We Tested The Best Dating Apps For Women — Here’s How To Use Them More Effectively

Reviews

These dating apps have either been tested firsthand or come recommended by experts.

Variety

As Scott reminded us, everyone has different intentions and priorities. The apps on our list were designed for a wide variety of demographics, interests, and relationship goals.

Active user base

Especially critical if you live in a smaller city, it’s important to note that the apps below have a notable user base to ensure you have a sufficient number of options.

App experience

We chose apps that are easy to use, to help you avoid dating burnout, frustration, or fatigue.

EHarmony has its users fill out a super comprehensive questionnaire, weeding out anyone who may be on it to waste time. In fact, it’s one of Washington’s picks for people seeking something more serious.

Since the sign-up process involves 80 questions and can take at least 20 minutes to fill out, you’ll get a lot of information from someone’s profile. After filling out your profile, you’ll receive matches along with a compatibility score, determined by eHarmony’s algorithm.

The app’s great for introverts—you’ll know lots about someone before you even contact them, so you’ll have tons of ideas for questions you can ask before even meeting them. Just note: To get the most out of your experience, you’ll have to pay about $30 to $60 a month.

Read our full eHarmony review here to get a more comprehensive take on the service.

Feeld was designed to foster a sex- and kink-positive space for users. The app caters to those looking for threesomes, polyamory, swinging, casual sex, kink, and more.

It’s designed to encourage open and transparent conversations about sexual preferences, in a way that doesn’t feel uncomfortable. Choose from a list of over 15 gender options and 20 sexualities to filter through single people and couples by distance, age range, genders, and more.

You’ll have to pay for a membership if you’re looking for a specific kink, but subscriptions start at just $12 a month. If you’re a more private person, you’ll love that Feeld offers the ability to use a pseudonym—and users aren’t allowed to take screenshots.

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Match has been in the online dating game for nearly 30 years and has 39 million users. Recommended by Washington as a good pick for someone seeking a serious relationship or marriage, the paid service is one that people tend to take seriously.

The profiles are quite detailed, so be sure to block off a good amount of time to complete yours. You’ll even get to take a quiz that’ll pair you up with the people you’re most compatible with.

If you really want to go above and beyond, you’ll love taking advantage of Match’s live events and optional one-on-one sessions with a dating coach.

Read our in-depth Match review to learn more.

Dating can be hard no matter who you are—but it comes with a unique set of challenges if you’re queer, trans, or nonbinary. While many dating apps aim to be inclusive for everyone, HER was specifically designed to create a safe and inclusive space for the LGBTQ+ community.

Complete the super simple sign-on process by sharing your pronouns, gender, sexual identity, relationship status, what you’re looking for, and at least one image of yourself. They have a wide enough user base that even reviewers in small towns report having success on the app.

HER specifically caters to professionals, allowing the ability to filter matches by profession and education. People looking for something serious tend to gravitate towards the app. Most features are free, but you’ll have to pay for bonuses such as unlimited swipes.

Bonus: HER sponsors live events and parties for people to make romantic connections and friends.

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Founded for and by women, Bumble is known for its premise that women must message men first. The app enables and empowers women to initiate conversations, so that they can be the ones to set the tone of the chat.

If you’d like to avoid giving out your phone number, you can have audio or video calls right within the app. Plus, there’s the added layer of comfort in that people can choose to have their profiles verified by Bumble administrators, significantly lowering the chances of a catfish situation.

My experience on Bumble: I’m personally looking for a committed partnership, and have met people who are intentional and like-minded on Bumble—yes, even in New York City.

Because I’m the one initiating conversations, I feel a greater sense of control over who I’m picking and choosing by placing myself in the driver’s seat. The men I’ve met on Bumble have largely respected that I have a busy life and demanding career.

Read mindbodygreen’s full review of Bumble here.

They say your career shouldn’t define who you are—but if you are proud and passionate about what you do and you want someone who will respect that while being equally ambitious, you should be using The League.

Marketed towards people who have high standards and are looking for a serious relationship, The League involves an application process in which you submit your profile, which is connected to your LinkedIn account. You’re then put on a waiting list while your profile is reviewed by The League’s administrators.

Once you’re a member, you’ll be presented with a small handful of prospects every day (to limit passive swiping). If you match, you can chat for up to 30 days. That’s the app’s way of encouraging people to meet in real life sooner rather than later.

My experience on The League: I loved the types of prospects I was presented with on The League. It’s really important for me to find a partner who is at least just as ambitious as I am, so I found myself liking a higher percentage of the small amount of prospects I would get daily on this app than I did in my unlimited options on apps like Bumble or Hinge.

Though I didn’t find anything long-term on The League, I met some great, like-minded people who I even stayed friends with through it.

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Tinder can get a bad reputation—but if you go into it with an open mind, clear intentions of dating casually, or are just looking for a hookup, it’s a great option. There are more than 75 million monthly active users, so it’s also a great pick for people in smaller cities.

It takes less than a few minutes to set up your Tinder profile. All you really need is at least one picture, your name, and your age (though you’ll likely want to put in greater effort with more pictures and a bio to get more engagement).

My experience on Tinder: I had fun going on dates and meeting people, especially because I went in with the intention that I wasn’t looking for anything serious. I had no expectations, making it really fun to just go out and discover new restaurants and bars with different people. I also like that dating casually gave me a better sense of what I am looking for, and what I like. I guess you could say Tinder was like my dating bootcamp.

Marketed towards people looking for more meaningful and serious relationships, Hinge aims to match you with others based on your interests, hobbies, or career.

With a free membership, you can message and swipe on people’s profiles, where you’ll see their sexuality, gender, job, education, religious beliefs, dating intentions, and political leanings. If desired, you can opt for a premium subscription to get even more specific about what you’re looking for.

My experience on Hinge: I found Hinge to be the most engaging dating app. I appreciate that audio prompts allow me to listen to a person’s voice—you can learn a lot about someone from their voice!

I like that Hinge really facilitates deeper conversation. My favorite part, though, is the ability to adjust your location. I travel a lot, so a couple of weeks ahead of going to a new city or country, I would set that place as my location to plan dates abroad.

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One of the OG dating sites you heard about way before apps even existed, OKCupid has changed a lot over the years. The once old school site is now one of the more fun and inclusive apps out there.

Answer a (fairly long) questionnaire, and OkCupid’s algorithm will pair you with the best match it can find. In fact, the app will even provide a compatibility score along with each match.

Those with busy schedules, such as single moms or working professionals, love that OkCupid offers a large range of filters, the ability to get really specific about what you’re looking for, and that the compatibility score will tell you who you should prioritize meeting up with based upon the app’s ultra smart algorithm.

Created for people over 50, OurTime boasts a user-friendly interface with the goal of making it easy to set up your profile and browse through potential matches.

To message other users, you’ll need a paid subscription, which starts at just $12 per month.

OurTime hosts in-person events, so you can expect mixers, cooking classes, and other opportunities to meet people in real life.

Since the app is paid, it tends to attract a more mature audience of people seeking serious relationships.

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