s location-based services to show you the guys closest to you who are also on surfing the app and it’s most popular in London, meaning your living in the best city to try it out.

Download on iOS and Google Play Store

Traditional Dating Club: to go back to basics

Traditional Dating Club doesn’t believe in algorithms or computer matching. Once you’ve scrolled through its profiles and found someone who takes your interest, you’re encouraged to send them a polite opening message (no nudes, please) and meet as soon as you can.

Founder Dennie Smith says her site is all about being “respectful”. She runs it the old-fashioned way, with a small team of five, vetting every profile, best dating app london, emailing members directly and sending monthly newsletters with dating tips. She’ll email you personally if she thinks you should edit your profile or change your photo.

“I’m not about the money,” she says. She hasn’t made a single penny from the site yet, she’s just passionate about singles having a positive dating experience.

traditionaldatingclub.co.uk