We Found The Best Dating Apps Of 2023 (After 1000+ Hours Of Swiping)

Expect to take at least 25 minutes to set up your profile on eHarmony. It requires you to complete an 80-question compatibility quiz, including queries about your personality type and communication style.

We'll warn you: Some prompts are quirky, but we considered it a fun little break in the midst of some serious soul-searching.

These in-depth profiles are key to making eHarmony' one of the best dating sites for serious relationships, per marriage therapist Omar Ruiz, LMFT. "The profile list is limited since it's for [the people] who don't want to deal with the ups and downs of dating app culture and want to settle down," he says.

Just note one tester seeking a serious relationship found a few of the prompts were old fashion and didn't allow for her full expression as a polyamorous person seeking a serious commitment.

The app's main screen scrolls vertically through potential matches. You'll then "heart" profiles that you're into. Unlike other apps, swiping left reveals your level of compatibility with another member (rather than rejecting them).

We also love that you don't have to say "no" to a profile if you're not feeling an instant connection. You can simply scroll past the profile or return to it at a later time if you want. Hey, it's not always love at first swipe!

By using compatibility scores to match members, the dating app sets the groundwork for a more serious connection—based on your personality, political views, and interests—instead of appearance. The free version even blurs profile photos like a modern-day blind date.

Creating a unique profile on Hinge doesn't take long—simply add your basic information, select your favorite photos, and answer at least three prompts. You can spend less than 5 minutes creating a profile, though we suggest taking a bit long if you're trying to attract a serious match.

We were big fans of Hinge's audio and video features, which allowed you to showcase even more of your personality. While the brand recently removed these additions, we think they're likely to come back in the brand's premium subscriptions. Luckily, the optional photo prompts are still around to add some voice to your profile.

Hinge comes with limited swipes (unless you pay for a premium account), but this feature is a good thing. A smaller number of likes will motivate you to slow down and see each profile as a person, instead of another face in a sea of faces. We're over mindless swiping!

Another feature that we can't get enough of? The option to "Show Last Active" status, which shows other potential matches whether you're currently active or were online that day. This helps weed out inactive users, so you're not sending your "like" to a graveyard of other interested profiles. A

nd no, your current matches will not see your status—a great safety feature that takes off the pressure to respond to a match right away instead of creating a thoughtful reply.

When you do decide to go on a date, be sure to let Hinge know about your interactions. As the app learns more about your preferences, it will adjust your algorithm to recommend better matches. The only downside? A few of these top matches may be located it the "Standouts" section of the app, which requires you to send a rose to match.

You only receive one rose per week with an option to pay for additional roses (starting at $3.33 per rose). These curated profiles may occasionally enter the regular batch of potential matches or "Discover" section after you delete them from the stand-out section, but it's rare.

Despite Hinge putting some of its most eligible matches beyond a paywall, our testers still raved about the quality of their matches; most offered a level of maturity that she hadn't seen on apps previously. They also called out the apps flexibility, which allows you to select alternative location settings without paying (though this led to a negative interaction with a scammer abroad).

Match.com is about serious connections, so you should expect to spend at least 20 minutes setting up your profile. The app even allows you to work with a dating expert to build the best profile.

When setting up your profile, you'll fill out a bio and answer prompts or questions, such as "your best scar story." Our favorite part? You can upload up to 26 photos to really showcase your profile.

Building an in-depth profile pays off. You can search around the database and check out members with similar preferences as yours on Match.com. You can also see when other members were last online, so you won't waste your time on people who are no longer active on the app.

True to its name, Match also offers a handful of ways for you to match with other members. Mutual matching only shows people who fit your specific criteria, while reverse matching only shows people who are specifically looking for someone with your likes or interests.

We found fewer time wasters on Match, due to the time needed to make a compelling profile. This bodes well for making a serious connection—but it also means there might be fewer people to connect with on the app.

Creating a profile on Feeld can take as little as 5 minutes depending on how much information you want to share. You'll have the option to upload up to 6 photos with the option to make select photos private to matches.

Every user can go by an imaginary name to protect their identity with options to share up to 10 desires from your match, such as kink, BDSM, and GGG (i.e. good in bed, giving of pleasure, and game for trying new things). You can also write a mini bio about yourself and tag up to 10 hobbies or interests to showcase on your profile.

Feeld thinks attraction is a process that often takes time—something most apps don't account for in their algorithms. Instead of swiping away a profile for good, Feel gives you the option to simply pass for now—kind of like strolling by a stranger.

When you are into a profile, you can use the like button in the bottom-left corner. If they like you back, a connection is created.

We'll be honest: In the world of swiping, the UX can feel a little confusing. Even our tester noted initial confusion with the app, but found it more intuitive after six months of scrolling.

One way to reduce the number of potential matches crossing your path is by filtering for distance, age range, genders, and/or partner breakdown (couples vs solo daters).

You'll also have the choose of one "core," which is either a virtual or physical location. The latter is ideal for travelers planning a big trip with cores in a handful of major metropolis.

Of course, paid "Majestic" members get access to a few more perks, like the ability to filter by desires and recent activity. This ideal for people with specific kinks hoping to find likeminded companions.

Our takeaway? Matching on this app is not an easy process, and seeing the same profile over and over again can make rejecting it even harder. But making use of the filter and special "Ping" feature—which lets you skip the line into a potential matches inbox—is an easy way to make the most of the app.

While you'll come across an occasional pen pal on Feeld, the dating app's sex-positive vibes means most matches want to meet in person as quickly as possible.

We love the push for in-person connection—and consider Feeld a great option for those hoping to explore their sexuality.

Creating your Tinder account can take as little (or long) as you'd like. Upload up to nine photos to showcase your profile with a short bio under 500 characters.

You can also add up to five interests to reveal a little more about yourself—but in reality Tinder is primarily a visual app. Your photos are more likely to attract a match than your hobbies.

The UX for Tinder is simple; swipe left to pass and swipe right to connect. If another person swipes right, you'll match and enter the chat stage.

Our tester found it lives up to the hype for finding causal interactions (or consistently casual relationships). They find most users are upfront about their intentions and the app is the epitome of "what you see if what you get."

Like any dating app, you might run into people who only want to chat—and nothing more. But we found that Tinder often had a shorter lead time before the date, with many connections leading to meetups in less than 24 hours.

When you join OkCupid, you'll be prompted to add up to six photos, write a bio, and take a 15-question compatibility quiz. These initial responses will be used to start gauging your compatibility score with others—and you'll have the option to see exactly where you align (or disagree).

If certain requirements are a dealbreaker, you can inform the app; otherwise you may end up receiving a high compatibility score with someone seeking marriage when you're seeking a hook-up. [Pro tip: OkCupid offers 500+ compatibility questions; the more you answer, the better the matches.]

The UX is a little less intuitive on OkCupid than other dating apps; you still swipe left or right to "like" another user, but you'll need to click the bottom of the screen to open their profile. Once in the profile, you can swipe through photos and open the compatibility feature.

We love that OkCupid makes so many of its features free—and we think it's one of the best free dating sites you can find right now.

What's not free? The ability to see who already "likes" your profile (unless they sent an "intro") or view certain match filters, like "new users" or "popular users."

There are 70 million users on OkCupid in 2023, and every person approaches getting offline in a different way. However compatibility score makes it easier to find a common interest or activity to get off the app sooner.

Even though a match with 95% compatibility ended up ghosting our tester after their first date, she still considers OkCupid one of the best free dating apps.

Don't expect to spend more than 10 minutes setting up your Bumble profile. Simply choose your six best photos, select a few interests, add a short bio, and answer a prompt (the last few are optional).

If you're hoping to have better conversations with a match, you can also add an "opening question" to ensure you chat about topics that interest you.

We're personal fans of the ability to connect you Instagram and Spotify, which add more dimension to your profile in a low effort way.

Similar to Tinder, you match on Bumble by swiping left or no and right for yes. If a match also likes your profile, then it starts a chat.

If you're female, we recommend having your opening line ready to go right after you match. Otherwise you'll have to exit the profile and re-find it in the chat section of the app after looking through their profile again.

Our tester loves Bumble so much, they paid for a lifetime premium subscription to make the most of the dating app. One of their favorite aspects is the timed connection.

Once you match, women have 24 hours to start the conversation. While not ideal for those with limited time (like single parents), this feature creates a sense of urgency and reduces the number of interactions you have with time-wasters.

Try using these expert-recommended conversation starters on Bumble to make the most of your connection.

Grindr is about efficiency, and it only took our tester one minute to set up their profile. Just add up to five photos and write a quick bio to get started.

Other user profiles will show up in your feed based on their distance from your location (making it a great option for those who want to meet right away). You can swipe left to pass or swipe right to connect.

While Grindr may have your geo-location, you have the option to hide your distance from other users using "Invisible mode." This discretion extends to the app icon, which can be changed to another logo.

We love that Grindr shoes a green dot for active profiles, so you can tell if your preferred match is online or no longer interested in connecting. Just be warned: Your profile may show up in the grid for up to one hour after you go offline.

By pushing matches based on location, Grindr sets you up for success with in-life connections—no matter how short-lived.

Our tester spent less than 5 minutes creating their profile, which included photos, a bio, and selecting interests.

Unlike other apps, adding your interests is essential to making the most out of this dating app. Along with a feed to match with others, the app has a hub (called the FEED) sorted by interests to help connect you with other people in the LGTBQ+ community.

Think of it like part dating app, part social network.

The dating experience is relatively uncomplicated—you can view profiles, "like" other users, match with people, and get to know someone via chat.

As mentioned, romantic connections aren't the only option here. You can find new friends to meet up with or spaces to discuss your interests in the Feed, which is less about swiping and more about typing.

We consider HER ahead of the curve when it comes to supporting more than virtual connections. Sure, you can take a date offline, but. the app also encourages community.

HER hosts local events and parties that bring together its 13 million users for in-person events.

The issue with the League isn't setting up your profile, it's getting on the app. All users are sent to a "waiting list" upon application, where they must be approved. Wealthier users can pay to skip the queue, but this lengthy process earns the app a low score for "ease of setup."

Once you're accepted, the rest of the process is straightforward.

You can upload up to 5 photos and record a quick 35-second "intro video." Our tester has been on the app for almost a year and has never seen a video in action—so we'd skip the upload.

As the name (and exclusivity suggest), you must upload your workplace and education information as part of your profile. It feels a little elitist, but we know it suits a certain crowd.

The League won't put you into information overload. It only serves five new profiles every day—there used to be just three—and options for a few different curated events.

When a match is deemed "desirable," the League will prompt you to "skip the line" to get seen by the profile sooner. And yes, it's expensive.

Our aforementioned tester has never actually been on a date from the League even though there's been months of swiping. Matches rarely turn into conversations, which means an actual date is almost impossible.

While the idea of fewer matches seems great in theory, it's best suited to a small demographic: wealthy and busy with limited time to explore romantic options.

Christina Mingle profiles don't take the longest to set up, but they're not the shortest either. Our tester found that it takes about eight minutes to complete a profile with photos and a bio.

Be prepared to share details about your faith; the app asks for your religion and denomination to help curate the best matches. Naturally, profiles will also ask info about how often you go to church—but there are also standard questions about interests and hobbies.

Similar to other apps, you can scroll through a feed of all users or sort potential matches based on activity, proximity, and compatibility.

Each profile shares basic info about a match and their photos. If you like a profile and the interest is mutual, then you'll be notified of a new match.

We think Christian Mingle is a great option for those who consider faith to be essential to their romantic connections, but we wouldn't recommend to non-religious users.

Beyond a focus on faith, there isn't much that sets this dating app apart from others. While Christian Mingle isn't known for ghosting, it's known for getting people off the app quickly either.