You know what you want—whether that’s a long-term partner or a weekend fling. So how do you get what you want? That’ s all about choosing the right dating app. It might sound simple, but there are about as many dating apps as there are sexy singles out there. To save you some time (and bad dates), we’ve rounded up the 17 best dating apps of 2022 for every—OK, almost every—need.
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Best for finding someone to settle down with: Hinge
Best for daters open to anything: Tinder
Best for finding something more serious in your 20s and 30s: Bumble
Best for finding a love connection in your 30s or 40s: Match
Best for Queer Women: Lex
Best for queer men: Hornet
Best for finding an ‘elite’ match: The League
Best for those who don't have time to swipe: Coffee Meets Bagel
Best if you're over 50, divorced, or widowed: OurTime
Best for Meeting other Black singles: BlackPeopleMeet
Best for Christians who want to connect with other Christians: Christian Mingle
Best for Jewish people looking to date other Jewish people: Jdate
Best for widening your horizons: Plenty of Fish
Best if you’re looking to socialize virtually: Clover
Best If you’re looking for a different approach to online dating: S’More
Best for finding a serious commitment: eHarmony
Best for those who don’t want to download a new app: Facebook Dating
Best for finding someone to settle down with
Marketed as the app that’s “designed to be deleted,” Hinge is super confident in its abilities to set you up with someone with whom you can go the distance. The app actually changed its approach in 2019 with the intention of making profiles more to the point with helpful personality prompts. Refuse to date someone of a specific political party? Can’t see yourself with someone who doesn’t want kids? Hinge is where you can feel free to display your deal breakers so no one’s time is wasted.
Download Hinge for iOS, Android
Best for daters open to anything
Tinder might have a bad reputation as strictly a hookup app, but if that’s what you’re looking for, we’re not here to judge you. This doesn’t mean you can’t or won’t meet Prince Charming on Tinder, but your chances are just a bit lower since the app has been a known go-to for singles looking to have a good time. Beware, however, that Tinder was the OG geo-based dating app before dozens of others flooded the market with different specialties, so there might not be a ton of fish left in this digital sea.
Download Tinder for iOS, Android
Best for finding something more serious in your 20s and 30s
What has set Bumble apart from the get-go is that the app is catered to women who like the idea of reaching out to a potential partner themselves. Instead of allowing anyone you match with to strike up a conversation with you, Bumble makes it so that the woman initiates contact in a heterosexual connection. This all but eliminates the barrage of sometimes inappropriate and downright sleazy people who would otherwise slide into your DMs without warning. A bonus for 20-somethings: Bumble has more than 50 million users, 72 percent of whom are under 35.
Download Bumble for iOS, Android
best for finding a love connection in your 30s or 40s
Match reports that 44 percent of their users are between the ages of 30 and 49—the largest age group currently using the app. This makes sense considering Match prides itself on helping people meet their life partners, which is something more of us are looking for in our 30s and 40s than in the party days of our 20s. You can download Match and browse profiles for free, but if you want to message someone, you have to subscribe for at least $19 per month.
Download Match for iOS, Android
Best for queer women
It’s true that most of the popular dating apps have space just for the LGBTQIA+ community, but if you have tried (and are over) those and are looking for something more specific to you and less hetero- and cis-normative, this app is worth exploring. Lex caters to lesbian, bisexual, asexual women, womxn, trans, non-binary, two-spirit, intersex and genderqueer people to meet lovers and friends.
Best for queer men
Hornet is a feed-based app for queer people to connect. With over 35 million users, it’s the largest gay dating app, aggregating singles from the US, Brazil, Turkey, and even Russia. The best part about this app is that you don’t only get to make romantic connections, it also allows you to explore queer hashtags, start discussions in the feed and chat with queer creators, so even if you don’t meet your forever person there, you get to interact with like-minded individuals.
Download Hornet for iOS, Android
Best for finding an ‘elite’ match
You’ve made it—cheers to that—and now you’re looking to date people on your level. Hey, we’re not here to judge how you love. That’s where The League, an “elite” dating app, comes into play. It requires you to apply first and vets potential members before granting them access to each other. You’ll need to supply your LinkedIn profile, job title and the college you graduated from in order to be considered. This might seem pretentious to some, but if exclusivity is what you’re after, you’ve found your app.
Download The League for iOS, Android
Best for those who don't have time to swipe
We get it—swiping through profile after profile can feel super overwhelming, especially with a full-time job, kids, aging parents and the tons of other commitments we have to juggle each day. Coffee Meets Bagel wants to help cut down on the time you have to spend devoted to a dating app in order to get an actual date by sending curated matches, or “bagels,” to your inbox. Gimmick-y wording aside (er, I’m not a bagel?), CMB goes the extra mile by sending suggestions for how to break the ice with a new match.
Download Coffee Meets Bagel for iOS, Android
Best if you're over 50, divorced or widowed
For singles over 50 who are divorced or widowed, the concept of meeting a new partner on a dating app might feel like a joke. After all, aren’t apps for hookups? Not if you’re on the right app. That’s where OurTime comes in. The program says that of its almost two million users, 54 percent are divorced and 15 percent are widowed. The minimum age requirement for the app is 50, so you know you’ll be surrounded by those in similar places in their lives, looking for companionship…or honestly, who knows? Maybe a casual hookup.
Download OurTime for iOS, Android
Best for Meeting other Black singles
When it comes to dating, finding someone from the same community as you can be a huge plus, which is why niche apps such as BlackPeopleMeet are important. This app is the go-to destination for Black singles looking to connect. Its free tier allows you to complete a profile, keep track of who’s viewing your profile and view/rate your Daily Matches. For $19 per month, you’re able to chat with your match via email and even activate read receipts.
Download BlackPeopleMeet for iOS, Android
Best for Christians who want to connect with other Christians
According to Consumer Affairs, this app has more than 15 million users, all looking to meet fellow followers of Jesus Christ. But that robust dating pool comes at a steep price. While Christian Mingle allows you to create a profile for free, you won’t be able to interact with any matches unless you upgrade to one of their premium tiers, which start at $50 per month. The company does offer discounts when you buy more than one month, with a three-month bundle costing $40 per month and a six-month bundle going for $25 per month.
Download Christian Mingle for iOS, Android
Best for Jewish people looking to date other Jewish people
To say Jdate is an OG in the dating app game is an understatement. Founded in 1997, this app, which caters specifically to people of the Jewish faith, is responsible for 52 percent of Jewish marriages that started online, a survey conducted by ResearchNow found. The same study also found that 63 percent of online dates among Jewish people originated on Jdate. The best part is, subscription options start at only $20 for six months, so you know you won’t have to break the bank to find your future person.
Download Jdate for iOS, Android
Best for widening your horizons
Long before Tinder was even a thought, Plenty of Fish was doing the work of bringing lovers together. That’s why, despite the popularity of the more recent dating apps, POF remains one of the largest internationally. Not only does it have a staggering 150 million users globally, but the app also sees 65,000 new users daily and is available in 20 countries and 11 languages. That said, POF users have complained that the app is susceptible to bots and scams, so you need to be doubly careful if you choose to go this route. True love is out there, you’ll just need to do some extra digging.
Download Plenty of Fish for iOS, Android
Best if you’re looking to socialize virtually
Think of this app as functioning like a single’s night at your local bar. It gives you the traditional option of swiping and having a one-on-one convo with a match but, you can also join group chats, interact with live streaming singles (locally or worldwide), and set up virtual video dates. The app serves the 18 to 30 demographic, and though it’s quite possible to find a serious love match (after all, love knows no bounds), it’s best to be on the lookout for a more casual fling on Clover.
Download Clover for iOS, Android
Best if you’re looking for a different approach to online dating
Tired of the superficiality of online dating? Try S’More—short for Something More. Unlike other apps where you swipe based on looks, S’more focuses on the things that matter the most—personality and how well you gel with your match. The appeal of this app is the fact that your interest’s pics start out blurry. The more you chat, the clearer they become. If the conversation continues, you’ll get to see all the photos they’ve uploaded. With any luck, you can snag a non-awkward date and perhaps form a long-lasting relationship. The main downside to S’More is that it’s only available for iOS users.
Download S’More for iOS
Best for finding a serious commitment
You’ve been on the dating scene for a minute and now you want to be with someone who wants to be in a committed relationship. Enter eHarmony. Like Match, eHarmony has been a top dating app for decades. With an extensive assessment (70 questions to be exact) and a financial investment of approximately $500 per year, it’s certainly not for someone who just wants to fool around. (Unless, of course, you have that type of cash to burn, in which case, call us). That said, you do get a lot of bang for your buck as the site caters to a multitude of demographics—over 50, LGBTQIA+, local or international, the list goes on.
Download eHarmony for iOS, Android
Best for those who don’t want to download a new app
That’s right, along with being able to reconnect you with your middle school bestie, now Facebook can potentially link you with your middle school crush. To get the Facebook Dating feature, simply log into the Facebook app on your mobile device (it’s not available on a computer). Tap the menu button, then scroll down to “Dating.” From there, you can create a profile and start mingling with local singles.
