These days, you don’t have to look much farther than your phone to find a romantic connection. This best dating apps can help you find a powerful romantic connection.
There has never been a better time to meet potential partners from the comfort of your couch thanks to today’s hyper-connected world.
Despite the ease of the dating apps, the convenience creates a host of new dating challenges, such as analysis paralysis, dating fatigue, ambiguous intentions, and one-sided conversations that never end.
Even though dating apps can be overwhelming, they are one of the most popular approaches out there and it’s no wonder why-we’re all on them nowadays.
When it comes to maximizing your time, it might be a good idea to look at the app with a sense of intentionality, which means, you can sign up for apps that offer the highest chance of meeting the kind of people you wish to meet.
After all, you’re not looking to meet everybody—you want to meet the right ones.
Hence, we’ve compiled a list of the top dating apps for 2022, depending on what you’re looking for.
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20 Best Dating Apps In 2022
1. Match
As one of the OG dating apps (it’s moved from website-only to a website and app), Match is one of the most popular online dating apps of all time.
And thanks to its storied past, it has a specific appeal to those between 45 and 65 looking for a serious relationship; additional research by SurveyMonkey found that 58 percent of adults 45 to 54 years old use Match, more than double the percent who use Tinder.
You can download it for free, although that will restrict you to browsing; if you want to actually message potential partners, subscriptions start at $19.99 a month.
2. Hinge
After filling in the free app’s questionnaire and prompts (think standard icebreakers like: “my biggest pet peeve is…” and “my go-to karaoke song is…”), Hinge will start matching you with users who share common interests.
The algorithm also serves you with your “Most Compatible” matches—who you’re eight times more likely to go out with, they say.
And not only does the app show you how many people have liked you, it also tells you what they liked about you, making it easy to start a conversation.
3. Bumble
Bumble is basically Tinder for women… and on a timer. Bumble is a free dating app that requires women to message first. If the guy doesn’t message back within 24 hours, he loses the potential dates.
Because that’s the one thing my love life was really missing: Arbitrary time limits.
The timer is designed to encourage contact and some people really do appreciate that feature.
But if you’re someone who procrastinates, Bumble may not be for you. Because women must message first, Bumble tends to weed out the more insecure males from the dating pool.
However, the rate of overly confident men tends to be higher than I’ve seen on other apps.
Bumble also has a BFF feature to help you meet new people, but that’s really not our focus, so I’ll save it for another time.
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4. Tinder
Whether you’re looking for a casual hookup, potential date, friendship or an LTR (long term relationship), Tinder has you covered. It’s basically the first stop for those entering the dating world.
If you want to play the odds when it comes to online dating, you need to be swiping where everyone’s swiping.
On the upside, the profiles are brief, which helps you to make decisions quickly.
The downside is that a short dating profile makes it harder to figure out what a lot of people are looking for. Knowing very little about a person can also make initial messaging a lot more challenging.
You’ll need to wade through a sea of profiles, which makes it easy to pass over people you might have given a chance under different circumstances.
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5. OKCupid
OKCupid’s algorithm uses a series of questions to determine what “percentage” you’ll match with any of its five million users.
That compatibility-driven focus is especially appealing to women, who made up 58 percent of the respondents who preferred this app in PCMag’s poll.
It’s also super inclusive, offering more than a dozen gender identities and sexual orientations so you can define yourself however you want and match with exactly who you’re looking for.
6. Zoosk
Originally a Facebook app, Zoosk is now one of the largest dating sites out there, with over 30 million downloads since its launch in 2007.
Today, it has over 40 million active users—many of whom are paying members, meaning they are seriously committed to find a match.
Instead of forcing you to fill out a lengthy questionnaire, the app’s algorithm notes who you’re interacting with to better serve up potential matches.
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7. Hily
With more than 16 million users around the world, Hily stands for “Hey, I like you!” The app uses AI to continuously improve matchmaking, and has features like Hily stories to help you better capture who you are.
The app is free, with an optional subscription for an ad-free and incognito-mode experience.
8. BLK
If you’re looking for fellow Black singles who share your interests, BLK is a dating app that specializes in finding that connection in their community of users.
The free app lets you match and chat with potential partners or upgrade to a premium membership ($9.99 per month) for an ad-free experience, a boosted profile, unlimited number of likes, and the ability to “rewind” by giving somebody a second chance.
9. Happn
Got a crush on that cute neighbor but don’t know his or her name? Regularly make eye contact with someone while walking your dog but haven’t initiated conversation?
Happn is a free dating app that can help make those seemingly lost connections a reality. By using the location on your phone, you can match with people also on the app who are nearby.
With over 100 million users worldwide, chances are you might just find your neighborhood crush.
10. Inner Circle
If you’re serious about finding your other half and want to avoid the swiping into the void, Inner Circle requires all users to accept “The Date Better Pledge” that details a commitment to be “respectful, reliable, and inclusive.”
The free app provides detailed profiles, unique filters, and conversation prompts—so you can avoid the dreaded one-liner “hey” messages.
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11. Clover
As one of the highest-rated apps on the Apple app store, Clover has rapidly proven itself as a robust dating app due to its many features and hybrid focus on both swiping and compatibility.
If you’re looking to meet someone right away, it has an on-demand feature for when you’re looking for a date on a specific night.
Ruiz points out there’s also a special feature to create a mixer, similar to a social event, and meet other singles that are part of the group.
The interface resembles a social media website with icebreakers for easier conversations.
12. Kippo
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.
13. Facebook Dating
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.
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14. Badoo
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.
15. Once
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.
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16. Raya
Raya is famous for being one of the most exclusive dating apps, touting A-listers and influencers as members.
Because it’s invite-only, there’s an application process, and people have to pay to be members, there is a higher-quality appeal to it than a typical app.
Raya is about $7 monthly and you can swipe through people all over the world.
If you reach your daily likes, you can pay roughly $7 for 30 more daily likes, or you can simply chat with your current connections, which the app urges you to do.
Once you’re a member, you can give friends a friend pass which could help expedite their admission, although the app reserves the right to refuse applications.
17. HER
HER is the world’s biggest free dating app for queer women, offering the ability to match, as well as providing news on local meet-ups in safe spaces. The app works as a community and tries to be welcoming and supportive.
Much like Tinder, HER is all about the swiping. A swipe left means you’re not interested in the person, while a swipe right (or an emoji heart) means that you’d like to get to know the individual. Then, that person can decide if the feeling is mutual and send you a message.
While it is free, there are also three types of premium subscription memberships. A premium, one-month membership starts at about $15, for six months it’s around $60 and for one year it’s roughly $90.
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18. JSwipe
JSwipe is a great option if you’re Jewish or want to date Jewish men or women. Launched in 2014 over Passover by founder David Yarus, who also worked for Birthright Israel and Hillel at the time, the Brooklyn-based app was later acquired by its competitor, JDate.
On JSwipe, you enter a short bio, your education, and your age. You’re also asked to fill out whether or not you keep kosher and your denomination. Then, you can begin swiping. Your profile page links with your Facebook page, so it will show you what interests you share with matches based on what you previously liked on Facebook.
19. Coffee Meets Bagel
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.
20. eharmony
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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How Do Dating Apps Work?
Both parties must swipe right if they’re interested, and once that’s done they can connect. Other apps allow one person to send a message, and then the recipient must decide whether or not they want to reply.
Are There Free and Paid Options for Dating Apps?
Most dating apps are free, or at least have a free option as well as a premium, paid option.
The free option usually gives people the opportunity to swipe, while paying allows people to be more particular, setting filters that show only a certain height, religion, or political affiliation, for example.
CONCLUSION
You may feel overwhelmed by downloading dating apps since they all have completely different vibes and feel like such a big commitment.
Hinge is the best option if you’re looking to get a little bit more serious about app dating.
It gives you more information about potential dates and encourages more meaningful conversations.
Raya is ideal if you’re hoping to spot a celebrity or want to network with other like-minded creatives, but it can be difficult to get an invite to it.
Bumble is great if you’re hoping to go on a lot of first dates. The app doesn’t tell you much about people, but it makes it easy to swipe endlessly and start chatting.
Think of it more like meeting someone at a bar casually. If you’re looking to date women and want an app exclusively for that, HER is your best bet. And if you want to keep it casual, Tinder is the old faithful for a reason.
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