Online Dating Apps List
Despite how much everyone loves to hate it, more people online date than you may think. That's right, according to the Pew Research Center, three in 10 adults in the United States report having used a dating site or app at some point in their lives. Of course, usage varies significantly by age and sexual orientation, but a solid chunk of people have given the whole online dating thing a shot. Almost half (48 percent) of 18 to 29 year olds report having used a dating site or app. Meanwhile, 38 percent of people aged 30 to 49 and 26 percent of those who are 50 and older have said the same.
Clover is a fast free dating app which prides itself in taking the simplicity of Tinder and combining it with the science of match.com.You can filter matches by relationship intention: looking for friends, hookup, casual dating or something serious, and search people by body type, height, ethnicity, and even occupation.
- Unfortunately in my experience OkCupid has become a bit of an online dating app ghost town. Hinge finally won me over, becoming my favorite dating app last year.
- Dating sites is one of the best ways to find a fun and interesting person that would be great for a date. There are many sites that can help you to do this. There are free dating sites, paid ones. Online dating sites has a lot of benefits, but some dating sites are too great.
And guess what? Dating apps work for some people! Sure, a bunch of folks on these platforms are probably looking for hookups. But about one in ten of them (12 percent) have said that dating apps have led to committed relationships and even tying the knot. But the world of dating apps is such a densely saturated space these days, with more and more options hitting the market. So here are the best apps to try in 2021 — some legacy apps, and some kids on the block.
Tinder is a dating app notorious for hookups
You're certainly familiar with Tinder, the O.G. of dating apps (and a notorious hookup app). It's been around for quite some time; it even has social media accounts dedicated to it, like the hilarious @TinderNightmares on Instagram, where millions of people come to read some belly-creasing Tinder gold.
Tinder makes this list because it's been around for a while for a reason: it's stuck with us through the onslaught of dating apps that have come and gone since its debut in 2012. In fact, The Atlantic has even gone so far as to say that Tinder is responsible for '[ushering] in a new era in the history of romance.' In fact, swiping on Tinder has largely even replaced dating. Holly Wood, who wrote her Harvard sociology dissertation on singles' behaviors on online dating platforms like Tinder, told The Atlantic that respondents of her research spent hours per day swiping. 'We pretend that's dating because it looks like dating and says it's dating,' she explained.
It probably comes as no surprise that, since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Tinder saw a massive surge in usage from quarantined singles, hitting records in daily usage, according to Fortune.
Women with initiative need to be on Bumble in 2021
For women who are sick of archaic gender norms and who aren't afraid to reach out first (and for those who are tired of being bombarded with messages, especially of the creepy nature), there's Bumble, an app made by and for women. According to the company's research, 63 percent of male users said that 'women making the first move' is largely why they downloaded the app, too.
Bumble, like many dating apps, saw a spike since COVID-19 struck planet Earth. In fact, video calls on increased by 70 percent, according to Fortune. The female-first dating app also skyrocketed to a market value of more than $13 billion since listing shares in early 2021, according to the BBC. In fact, at 31 years old, Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd became the youngest woman to take a company public in the United States.
Basically, Bumble isn't bumbling around. Herd was actually a co-founder of Tinder but left the company after allegedly facing sexual harassment, the BBC reported. The company is all-around empowering for women; a Business Insider reporter tried out a bunch of dating apps andranks Bumble as one of the most successful.
Hinge is a dating app for those who want more than a casual encounter
Ah Hinge. It's been around since 2013, but it's arguably gotten more popular over the years. Hinge touts itself as 'the dating app designed to be deleted,' where you can 'meet people who want to get off dating apps, too.' It's mission is simple: 'In today's digital world, singles are so busy matching that they're not actually connecting, in person, where it counts. Hinge is on a mission to change that.' And, so far, so good.
In fact, according to Tech Crunch, Hinge is the first app to actually measure real-world success. With its feature called 'We Met,' Hinge asks users a few days after they've shared their phone numbers with one another whether or not they went on a date. If so, they ask whether or not they'd like to see that person again. The data informs Hinge's algorithms to improve matches, as well. It's sort of genius.
Add all of that to the fact that you can swipe people in different area codes with the premium membership, and Hinge is a solid option for those still stuck inside their houses in 2021.
Her is a dating app that ranks well among queer womxn
For queer womxn who want to use an app designed with them in mind, there's Her. In fact, there are over four million queer womxn on Her — hundreds of whom have reportedly found 'their person.' Robyn Exton founded Her after trying her hand at all the big dating apps already in existence; she realized that they just weren't made for queer womxn, according to her interview with Linktree.
However, it took research and one failed app to nail down what exactly queer womxn want. 'I didn't really understand product or tech,' Exton said. 'I was like, 'Cool, Grindr's doing a great job. And everyone loves that. Let's just make that for womxn.' So we made Dattch, which was very much like Grindr, and it did not work. Womxn don't want casual sex at the same frequency. The behavior and experience that womxn are looking for is based on so many different behaviors and traits and insights and patterns. So I kind of started everything from scratch and built Her in 2015.'
With integrated insights and community events, Cosmopolitan ranks Her one of the best lesbian dating apps out there.
Grindr is the OG dating app for the LGBTQ+ community
Grindr is the OG of dating apps for the LGBTQ+ community; t's been around for well over a decade. Since its onset in 2009, it's made quite the name for itself as one of the best dating apps for LGBTQ+ folks to hook up (and, sure, to date, too). After all, on Grindr, users can send photos back and forth. According to the app's own research, 855 million photos were sent each month in 2020 — and we're pretty sure that many of these weren't just selfies. Additionally, Sunday nights seems to be the most popular time for Grindr users — you know, right around when those Sunday Scaries hit hard.
According to an AskMen review, the only real downside to Grindr is the prevalence of faceless bots and advertisements. Otherwise, it's totally easy to register and navigate the app, and there are tons of people from you can choose your match.
BLK is for Black singles looking for other Black singles in 2021
BLK is a dating app that's designed with people of color in mind. 'BLK is the new app for Black single men and Black single women with a simple mission: to create an exclusive community where Black men and Black women can find meaningful connections with people who share similar likes and interests,' the app explains. The app has hundreds of thousands of ratings on the app store, and most of them are favorable, earning it a 4.5 out of 5 stars on Apple.
BLK was created by the Match Group in 2017 to provide a more nuanced environment for Black people who are online dating, according to Paper. 'Black women are considered the most 'disliked' on dating apps,' head of marketing and brand, Jonathan Kirkland said. 'They get the least amount of right swipes. Even on general market apps, Black men are swiping less on Black women. There's definitely a huge void there, as well as a lot of discrimination on the general market apps.'
According to Paper, BLK is a platform where users 'feel safe, respected and understood.' We love to see it.
Parents (and wanna-be parents) should hop on HeyBaby in 2021
Dating during the COVID-19 crisis isn't an easy feat, and dating as a single parent during a pandemic is even harder. But there are apps for everyone out there, including parents (and people who want to be parents). HeyBaby is one of them, and it launched in 2020 amidst all the chaos.
There are more than 13 million single parents in the United States, but traditional dating apps like Tinder aren't necessarily kind to them. Heybaby calls itself 'the dating app for people who want kids or have kids... If you're a decent human being with parent potential (or have kids already), this app was made for you,' their website says. According to Mashable, HeyBaby is doing more than matching couples; it's creating happy and healthy families.
HeyBaby was founded by three dads, but they made an ample effort to get women involved, as well. In a Fortune interview, HeyBaby cofounder Diko Daghlian said: 'We're hiring a lot of women and a lot of our advisors are women. We realize we've got the dad and man perspective. We need it to be super broad: gay, straight, male, female, white, brown, Black.'
Loosid is a dating app strictly for sober daters
Contrary to popular belief, dating doesn't have to mean drinking — and there's a dating app out there for sober people who want date other sober people. That's because dating someone who drinks can be difficult and even dangerous for people who are recovering from addiction; that, and some people just don't like drinking, plain and simple.
Enter: Loosid, the sober dating app. With over two million interactions, Loosid is a top sober social network. 'It's no secret that drinking is a big component of contemporary dating — after all, 'drinks' tend to be the de-facto activity a Tinder date will propose for your first (nerve-wracking) meet-up,' Paper explained. 'However, what happens when you're in recovery or sober for another reason? How do you date in a world where everyone seems to be drinking without feeling awkward or like you have to explain yourself (which you, obviously, don't)?' And that's the void Loosid strives to fill.
While many people are still struggling during the COVID-19 crisis, there's some solace in the fact that sober dating is increasingly interesting. According to Fortune, Loosid saw a 620 percent increase in messages throughout the pandemic.
Feeld is a dating app for non-monogamous folks
Some might say that Feeld is playing the field with all the coverage the dating app for non-monogamous people has garnered. The app calls itself the 'threesome dating app,' and 'a space where you can explore your desires,' as well as 'connect with open-minded humans.'
Meanwhile, GQ calls Feeld 'the kinkiest dating app that exists outside of Craigslist.' But Feeld cofounder Ana Kirova described it in another way. 'Feeld is a platform for alternative dating, for people who are beyond labels,' she said in an interview with The New YorkTimes. 'They can meet each other without the necessity of coming from a very defined place with a very defined requirement.'
Elle interviewed multiple people who've tried Feeld out for themselves, and the responses are overwhelmingly positive. Many of the users said that Feeld makes it easier to match with people who are actually interested in group encounters, compared to their experiences on more traditional dating apps where they don't get a lot of interest and, instead, often face judgment for their sexual desires.
Ship is the best dating app for Millennials in 2021
In today's world, people are generally lonely, and they tend to feel fatigued with decision anxiety; that's according to a burgeoning body of research that says millennials, in particular, struggle (via Psychology Today). Millennials are notorious for relying on their friends for help making decisions when they can't make up their own minds. That's why Betches' dating app, Ship, is an ideal option for today's world.
You don't have to send screenshots of dating profiles to dissect with your friends anymore. Instead, on Ship, you can swipe with your friends. So you can cure loneliness and decision fatigue both at the same time.
Plus, it's a great way to keep your biggest hype-people in your corner. 'Dating sucks but your crew has your back,' reads the tagline. Betches cofounder Samantha Fishbein told Elite Daily: 'When you're disappointed on most dating apps, there's nothing to build you back up. But when you're with your friends, they're not going to be like, 'Well, now you'll never find someone.'
This timeline of online dating services also includes broader events related to technology-assisted dating (not just online dating). Where there are similar services, only major ones or 'the first of its kind' are listed.
| Year (month and date) | Event | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Happy Families Planning Services launches. Started by Jim Harvey and Phil Fialer as a class project at Stanford. Used a questionnaire and an IBM 650 to match 49 men and 49 women. | |
| 1963 | Ed Lewis at Iowa State University uses a questionnaire and an IBM computer 'to optimize the meeting potential at dances'.[1] | |
| 1964 | St. James Computer Dating Service (later to become Com-Pat) launches. Joan Ball started the first commercially run computer generated matchmaking company. The first set of matchups was run in 1964.[2] | |
| 1965 | Operation Match (part of Compatibility Research Inc.) launches. Started by Jeff Tarr and Vaughan Morrill at Harvard. Used a questionnaire and an IBM 1401 to match students. There was a $3 fee for submitting a questionnaire. 'By the fall of sixty-five, six months after the launch, some ninety thousand Operation Match questionnaires had been received, amounting to $270,000 in gross profits, about $1.8 million in [2014]'s dollars.'[1] In the 1960s there still was no stigma about computer-assisted matching. | |
| 1965 | Eros (Contact Inc.) launches. Started by David Dewan at MIT. Used a dating questionnaire and Honeywell 200. 'In one distribution of questionnaires, he drew eleven thousand responses at $4 each, or $44,000 in gross profits, about $250,000 in [2014]'s dollars.'[1] | |
| 1965 | The New York Review of Books personals column makes a comeback. Slater writes:
| Magazine |
| 1968 | Data-Mate launches. Questionnaire-based matching service started at MIT.[3] | |
| 1970s, early | Phase II is founded. A 'computer-dating company' started by James Schur.[1] | |
| 1974 | Cherry Blossoms' mail-order bride catalog launches. Slater calls Cherry Blossoms 'one of the oldest mail-order bride agencies'. Started by John Broussard. | |
| 1976 | Great Expectations is founded. Video dating service started by Jeffrey Ullman.[4][5] The service achieved some notability, but it never overcame stigma. There were also apparently other video dating services like Teledate and Introvision, but it's nearly impossible to find anything about them online. | |
| 1980s | messageries roses (pink chat rooms) launches chat rooms for dating (using the Minitel network) started by Marc Simoncini. France. | |
| 1986[6] | Matchmaker Electronic Pen-Pal Network launches. A bulletin board system for romance started by Jon Boede and Scott Smith. Matchmaker grew to 14 local BBSs throughout the US. Eventually people lost interest as BBSs lost out to the World Wide Web, and Matchmaker was superseded by Matchmaker.com. | |
| 1987 | TelePersonals is created as a separate telephone dating system in Toronto, Canada from an earlier 'Personals' dating section of a telephone classified business. As part of an advertising program a selection of ads appear on the back pages of Now Magazine, the Canadian equivalent of the Village Voice. Services in different cities around the Toronto area are launched. A gay option is quickly added. The gay section becomes its own branded service. At the very beginning of the 2000s TelePersonals launches online and is rebranded as Lava Life with sections for cities across the United States and Canada. | Telephone, later Web |
| 1989 | Scanna International launches. Mail-order bride service focusing on Russia and Eastern Europe. | |
| 1994 | Kiss.com launches. The first modern dating website. | |
| 1995 | Yid.com launched as the first Jewish dating service and the first dating site in South Africa | Web |
| 1995 | Match.com launches. Started by Gary Kremen. | |
| 1997 | JDate launches dating service targeted at Jewish singles | |
| 1997 | Shaadi.com launches. It is an online wedding service founded by Anupam Mittal in 1997. October 1998, Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder and executive vice chairman of Info Edge India, started the matrimonial website | |
| 1998 | Jeevansathi.com launches. October 1998, Sanjeev Bikhchandani, founder and executive vice chairman of Info Edge India, started the matrimonial website. | |
| 1999 | Gaydar launches. Founded in November 1999 by London-based South Africans Gary Frisch and his partner Henry Badenhorst, the website was once the world's most popular gay online dating site it grew into a portfolio of websites and an award-winning radio station. | Web later App |
| 2000 | eHarmony launches. Online dating service for long-term relationships. | |
| 2000 | BharatMatrimony launches. Murugavel Janakiraman started the BharatMatrimony website in 2000[7] while working as a software consultant for Lucent Technologies in Edison, N.J. In the late 1990s he set up a Tamil community web portal, which included matrimonial ads. He started BharatMatrimony after noticing the matrimonial ads generated most of his web traffic | |
| 2001 | Christian Mingle launches dating service for Christian singles | |
| 2002 | Friendster is launched. A friendship, dating and early general Social networking website all rolled into one. In 2005 Facebook copies and expands the idea into a general social interconnected website. | Web |
| 2002 | PlanetRomeo is launched as GayRomeo in October 2002 initially only available in German but now available in 6 languages. The majority of the sites users are based in Europe. | Web later App |
| 2002 | Dudesnude is launched as a networking site for gay men. The company slogan is 'picture, video, and profile sharing for men!' | Web |
| 2002 | Ashley Madison is launched as a networking service for extramarital relationships. | |
| 2002 | PrimeSingles.net launches as a dating service for singles over 50. This name changes to Single Seniors Meet in 2009 and to SilverSingles in 2011 | |
| 2003 | Proxidating launches. Dating service that used Bluetooth to 'alert users when a person with a matching profile was within fifty feet'.[1] | |
| 2003 | PlentyOfFish launches. | Web |
| 2004 | OkCupid launches. | Web |
| 2006 | Spark Networks, owner of niche dating sites like Jdate and Christian Mingle, goes public.[7] | |
| 2006 | Badoo launches as a dating-focused social networking service | |
| 2006 | SeekingArrangement launches. A sugar daddy/sugar baby site in the US. | |
| 2007 | Skout launches. A 'location-based social networking and dating application and website'. | |
| 2007 | Crazy Blind Date launches. Blind dating service started by Sam Yagan. | |
| 2007 | Zoosk launches. A global online-dating service started by Shayan Zadeh and Alex Mehr. | |
| 2008 | GenePartner launches matching service based on 'DNA compatibility'.[8] | |
| 2009 | Grindr launches, focussing on gay, bi and trans people. | App |
| 2010 | Scruff launches, focussing on gay, bisexual, and transgender men, adding in 2013 a HIV-positive community. | App |
| 2011 | LikeBright launches. Online dating site by Nick Soman.[9] By 2014 the site shut down.[10] | Web |
| 2011 | Dating group Spark Networks acquires Senior Singles Meet (formerly PrimeSingles) and changes the name to SilverSingles | |
| 2011 (July) | Momo, a Chinese social search and instant messaging app launches. | |
| 2011 (September) | Blendr, designed to connect like-minded people, launches. | |
| 2012(?) | Highlight launches. Slater calls it a 'location-based dating app'. | App |
| 2012 | Tinder launches. | App |
| 2012 | Hinge launches, an app 'designed to be deleted' | App |
| 2014 (Passover) | JSwipe launches. A dating app for Jewish millennials. | App |
| 2014 | Bristlr launches, facilitating communication between bearded men and women who love beards. | |
| 2014 (July) | 3nder starts facilitating communication between people interested in polyamory, kink, swinging, and other alternative sexual preferences. | |
| 2014 (September) | Spoonr starts facilitating communication between strangers who live within walking distance from each other. | |
| 2014 (December) | Bumble launches, a location-based mobile app that permits only women to start a chat with their matches.[11] | |
| 2015 | Personal information of Ashley Madison users stolen and released. | |
| 2015 | Huggle starts connecting users based on commonality of places they frequent. | |
| 2015 | Yellow, a Tinder for teens, launches in France and in 2017 in the US. | |
| 2015 | Jdate owners Spark Networks Inc buy JSwipe from Smooch Labs.[12] | |
| 2015 (November 19) | Match Group, which owns and operates several online dating web sites including OkCupid, Tinder, PlentyOfFish, and Match.com, goes public. | |
| 2017 | Affinitas GmbH (owner of dating websites like EliteSingles and eDarling) merges with Spark Networks, Inc, (owner of dating websites like Christian Mingle, Jdate, and SilverSingles) to create Spark Networks SE | |
| 2019 | Spark Networks SE acquires Zoosk, forming North America's second-largest dating company in revenues.[13] | |
| 2020 | Spark dating app launches in Canada with a focus on creative matchmaking[14] | App |
| 2021 | Beyond Dating app launches in India focusing on Interest matching, Profile Shorting Mode, and a unique Barrier. The Barrier is a personal matching test to get matched with the desired person. | App |
Dominance of online dating[edit]
List Of Online Dating Apps
A 2017 survey tracked the change in how Americans meet their spouses and romantic partners since 1940. The results showed a steep increase in the proportion of couples whose first interaction occurred through online media.[15][16]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
What Are The Most Popular Dating Sites Online
- ^ abcdefSlater, Dan. A Million First Dates.
- ^Hicks, Marie (2016). 'Computer Love: Replicating Social Order Through Early Computer Dating Systems'. Ada: A Jornal of Gender, New Media and Technology. ISSN2325-0496.
- ^Lawrence Krakauer writes about his experiences here.
- ^Ullman, Jeff. 'Jeff Ullman'. LinkedIn. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
Great Expectations (video dating) December 1975 – January 1997 (21 years 2 months) Created, served as CEO, and primary international media spokesperson for 'Great Expectations', which we built into the world's largest introduction service for singles (aka, 'video dating').
- ^Wallace, Amy (January 16, 1994). 'Love God From Hell : The Man Who Brought You Videodating Hates to Date, Loves to Taunt and Has Himself Been Unlucky in Love. Would You Buy a Relationship From Jeffrey Ullman?'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 4, 2016. Dan Slater references this article.
- ^Slater, Dan.
- ^Gelsi, Steve. 'Spark Networks files $75 million IPO'. MarketWatch. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
- ^Arrington, Michael (July 22, 2008). 'Ok, We Have Our First DNA-Based Dating Service: GenePartner'. TechCrunch. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
- ^Soper, Taylor (December 20, 2013). 'Matchmaking platform LikeBright raising $1M to help singles land a 2nd date'. GeekWire. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
- ^Soper, Taylor (September 18, 2014). 'Matchmaking platform LikeBright morphs into Reveal, a new anonymous chat app'. GeekWire. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
- ^'Bumble is a dating app where women take lead'. Thestar. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ^'JDate Bought JSwipe and Everyone Loves Each Other Now'. Observer. 2015-10-15. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
- ^'Spark Networks SE Closes Zoosk, Inc. Acquisition'. finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2019-11-20.
- ^'Spark Networks Launches 'Creativity-Focused' Dating App 'Spark''. Global Dating Insights. 2020-06-25. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
- ^'How Couples Meet and Stay Together SSDS Social Science Data Collection'. data.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
- ^'How Couples Meet and Stay Together 2017 (HCMST2017) SSDS Social Science Data Collection'. data.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2019-12-07.