Found: The Best Dating Apps For Serious Relationships

You won't be surprised to find eHarmony earning a top spot in many of our roundups; the company claims to be responsible for 4% of marriages in the U.S., according to couples' therapist Kyle Zrenchik, Ph.D., LMFT, ACS. 

The esteemed dating app features a lengthy (but thorough!) questionnaire that sets it apart from its competitors. While some users find the questionnaire too long, it's key to eHarmony's sophisticated matching algorithm, which connects users based on deep-rooted compatibility factors, like your views on the world.

As someone who has been looking for a serious relationship for several years, it was exciting to see a dating app with so much success matching singles. When I signed up for the app, however, I struggled with the quiz. I couldn’t relate to the majority of questions they asked.

For example, one of the quiz questions is “What makes you most interested in someone?” The multiple choice answers were their career, financial security, health and fitness, warm-heartedness, or appearance, and I was required to pick two—but I only felt connected to warm-heartedness.

Additionally, the activities they list—sailing, equestrian, shooting, and cricket—were not relatable for me. I don’t do any of these activities, and the things I do really enjoy, like slacklining, are not listed (and there isn’t an option to write them in). You also have to report your income in the quiz, which doesn’t sit right for me.

Overall, the app feels geared toward traditional relationships and values. If these interests, values, and questions are important relationship criteria for you—they are for many people!—then this app could be a great fit. My relationship goals are just slightly less traditional.

Meeting your partner online no longer requires hours of swiping—or at least not with Tawkify. The premium service ditches old school algorithms in favor of a matchmaker (and believes this swap makes all the difference).

Every new client partakes in an onboarding questionnaire that vets intentions, education, and career aspirations (along with age and location). This information helps Tawkify decide whether it's the right fit for you rneeds.

After an onboarding call to select your membership preferences, Tawkify experts curate your matches and plan dates based on your preferences. If you're sick of the same only endless scroll, Tawkify's curated process is for you.

I found the sign-up process for Tawkify to be super simple. You just take the brand's on-boarding survey to ensure you're a good fit for Tawkify's service. [Per the brand, it's important to never offer the service to someone who won't benefit.]

The questionnaire asks basic questions like your age, location, and sex. However it quickly goes intimate with questions about your career aspirations and income—which better showcase why Tawkify is a great match for working professionals.

Once the brand approves your application, you'll build a mini profile and connects with a brand specialist to talk about membership. This brief intro call walks you through membership options for either 3, 6, or 12 matches. Pricing is not share upfront, so expect some flexibility in negotiating.

If you're not ready to spend on matchmaking just yet (it's me!) then you can opt to join the member database for $10 per month to show up for those using the service. The entire call felt extremely personable and my membership coordinator spoke highly of her experience with (and belief in) the company. While I wouldn't consider Tawkify the best option for everyone, it's well-suited to those who have limited time to swipe and the funds to have someone else take over the busywork of scrolling.

— Braelyn Wood

Tawkify does not share pricing for its membership services. However, it does offer multiple levels to suit different budgets curated by the number of matches offered by the brand.

As one of the oldest dating sites to grace the web, Match has accumulated a user base of over 30 million people, and we're not surprised. The dating app has facilitated 517,000+ relationships, culminating in 92,000 marriages.

When registering, users must fill out a detailed questionnaire that includes basic questions like who you're seeking (men or women), what your average match looks like, and your favorite hobbies.

The more the better in this case, as the more information you share when setting up your profile, the better your matches will be. Its interface is fairly simple to use and you can see all your matches and chat conversations on both the app and website.

Upon creating a profile on Match, it was clear the site was geared toward serious relationships. While this is aligned with what I’m looking for, the app does not have features to filter for my specific relationship needs. 

For example, when asked your relationship status, the options are “definitely single,” “divorced,” or “widowed.” In fact, the app specifically states “no ‘it's complicated’ allowed.”

While I understand the intention is trying to weed out people who might be in the middle of a divorce or break-up, I wish there was an option for non-monogamous daters.

I’m looking for what I’d call a serious relationship: Marriage and someone to start a family with, but I’m still interested in an open relationship—and Match is not geared toward this. 

There were a few unique features I did thoroughly enjoy about Match. You can filter users by distance from a specific chosen location, as opposed to your current location. At the time I made my account, I was visiting family outside of my home city.

I want to date someone locally, so it was nice that I could still chat and look at profiles of people near my home, even though I didn’t happen to be there at that moment.

Standard Membership

Premium Membership

OurTime is specifically catered to folks 50 and up, with a user-friendly interface that's easy to navigate.

Unlike other dating apps, OurTime takes a more casual approach and only requires users to fill out a simple "About me" section for their profile. The app will then make suggestions based on the user's profile.

“Catering to singles over 50, OurTime offers a platform for mature individuals seeking serious relationships with people in a similar life stage,” explains Lilithfoxx.

For many, sharing something in common, like being in the same stage of life, is one of the most important elements for building a long-term relationship.

“The primary focus of this service is user-friendliness, and it is possible to have a free account with success in finding matches. Though, the paid accounts are reasonable in cost,” says Lilithfoxx. 

Since I’m not 50 or over, I spoke with a friend who tried OurTime, and she said her favorite part of OurTime is that most of the users she saw had written a bio—there weren’t many blank profiles. 

Not just that, but people also described themselves in their own voice, which she said helped her connect with them.

My friend also commented on how much she likes the prompts users respond to on their profile, such as “I once got in trouble for” and “a secret only my pets know about me” or “if loving this is wrong, I don’t want to be right.”

She was, however, disappointed that even though her preferences were set to “interested in everyone,” she was shown almost all men, and very few women.

Additionally, one of the first questions the app asks when creating your profile is your height and body type, which she says made her comfortable. 

Subscription starts at $20 per month and increases depending on the payment plan.

Not only is OkCupid the sixth most downloaded dating app in the world, but it's racked up more than 70 million user as of 2023. And the best part? It doesn't trap the app's best features—backtracks, location sorting, travel mode—behind paywalls. 

OkCupid also offers one of the most inclusive experiences of mainstream apps, providing more options for gender, sexuality, and relationship types to ensure users can truly share their most authentic self.

When you join OkCupid, you'll answe detailed questions about your interests and relationship preferences, as well as things like your political views and world outlook, to help connect you with like-minded users.

The app even asks questions like “could you date someone who doesn’t vote?” and then allows you to rate the importance of this question from “a little” to “very.”

On other apps, it can take several dates to even scratch the surface of your values; OkCupid puts these questions front and center, so you can get your deal breakers out of the way before spending time or money on a date. 

Out of all the apps I tried, OkCupid is hands down my favorite dating app for serious relationships. Since creating a profile, it’s the app I check the most and had the most successful dates with.

During the sign-up process, OkCupid asks so many detailed questions, making it much easier to find someone who I’m actually compatible with while I’m still on the app, as opposed to learning basic information on a date. 

While other dating apps like Match.com and eharmony do ask you to answer a long, detailed list of questions, OkCupid’s questions are far more relatable for me.

Not just that, but on OkCupid, you have several opportunities to actually write-in your answers to questions, as opposed to choosing from a set list of hobbies or prompts.

I found myself much more likely to go on dates with people from OkCupid because I can actually get to know people through their profiles.

I also love that there are so many options for you to describe your gender, sexuality, or other parts of your identities that a lot of other dating apps lack. One of the features I liked the most was the options for non monogamy.

If you’re non monogamous, you can actually choose if you’re looking for someone who is single, partnered, or married. I really liked this because while I’m non monogamous, I am not looking for someone who is not partnered or married right now.

I want to find a primary partner to build a family with, who is also interested in having an open relationship now or in the future. 

The only thing that I don’t like about OkCupid is that you have to click through several steps to get to someone’s entire profile.

OkCupid has tiered pricing:

Bumble used to be known as the app where women make the first move, but a recent rebrand opened the door for men to start conversations by responding to your "opening move." Historically we've loved that women felt in control—and experts claimed the setup fostered more respectful conversation that led to relationships.

But now wallflowers and introverts can also make the most of Bumble, which requires matches to start talking within 24 hours of connection. It sounds scary, but we've found it actually creates a sense of urgency to start a conversation.

Overall, we picked Bumble as one of the best dating apps for serious relationships because the app's comprehensive structure grants female users more control over how online dating interactions will go.

Clinical psychologist, Harpreet Kaur Chattha, explains that “Since people are communicating online, they may take more liberties or cross limits more quickly than they do in person, making it feel uncomfortable or threatening for users, especially women.”

Apps like Bumble that give women control of the initial reaction can create a safer, more conducive space to building the kind of connection necessary for a serious relationship.

I’ve been on Bumble for years, and my favorite thing about this app is that women send the first message when you’re dating men. This has both made me feel much safer, limited invasive and rude comments, and reduced dating app fatigue.

It’s far less exhausting to use Bumble because I’m not sifting through messages from random people I’m not interested in. I’m only having conversations with people that I actually want to talk to. 

I also love that Bumble has unique prompts, like “I’ll get along with you if…” or “I’m still not over…” Thinking of opening messages can be exhausting, and when people have fun, quirky facts about themselves, I’m much more likely to build a connection with them and potentially go on a date. 

With that being said, I also see a lot of men on Bumble putting the bare minimum into their profiles. I was surprised by how many profiles I saw that barely had a bio or didn’t answer any prompts.

A couple in their 40s who matched on Bumble.

The free version of Bumble does the trick, but you can pay to unlock more features if you wish.

At least five members of our editorial team have found their long-term partner on Hinge—and it's a nod to the apps's research-backed matchmaking.

The Hinge Labs team bridges relationship, emotion, and behavioral science with user experience research, business intelligence analytics, and data science to unlock insights about love and dating, the website states.

We also picked Hinge because the app does a great job of offering prompts to spark unique conversation, and it brings profiles to life a bit more than those that are solely photo-based.

If you're tired of swiping left and right, these profiles give you more substance.

Plus, finding a serious relationship on dating apps can take time; many people quickly burn out from the tedious process of thinking of creative intro-lines and greetings.

Hinge cuts down decision-fatigue by giving you creative prompts to respond to and more opportunities to share your personality with daters.

Similar to Bumble and OkCupid, I’ve found Hinge to be one of the best apps for getting to know people’s personalities and starting conversations with daters.

I love that users can like one of my photos or comments and also tell me why they liked it. It’s far more engaging.

The app itself is simple and easy to use, and while Hinge might not be as well known as apps like eharmony or Match for serious relationships, I found it easy to filter for compatibility by simply swiping left on anyone who didn’t specify that they’re looking for a serious relationship.

Hinge has tiered subscriptions

If you’re queer, trans, or nonbinary, you’re likely well aware of how hard it can be to find dating platforms and spaces that are designed specifically for you, instead of as an afterthought.

Even though most dating apps say they’re for “everyone”, the structure and features often are centered around straight relationships.

“Designed for LGBTQ+ women, HER provides a safe and inclusive space for those seeking serious relationships with like-minded individuals,” says Lilithfoxx. 

We chose HER because the app creates a welcoming space for the LGBTQIA community. Research shows that individuals who identify as gay, bisexual, queer, same-gender-loving, or another non-heterosexual identity have experienced discrimination on dating apps.

So having a secure haven like HER becomes crucial, offering a refuge from potential prejudice and fostering a sense of belonging. And that's just one of many reasons why we included the dating app on our list.

We also picked HER because the app features an 'Add Friend' option for individuals newly navigating their identity, providing a space to build connections before diving into the dating pool.

While I didn’t try HER myself, I spoke to a few friends who did— we’ll call them Amara and Emma to keep their anonymity. Amara and Emma agreed on their favorite features of the app, but had mixed reviews otherwise.

They love that with the free HER subscription, you can actually view everyone who likes you. “It makes the process speedier if you don't feel like swiping through people” says Emma. And Amara agreed, “I haven’t seen this feature for free on another app. It’s nice.” 

Amara added that she had a small dating pool in her area, which may be a result of living in a small rural town. While Emma didn’t have an issue with the number of people, she did get an overwhelming number of unnecessary notifications and there are several features she can’t access without a subscription. “I can’t set ANY preferences without premium so it’s a lot of labor in comparison to other apps.”

Even though this app is designed specifically for queer people, Emma says “I see all of the same people oh HER as I do other apps, so it doesn’t have much use to be honest.”

HER is free, and offers a Premium membership for $15 per month.