Ranking the best dating sites for singles is challenging because not all singles are looking for the same things. A single person’s online dating success can vary widely depending on individual demographics, dealbreakers, and relationship goals.

So we put together a list with a little bit of something for everyone.

Below, you’ll find our reviews of the most successful dating sites and apps organized by category. We’ve done the research and tested hundreds of online dating platforms to offer recommendations for all types of singles in the search for love, romance, and sex.

Best Overall Dating Sites for Singles

Generally speaking, the best dating sites are the ones with the most active users. Online dating is largely a numbers game where more swiping options increases the likelihood of sparking a connection. After all, a single person has a better shot at successfully landing a date in a crowded room than a deserted island, so it pays to seek out the most popular dating sites and apps of the day.

1. Match

Category Rating
★★★★★ 4.9/5.0
  • Match is the world's longest running dating site
  • The Discover section has search filters by interests, looks, lifestyle, and more
  • Match is available in 50 countries and 15 languages

Match is a well-established dating website and app that has been in the matchmaking business for over 25 years. Its premium service appeals primarily to relationship seekers who are willing to invest in the online dating process and take more time getting to know potential matches.

Over 75% of Match users are over 30 years old, and the majority of them have graduated from college and pursued well-paying careers. The dating platform uses a monthly subscriber plan to make sure its members are authentic and serious.

Our experts consistently rank Match as one of the best dating sites for relationships because it has inspired more marriages than any other dating service to date.

If you’re tired of the hookup scene, Match.com may be the right solution for you to stop wasting time on casual daters and meet more people with serious relationship potential.

Category Rating
★★★★★ 4.9/5.0
  • Over 2 million monthly users
  • Premium members receive 20 wildcard matches a day
  • Search features include age, height, education, ethnicity, and lifestyle habits

Elite Singles has gotten top marks as an online dating site and app for professionals. Over 80% of Elite Singles members have graduated from college, and over 90% are 30 or older.

The premium platform offers a sophisticated matchmaking system that ranks dating profiles based on mutual compatibility.

Singles can go into their settings to customize their dating preferences for a potential partner’s age, location, education, income, religion, and appearance. The more specific they are, the more targeted their potential match list will become.

The Elite Singles platform creates 2,500 love matches per month, inspiring relationships based on shared experience and shared success.

3. Zoosk

Category Rating
★★★★★ 4.7/5.0
  • Send messages to premium members for free
  • Over 3 million messages sent a day
  • Premium perks include photo verification and sending virtual gifts

Since 2007, Zoosk has made a name for itself as a fun dating service inspired by social media. It began as a Facebook dating app designed by Silicon Valley tech gurus, and it’s now one of the most popular dating platforms in the world.

Zoosk has over 40 million users in 80 countries, and its members exchange over 3 million messages per day. In 2019, over 56,000 users reported in a Zoosk exit survey that they were terminating their account because they had found love on Zoosk.

The Zoosk match algorithm is unique because it studies user behavior to determine interest and predict attraction. As a Zoosk user browses the site and app, the algorithm looks for patterns in their like history and compiles data that will go into the compatibility ratings and SmartPick recommendations.

Category Rating
★★★★★ 4.7/5.0
  • Over 2 million people have found love here
  • Users can filter their match recommendations by age or city
  • Compatibility Quiz identifies common interests, lifestyles, and goals

As an old-school dating site, eharmony has earned the trust of mature daters seeking true love. Since its launch in 2000, eharmony has been responsible for more than 2 million relationships in the U.S. alone.

The secret to eharmony’s success and longevity lies in its intelligent match formula, which uses psychology to identify long-term relationship compatibility. The eharmony dating profile is rich with information about a person’s hobbies, values, goals, and quirks, but the online dating website ups the ante by providing an in-depth Compatibility Quiz to assess a person’s attachment style and emotional intelligence.

The Compatibility Quiz should take no longer than 20 minutes to complete, and doing so will allow singles to get to know a potential partner on a deeper level before deciding to send a like, wink, or private message.

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.3/5.0

In 2001, ChristianMingle embarked on a mission to support Christian singles in the online dating scene. Its value-driven tools have been a comfort and guide to over 15 million people of faith.

ChristianMingle is free to join, and it has some free messaging options as well. Anyone who wants to date a Christian can create an online dating profile that features their favorite Bible verses and hymns. ChristianMingle opens the door to all online daters, including non-Christians, to meet single people who share similar beliefs and lifestyles.

This Christian dating site was actually designed by the same team that created JDate, one of the most popular Jewish dating sites around, and it has used similar technology to help single folks in the Christian community come together.

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.2/5.0

BlackPeopleMeet got off to a humble start in 2002 as one of the first niche dating sites to cater exclusively to Black singles. Its targeted search tools and instant messaging options soon caught the attention of online daters seeking a more targeted approach to love.

Today, BlackPeopleMeet supports the largest community of African-American singles in the U.S. and Canada. You don’t have to be a person of color to find romance in this fun-loving scene. The BPM network facilitates Black relationships as well as interracial relationships without prejudice.

“I found someone very special on this site, and we are pursuing a relationship,” said a former BPM member in an online success story. “He is awesome, and I’m crazy about him. We would never have met if it was not for BPM.”

7. OkCupid

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.1/5.0
  • Free, unlimited communication for everyone
  • Singles can swipe or search for a compatible date
  • Over 91 million connections every year

In 2004, a team of Harvard math nerds put their heads together to build OkCupid and create a formula for love that has only grown more sophisticated and successful with time.

OkCupid draws from a ton of data points to calculate how compatible two users are. The dating site and app can offer over 4,000 match questions ranging from “Do you like the taste of beer?” to “Is climate change real?”

All OkCupid match questions are multiple choice, and users can skip questions or write comments at their discretion. Additionally, users can choose to select the answer they would prefer their ideal match to give and how important that answer is to them. These questions tie into the compatibility ratings at the top of every dating profile.

OkCupid gives singles the freedom to personalize their online dating experience, and they don’t need a paid membership to create matches and send messages on the website or app.

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.1/5.0

Plenty of Fish operates under the old saying that there are plenty of fish in the sea, and there certainly are plenty of dating profiles in this online database. The POF community has over 150 million members and sees over 4 million daily active visits.

It’s fair to assume much of that popularity stems from its 100% free communication policy. POF’s basic membership includes free private messaging (up to 55 unsolicited messages a day) and immediate access to all profile details and photo galleries.

Plenty of Fish is a free dating website with a lot of love to give single people. The platform creates over 57 million matches per week and adds about 65,000 new users per day.

9. Tinder

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.0/5.0
  • Supports active daters in 190+ countries
  • The swiping system creates over 12 million matches per day
  • Tinder Plus members have unlimited likes and 5 Super Likes

As the inventor of swipe-based matching, Tinder is a wildly popular and controversial online dating app. It went viral in 2012 and remains one of the all-time greats in the online dating industry.

Tinder deserves a spot on any list of the best dating sites for singles. The app has been downloaded over 400 million times and created over 55 billion matches in less than 10 years. It’s a free app that has over 6.6 million paid subscribers. Over half its users are under 25 years old.

Even though Tinder has the reputation of a hookup app, we’ve seen evidence that its swiping tools can lead to something more serious. Reddit has documented hundreds of stories from real-life Tinder couples who got into a committed relationship or even tied the knot.

10. Bumble

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.0/5.0
  • A feminist dating app puts singles on equal footing
  • 60% of Bumble matches turn into dates
  • Bumble Bizz and Bumble BFF spark non-romantic connections

A former Tinder co-founded launched Bumble in 2014 to empower single women to take control of their dating experience and focus on higher quality matches. Bumble quickly made headlines as the world’s first feminist dating app because of its women-first matching setup.

Single men cannot send the first message to a woman on Bumble. Men have to wait for women to message them first after forming a mutual match. The woman has 24 hours to respond to a potential match, or it will disappear. This system gives women the power to set the tone in the dating scene while also setting boundaries that allow them to feel liberated and comfortable.

Bumble has created a dating and social space where singles can form meaningful connections. Over 85% of members say they’re looking for a serious relationship, and fewer than 1% of Bumble women say they want a casual hookup.

Best Dating Sites for Senior Singles

Sometimes older adults reach a point in life where they’re done playing the field and just want good old-fashioned companionship. Senior dating sites appeal to people who are mature enough to know what they want and brave enough to go after it.

Joining an age-appropriate dating pool allows people to get serious and stop playing swiping games. The following senior dating sites appeal to everyone from a single mom in her 50s to a retired gentleman in his 70s.

Category Rating
★★★★★ 4.5/5.0

SilverSingles puts the interests of the senior community first and offers a space where genuine relationships can form. The dating website and app see over 800,000 monthly users, making it one of the most popular services in this niche.

It’s free to register an account on SilverSingles and browse user profiles for as long as you like. However, only a paid member can view photos and send messages through this dating platform. The cost of an annual membership is $24.95 per month.

The basic membership on SilverSingles will never expire, and some online daters enjoy exploring the matchmaking functions without the pressure of chatting with anyone. This can be a good way to test run the senior dating site and see if a potential partner is in your area. Then you can upgrade to a paid membership once you’re ready to take things to the next level.

12. OurTime

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.4/5.0
  • Open to straight, gay, and lesbian singles over 50
  • Free match recommendations and conversation starters
  • Use Tokens to promote your profile and send virtual gifts

OurTime is a dating platform for older singles in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and up. Its premium networking tools facilitate online conversations and help individuals meet new people in the dating pool.

OurTime can give senior singles the chance to expand their social circle and bring more love and laughter into their daily lives. All it takes is a valid email address and username to get started. You do not need to provide any credit card information to browse the dating website. OurTime allows limited free messaging and has match options to help singles get their bearings.

Just be aware that OurTime cannot run background checks on all members, so be vigilant against fake profiles or scam accounts. And never give money to anyone you have not met in person.

Category Rating
★★★★ 3.7/5.0

For nearly 20 years, SeniorMatch has been an ally to older adults re-entering the dating scene. The senior dating site has discussion forums with topics ranging from first date ideas to safety tips. A single parent can make online friends and attract a potential partner in this wholesome environment.

SeniorMatch has received over 36,000 success stories from its users, and the dating platform boasts facilitating approximately 1.6 million conversations on a monthly basis.

Our SeniorMatch review goes into more detail about how the online dating site works and how it can benefit senior singles.

Best Dating Sites for LGBT Singles

According to survey data, roughly 65% of same-sex couples now meet online, so this is a matchmaking opportunity well worth exploring if you’re a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

We’ve picked out a few of our favorite queer-friendly dating sites and apps to help connect gay singles, lesbian singles, bisexual singles, transgender singles, and other singles across the spectrum of sexuality.

14. MenNation

Category Rating
★★★★ 3.8/5.0
  • One of the largest gay hookup sites in the world
  • Search filters for age, location, physical attributes, and more
  • Available in 12 languages and counting

MenNation has taken up the cause of GBT men and created a men-only dating territory where gay sex is front and center. The hookup site has anything-goes chat rooms and slutty profiles that leave very little to the imagination.

Gay singles and couples can join MenNation to find sexual partners who are good to go at any time. MenNation offers free profile browsing, but its communication and video streaming features are only available to paid members with at least one approved profile picture. This paywall helps cut down on the scam activity and promote the interests of active sex seekers.

Category Rating
★★★★ 3.5/5.0
  • Free membership includes viewing profiles and sending likes
  • Exchange revealing photos and videos privately online
  • Simple search filters by interests and appearance

LesbianPersonals is an active sex site that can help women discover their sexuality and enter into sexually charged chats with women and couples from all over the world.

The LesbianPersonals network stretches to many foreign shores, but it has advanced search filters to keep things local and personalized. Women can set a distance radius of up to 100 miles from their hometown, and they can also change their ZIP code at any time to explore new regions.

LesbianPersonals allows private messages as well as video calls between premium members, and it also has girl-on-girl webcasts to get users in the mood.

16. HER

Category Rating
★★★★ 3.5/5.0
  • A quirky and unapologetic womxn-only dating community
  • Queer events get users connecting IRL
  • The constantly updated Feed facilitates social networking

HER is a top-notch lesbian dating app created by women for women. The HER community includes over 5 million lesbian, bisexual, queer, and trans singles who have all been verified as real women — not fembots or creepy dudes.

The HER app has gotten rave reviews for its lesbian-forward attitude and effective networking tools. Plus, the app has a queer events calendar to encourage women to meet in real life and form lasting friendships.

If you want proof that HER is a dating app that really works, you can go on social media and look for #WeMetOnHER posts. Many women have used this hashtag to celebrate their anniversaries, engagements, weddings, and other relationship milestones.

17. Grindr

Category Rating
★★★ 3.4/5.0
  • Social networking for gay, bi, trans, and queer men
  • Location-based matches spark instant chemistry
  • Grindr Equality advocates for LGBTQ+ interests on the global stage

In 2009, Grindr was one of the first mobile dating apps to cater exclusively to men seeking men in the dating scene. The app pioneered location-based matching to facilitate immediate connections with quality matches.

Over a decade later, the Grindr network includes over 27 million user profiles, and it sees over 4 million men actively swiping and chatting every day. Grindr has a two-step verification process to ensure all app users are genuine, and it requires men to upload a profile picture before they start swiping.

Grindr is absolutely one of the best gay dating apps on the market. It’s popular, it’s convenient, and it’s free, so guys can let go of their inhibitions and express themselves on this all-men dating platform.

Best Hookup Sites for Singles

Looking for sex? Then an online hookup site can hook you up. Tens of millions of horny singles have taken the plunge into an adults-only chat room in hopes of finding a romantic interest nearby. And the following sites don’t disappoint when it comes to dirty pictures, steamy videos, and hot date options.

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.2/5.0

Ashley Madison has a naughty reputation in the dating industry because it actively encourages having an affair. The dating site is open to married, divorced, separated, attached, and single people who are looking for some low-key excitement in their private life.

Anonymity is the key to Ashley Madison’s success. The dating site doesn’t require users to browse under their real names, and it has blur and mask tools to hide a person’s face in pictures. What’s more, the Ashley Madison team has an anonymous payment system that won’t betray your online activities on any billing statements or credit card charges.

Despite its controversial premise, Ashley Madison has gotten many positive reviews and currently has over 54 million profiles in its database.

19. BeNaughty

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.1/5.0

BeNaughty is another naughty dating site that inspires romance and flirtation with no strings attached. The casual dating space has virtually endless photo galleries and millions of active profiles to tempt sex-driven singles.

All women enjoy free messaging on BeNaughty, so it’s easy to strike up a conversation that leads to a date invite and maybe some alone time in the bedroom.

BeNaughty can satisfy all kinds of sexual desires with its straightforward matching and chatting setup. Highly motivated singles can even send a Flirtcast — a mass message to every user who meets their dating criteria — to increase their odds of connecting with a compatible date in the area.

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.0/5.0

Adult Friend Finder has been around since the mid-1990s, and it has seen over 104 million users in that time. Thanks to its longstanding popularity, the AFF community can boast being the largest online sex network in the world.

“Satiate your need for amazing sexual experiences,” the team says. “Adult Friend Finder has helped millions of people find traditional partners, swinger groups, threesomes, and a variety of other alternative partners.”

Singles, couples, and groups can create a free dating profile on AFF to see what the hookup site is all about. AFF does not have an official dating app on Google Play or the App Store, but it is mobile-friendly and has a downloadable product available on the site.

21. Flirt.com

Category Rating
★★★★ 4.0/5.0
  • Over 70 million registered users
  • Naked photos, videos, and private messaging available
  • Send a Flirtcast to get in touch with all potential matches

Flirt.com lives up to its name by giving singles free rein to follow their hearts and say what’s on their minds. The hookup site promotes private chat rooms where dirty talk leads to dirty deeds.

Flirt.com doesn’t censure users for posting explicit photos or using explicit language. The site has a block button to empower its users to nip harassment in the bud, and users can also report dating profiles that look suspicious or fake. The team takes such reports seriously and has policies to ensure online daters are being real with each other.

A single woman can chat for free on Flirt.com, but single men are limited to how many messages they can send without a paid membership.

Category Rating
★★★★ 3.9/5.0

FriendFinder-X can zero in on the hottest dates in the area with its local search tools. The hookup site has millions of user profiles in its database, and sex-driven singles don’t even have to provide their real names, contact information, or credit card numbers to join the fun.

It’s 100% free to create a dating profile on FriendFinder-X and use the search filters to browse for a potential date. The only reason to get a paid membership is to take advantage of instant chatting, video streaming, and other communication options on the website.

Whether you’re looking for a sex partner, eye candy, or an adult distraction, FriendFinder-X is the place to get quick satisfaction.

How Do the Best Dating Sites for Singles Work?

Online dating is not all that complicated, and you don’t have to be a tech whiz to get the hang of it. First you either download the dating app or register on the dating site and then create your dating profile. Typically, you’ll need to answer a few basic questions about yourself, write a short bio or headline, and then upload at least one picture that clearly shows your face.

Some dating platforms will let you skip the photo step, but profiles with photos are nine times more likely to receive messages and matches, so it’s worth dusting off your favorite selfie to make a good impression.

Once you’ve completed your dating profile, you can start swiping or searching for quality matches based on certain criteria (age, location, gender, and appearance). When you see a potential match, you’ll be able to send likes, chat requests, or private messages to start an online connection.

Which Dating Site for Singles Should I Choose to Use?

Choosing a dating site can be tricky because each dating platform has its upsides and downsides. For instance, the upside of Match.com is that its members are mature relationship seekers. The downside is the user base is not as large or active as you’d see on some free sex apps.

Match.com offers a quality over quantity proposition that works for serious daters in big cities or populous suburbs, but it may not be the best option for a casual dater out in the boonies.

Category Rating
★★★★★ 4.9/5.0
  • In-depth matching appeals to women with high standards
  • Video chat tools help online daters establish a rapport
  • An established singles network in 50 countries worldwide

Mobile dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge have become the go-to wingman for modern singles because they move fast and offer a lot of flirtatious opportunities.

If you want the online dating app with the best relationship success rate, then it’s got to be Hinge. This dating app has polled its users and found that over 70% of Hinge users who go on a first date say they would agree to a second date.

Are Dating Sites for Singles Actually Safe?

Yes, online dating is safe as long as you take some common-sense precautions when getting to know someone new. Don’t give out personal details on your dating profile and always vet potential date prospects to make sure they’re being real with you. It’s a good idea to run a Facebook or Google search on a new love interest. It’s not a good idea to invite them to your apartment or home on a first date.

Trust your instincts when chatting online and look out for the red flags of a scam artist or fake profile. International scammers will often speak in broken English and ask to communicate through Whatsapp or Yahoo Messenger rather than plain old texting. If you have suspicions about a person’s authenticity, you can always ask for a selfie or go on a video date to be extra safe.

Which Dating Site for Singles is the Most Popular?

That depends on who you’re asking. Jewish singles may tell you JDate is the most popular dating site in their book, while Asian singles may sing the praises of Coffee Meets Bagel or AsianD8.

A dating platform’s popularity varies by region and demographic, so it’s hard to award just one all-around winner of the popular vote in the online dating scene. But we will anyway: It’s Tinder.

Screenshots of Tinder

Like it or not, Tinder is the dating app everyone and their grandmother has heard of.

Tinder has some incredible stats to back its reputation in the online dating scene. This free dating app has been downloaded over 400 million times and sees about a billion swipes per day. Tinder users go on approximately 1.5 million dates per week

Shoot Your Shot on the Best Dating Sites for Singles Like You

Whether you’re young, old, gay, straight, or somewhere in between, you can find a dating site or app that has your best interests at heart. We’ve ranked some of the most popular resources in the modern dating scene to support and motivate singles from all walks of life.

Our list of the best dating sites for singles includes mainstream sites and niche apps that bring a lot of value — and millions of dating profiles — to the table.

Every single dating platform on this list is free to try, so go ahead and create a dating profile to see if the online dating experience is for you. Best of luck!

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