The 29 Best Dating Apps for Your Ultra-Specific Taste
Look, I get it—dating apps can be so exhausting. You find yourself up at all hours in the night just trying to find a wedding date for your bestie’s nuptials next month. Then you actually plan drinks with a match who has been blowing up your phone with paragraphs, only to realize that they *literally* cannot hold a conversation in person. Weird. (And FWIW, this is called a Toyfriend.)
So when you’re feeling discouraged, you may just have to get pickier about what dating apps you’re letting take up storage on your phone. Peep the 29 apps below and see which are best for what you are looking for.
Best for anti-catfishers: Happy Hour
We’ve all been there. You show up to a date expecting to meet the hottie from the profile you’ve been vibin’ with, but then realize they’re 10+ years older than their pictures. Yikes. But with Happy Hour, you join the dating queue at 8:00 p.m. every night and browse users. If you match, you’re then put into a video-chat portal where you can physically see and speak to your matches for one to five minutes. If there’s a vibe, you can take your match to an IRL happy hour date.
Available for iPhone.
Best for people who enjoy lifting heavy metal: DateFit
If you’re the kind of person who would rather spend a Friday night at the gym because it’s emptier, then download DateFit RTFN. Match with other like-minded people who also genuinely enjoy eating broccoli.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for the kinky community: Kinkoo
Kinkoo requires you to list in your profile your kinks, seeking kinks, level of experience, and what type of connection you’re looking for to ensure everyone’s on the same page. Swipe and match with people who are looking for your same non-vanilla taste, then link up IRL.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for foodies: Dine
If “phone eats first” is your first-language when you’re brunchin’, then welcome to Dine, the foodie dating app. There’s no swiping here—just request some potential matches to “dine” and if they accept, skip the small talk and meet up for a first date over 5-star cuisine.
Available for iPhone.
Best for people who don’t want to drink: Loosid
Listen, whether you are sober or just hate the taste of alc, Loosid is a dating platform for anyone wanting to meet others who also don’t choose the booze. Once you’re matched, Loosid will suggest sober events for you and your new boo to attend that go above and beyond meeting at a bar.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for people who need their mother’s approval on ev-er-y-thing: Ship
Sorry, but you’re lying if you say your mom isn’t your bestie. With Ship, invite your friends, family, literally whoever, to swipe on your behalf. Your crew is entered into a group chat where you can share matches, talk about profiles on the app, and swipe at everyone’s convenience. Mom’s stamp of approval is a must-have, so why not get it out of the way from the start?
Available for iPhone.
Best for dog lovers: Dig
If you know getting a dog or merging dog families with a partner in the future is a must for you, get on Dig right now. This app shows you five potential matches a day, with filters for people who also have dogs, and people who don’t have dogs but want one in the future. You can also sort through dogs by size, so if you’ve got a teeny teacup yorkie, you can find them an equally lil bud.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for getting married RTFN: E-harmony
For those looking to settle down with their soul mate ASAP, E-harmony is the way to go. Their users aren’t just looking for random hookups or fuck buddies, so the pool is naturally more conducive to serious relationships.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for setting up your friends and vice versa: Wingman
No one knows you better or is a better advocate for you than your BFFs, which is what makes Wingman so great. You sign up as a Wingman, write and create your friend’s profile, make an introduction, and then let them take over from there.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for queer women looking for something serious: Zoe
Zoe uses personality tests to give you the best match possible. The quizzes rank compatibility based on percentages, so the more you have in common with your match, the better.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for shy people: Zoosk
Zoosk has pre-set lines at the ready, so you don’t have to stress over sending the first message. While you can also swipe through a deck like all the other apps, you also have the option of searching profiles based on filters like height, age, relationship history, and education. They also offer photo verification so you can be sure the person you’re talking to actually matches the profile.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for dipping your toe into the water: Tinder
What better place to start than with the app that started it all? Since everyone is already using this one, the stigma of “being on the apps” doesn’t even count on here. You’ll probably see some mutual friends or classmates on here, just due to the nature of EVERYONE being on Tinder, so swipe away!
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for people who aren‘t afraid to make the first move: Bumble
On Bumble, women make the first move. Within 24 hours of matching, you have to send a message to the guy or your connection expires and you won’t be able to talk. Once you send a message, he also has to respond in 24 or the match expires. If you’re Bumbling to find other women, either of you can make the first move on a match. Basically, they’re trying to get you to stop hoarding matches and actually get out there and make magic happen!
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for elitists: The League
As in...Ivy...get it? The League pulls in info from your LinkedIn to make sure you’re not a scrub. Only those deemed League-worthy are granted access past the wait list into the hallowed walls of the League. Once you’re in, you can set specific filters like religion or height. Matches expire after 21 days if neither person has sent a message, in an effort to keep the flakes out.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for celebs: Raya
Super exclusive and known as the “Tinder for celebrities,” Raya is another app famous for their wait list. They pull in info and make a decision based on your Instagram as to whether or not you’re worthy of making it past the wait list. So, if you needed a reason to start building your follower count now, this is it!
Available for iPhone.
Best for people interested in a queer-friendly community: Her
Her is a specially designed app for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women that can be a dating app, LGBTQ+ news source, and calendar for queer events. There aren’t any personality questions to get through, and you can look right at profiles to get a sense of who the person is.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for a hookup that happens. like, tonight: OkCupid
As one of the most popular dating sites, OkC means you’ll probably get hella messages like, within two seconds of signing up. They’ve got personality tests up the wazoo so you can gauge your compatibility right away. Plus, you can check it out on your laptop, too, if you really wanna fall down a rabbit hole.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for a hookup that happens in 10 minutes: Pure
With Pure, you basically set yourself to “available” for an hour and then people can see you and swipe on you. The immediacy of it leads it to a no-frills convo and usually an invite to meet up, like, right then and there.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for people who don’t want to go out of their way: Happn
Happn shows you matches based on people you’ve crossed paths with, so if you’re in it for convenience, your odds of meeting someone with whom you share a subway stop are pretty likely on this app.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for people big into music: Tastebuds
With Tastebuds, you can meet people based on shared interests in music. Their questionnaire is tailored more to music taste and inspiring a conversation or healthy debate about your favorite artists’ album.
Available for iPhone.
Best for people who like to bond over shared interests: Huggle
The Huggle app tries to match you with people who also share your similar interests. No more going on tepid first dates only to find out your date’s 5 a.m.-jog-every-damn-day lifestyle doesn’t quite match up with your daily routine of Netflixing past two rounds of “are you still watching?”
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for people who like to bond over shared hatred: Hater
If it’s easier for you to bond over things you have a passionate hatred for, try Hater. The app lets you match with people who hate the same shit you do, so you know for sure that you’ll have something to passionately talk about on your first date.
Available for iPhone.
Best for the person who pays for Susan Miller premium: Align
Align uses an “astrogorithim” to find you your perfect match based on your signs. You can also build your profile using certain traits and emoji you identify with. If you can’t get through the day without checking your horoscope and you need someone who appreciates that about you, check it out.
Available for iPhone.
Best for the person with a routine: Coffee Meets Bagel
If you’re able to remember to check in every day around noon, try out Coffee Meets Bagel. This app lets guys (coffee) express their interest and swipe through up to 21 potential matches. Then the women (bagels) are allowed to see their matches. Women only see guys who have already matched with them, so it’s a guaranteed “ball’s in your court” kinda app.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for the person who doesn‘t wanna meet total strangers: Hinge
Hinge only pulls in potential matches that your Facebook friends know, so it’s a little less stranger-danger than a random Craigslist ad. The idea is that your friends basically vet potential matches for you by being Facebook friends with someone. Plus, you have a whole person to gossip about on your first date.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for the person who can‘t go anywhere without their BFF attached at the hip: Double
Double lets you sign up with a friend and sort through matches for a double-date. Whether it’s because you’d just feel safer having another friend with you on a dating app date, or because you just think you’d have more fun with your platonic partner-in-crime, it’s always nice to have options!
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for people who want pen pals: Plenty of Fish
This app boasts that they have more conversations than any other dating site, with 1 billion messages sent a month. If you’re less the local, looking-to-meet-someone-tomorrow type, try it out.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for people who like getting date confirmations: Clover
Clover has a built-in functionality that lets users suggest solid, definitive date plans for each other, which you can then accept or reject. This is great if you’re someone who finds it awk to bring up the whole song and dance of exchanging numbers or setting up plans via the app. They also have mixers, which are like chat rooms or IRL meetups.
Available for iPhone or Android.
Best for people interested in threesomes: Feeld
Once called 3nder, as in, Tinder for threesomes, Feeld is an app made specifically for finding threesome partners and exploring other facets of sexuality. You can join as a solo user, or sign up with a partner, and jump right in. You can also send other users disappearing messages, and there’s an ‘incognito’ mode where you don’t show up to any Facebook friends. Great for avoiding a potentially awkward water cooler conversation come Monday morning.
Available for iPhone or Android.
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