The Best Dating Apps for 2024 (2024)

There's a dating app for everyone, whether you're looking for a fling or a long-term relationship. From the hyper-specific—FarmersOnly, JDate, 3Fun—to the general ones we review here that cast wider nets, there are many, many options. A dating app that only works on Thursday? What a concept! Many even have special video services that let you test the vibe before meeting face to face.

With so many choices, how can you find your perfect, loving match? We've gathered our choices for the best dating apps here. Read on for our top picks, followed by everything you need to know about online dating.

Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks

Buying Guide: The Best Dating Apps for 2024

(Credit: Facebook)

Which Dating Apps Are Free?

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 you a penny, but they make you pony up and subscribe if you want to 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?)Tinder even lets you show off by choosing to spend $500 per month as a VIP.

Then there are all the add-ons. Options—for example, letting you pay to boost your ranking in search results, letting someone know that you are really, really interested in them, or undoing a dreaded left-swipe that was supposed to be a right-swipe—cost you extra. Although some apps may advertise themselves as free, they all 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.

(Credit: Bumble)

How to Make the Best Dating App Profile

When it comes time to put yourself out there and create 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. For example, Tinder values photos over personality. Eharmony makes you fill out a length 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 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 finally embraced 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 attract gamers, Vinylly connects matches people through a shared love of music, and SilverSingles reskins EliteSingles for a senior audience.

(Credit: Hinge)

Finding Matches on Dating Apps

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 significant 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, such as Match and OkCupid, have robust profiles that let you dive deep into a user's personality (or at least the one they 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 lets 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 lets you buy coins to anonymously browse profiles, as well as reward anyone who views your own profile (for an additional fee, of course).

Staying Safe on Dating Apps

All of these services, even the decades-old Match, offer both Android apps and iPhone 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 offers multiple verification tools and 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.

Video Dating Apps

Ideally, online dating should lead to meeting in real life. However, sometimes it's good to break the ice beforehand. 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, 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 Muzz. Snack introduces TikTok-style video functionality to dating profiles. Beyond chatting, video adds other useful features, such as age verification and scam thwarting.

Which Dating App Should You Use?

Dating is hard, 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 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?, Best Hookup Apps, Secrets From a Dating App Founder, and Caught in a Sham Romance: How to Spot Online Dating Scams.