Overview
Best For Finding People On The Same Page Politically And Socially
OkCupid
Jump to Details
Best For Getting Out Of Your Comfort Zone
Coffee Meets Bagel
Jump to Details
Best Serious Swiping App
Hinge
Jump to Details
Best For Lesbians Who Hate Tinder
HER
Jump to Details
Your Best Option Overall
match
Jump to Details
See 2 More
Table of Contents
Finding your soulmate is priceless. Sure. But do you have to use a paid site to find a real relationship? Does a monthly fee really weed out people who aren't taking the process seriously?
This wasn't really an issue before 2012, but the Tinder-led surge of 30-second profiles and instant access to all single folks within 10 miles gave older sites with tedious personality analyses and upscale subscriptions a run for their money — literally.
Vox said what we're all really thinking: "At what point in the completely nightmarish process of online dating does one decide that it’s worth spending money on making that experience slightly less terrible?"
Is it worth paying for a dating site?
According to Reddit and Consumer Reports, not really. This Consumer Reports survey found that free sites actually scored better than paid sites on this when it came to overall satisfaction because they're "better value." Unless you're absolutely lost without those heavy-duty matchmaking algorithms, many free sites still offer the questionnaires, detailed bios, and compatibility ratings that indicate red flags and users you wouldn't get along with.
There's no one dating site that everyone is particularly psyched about. Swiping exhaustion and creepily persistent users are an omnipresent part of all online dating. Sorry, but a paid subscription isn't a metal detector that pulls all of the upstanding, faithful singles up out of the crowd. When there are sites that can offer millions of users for free and success stories to prove they work, why not try them before spending $40 per month elsewhere?
A hefty price point doesn't guarantee the absence of fakes or catfishes, either. (Before the Tinder Swindler hype, in 2019, some guy on match posed as a millionaire and stole $80,000 from the woman he was talking to. In 2020, money lost to online "romance scams" hit a record high.) For what it's worth however, many free sites are just as big as paid ones on privacy and safety, requiring users to verify themselves through Facebook to increase transparency about age and first names. Plus, no paid sites have the safety features that Tinder does, which was the first of the Match Group apps to offer 911 assistance and location services to make meeting a stranger safer.
The aesthetic experience certainly isn't what your money is going toward, either. Many of the older, subscription-based sites have been slow to modernize their UX designs, still relying on the very 2000s style of bombarding you with notifications for every wink, message, and whatever else.
Can you actually fall in love with someone online?
We've all accepted that online dating is great for finding a friend with benefits, but telling family members that it's getting serious with that person you met online still takes convincing. However, recent studies show that meeting online can foster a pretty reliable romantic foundation.
A 2017 study cited in the MIT Technology Review found that people who meet online are more likely to be compatible and have a better chance at a healthy marriage if they decide to get hitched. Another study found that heterosexual couples who met online were quicker to tie the knot. These stats don't take anything from correlation to causation, but they do make the case that people who sign up for dating sites that require thoughtful responses are in a better spot to settle down.
There's an unspoken assumption that people on free dating sites are young, horny people with no disposable income and that people on paid dating sites are mature, employed individuals who are ready to settle down. But nowadays, eharmony, Match, Tinder, and OkCupid have rather similar age demographics, all with surprisingly close splits between people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.
Which dating sites are actually free?
Waters get muddied when basically every damn dating site has some sort of paid and free version. Truly free apps let users access its key features as a baseline, and then offer paid perks such as the ability to see everyone who has swiped right on you or boosts for your profile for a certain amount of time. Free-but-not-really apps are the ones that are technically free to use, but where you have to pay to do just about anything, including read or respond to messages.
Premium memberships of "freemium" apps are an affordable way to get more control over your pool of potential boos, but they probably don't do much to expedite the grueling swiping process. When Tinder first released Tinder Gold, it beat out Candy Crush as the Apple Store's top-grossing app. People were that willing to pay to see who swiped right on them. That might be handy knowledge if you're looking to get laid, but it's hard to tell if it would help find someone that you like enough to share your life with. No one I know has kept a paid version of a free app for more than a month.
At any rate, there's a certain serendipitous feeling that comes with the possibility that, out of the millions of users Hinge could have shown you that day, your soulmate popped up in the crowd of 8 likes you can give out per day (compared to the unlimited likes that come with Hinge Preferred).
These are the best free dating sites for finding a serious relationship in 2022.
MORE:
Where To Book Cheap FlightsBest Dating Apps For Recent College GradsTax Software Small Business OwnersAll Best Products
Best For Finding People On The Same Page Politically And Socially
Read our full review of OkCupid.
Pros:
Almost everyone on the app is going to be on the same page politically and socially
Modern app design is actually fun to use
Cons:
User base might not be big in smaller towns
Free version has pop-up ads
For young, liberal voters, politics aren't just a "well if we agree, it's great" thing when looking for a serious partner —it's the make or break for a solid foundation. OkCupid's 2017 redesign is more than just millennial aesthetics: It's geared toward ensuring that you don't end up on a date with someone who doesn't pay attention. The addition of 12 gender identities and 20 sexual orientations makes it a safer space for non-binary and queer individuals to find love while using the pronouns they love.
Don't let OkCupid's cheeky ads about being "left-leaning" (like politics, but also...you know) make you put it in the "hookup" category. The focus on such weighted issues and profiles that require thought are a pretty big deterrent for people who aren't taking dating seriously, and you can tell that most users are putting effort into finding lasting connections. Users can illuminate the issues they hold dear and weed out people they'd argue with by answering deal-breakers like "Would you date someone who keeps a gun in the house?" or "Should the government require children be vaccinated for preventable diseases?" Liberal ladies found that this worked to their advantage, as OkCupid's own statistics showed that liberal-leaning answers made users 80 percent more likely to find love on the site. There's also a newer option to add a badge to your profile that tells potential matches you're vaccinated — a helpful feature for dating while still being COVID-conscious.
Politics aren't the only compatibility factor here. OKCupid has in-depth user bios, but profile building isn't long or tedious at all — the questions are smart and dive into your dating style without being too mushy. You'll even get to see the percentage of how much you have in common based on question answers. It's an algorithm that OKC has been perfecting since launch, just a few years after eharmony.
Privacy policy: OkCupid shares some of your information with third-party partners, though its policy says they follow a strict vetting process before working with any partner. Read the full privacy policy.
The Good
The Bad
Details
GET IT
Best For Getting Out Of Your Comfort Zone
Pros:
Users are looking for more serious relationships, so you don't have to do the weird "is this just a hookup?" dance
Limited number of matches means you won't just be another face to swipe yes or no on
Cons:
Limited number of matches means finding The One could take longer
Will probably run into fake or scam profiles
Grabbing coffee is the low-pressure date idea that lets you skip trying to choose a dressy-but-not-too-dressy outfit for a concert or a restaurant. Coffee Meets Bagel is aiming to bring the easygoing "let's just meet for coffee" vibe to the world of dating apps.
Having millions and millions of active users is usually a plus. It is nice to know that your options are virtually limitless, but things go from flattering to chaotic real fast when people hit you up 30 seconds after matching. This happens on eharmony and Tinder alike —people want that connection, and they want it NOW. CMB's slow and steady approach is great for singles who are rusty, a bit more introverted, or who simply don't feel like scrolling every time they have a free minute. Every day, CMB offers seven of its best matches (bagels) for you, chosen by your answers to prompts, who you said yes or no to in yesterday's batch, and who have already expressed interest in you, too.
CMB encourages users to get the ball rolling by only keeping your match for seven days. It's less pressure than Bumble's 24-hour time limit but still eliminates a list full of matches who don't care enough to plan a meet-up. Plus, not being bombarded with available hotties 24/7 gives you more time to contemplate whether you genuinely want to get to know them or you're just messaging them because you're bored.
Your bagels are limited regardless of whether or not you upgrade to a paid account, which doesn't offer much past increasing your allowance of daily likes. Premium perks can also be earned for free just by using the app.
Privacy policy: Coffee Meets Bagel collects the necessary cookies to make its site function, while also collecting information from third-party services like analytics providers and advertisers. CMB also obtains some personal information from Facebook when you sign up. Read the full privacy policy.
The Good
The Bad
Details
GET IT
Best Serious Swiping App
Pros:
More genuine connections than Tinder without the pressure of a serious dating site
Prompts provide conversation starters, so you aren't flooded with "hey" messages
Cons:
People on Tinder and Bumble tend to be more upfront about what they're looking for, where on Hinge you might have to suss it out by having That Talk
Can't send photos, which sucks for sharing memes, but rocks for not getting unsolicited explicit pics
Young people looking to at least go on a few dates with the same person instead of everything turning into a friends with benefits situation was a major blind spot for dating sites — until Hinge blew up. The premise and user base might be in the same realm as Tinder and Bumble, but Hinge's unique profile criteria and algorithm based on that criteria set the scene for matches with real-life potential.
Despite the fact that we're actively seeking out new dating apps and feel a rush every time a cute contender swipes right back, no one looking for something serious wants to be on these. The whole point of online dating is to find your person so you can stop looking for your person. That's the whole idea behind Hinge's 2019 rebrand to "the dating app designed to be deleted." But catchy slogans mean nothing without real-world success. Based on the "we met" feature, which asks Hinge users how their first dates went, some 90 percent said the first date was great and 72 percent said they'd be down for a second date.
There's a common understanding among users that Hinge isn't just for sex, but there's no pressure to rush into a relationship either. Instead of extensive cheesy questionnaires and spam emails about the 50 winks you were sent, Hinge uses your personal prompts, ethnicity, religion, education, and more to help you find matches. Prompts range from "The most spontaneous thing I've ever done" to "Two truths and a lie." Seems like a good recipe for a first convo that's not about sex, right? With the free version, you can send up to eight likes per day and you'll have to go through each of the people who liked you one by one. You can technically get more than eight matches per day, depending on how many people have liked you.
Privacy policy: Hinge collects cookies for the website/app's functionality as well for third-party providers that work with the company. You have the option to opt out of nonessential cookies. Read the full privacy policy.
The Good
The Bad
Details
GET IT
Best For Lesbians Who Hate Tinder
Pros:
Something for every type of queer woman
Space for community events
Cons:
Might run into fake profiles or couples looking for a third
Interface isn't the most user-friendly
Between creepy men pretending to be women and straight girls looking for another girl to have a threesome with their boyfriends, most heteronormative dating sites don't give lesbians, bi women, or other LGBTQ femmes a great shot at finding a relationship. HER, an award-winning app made for queer women by queer women, is the perfect place to go if you're tired of the only lesbian you know being your ex-girlfriend.
The app that wants to "introduce you to every lesbian you've ever wanted to meet" is growing rapidly: HER has grown to 4.5 million users since its rebrand in 2015. According to Statista, that's pretty damn close to what Bumble is working with —and they're ALL. WOMEN. If you tried HER a few years ago and were discouraged by swiping through the same people, your experience will be much different this time around.
In 2019, HER revamped its minimalistic profiles to let users get more specific in categories like gender, sexuality, pronouns, diet preferences, and star signs, as well as a "What does this mean?" field in the sex, gender, and pronoun categories to create more well-rounded understanding of identity. There's also a space for a text bio where you can showcase your sense of humor or describe what type of relationship you're looking for.
Privacy policy: HER collects both personal information that can identify you and anonymous information that is not tied to you. The company uses cookies for marketing purposes like emails to see if users are actually opening promotional emails. HER also uses third parties for advertising. There is no clear way to opt out of cookies on its website unless you are a California resident. Read the full privacy policy.
The Good
The Bad
Details
GET IT
Your Best Option Overall
Read our full review of match.
NOTE: Though the free features are pretty limited, this site is great for long-term love. Dive deeper into our picks for the best dating sites for finding something serious.
Pros:
Huge user base
Compatibility-based algorithm
Cons:
Have to pay to use the best features
Younger people might not find too many others in their age range
Long-term relationships are the name of the game at match. You can admit that it's kind of comforting that you've been seeing TV commercials about the success of match for the past 20-some years. Launched in 1995, its decades in the business help match bring a comforting level of experience to the table for singles wary about online dating. The OG site is so confident in the blueprint it's been perfecting over the years that it guarantees that you'll find someone in six months. If you don't, you get six months for free.
Match continues to solidify its spot as a well-rounded choice for all ages because it refuses to get lost as an antiquated, corny dating site. You're at least tediously scrolling through people match thinks you'll like based on shared interests like volunteering or clubbing, pet preferences, whether you want (or have) kids, and more. If something like smoking cigarettes is a deal-breaker, you can indicate that, too. Match also has a new vaccination badge you can add to your profile, and you'll get a free Super Like to use as a reward for sharing your vaccination status.
Match has so many online daters in its arsenal (more than the population of New York City, in fact) that it's hard to avoid the notification onslaught even if you live in a less-populated area. However, it should slow down once the algorithm starts learning about your swiping behaviors.
Most of us would like to believe that anyone paying $20 per month is genuinely looking for a seriously relationship, but match has had its fair share of extreme catfishing. But they're working to make this better. In fact, match followed Tinder as the second Match Group app to utilize location-based emergency services via Noonlight as well as photo verification to authenticate users and ensure that they're the same person as in their profile pictures.
Privacy policy: Match shares some of your information with third parties for marketing, advertising, and analytics and with other Match Group businesses. You have the option to allow or deny permissions to certain personal information. Read match's full privacy policy.
The Good
The Bad
Details
GET IT
Best For Those Dating To Marry
Read our full review of eharmony.
NOTE: While the free features are extremely limited, this site is great for long-term love. Dive deeper into our picks for the best dating sites for finding something serious.
Pros:
Compatibility-focused algorithm
Almost everyone is looking for an actual relationship
Cons:
Not very LGBTQ-friendly
Might run into matches with incomplete profiles (aka, no photos... yikes)
Ever see a commercial for eharmony and wonder if a dating site that corny actually works? Weirdly enough, it does. A spokesperson for the site says it's been used by 54 million people, and is apparently responsible for 4 percent of U.S. marriages. That doesn't mean you're going to walk down the aisle within the first year, but it at least narrows down your options to singles who are open to being exclusive, meeting the family, and/or moving in together.
As you might expect from a site that's all about settling down and getting married, the sign-up process is a doozy. Eharmony uses a comprehensive questionnaire with 29 dimensions to match you with people based on your long-term compatibility. You'll rate yourself on prompts like "I'm an honest partner" with sliding scale responses, and predict how you'd react to different scenarios. There are also a good amount of questions about religion. (Pro tip: If finding someone who loves church as much as you do is really important, then eharmony is a good option.)
On paper, asking deep questions like these right off the bat makes total sense when pairing two people together —but they're so basic.Then again profiles look really nice, like a fancy résumé designed by a graphic designer. You even have the option to put your favorite TV shows, music, sports, and more on your profile.
It should be noted that eharmony hasn't always felt like a welcoming place to members of the LGBTQA+ community.Following a 2010 lawsuit, their gay and lesbian spin-off site Compatibility Partners has been folded into eharmony's overall site, but users on Reddit as recently as 2021 say that it still seems geared more toward straight people.
Privacy policy: Eharmony collects cookies for its own purposes and for third-party advertisers. You have the option to opt out of certain cookies. Read the full privacy policy here.
The Good
The Bad
Details
GET IT
Best For Finding A Boo Near You
Pros:
You'll meet people who either live or work near you, or at least frequent the same places as you
Profile has audio section so you can let people hear you talk about your interests
Cons:
Free version only lets you see one person at a time
Small user base, and you only see people you've crossed paths with IRL
Location sharing could cause safety issues
If your idea of real romance is binge-reading the missed connections page on Craigslist, happn is definitely the dating app for you. Happn takes your location and matches you with other users when you cross paths with them out in the real world. If someone's profile ends up on your Timeline, that means they could have passed you on the street, been on your train, or were sitting across from you at the bar.
Commuting to work is bad enough, but commuting to see people you're dating is even worse. Happn takes that problem out of the picture by only matching you with people who have been in the same area as you. If someone is hanging out in all your favorite places, it's safe to say you have the same vibe and could be a good match for each other. The whole concept is a fun play on fate — but you'll never have to feel pressured about making a move in-person again.
While it may seem creepy to have an app tracking your location all the time, users can only message if they've both liked each other's profiles (so you won't be getting any stalker-ish DMs). When two users like each other, it's called a crush, and they can see on the map where they passed each other. You'll be able to start messaging a crush for seven days after you match, but after that, they'll disappear from your map.
If you don't want people to be able to see exactly where you crossed paths, you can turn the crossing cluster feature off, and you can choose whether to hide information like age, distance, and online status. You can also block profiles if you never want to show up on their radar again, and you're able to turn on invisibility mode to go incognito.
Privacy policy: Happn collects information like your location, identification data, and data on how you interact with the app. Happn uses this information for basic functions of the app like suggesting people you've crossed paths with as well as delivering marketing and advertising content. Read the full privacy policy.
The Good
The Bad
Details
GET IT
Topics
Leah Stodart is a Philadelphia-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable where she covers essential home tech like vacuums and TVs as well as sustainable swaps and travel. Her ever-growing experience in these categories comes in clutch when making recommendations on how to spend your money during shopping holidays like Black Friday, which Leah has been covering for Mashable since 2017.
Leah graduated from Penn State University in 2016 with dual degrees in Sociology and Media Studies. When she's not writing about shopping (or shopping online for herself), she's almost definitely watching a horror movie, "RuPaul's Drag Race," or "The Office." You can follow her on X at @notleah or email her at [emailprotected].
Recommended For You
How to unblock and watch Xnxx p*rn for free
Bypass content restrictions to retain access to your favorite sites.
By Joseph Green
How to cancel Tinder Gold
Tired of paying for Tinder? Here's how to cancel.
By Mashable Team
For the bold and brainy: Best dating sites for geeks, nerds, and sci-fi buffs
Because nothing says true love like a shared obsession with obscure D&D lore.
By Leah Stodart and Tabitha Britt
Hinge tests unanswered message limit to 'reduce burnout'
Your Turn Limits will prevent you from 'liking' anyone new if you have eight or more unanswered messages from matches.
By Anna Iovine
The most reliable dating sites for professionals who've got their act together
If you find the word "adulting" patronizing rather than aspirational, these are the dating platforms for you.
By Dorothy Pitti and Tabitha Britt
More in Life
The best laptops of 2024, tested and reviewed
We've tried a lot of laptops, and these are the standouts.
By Haley Henschel
Podcast starter kit: Everything you need to launch your podcasting empire
Testing... testing... is this thing on?
By Samantha Mangino
SUB2r AGS review: A green screen for content creators who don't want to deal with lighting
A pricey yet innovative green screen enters the streamer market.
By Matt Binder
Viture Pro XR Glasses: I worked with 3 virtual displays while using my MacBook
Watch out, Apple Vision Pro! The Viture Pro XR glasses have 3 displays in one device.
By Kimberly Gedeon
Best Father's Day gifts: 40 unique and surprising gift ideas
All the stuff he never knew he wanted.
By Dylan Haas
Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections today: See hints and answers for June 27
Everything you need to solve 'Connections' #382.
By Mashable Team
NYT's The Mini crossword answers for June 27
Stuck on any of the clues? We have the answers you need.
By Mashable Team
'Wordle' today: Here's the answer hints for June 27
Here are some tips and tricks to help you find the answer to "Wordle" #1104.
By Mashable Team
Who is the 'Hawk Tuah' girl, and what does it mean?
Spit on that thang, etc.
By Tim Marcin
'The Bear' falls victim to its own success: Full Season 3 review
No, chef.
By Belen Edwards
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!
