What are the best dating apps for Android and iPhone in 2022? The modern world of dating is overwhelming. There are so many options when it comes to how we begin our relationships, form those meet-cutes, and ultimately look for love. Our smartphones are a big part of that and meeting people who are local or much further away has been made simpler than ever.
These dating apps on iPhone and Android are some of the best picks for those looking for love – whether that’s something casual, short-term, or long-term, depending on what you’re after. Each app offers something a little unique to match your love language, so be sure to peruse the list and see what works best for you.
This handy guide contains six of the best apps on offer right now – some fairly new to the scene and some which have been in the dating game for over a decade. Of course, there are also apps for individuals with a more specific taste, but we’ve kept it to the most general and the most used as far as the Apple App Store and Google Play Store are concerned. Let’s jump into the most app-ealing picks.
Now, let’s get on to our list!
The best dating apps
Tinder
Tinder coins itself as the app for ‘dating made easy’ and it does this with its simple-to-use swipe feature that invites you to swipe right if you’re interested and left if you’re not. If the user you swipe right on also swipes right on you, you’ve got yourself a match. Because of how easy it is to use, Tinder has earned itself a reputation for being an app used more for easy meet-ups or hook-ups rather than more long-term, but that’s not to say it doesn’t lead to that too. With over 55 billion matches to date, it’s definitely an incredibly popular app of choice on the dating scene.
Bumble
Bumble is Tinder with a difference. In fact, it was created by one of Tinder’s founders who was seeking to make an app that was a little more women-friendly. To achieve this, on Bumble, women make the first move. This means when a match is made, women have 24 hours to send a message and their partner has 24 hours to respond.
In same-sex matches, either person can make that first move and the match has 24 hours in turn to respond or the connection expires. Dating aside, Bumble also offers Bumble BFF for those looking to find friends and Bumble Bizz for networking and career-building.
happn
The interesting and unique feature for happn, is that you literally happen upon the matches that show up on your account. So, if your paths have crossed in real life, you have the ability to find that person on your app and connect with them.
It’s a hybrid idea to combine internet dating with the more traditional concept of coming across that person in your day-to-day life. It’s not one of the biggest apps on the scene but it offers the quirky idea that you can pursue your destiny via the app.
Hinge
Up next, Hinge focuses on targeting the market of dating app users that are fed up with short-term relationships or hook-ups that can sometimes be easily utilised by other apps on the market. Their motto – “Designed to be real. Designed for better dates. Designed to be deleted.” It promotes itself as the app for real people who genuinely want to date and find love and even goes so far as to say that three out of four of its users go on a second date. Hinge uses a Noble-Prize-winning algorithm that makes Most Compatible suggestions that it believes you’ll have the most chemistry with.
Match
Our final two entries are old-timers on the dating scene before apps were even a thing. Match, for example, has been going since 1995 but made the move to an iOS and Android app that focuses on its idea that it’s for finding local UK singles that line up with the criteria you’ve filled out on your profile.
Match offers the chance to text or video chat as well as offering a selection of themed singles events in your area to attend, moving you away from your screen and into the face-to-face dating world.
OkCupid
And finally, OkCupid. It’s an oldie but a goodie steering toward the more traditional and straightforward world of internet dating linking you up with singles near you. It’s a free dating app that lets you build up your own profile, answer unique questions to match up with those most compatible with you, and set your personal preferences.
A premium option is available that gets rid of the ads, lets you check your likes, and search with more advanced filters, but the free package offers everything you’re after in the dating world without the price tag.
That’s it for our best dating apps guide. If you fancy a break from the dating scene, we’ve also got some great guides to the best shopping apps and best social media apps to help you fully zone out for a bit.