9 dating apps that are perfect for people who are sick of Tinder

3:24 PM
dating app texting

Jet Cat Studio/Shutterstock

  • With lockdowns ending, single people are ready to get back into the dating scene.
  • Online dating remains a favorite way to meet people, with over 270 million users globally in 2020.
  • Tinder still dominates the US market, but new apps are winning fans with younger users.
  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

As hot vax summer rages on with more people fully vaccinated, Americans feel increasingly comfortable meeting face-to-face to date. Dating apps remain a popular way to meet people, with 270 million people globally using apps in 2020, up by 20 million over 2019, Business of Apps found.

Tinder is still the biggest, but younger consumers are looking for more inventive ways to strike up an online conversation. So Insider scanned app-store reviews and social media for this summer's best dating apps to try out. Whether you're looking for a deeper connection or an exciting, casual fling, these apps are worth your time.

The League
A woman in a hoodie on a dating app profile with a gray background
The League prides itself on its exclusivity and its ambitious user base.

via The League

If exclusivity is your thing, the League may appeal to you. It requires new users to apply (and even connect their LinkedIn profiles) rather than instantly sign up. Getting off the waitlist can take months, but users can pay to expedite the process. The League has an average rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars in the iOS app store, with reviews praising its limited number of matches per day.

Read more: People are flocking to sextech startups to stock up on lube and lingerie to prepare for a wild summer of hookups. And VCs are taking notice.

Happn
Three iphones lined up showing a map, a woman's headshot and profile, and a blue box of text answering a dating question prompt.
Happn shows users the profiles of everyone they've "crossed paths" with on a map in hopes of finding that missed connection.

Happn

Thinking about that cute missed connection from your commute or coffee shop down the street? Happn may be the best way to find them again. Launched in Paris in 2014, the app uses location data to see which users have crossed paths with each other on their map and allows them to send likes or a "FlashNote," inviting them to start a chat. Happn has an average rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars in the iOS app store and has over 100 million members.

Coffee Meets Bagel
A screenshot of a typical Coffee Meets Bagel profile with three different windows for different features.
Coffee Meets Bagel users can only view a limited number of potential matches per day.

Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee Meets Bagel promises more serious connections by only showing a limited number of profiles, or "bagels," every day at noon. Once users match, they can only chat in the app for seven days before getting locked out, upping the pressure to make a plan to meet IRL. While not the newest app on this list (Coffee Meets Bagel was founded in 2012), it's one of the highest rated, with an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 100,000 reviews in the iOS app store.

Kippo
Two rectangular phones showing dating profiles with pictures, texts and cards on a black background.
A typical Kippo profile features pictures along with users' favorite games and personality cards.

Kippo

Hailed as the dating app for gamers, Kippo lets users show off their favorite games and other pop-culture interests with customizable "cards" alongside their photos and standard profile information. Kippo has an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars in the iOS app store, although some reviews criticized the inability to search for a match by a specific game.

HILY
Three iphone displays of a dating app HILY with a woman on the left screen and center profile of a man with a purple background. The far right image features four square livestream videos.
HILY uses machine learning to show users their most compatible matches.

HILY

An acronym for Hey, I Like You, HILY could be the dating app of the future. It uses machine learning to calculate which of its users could be a perfect match based on profile pictures, interests, and app activity. It also has extensive video features, including video dating and livestreaming. HILY had its large-scale public launch in 2019 and has an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars in the iOS app store.

HER
Three iphones on a white background showing different features of the HER dating app, including meetups, a profile, and community feed
HER caters to lesbian, bi, and queer users and also offers larger workshops and meetups.

HER

Many dating apps that cater to the LGBTQ+ community, such as Grindr, focus mostly on men, but HER is the exception, prioritizing women and gender-nonconforming users. Launched in 2019, HER has over 7 million users globally and an average rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars in the iOS app store. HER also hosts educational workshops and meetups designed to build safe spaces for the queer community.

Thursday
Three smartphones lined up with pink and black graphics. A dating profile picture of a woman on the center phone along with a map on the third phone.
Thursday shows users where their matches are on a map to encourage in-person meetups.

Thursday

Fresh on the scene, the dating app Thursday launched in May 2021 in New York and London. It hopes to be the antidote to what some young people have called "swipe fatigue." The app only operates for one day a week — on Thursdays, hence the name — and allows users to view a map of where other people are located. While user reviews are still scarce, more should pick up as the app expands this summer. "Within three to four months, COVID-19 pending, we hope to expand into the rest of America," cofounder Matt McNeill Love told Insider.

Hinge
Three columns of different Hinge profile screens with text and images, including a profile photo of a woman in the center.
Hinge offers users multiple prompts to show off their personality with their photos.

Hinge

Hinge bills itself as the "dating app designed to be deleted." It features longer scrolling profiles with more question prompts so that users can showcase their personality alongside their pictures. Launched in 2012, Hinge has 1.2 million monthly active users in the US and is mostly a young person's app: 49% of its user base is between ages 18 and 29, Business of Apps found. It's also quite popular with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 in the iOS app store.

Bumble
Three phones display Bumble profiles with a rainbow gradient background.
Bumble's in-house research team reported that nearly 90% of its users are ready to meet IRL for dates.

Bumble

Probably the most well known on this list outside of Tinder, Bumble made a name for itself as a "feminist dating app" because it requires women to message first. In same-gender matches, either person can make the first move. There's also a time limit to matches; if the other user doesn't reply within 24 hours, then the match disappears. (Men can show interest in women by extending that window by another day.)

Bumble is the second-largest dating app in the US, with over 5 million monthly active users in 2020, and has an average rating of 4.2 out 5 stars in the iOS app store.

Read the original article on Business Insider


from Business Insider https://ift.tt/3erBQLO

Post a Comment

No comments

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )
Powered by Blogger.