15 Best Dating Apps That Actually Work in 2020 (IOS + Android)

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The term “dating app” has become synonymous with Tinder. However, it is not the only place where you can find a partner, there are plenty of other apps which actually work and a few of them are even better than Tinder for some regions.

Over the years, online dating has been gaining a lot of attention. This generation has become so busy in their work that it is near impossible to find time for people. According to a research conducted by Journal of Consumer research saying that “you are busy” has become a status symbol. That’s why dating someone you know has also gotten a little tougher.

Furthermore, technology has become a part of us, and we see every way to use it to make life easier for us. The same is applicable for the dating apps were for youngsters, and even the adults and seniors have started using them frequently, which has increased the market exponentially.

Rather than going out and searching for your ‘soulmate’ and dates, it has become easier to sit in one place and connect with a large number of people and get to know various personalities. Online dating has become a norm now, and almost everyone is using it. People in the real world have become very conscious about their looks and their communications skills that they prefer to sit behind a screen and converse, through texts or chatbox.

We are a generation full of open-minded people, and therefore, we prefer to have many options open to us. It includes casual relationships, hookups, meeting strangers or even simple long term relationships. All these options become readily available to us through these dating apps. These apps have a large pool of audience to select from, which can help you suit all your needs and requirements. Therefore, it is crucial that you pick the right apps and website, which are safe and can help you find your soulmate quicker.

Tinder is one of the most popular and is kind of synonymous with the term online dating. That’s why in this list of you’ll find 14 dating apps which are not Tinder. So shall we finally begin with the list.

1. Best Dating App in the US: Hinge

Hinge App - Best for Long Term Dating
Image Credits: Consumerist

This app is specifically for long term relationships. It is trendy in the United States of America as it is highly authentic and focuses on a smaller section of people. This app is not intended for casual hookups and short term relationships but instead focuses on finding ‘the one’ for you. The app is like Instagram, but only for dating. You can look through the people’s photographs, likes and dislikes and decide whether they are compatible.

Furthermore, it also allows you to comment on the person’s page and make conversation. Rather than following the conventional dating apps format, this app takes it another level. There is a discover section which provides you with suggested matches, and you can give it a heart, which is by tapping the heart icon.

Aforementioned, Instagram for a dating. If you do not like the match, you can press the X icon, and this will suggest another match for you and the cycle goes on. To make it easier for you, you can add filters which provide you matches which are specific and catered to your needs.

The reason why this app is so highly rated is that to asks for your opinions regarding the dates and if you liked it or not. This helps the app suggest better matches for you and increases the rate of success. Therefore, Hinge is an app which takes dating to the next level and makes sure that you find a compatible person.

According to the Google Play Store, the app has been downloaded by more than 1 million people which indirectly means that the app is quite a popular. It also doesn’t bug you for buying a subscription it also comes with a subscription model which is totally worth it if you want to use the advanced preferences. However, the basic features are free of cost.

2. Best For Meeting Like Minded People: Meetup

Meetup – Meetings with Like-minded people

Meetup is more than just a dating app. It steps out of the box and breaks the laws of conventional dating apps. It is way better than a traditional dating app and meets the requirements of an individual. This app helps you find someone with the same interests as you. However, the exciting thing about this app is the fact that the makers believe that dating is not only about meeting someone and exchanging words. It’s about having the right setting and timing, which suits the mood of the moment.

The app lets you select the place and timing. It enables you to go around the city that you like and helps you find people who share the same interests. It allows you to find someone who is compatible and ‘the one’.

The best thing about this app is the authenticity. It is exasperating to find scammers, which leads to disappointment where you get what you see. Dating is about making connections which this app does completely. It divides the audience into local groups, which means it easier for you to find someone within your locality, helping you connect better.

This app is not only restricted to dating. You can meet up with strangers in your area and attend events that you are interested in with them. They also have a group feature where you can meet up with groups with same interests. It has a wide variety which includes things such as French poetry and rock climbing. You name it, they have it.

3. Best Dating App in the World: Tinder

Tinder
The Tinder App

Are you looking for dating apps which are not Tinder? You’ll find a lot, but you won’t find a list which doesn’t include Tinder!

Tinder has become a household name for people who are looking for a relationship. This is the app which has become a brand for online dating. It is best known for its swiping feature which makes it easier for the person using it. Like any other dating app, it helps you connect and meet new people which then leads to a relationship, be it short term or long term. The app comes with a highly innovative UI.

People on this platform can share pictures and write about themselves so that the other person can make some judgment about it. It further allows you to connect it to Instagram to have access to more people. Tinder has also introduced the feature of connecting Spotify to your profile because Music defines your personality. You can also connect to people over music!

Tinder has always been supporting LGBT. Therefore, it is equal for everyone with different sexual orientation. The user pool of this application is massive. Therefore, there is a higher chance of you finding someone you like and finding someone compatible. With such a broad audience, The app offers all sorts of relationships, be it casual, short-term, long-term relationships and even hookups. All you have to do is swipe right and find out.

4. Best Women-Friendly: Bumble

Bumble
Bumble App

This app has been highly rated by users and is very popular. This is a women-friendly app where they can feel safe and protected while searching for dates. This app follows the concept of tinder, which is swipe right or left. The people who swiped right make a connection and a conversation can be initiated which can lead to a date or more. It has a straightforward interface which is easy to use and works smoothly.

One of the reasons why it’s so women friendly is because only women can make the first move keeping up with the “ladies first” concept. That’s the reason why I call it a best dating app for single moms, because it has everything. Once a match has been made, women can see a call icon on the top of the screen. However, the men can only see it when the woman reaches out to him. It allows you to upload photos and biography, which makes you more ‘likable’ and increases the number of chances of getting a ‘swipe right’.

Furthermore, the reason why this app is so trusted is because of its authenticity. There is a strict verification process which reduces the fake profiles. Just like the other dating apps, this app also allows you to apply filters which can help narrow down your pool of choices and help you select the right person or you.

5. Best for Long-Term Relationships: OkCupid

OkCupid
OkCupid

Online dating can get overwhelming at times because of safety issues or fake profiles. OkCupid is a dating app for people who are not looking for crazy hookups and long-term relationships. OkCupid is a platform that balances everything out for you. It is a middle ground which provides what you need. They genuinely want you to be happy in a good relationship.

If you are a single mom or a dad who wants to get back into a relationship, this app could be one of the most reliable ones. I personally know 3 single parents who met using this app and and are now happily married.

The unique feature about this app is it takes statistics and numbers into consideration. There are several factors which it takes into consideration before matching you with someone. This includes the compatibility factor.

The app has a large number of options to choose from. To give you a little idea about it, OkCupid offers 12 gender identifications and 20 sexual orientations to choose from. Even the questions asked are different from the traditional secret dating apps. The questions asked are not focused on the individuals’ personality but instead focuses on what kind of relationship you want to be in.

For example, one of the questions asked in the app is ‘Would you rather attend a concert or opera?”. These tend to be a little less annoying and fun to write answers to. You can also write about what you expect from the other person as well. It is a very user-friendly app because it has an easy to use UI. OkCupid offers you a compatibility test and which makes you experience more accurate and smoother.

6. Best Dating App for Strangers: TopFace

TopFace

Topface allows you to message strangers when you get a ‘like’. It is a free app where you can ‘reject’ or ‘like’ a person’s profile, which is similar to any other dating app. However, what makes it so different in the fact that you can view the number of people who have visited your profile without paying any fee.

The app is pretty straightforward and easy to use. The reason why it has gained so much popularity is that it is cheaper than any other app and it provides you with a lot of features as a free member. It has several classifications of the people which include ‘mutual lovers’, guests, likers, admirers and Bomb Message. This feature is pretty impressive, where it allows you to send messages to several people at once, which is not available in another dating app.

Majority of the users have reported that they weren’t able to find good profiles and a few of them seemed fake, a few of them have also reported that they were able to find matches. If you live in at popular locations such as New York City, San Francisco, Florida, etc you’ll surely find someone. However, finding a match in less popular areas was not quite easy. But, we did find a few!

7. Best and Safe Dating App: Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee Meets Bagel

The app is as interesting and fun just like the name. This app focuses on quality rather than the quantity. It follows a unique concept of ‘passing bagels’. This means that Men will receive ‘bagels’ and they have to decide whether they have to take or pass the bagel.

This app mostly targets young professionals or young adults due to its modern and lively concept. This app is straightforward to use, and it takes barely a minute to an account. The photos can be automatically uploaded from your Facebook or your Instagram account.

Therefore, there is no hassle of clicking pictures. You can directly link your account to Facebook or Instagram. The unique feature of this app is that it has a large number of female audiences than the male, which lead to a new feature called ‘Ladies Choice’. You can communicate through chat boxes, and this app mostly focuses on causal relationships. So in case you are a single parent who wants to casually hook-up or relax, this can be the one you can go with.

8. Best For Security: Clover

Clover

Clover provides several features which help you find the type of relationship you want to be in. This app is free with multiple features for a free member, which includes unlimited chatting and various typed of multimedia communication.

You can link your account to facebook which helps you sing up faster. You can also swipe through the profiles of various people. It shows you the full profile of all the people and presents the answers to their questions, and you can compare it to yours.

You have two options: Say no by clicking on X icon or request to date. The best thing about this app is you can request a date, and it will tell you the nearby locations to visit and timings. This feature is called ‘request a date’ feature. Users can upload up to 100 pictures, which is amazing for a free membership! Furthermore, it is a very safe and secure app which makes your dating experience valuable and interesting.

9. Happn

Happn

This is a location-based dating app which matched you with people who are nearby. The interesting thing about this is that it geo-targeted software where it matches you with who you have physically passed by earlier that day. The signing up process becomes easier because you can link your Facebook account.

The basic concept is that the more you run into people, the bigger the pool of choices you will have. Furthermore, it steps outside the box by defying the traditional dating apps. You can only message each other if you have mutually liked each other. Although, it’s not necessary that you must have run through each other to find matches, people in the nearby radius can find others using the app.

A few things we liked about this app is, “Huge user base” and global audience. However, we didn’t like the UI of the app and the ads which kept coming in between. A lot of people have installed the app from the Play Store and the App Store which probably means that you’ll surely find a good user profiles. However, the number of people you see on this will depend on the area you are in. More popular is your location, more is the number of profiles you’ll see!

10. Best for Hookup: Plenty of Fish

Plenty of Fish

Plenty of fish has established a large market for itself and has managed to set itself apart from all the other sites recently. Plenty of fish is the only website and app which allows you to connect to the Google assistant, making it home friendly.

The app has a modern interface and smooth functioning UI, which is complemented by many. The signup process is sweet and simple, and it provides with many quizzes to take. It includes the compatibility test, and the relationship needs assessment.

Just so you know, this app also is from parent company of Tinder. Yes, you read it right. The parent company has a lot of other apps in the market which are targeted towards dating and hooking people up. Want to know the other apps from Tinder’s parent company? Check this article which has all the other dating apps by IAC’s Match Group.

There are several other tests which will make your experience easier and cater to your needs. It helps it provide accurate matches and increases the rate of success. It also allows you to write your goals, such as ‘looking for a causal relationship’ or ‘looking for a hook-up’. This helps you find according to your needs and makes your search smoother and more accurate.

11. Best Video Dating App: HUD Dating

HUD Dating
HUD Dating

HUD has a newly introduced concept of videos, which sets it apart from all the other dating apps. Just like Snapchat, HUD allows you to upload short videos of yourself which the audience can view. So no more swiping left and right.

Another exciting thing about this app is the fact that it provides you with various features which are for free members, but you can always switch to premium for more exciting offers. The reason why this is so highly rated is due to its verification process.

You have to link your Facebook account to the account and send a live photo. This makes it more difficult for scammers to create fake accounts, make this app more authentic than any other. This app is programmed in such a manner that it gives you accurate suggestions and helps you find people with the same interests as you, which similar to every other dating app.

12. Best For Interest Match: eHarmony

eHarmony
eHarmony

eHarmony matches you with people with the same interests as yours and helps you find the one. While signing up, eHarmony will you give you several questions to answer which will be in the form of multiple choice and the traditional question and answer.

The good thing about this app is that it offers various modes of communication, for both free and paid members. This includes emails, text messages, video calls and many more.

Even the profiles on this app are very detailed where you can see the personal interests, likes and dislikes — for example, their hobbies, favorite place to visit and much more. Reaching out to a more extensive section of people, eHarmony has two apps: Heterosexual and for Homosexual. This helps the people get matches according to their needs and find a compatible partner.

13. Best For Legit Dating: BLK: Look. Match. Chat

BLK

This app is top-rated in the US region. One of the reasons for such a high rating is because of its strict verification process, making the profiles authentic. All the features of this app are based on a mutual connection. If you want to talk to a person, they should be connected to you as well or are interested in you as well.

This app is straightforward to use with its swipe features, and it’s fast and efficient. Another reason why it is so liked by the audience is that it is free. It offers many features for its free members. The registration process is relatively simple, and it barely takes a minute to become a member. You can link your profile to your Facebook account, so all your details get automatically updated.

The verification process is quite strict and users don’t easily get verified there. However, there’s a good chance that you still can find monsters on this app. But be assured, you’ll find real people who actually would be interested in getting in touch with you if you have a decent profile!

14. Best Dating App for Spanish in the US: Chispa

Chispa Dating App

This app focuses on people with Spanish descent, mostly Latinos. However, it can be used by anyone. This app has a very simple and easy to use interface where you can swipe right or left according to your preferences.

The registration process of this app is also straightforward, and just like the other apps, you can link it to your facebook account to make it easier for yourself.

This app is highly focused on aesthetics and visuals; there for it mostly asks for pictures and focuses less on the text. It does not ask you much information, and there is no long list of questions. You should be able to portray your personality with the pictures you upload and add a brief introduction about yourself in the About Me section.

The app is quick. The minute you swipe right, the chatting section is enabled, and you send the person a message. Moreover, if you do not like the person or you realise that he/she is not the one for you, you can ‘unmatch’ and all your chatting history will be deleted. The audience on this app are spanish and Latinos, So if you want to date a hot spanish girl or a latino, this is your go to app!

15. Best Dating App for Professionals: EliteSingles

EliteSingles
EliteSingles: Best
For Singles

Last but not least, Elite singles is another dating app which is limited to professionals, which is advantageous and disadvantageous for some. This app, to maintain a specific type of user base, usually asks for people with a higher level of degrees and professionals.

Therefore, it has lengthier sign up process as compared to other apps in order to get the right match for you. Like any other app, it also has the swipe right or left feature to make it easier for you. This app is compatible with Android and Apple, and it does not take up that much space in your cellphone. It is lightweight and efficient.

Do the Online Dating Apps work?

All the apps mentioned above require you to talk to random strangers to increase connections and form a relationship. Some may find it daunting and dangerous; However, this is the reason why these apps were created. You can first get to know the person without meeting up with them or taking face-to-face with them.

In fact, if not a lot, there are a few cases which includes crimes that happened because of these apps. The good thing is, if there were no apps like this, such crimes would’ve happened even more. A few of the cases have been listed below:

There are predators all over the world and they also use apps like these to actually target people. However, all this can happen even on a date which has not been set using these apps. One way to be safe is to avoid going to a person’s private place or car on the first date. You can read a few safety tips when dating online by Mandy Ginsberg, CEO of IAC’s Match Group which owns apps such as Tinder, OkCupid, BlackPeopleMeet, Plenty Of Fish, etc.

Besides the crimes and bad stories, there are a few good stories too. In some of them, people who met through online dating apps are now couples. We’ll include a few stories which have been covered by authority websites which are reputed and trustable!

You can form your judgments and then decide whether you want to meet them. This reduces the level of risk. Sometimes, you feel better when you talk to someone when you are alone or need any opinions. When you speak to someone who comes from a different background or is a part of a different community, you can talk to them without the fear of being judged because, at the end on the day, they are strangers.

You get to increase your pool of knowledge and increase your networks. This is beneficial in the long run. Therefore, dating apps like these are best for people with social anxiety or introverts who have a fear of approaching new people or making conversation. Using apps gives you more control over your emotions than meeting someone in real life. They give you large number of options and it is up to you to decide and increases the chances of your finding the one whom you can relate to and connect with.

Conclusion

Online Dating apps have become the norm of the society, and with so many out there, it often becomes confusing to choose which is the best. The market is now worth $2 Billion, so you can just imagine the number of people it attracts.

In the list mentioned above, the apps have been picked according to the customer reviews and online ratings. It is obvious that apps from IAC’s match group like Tinder, OkCupid and Coffee meets bagel would be mentioned and they are well-known names. However, there are many other apps you ought to try. The best-rated app right now is Hinge and Happn, which are less known as compared to Tinder. These apps offer a greater amount of services and features as compared to other well-known apps.

Furthermore, they have a high level of security and been programmed in a manner which eliminates the chances of fake profiles or scams. It is entirely your choice to use the app which you are comfortable with but why miss out on apps which offer greater quality at less cost. The online platform provides a large number of options to you, and it is imperative that you make the right choices to have a higher success rate and get what you want.

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