Your Everything-to-Know Guide to the Most Popular Dating Apps Available

Founded by Whitney Wolfe Herd, Bumble is one of the O.G. dating apps known for encouraging women to make the first move. While the company has evolved with different features over the years (like Bumble BFF), Bumble is still dedicated to helping rewrite the rules of dating with kindness and safety at its core. The app’s new feature, Opening Moves, makes it easier to kick off convos, and fun new badges give help you indicate exactly what you’re looking for, from “intimacy without commitment” to “ethical non-monogamy.” You can even link your Spotify account and see what music you bond over.

OkCupid is one of the most popular dating apps on the market, with 91 million connections made every year. The company claims it has more mentions in The New York Times wedding section than any other app (a wild record?!) and it helps facilitate around 50,000 dates every week. With OkCupid Basic—their standard subscription option—you can send unlimited likes, identify and set your dating dealbreakers, and more. It’s straightforward and you can also use it on your desktop. Classic for a reason!

Known as the “dating app for the curious,” Feeld is for anyone open to exploring gender, sexuality, and desire outside of traditional dating norms. Their member base is proof: Polyamory, consensual non-monogamy, homo- and heteroflexibility, pansexuality, asexuality, aromanticism, voyeurism, and kink are just a few of the identities and desires that make up the community.

You’ve probably heard of Raya, the private, membership-based app where some of your fave celebs, creatives, and influencers have likely turned up at some point. To use Raya, you download the app and submit an application. You’ll then be waitlisted, and once you’ve been accepted, you can sign up for a one, six-month, or 12-month membership. Although the exact admission criteria for Raya are a mystery, the app appears to be filled with VIPs and public figures.

Made specifically for Latine singles, Chispa provides an exclusive community to find connections based on similar likes and interests. Similar to other dating apps, it’s easy to set up, start browsing, and chat with potential matches. Upgrading to a premium subscription lets you send unlimited likes (including “Super Chispas”) and boost your profile’s chances of getting recognized.

BLK is the top dating and lifestyle app for the Black community. The company’s mission is to create a warm, inviting, supportive, and inclusive space where Black love is celebrated and respected in all its forms. You get a personalized batch of matches to look at every day, and if the vibes are mutual, you can start chatting right away. In the free version, you have the option of joining a community space and connecting with other members using text and photos. Upgrading to an Elite or Platinum tier membership gives you more features, like advanced filters, read receipts, and more.

While most popular dating apps focus on heteronormative relationships, HER focuses exclusively on the needs of queer women, non-binary, and trans people. The app has 15 million users in over 114 countries, and it has made over 300 lesbian matches to date, per the company. From Pride Pins to queer interest groups and communities, there are many ways to lean into your identity within the app. With the basic version, you can join communities and make connections, while a premium membership gives you an ad-free experience, incognito mode, and being able to see who’s online in real time.

Eharmony is one of the biggest names in the online dating world, and for good reason. Over the last 20+ years, the platform has reportedly created over 2 million successful relationships in over 125 countries. The app’s compatibility matching system takes a deep dive into your habits, interests, and goals, and creates a personality profile that helps you learn more about what you’re looking for in a relationship. The free version allows for unlimited matches and limited messaging capabilities, but eharmony Premium gives you all the perks.

This well-known dating platform is made to help you forget the days of awkward online dating and connect with people based on shared interests. The process: Create a profile, upload at least four pics, take the app’s safety pledge, and start swiping on MeetMe, the feed for potential matches. Plenty of Fish even implemented a “filter ban” to prevent people from altering their appearances and make online dating more authentic. The app encourages a laid-back approach to dating, and is a classic choice for dating app veterans and newbies alike.

In the dating world, finding someone who respects your background and beliefs is key. As the leading app for Muslim dating and marriage, Muzz is designed to help single Muslims find their ideal partner while respecting their religious beliefs. Muzz reportedly brings together 500 Muslim couples every day, and the app has facilitated over 600,000 success stories worldwide, per the company. It’s free to see profiles and chat with potential matches, and you can filter by location, interests, profession, language, and more. With intentional safety features, you also have complete control over who sees your profile, and you can include a chaperone (or Wali) in your convos.

Christian Mingle has been around for over 20 years—first as a website, and then, as of 2014, a dating app. With over 15 million members, to this day it's the most popular dating service for Christian singles who want to meet likeminded people and find long-term love. Your Discover page lets you see potential matches and send likes, and there's a paid Liked You feature that lets you unlock who's already liked you.

Dating can feel like a serious game, but it doesn’t have to be. On PURE, you’re encouraged to show up as the “most playful version” of yourself. It centers on “Personal Ads” where you post an Ad—essentially your bio—and describe the type of experience you’re looking for (creativity encouraged!). Instead of surface-level facts, the goal is to speak openly about yourself and your turn-ons, make jokes, and get detailed about your interests and fantasies (but no explicit pics allowed). The goal? To help you escape the predictability of modern dating and experience something “more exciting and hedonistic,” per the company.

If your dating standards are sky-high, The League says you should keep ‘em that way. Designed for busy, motivated daters, this exclusive dating app uses a discerning application process to ensure a “selective and high quality” community. Every day at happy hour (5 p.m. local), everyone receives a curated list of potential matches to review. The app’s users range from Ivy League grads to corporate execs, so if mutual ambition and intellectual banter turns you on, there’s a good chance you’ll find some good matches here.

Archer was created by gay men, for gay men, and it’s one of the most popular dating apps out there. It’s designed to be an inclusive app for the gay community, whether you’re looking for friendship, romance, something casual, long-term connection, or somewhere in-between. You can easily note what you’re looking for, update your status, view a real-time GPS map to see who’s nearby, and shoot your shot when you’re ready.

Dateability is the only dating app designed for the disabled and chronically ill communities. It was created in 2022 by Alexa Child and her sister Jacqueline Child, who is disabled due to chronic illness and experienced discrimination and offensive comments on mainstream dating apps. Given that folks with disabilities and chronic illnesses often encounter ableism while dating, Dateability is built to be a safe, accepting space for people with physical, intellectual, and psychiatric disabilities (and 7-10 percent of users are non-disabled allies, per the company). Although the app is fairly new, its user base has grown tenfold in just three years, and the first “Dateability Wedding” is taking place next year. BRB crying.

This app promotes authentic dating with no filter—literally. Designed as an anti-catfishing app, RAW requires you to take a quick picture of yourself with your phone’s front and back cameras to access the feed. The process ensures that images are always fresh (no old pics or photoshop here!) and helps you get a realtime snapshot of your potential crush. SYNC, the in-app quiz, focuses on practical, everyday things that can define long-term compatibility, like who picks up the check, household responsibilities, and definitions of success. (A breath of fresh air compared to surface-level prompts). You’ll then get a result like: “Jake, 92% in sync - Power Couple Potential.” RAW’s features help you determine whether or not someone is “Lifemate Material,” per the app. Matched users can also rate each other’s behaviors to encourage mutual respect.

Translr is a dating app designed specifically for the trans community. Whereas traditional dating apps can force trans users into binary boxes or expose them to potential privacy risks, Translr flips the script with discreet privacy controls, a rigorous verification process, and custom identifiers that promote gender freedom. It also has a mandatory inclusivity training for any cis users. While the app is designed with the trans community in mind first and foremost, it also claims to be an inclusive platform for non-binary, genderfluid, LGBTQIA+, people who cross-dress, and supportive allies and admirers, per the app.

If checking Costar is part of your self-care routine, you’ll love Stars Align, an astrology-based dating app that uses interactive birth charts, daily planetary updates, and fun prompts to help you connect with others (and yourself). It’s perfect for astrology aficionados and newbies alike, or for anyone who likes their dates with less small talk and more soul. If you know that astrology is about more than your sun sign and want to find someone who matches your true energy, Stars Align could be the cosmic blueprint you’re looking for.