When it comes to finding romantic love on your phone, it can be hard to know where to start. The internet gives us unlimited reach when it comes to meeting others, but with so many different dating apps to choose from, it can be tough to know which one to download.
Fortunately, the convenience offered by dating apps means you can browse through them from the comfort of your sofa. Here’s some of the best dating apps for different demographics.
OK Cupid – Best for serious relationships
OkCupid has an extensive user base in the UK, and if you’re looking for long term love, this is one of the most highly recommended dating apps to download.
OKC is also constantly updating and enhancing its features, though it’s still relatively basic is does allow for a lot of filters, which helps you to find users that may be a good match.
The app does have a personality quiz too, which will give you a match percentage score with other users. Doing this can help massively when it comes to finding potential partners.
OKCupid is well known for allowing keyword searches, and you can add a lengthy profile showing off all of your features. It’s a popular dating site for a good reason, and anyone who is looking for a serious relationship should give it a try.
HER – Best for Lesbian and Queer Women
Her is an online dating and social networking website designed for lesbians and queer individuals, and in our opinion, it’s the best lesbian dating app.
You can log into your account through Facebook or Instagram and immediately find dating profile of people in your area, as well as browsing those worldwide if location doesn’t matter to you.
Within the app you can like other HER users pictures to show that you’re interested in them, or you can send messages if you feel like you might be a good match.
There is more to just meeting others on the site, as there are social options as well as news and articles about LGBTQ issues.
HER is still a free dating app to download, but paid users do get a ton of benefits that probably make it worth signing up for. Whether you’re looking for casual dates or a serious relationship, queer users should make downloading HER a priority.
Bumble – Best for straight women
Bumble is an easy-to-use app that’s specifically designed for women, as the woman essentially has to make the first move within the relationship and start chatting with prospective matches – not the other way around.
This format seems to have worked, as many single women find themselves on the platform, both those looking for a long term relationship and those that just want to check the dating scene out for a bit of fun.
Bumble aims to make the relationship enjoyable with its zero-tolerance policy on hate speech – the app is a safe space for bisexual users that are just getting into the dating game too.
Bumble attracts many genuine users to it, and they do a great job of moderation – this helps to keep the matches flowing in, and you’re more likely to find dating profiles that are genuine.
Women must take action within a day of being matched with another user, and this minimizes small talk and conversation for no reason.
Bumble is more than just a hookup app, with many young professionals flocking to the platform to avoid the horde of horny men that send messages on other dating apps like Tinder.
Grindr – Best for gay men
Grindr is still the best dating app out there for gay men to get in touch with other gay men – it’s the most used gay dating app in the UK, meaning there’s a ton of users on the platform.
Although it has a reputation for flings, there is the possibility of finding something serious on Grindr – you just have to look in the right place.
Be prepared for bluntness though – Grindr uses pull no punches when it comes to listing their preferences and what they’re looking for. The app offers the ability to fill out a full profile, so prepare to see some wild bios in your feed.
Grindr’s free membership is actually pretty good too with a lot of features, so it’s worth downloading this dating app to see if it has what you need (just hope there’s no-one on there you’ve crossed paths with before!).
Hinge – Best for video chats
If you want to eventually meet up in real life, it can be a good idea to video chat online first. Having a virtual date is a good way to know if you’re a match, and Hinge is the best dating apps for this.
Hinge has a great user interface, with the ability to upload videos or just photos to your profile, as well as making video calls with other Hinge users.
Users can also easily start conversations by commenting on the photos of other users, which is something that many dating apps avoid. Because of this, a strict moderation process is in place, though you’ll still likely come across some fakes.
Overall, if you think that you’d be confident enough to video chat other users after a few weeks of chatting, downloading Hinge is probably the right move for you.
Tinder – Best dating app for quick hookups
Although everyone has heard of it and we’re not adding much to the conversation here, Tinder is still one of the best dating apps to download.
Whilst you can find long term love on the platform, it’s best for short term flings. The free version is good, but the Premium membership gives you access to a whole host of features, like the ability to send messages before you match the other person.
There are other features on Tinder too – you can Super Like those that you’re extremely interested in, and you’ll get access to the priority likes feature which can boost your visibility with other dating profiles.
Tinder has the most users, and because of this it’s worth downloading if you’re after a quick fling – just be prepared to scroll through a lot of profiles before you find the right person.
Fetlife – Best for kink
If you’re looking for something a little extra from your next relationship, you’ll probably want to check out Fetlife.
Kink apps are typically awful, with many of them filled with fake profiles made to lure guys into sending them money.
Fetlife is different – it has a genuine community of users, and it’s the best place to find another person to explore your kink with.
This doesn’t have to be as extreme as it sounds. Many of us in the dating world have preferences, and this can be as tame as enjoying things a little rough every now and then.
Fet is more of a social media than it is a standard dating app. You’ll be able to fill in your profile quickly – you need a premium membership if you want unlimited access to the platform.
Of course, as you’d expect there are so many users on the platform looking for a quick fling. But, this is the case with most online dating sites and other apps tend to have the same issue.
And who knows – you may find a potential partner that you can meet up with in real life when using the service too.
Match – Best for older folks
Let’s face it – a lot of the dating community revolved around young people. Although not fair, it’s a reality, and some dating apps are better for mature dating.
Just because a dating website is great for older people, doesn’t mean that it’s only suitable for those after the perfect match.
In fact, Match is just as good for those looking for a short term no strings relationship – make sure that you fill in your relationship questionnaire with your criteria, and you’ll be able to find others with the same mindset.
Match is very popular in the UK, and there’s a wide variety of users on the platform. Free users still get access to quite a lot, so it’s worth signing up to Match and seeing whether – you can upgrade to a paid membership later.
Common Questions about dating apps
Is there a dating app for British people?
There are a few apps and websites out there solely for British users, but honestly they’re not great – most users are better off using a global dating app and using the filters within define them to find potential matches within your proximity.
Which dating app is best for serious relationships?
When it comes to dating apps, many users are looking for potential partners for long term relationships – not just a hookup. If you’re looking for more than just one night, we recommend looking at apps like eHarmony and OkCupid – the user base on these apps is a little different than you’ll find on Tinder, which is primarily just young people looking for fun (not that there’s anything wrong with that!).
What is the Number 1 dating app in the UK?
In terms of popularity, Tinder is still the dominant force when it comes to dating apps in the UK. It’s the most downloaded app globally for both Android users on the Google Play Store and the Apple app store too, and there’s a large dating pool of talent in the UK. Though some online daters don’t like the idea of scrolling forever, if you like a wide variety of people to choose from then it might be the right dating app to download.
Conclusion
Al in all, there are various different dating apps to choose from, and the right one for you will really depend on your own preferences. Many young professionals decide that they want to use a variety of apps, and there’s nothing wrong with downloading more than one dating app to see what’s out there.
Fortunately, it’s relatively straightforward to sign yourself up by entering some basic personal information. Then, you can get started with meeting new people for both casual dating hookups and long term relationships.
