The 8 Best Dating Apps of 2021

Find the partner you seek

by
Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication
Anita George
Writer
Anita George is a writer who has been covering technology since 2013. Her work has appeared in Paste Magazine and she holds both B.A. and B.S. degrees.
our editorial process
Anita George
Updated on January 04, 2021
A close-up stock photo of a person's hand holding a smartphone with a dating app on its screen.

Yu Chun Christopher Wong / S3studio / Getty Images 

There's an app out there for virtually any kind of dating experience. And yet the best dating apps allow you to not only customize your match preferences but also the dates you go on. Here are the 8 best dating apps that allow you to do just that. These apps will let you control who and how you meet.

Here are the best dating apps of 2021 to help you find that special someone.

01
of 08

Hinge: Best (Serious) Relationship App

A screenshot of one of the Hinge app's profile question prompts. This prompt says, "If loving this is wrong, I don't want to be right" and there is a green Answer button.
What We Like

  • Fun, thought-provoking profile question prompts to answer. 

  • Ability to hide certain questionnaire answers. 

What We Don't Like

  • You must have six profile photos.

  • Only available for Android (no iOS support).

If you're willing to put in the effort and you want a serious relationship, Hinge might be the app for you. 

Of all the dating apps on this list, Hinge is probably the most traditional as it mostly requires photos and questionnaire answers. Hinge is a very minimalist app and so the main focus will be on your photos and your responses, forcing you to put some thoughtful effort into your profile. 

Hinge is free to download. The app comes with a free membership, but it does offer monthly subscription access to premium services called Preferred. A Preferred Hinge membership has features such as unlimited likes for matches and access to more match filters to help narrow down matches to your preferences. There are paid-for options of a 1-month, 3-month, or 6-month subscriptions.

Download:

02
of 08

Bumble: For Daters Who Love to Multitask

A screenshot of the Bumble dating app and the Bumble Bizz feature that allows you to toggle from dating mode to career networking mode.
What We Like

  • You can connect your Instagram and Spotify accounts to show your most recent photos and current favorite artists.

What We Don't Like

  • The settings only allow you to determine your gender preference for relations, age preference, and distance of your potential matches.

Bumble is for those ambitious multitaskers who want to date and network and find their new best friend all in one app.

The app allows you to find all of those people by letting you toggle between three different modes: Bumble BFF, Bumble Bizz, and Bumble Date. The BFF mode is for searching for new friends and the Bizz mode is for career-related networking.  

Another notable feature? When you're in Date mode, women are required to make the first move in hetero matches. For same-gender matches, either person within the match can initiate a chat, but it has to be done within 24 hours. Otherwise, the match will expire. 

Bumble users can also access premium features by either purchasing a subscription (Bumble Boost) or their in-app currency, Bumble Coins.

Download:

Download:

03
of 08

HER: The Most Inclusive Dating App for Queer Women

A screenshot of Communities feature on the HER app. HER app users can choose to be a part of three communities to get news and status updates from other HER app users about their favorite topics. On this screen, two communities are shown: News and Entertainment and Artists, Musicians and Creators.
What We Like

  • The Communities feature allows you to keep up with current events on your favorite topics and connect with like-minded people.

What We Don't Like

  • Features such as changing your location require a subscription to the premium service.

HER is a very inclusive dating app for queer women. It is not just a dating app for lesbians. HER includes those that identify as lesbians but also other LGBTQ individuals that identify as female or non-binary. 

HER also functions as a social media app for queer women, as it allows you to share status updates, links, and videos. You can also see local queer events.

You can access premium features such as unlimited swipes and read receipts by paying for a monthly subscription called HER Premium. The prices vary quite a bit depending on your country, but it ranges from the lowest at about $10 for one month to an annual premium of $90 for 12 months.  

Download:

Download:

04
of 08

Coffee Meets Bagel: Best Dating App for Online Dating Newbies

A screenshot of Chats feature on the Coffee Meets Bagel app. You can only chat with your Bagels once you have both liked each other.
What We Like

  • There are ice breaker questions that have responses that aren't shared on your public profile but are shared with your Bagels to help generate conversation.

What We Don't Like

  • The app requires you to authenticate your profile with Facebook to find matches for you. 

If you're new to online dating or just dating in general, most swipe-happy apps like Tinder can seem overwhelming, especially with its sheer number of possible matches. Coffee Meets Bagel in comparison is much simpler. You can start off slow with just a few matches per day as CMB users are only allotted a few curated matches to browse.

In hetero matches, the men are shown curated matches and the women are sent "bagels" which are matches that have already shown interest in them. In same-gender matches, everyone gets a few curated matches to browse.

Coffee Meets Bagel is free to download and use. There are premium features that can be accessed with a CMB Premium subscription. Like HER, the monthly pricing may vary depending on the country but the range is as follows: It's about $35 for one month and nearly $200 per year.

You can also purchase or earn Beans, which is an in-app currency that allows you to unlock premium features. Earning free Beans requires inviting friends to join the app and other social media-related tasks. 

Download:

Download:

05
of 08

Vouch: Let Your Friends Do the Matchmaking

A screenshot of the Vouch app's settings. Users can change things like Distance, Age and Notification preferences.
What We Like

  • Your trusted friends can help you pick matches and even send you tips and advice within the app.

What We Don't Like

  • The app's interface is not intuitive.

  • iOS-only.

Vouch is a dating app that lets your friends play matchmaker. With Vouch, you'll make a profile as usual but then you have to select and invite friends to become a Voucher.

And once the app matches you with someone, your Voucher gets to review the match as well and then they get to decide whether or not you get to chat with this new match. If they approve, you're given 24 hours to chat with your match. 

Vouch is free to download and use. There are in-app items you can purchase to enhance your experience, such as the Restart Expired Match feature. 

Download:

06
of 08

Clover: Fastest Option for Dates and Hookups

A screenshot of Clover's mobile website. This screenshot shows off one of Clover's features: the Live Mixers chat rooms. The chat rooms have different themes like Game of Thrones night and 90s Babies.
What We Like

  • Live Mixers chat rooms allow you to connect with other people with similar interests.

What We Don't Like

  • Can be a bit buggy and slow at times.

Clover gives you fast access to dates and hookups. Among all of its features, the most interesting is its On-Demand Dating feature which allows members to set up dates quickly.

Clover also shows you local events and parties. But if you don't feel like venturing out, you can meet new people in Clover's themed chat rooms called Live Mixers.

Clover is free to download and use. You can upgrade to its premium service to access features, such as advanced match filters and read receipts, by purchasing a Clover Premium subscription.

Download:

Download:

07
of 08

Happn: Meet People in Your Area

A screenshot of the Happn dating app's I'm free to.. feature. Here, you can announce to local Happn users what activity you'd like to do, like go to the movies.
What We Like

  • The CrushTime game allows you to guess who likes you from four profiles you crossed paths with.

What We Don't Like

  • It can take a while to load your timeline of fellow Happn users you crossed paths with. 

Most dating apps and sites allow you to narrow down your matches by location, but Happn's entire focus is on your exact location and whether or not you've crossed paths with a potential match.

As you go about your day, if you happen to cross paths with another Happn user, their profile will show up on the app's timeline. If you're interested, you can send a secret like and they'll only find out if they show interest as well. 

The app is free to download. You can upgrade to premium services (like being able to see everyone who liked you) with a paid-for subscription.

Download:

Download:

08
of 08

Badoo: Best for Social (Media) Butterflies

A screenshot of the Edit Profile screen on the Badoo dating app. In addition to asking you about your preferences there is also the option to add videos to your profile.
What We Like

  • Add videos to your profile.

What We Don't Like

  • The app rates you on your popularity and your popularity level seems to affect how visible your profile is to potential matches. 

Badoo is a global dating app that boasts almost 400 million users. The app helps you find local matches, but its most notable qualities are its video chat feature and Livestream feature. With Badoo you can video chat with matches, post videos to your profile and livestream via the app to earn tokens that give you access to premium services. 

Badoo is free to download and use. There is a Badoo premium service that allows you to have access to features like unlimited messaging.

Download:

Download:

Was this page helpful?