What is the best dating app for 2023? What is the Number 1 Dating App? Top Dating Apps 2023, Most Effective Online Dating Site?
There are countless online dating sites and along with this obscure, niche site that claim to specialize in specific demographics and interests:
– Farmers Only (Rural America)
-eHarmony (the first dating app focused on marriage),
-Lumen (Over 50 Dating), J-Date (Jewish Singles),
-Zoosk (not sure who uses it or why),
-The League (“professionals, with acceptance and matches based on LinkedIn and Facebook profiles”)
And so on and so forth. For those new to online dating, it can be difficult to figure out which dating sites and apps to use. It’s not unusual to be drawn to Tinder as your first stab at online dating, but for most people, there are plenty of dating apps better than Tinder.
Are there dating apps better than Tinder? Which dating app is the best? Tinder alternatives, apps similar to Tinder
Yes, of course, but every application is different. Different audiences, expectations, lifestyles. Better options exist in larger, metropolitan cities, while options in rural areas are few and far between. Dating apps are just input tools, so you only get out what you put in.
Each app serves profiles in a different order, so it’s often a matter of luck and timing. In other cases, it’s about knowing your demographics, lifestyle, and choosing the best app.
Even though Bumble is known for hookups, that doesn’t mean guys use it for hookups. Likewise, I’ve met people who met their spouse on Tinder.
Best Free Dating Apps: Bumble vs Tinder vs Hinge vs CMB, Good free dating apps
10 years ago, OkCupid and Match.com were safe bets with enough market share that you could safely use the sites and not worry about not having enough profiles to explore.
Dating apps back then were simple – create a profile, upload photos, write a bio, browse profiles, message that person and ask them out. These days, users are segmented into more apps than ever before, which reduces user bases across apps.
Unfortunately, apps and tech companies like UberEats and Amazon have changed the mindset of all consumers into believing they can get exactly what they want with a few swipes and clicks (read this post about the dystopian state of dating in San Francisco).
However, dating apps are not like food ordering or other shopping apps, they are just introduction apps.
Dating apps shouldn’t expect to screen users, filter out creeps or weed out hookup-focused people – nothing will replace the due diligence and social skills required to analyze people and profiles, ask questions, patience and meetings.
Difference Between Hinge, Bumble and Tinder (Dating Apps Compared)
No dating app is perfect, but there are some great dating apps out there if you know how to approach them, know what photos are effective, know how to write a resume, and have realistic expectations based on your looks, education, height, age and location.
Below are my favorite adult dating apps right now that I recommend the most to clients.
Bumble Dating App Review – Is Bumble a Good Dating Site, Singles Dating Sites? Dating app where women message first
Not only does Bumble have a great ratio of women to men on the site (making it the best dating site for men), there’s a verification process that other apps don’t have, and that’s the photo verification process of the signup process.
Users must take a photo of themselves in the requested pose and user profiles are verified.
The other reason I love this dating app is that women no longer have to worry about receiving messages from spammy profiles. You decide which profiles you like and only those are allowed to match you. If you don’t like a profile, they can’t message you.
The trade-off here is that women have to message matches first to join a chat – plus the window to do so before matches end is 24 hours. Many women I know hate this part of the app, but some love the control here.
Bumble Alternatives: Hinge, Coffee Meets Bagel, The League
Suggested Demographics: 27-45, major US cities, mostly looking for something long-term, college educated, graduate degrees.
For tips on photos, prompts, first messages, and how to reply to messages, check out my Bumble blog posts.
Related reading: Bumble profile template
Hinge Dating App Review: What is Hinge, How is Hinge Different?
Hinge is probably my favorite dating app right now, given the swipeless focus (requires you to tap vs. swipe), but also because of the quality of users.
This dating app requires 6 photos, which is great at eliminating profiles without enough photos, and also provides great instant features that make chatting easy.
The biggest downside to this dating app is that it is extremely buggy. There is a lot of confusion about whether likes and messages have been sent and received, and profiles that show up too much or will show up again if you accidentally tick no.
The other complaint is about profile bans and creating new accounts or using different login methods. If you lose phones, use a phone number you don’t have access to, have different information on Facebook than you actually do, your account can be flagged.
Also, if you try to recreate your account too often in an attempt to game the system so that your new profile is shown to more people, your profile may be banned or at least penalized and shown to fewer users.
Don’t be creepy, don’t try to game the system, don’t lie about yourself, and don’t lose access to your phone, email, or Facebook account and you’ll be fine.
Alternative hinge apps: Bumble, OkCupid, Coffee Meets Bagel
Additional Reading: Best Hinge Prompts / Questions –
Suggested Demographics: 23-45, older for US cities, mostly casual and long-term dating.
Related reading: Standard joint profile