A Honest Take On The Best Dating Apps Of 2024 (& The Worst)

Meeting your partner online is the modern-day equivalent of a romantic fairytale—and the right dating app is your fairy godmother.

But to have success with the best dating apps, you have to make the most of every swipe—and we're here to help.

Not only have we spoken with relationship experts to find the best dating apps, we had singles across the country put them to the test to provide honest feedback about the quality of matches, user interface, and other users on the app.

We also spoke with people who found a serious relationships on dating apps, including six mindbodygreen editors, to find which dating apps were the most successful.

You're not going to find many dating apps that take the time and effort that eHarmony requires; every new user needs to create an in-depth profile and take a hefty questionnaire, complete with poll questions and an image selection game that vaguely reminds us of a Rorschach Inkblot Test.

Profile setup takes at least 25 minutes, but experts say this step is key to making eHarmony' one of the best dating sites for serious relationships. "The profile list is limited since it's for [the people] who don't want to deal with the ups and downs of dating app culture and want to settle down," says marriage therapist Omar Ruiz, LMFT.

I think Hinge stands above its counterparts because it really leans into showing off your personality alongside photos. These tiny profile details act as built-in conversation prompts, so it's easier to chat with your matches. Online dating coach Perri Schneider says this also makes the app great for people who are new to the online dating scene, as there's less pressure to come up with a clever opener.

You're also limited to just 10 "hearts" per day with free profiles. This motivates you to slow down and see each profile as a person, instead of another face in a sea of faces. I'm over mindless swiping!

Just be warned: Hinge may be one of the best dating apps for serious relationships, but it's moved away from the initial "designed to be deleted tagline." You can seek everything from a casual hookup to a life partners on the app, with options for both monogamous and non-monogamous relationships.

I think of Match as the in-between of eHarmony and Hinge. It pushes in-depth profiles to help serious daters find a long-term relationship through compatibility, but it still brings the fun of Hinge's personality driven prompts.

A 2018 report found that Match's fastest-growing demographic is the 50+ age group—making it one of the best dating sites for those over 50. It also earned a shoutout from online dating coach Schneider who called it a "solid choice" for those who "live in a suburb or somewhere remote" due to the apps ability to attract users from all over.

I like that Match is doing a lot to stand out in the crowded app space; the brand just partnered with Garbo to give users easier access to background checks and you can use matchPhone to avoid giving our your phone number too early on to a stranger. While you're still playing the same "like or skip" game, Match makes it feel more sophisticated.

Fun fact: Feeld was originally called "3nder" with a focus on helping couples find a third. It's evolved into an inclusive space for different sexualities and gender identities searching for connection. Users can seek threesomes, polyamory, swinging, casual sex, kink, or other alternative steamy encounters. 

Because of Feeld's transparency and refreshing openness, it's simpler to have honest conversations about your sexual preferences without feeling creepy or unsolicited. I believe Feeld is one of the best hookup apps you can find for casual sex, and it does a great job of helping newbies to the space find experienced counterparts.

I like that anonymity reigns at Feeld, where you can go by a pseudonym and choose to hide your photos until you connect with a potential partner. This allows users to be more honest about their desires—so you won't have to worry about any situationships forming.

Tinder is the dive bar of dating apps; you know what you're going to get, but it's still going to be a good time. The inventor of "swiping," Tinder is extremely straightforward to use.

Photos matter more than profiles, and most people on the app are looking casual dates or casual sex. Remember: Tinder is a place of quantity, not quality.

While you'll occasionally find something serious from Tinder—just ask our executive editor about her husband—you'll have to weed through a lot of matches to find that type of connection. Due to the sheer number of options, Schneider says it generally not the best app for serious dating.

But Tinder's strong reputation is also its strong suit: "I find with my clients that it's still widely used, which can be helpful if you're not in a city and live in a more remote area," she says. 

OkCupid is for relationships friendships, flings, relationships—and everything in between. The dating side is widely known for its keyword search options, long-form profiles, and interactive personality quizzes. It's a popular dating site with more than 70 million users—but compatibility scores make it easier to find those with a common interest to get off the app faster.

I love that OkCupid caters to a diverse group, with additional gender and sexuality options for users, along with settings for nonmonogomous folks. Schneider confirms, "OkCupid does an amazing job at being inclusive for all."

While the dating app might not be as popular as its counterparts like Bumble and Hinger, the refreshing UX and compatibility scores make this app stand out in the crowded space. It feels like you're really learning about potential matches rather than rating their attractiveness.

Made for women, by women, Bumble is a user-friendly app that strives to create a positive experience for its daters with its zero-tolerance policy toward hate speech and body shaming.

"I find that Bumble has the most active users on its platform–which is great to increase the chances of matching with someone you really like," Schneider says. "The women must initiate the conversation [when matching with men], but with same-sex matches, either can begin the chat." 

You don't have to just look for a romantic match on Bumble either. They have other features for business and BFF connections, too.

Facebook Dating transforms your existing social profile into a dating one—saving users time and on setting up yet another in-depth profile. The app will never connect you with people you know in real life (friends and friends-of-friends are off limits). However you can send "crushes" to people within your network, in case you've ever historically felt the spark.

A majority of the single parents we spoke to for our guide to the best dating apps for single parents deemed it their favorite, as the app allows you to share whether you have kids without paying for a membership. In fact, the app is completely free with no paid option, so you never have to wonder whether the best parts of Facebook dating are trapped behind a paywall.

Grindr consists primarily of a bio, pictures, and an ability to favorite others to keep track of the people you're interested in. It also has an efficient geo-social location-based feature to connect with others within a close radius.

"Grindr is a social networking app with a goal to connect its gay, bi, trans, and queer users," Schneider says. Although any type of relationship can come from the app, one-night stands are typical for the user experience. "It is still very much notorious for being a hook-up-focused app." 

HER is a dating and community app for lesbian, queer, bisexual, and straight women; GNC folx; and nonbinary people. It's created for queer people, by queer people, making it one of the most popular lesbian apps on the market. 

The app strives to create an inclusive interface that actively bucks against heteronormative narratives, with the app encouraging its users to be open about their intersecting identities and relationship orientations.

Unlike other apps, adding your interests is essential to making the most out of this dating app. Along with a feed to match with others, the app has a hub (actually called the FEED) sorted by interests to help connect you with other people in the LGTBQ+ community. Think: Part dating app, part social network.

The hardest part of using The League isn't getting matches—it's getting access to the dating app. All users are sent to a "waiting list" upon application, where they must be approved. Wealthier users can pay to skip the queue.

As the name (and exclusivity suggest), you must upload your workplace and education information as part of your profile. It feels a little elitist, but we know it suits a certain crowd.

"The League is an exclusive dating app for the modern-day working professional. It's [considered] the LinkedIn of dating," Ruiz says. It has a waiting list, and once you're in, the matches are set up similarly to an IRL networking event.

Every day at "happy hour," you're given a limited list of profiles to review. The success of the app may come down to your age and location, meaning you'll probably have better chances in a metropolitan city. 

Although other apps filter for religious preferences, it's not their primary focus. If religion is important to you, I recommend finding the app that aligns with your views. For example, we recommend, JSwipe for Jewish singles and Salams for Muslim singles.). If you are Christian, I think your best bet is Christian Mingle.

Be prepared to share details about your faith; the app asks for your religion and denomination to help curate the best matches. Naturally, profiles will also ask info about how often you go to church—but there are also standard questions about interests and hobbies.

Similar to other apps, you can scroll through a feed of all users or sort potential matches based on activity, proximity, and compatibility.

We think Christian Mingle is a great option for those who consider faith to be essential to their romantic connections, but we wouldn't recommend to non-religious users.

Typically, we're passionate about declaring one product the best, but we know dating app experiences are highly personal. Your background—straight, queer, monogamous, polyamorous, queer, age, etc.—plays a huge role in what dating apps will feel right for you.

Even within our own group of testers, there was a lot of debate about which dating app was actually the best (or whether you should really only stick to one dating app in the first place).

At least 30% of adults in the United States have used a dating app, per a 2020 report by Pew Research.

The definition of dating success varies by person. Some people are seeking relationships, while others want a quick meet up.

Find your most successful connections by staying honest about your intentions—and only matching with people who actually share your end goal.

Ultimately, a large database will provide the biggest pool of potential matches. If you don't have a specific requirement for your spouse (i.e. religion or age), we recommend focusing on the most popular apps, like Bumble, Hinge, and Tinder with the most active (and expansive) user databases.

The best dating app for you depends on what you're looking for. We think eHarmony is best for serious datings seeking a long-term commitment, while Hinge is one of the most popular apps for young adults.

And if you're still trying to explore and expand your sex life, we'd recommend going with Feeld over Tinder (where dates tend to be more respectful).