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 March 09, 2021

There's an app for virtually any kind of dating experience. The best dating apps allow you to customize your match preferences and the dates you go on. Here are the eight best dating apps that allow you to do just that. These apps let you control who and how you meet.

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

01
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Best (Serious) Relationship App: Hinge

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 the dating apps on this list, Hinge may be the most traditional as it requires photos and questionnaire answers. Hinge is a minimalist app. The main focus is on your photos and responses, forcing you to put thoughtful effort into your profile.

Hinge is free to download. The app comes with a free membership and offers 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 narrow down matches to your preferences. There are paid-for options for 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month subscriptions.

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02
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For Daters Who Love to Multitask: Bumble

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

  • 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 ambitious multitaskers who want to date, 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 modes: Bumble BFF, Bumble Bizz, and Bumble Date. Use the BFF to search for new friends and the Bizz mode for career-related networking.  

In Date mode, women must make the first move in hetero matches. For same-gender matches, either person within the match can initiate a chat, but it must be done within 24 hours. Otherwise, the match expires.

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

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03
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The Most Inclusive Dating App for Queer Women: HER

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 an inclusive dating app for queer women. It is not only a dating app for lesbians. HER includes those that identify as lesbians and 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 depending on your country, but it ranges from about $10 for one month to an annual premium of $90 for 12 months. 

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04
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Best Dating App for Online Dating Newbies: Coffee Meets Bagel

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 dating in general, most swipe-happy apps like Tinder can seem overwhelming, especially with the number of possible matches. Coffee Meets Bagel, in comparison, is simpler. You can start slow with 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 shown an 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 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.

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05
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Let Your Friends Do the Matchmaking: Vouch

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 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 make a profile as usual and then select and invite friends to become a Voucher.

After the app matches you with someone, your Voucher reviews the match and decides whether you get to chat with this new match. If they approve, you have 24 hours to chat with your match.

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

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06
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Fastest Option for Dates and Hookups: Clover

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 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. When you don't feel like venturing out, 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.

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07
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Meet People in Your Area: Happn

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 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 shows up on the app's timeline. If you're interested, send a secret like and they'll only find out if they show an interest. 

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.

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08
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Best for Social (Media) Butterflies: Badoo

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 has 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 provides you with access to features like unlimited messaging.

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