The challenge of putting together this list is teenagers aren’t all the same. Not only are they diverse in personality, style, and background, but their ages vary from 13 to 19 — and a ton of growth and change happens during those years.
I’ve decided to focus on the older part of the teenager spectrum — the about-to-graduate crowd and the college freshies — because, seriously, if you’re still in middle school or high school, you have plenty of time and opportunities to meet people in class or after-school activities, and online dating should not be on your radar just yet.
Besides, 90% of mainstream dating platforms are strictly 18 and older for safety reasons.
The online dating scene has a variety of niche spaces, and we’ve highlighted the top ones that cater to today’s young generation.
Best Dating Sites for 18- and 19-Year-Olds
Between school, friends, and work, teenagers have a lot on their plates, and they may not have the energy or inclination to hunt for dates IRL. Luckily, a lot of flirtatious action happens online these days. About 65% of Gen Zers say they use an online dating app to meet interesting people in their free time.
Many dating sites appeal to young people and offer search, chat, and matching tools to get the ball rolling and help you find a new friend faster than ever before. These sites allow people 18 and older to join.
EliteSingles.com maintains a sophisticated network of young professionals seeking a relationship. Over 80% of its members hold a bachelor's, master's, or doctorate degree, and over 90% are over the age of 30. Elite Singles uses an intelligent matchmaking system to introduce daters to someone on their level.
- Over 2 million monthly users
- Premium members receive 20 wildcard matches a day
- Search features include age, height, education, ethnicity, and lifestyle habits
- Browse Elite Singles profiles 100% free »
Joining Elite Singles is similar to taking an upper-division class because it pushes you to be your best and keep up with folks who are the best of the best. Over 80% of Elite Singles members have graduated from college, and over 90% say they’re looking for a genuine relationship.
If that sounds like your crowd, then you can create an Elite Singles profile for free and start setting your dating preferences for better matches. This sophisticated dating platform appeals to singles who know their worth and aren’t willing to settle for second-rate dates.
Thanks to profile verification, Elite Singles can offer an instant upgrade for any single person feeling burnt out by swiping, chatting, and ghosting.
2. eharmony
Since its launch in 2000, eharmony has endeavored to find the formula for love. Its 32-dimension personality test uses psychological truths to identify areas of compatibility between two individuals. The dating site's mission is to foster relationships that last, and every potential match has a reason behind it.
- 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
- Browse eharmony profiles 100% free »
The founding mission of eharmony is to strengthen relationships by ensuring that the right people get together. This platform doesn’t throw singles into the dating pool and hope they figure it out — its matching system offers clear-cut personality assessments, compatibility ratings, and match recommendations to light the way.
You can think of eharmony as a study guide for picking quality dates and building solid relationships. The psychology-driven site offers a rubric (aka a dating algorithm) for how to spot the date candidates based on specific preferences, quirks, and life goals.
Most singles who use eharmony are looking for a soulmate, so don’t join up if all you want to do is mess around and date casually. This is most definitely not a hookup app. The eharmony dating site and app have inspired over 2 million relationships in the U.S., creating a new match every 14 minutes.
3. Zoosk
Zoosk is a socially savvy dating site known for its diverse membership base and behavioral matchmaking system. Over 40 million singles in 80 countries have joined the network so far, and it's growing larger every day. The platform offers many different ways to communicate and express interest in members, so it's easy to form a fast connection here.
- Send messages to premium members for free
- Over 3 million messages sent a day
- Premium perks include photo verification and sending virtual gifts
- Browse Zoosk profiles 100% free »
Zoosk got started in 2007 right around the time Facebook, aka the biggest social media platform of all time, was just taking off. Zoosk’s founders wanted to capitalize on the power of social media in the dating space, so they took its most popular features (liking, live chatting, and detailed profiles) and made them the centerpiece of the dating site.
Today, Zoosk is among one of the most popular dating platforms on the market. It has over 40 million users in 80 countries. The typical Zoosk user is a young, socially savvy single person who isn’t looking to settle down or find anything serious any time soon.
Zoosk is a great place to meet people, have a quick conversation, and see where things go. Zoosk members send over 3 million messages a day, so you should have tons of people to vibe with you.
Christian Mingle is a faith-based dating website for singles who want a relationship grounded in Christian values. People of all religions and backgrounds turn to this site in hopes of meeting a good Christian man or a good Christian woman. Christian Mingle's claim to fame is that it has the highest percentage of Christian members of any dating site or app in the world.
- For singles interested in God-centered relationships
- Over 3.5 million monthly users around the world
- Available as an app on Google Play and the App Store
- Browse Christian Mingle profiles 100% free »
Christian Mingle supports a community of over 15 million singles who range in age from 18 to 80, but they all want to date and marry a person within the Christian faith.
You don’t have to be baptized, confirmed, or converted to create a free profile on Christian Mingle, but you should expect to meet a lot of faith-oriented daters here. According to the site, about 71% of members attend church regularly, and 84% say they’d recommend Christian Mingle to the Christian singles they know.
We go into more detail about Christian Mingle in this full review, but the TL; DR is that Christian Mingle is a reputable and effective dating tool for single men and women who value faith, family, and love.
5. OkCupid
In 2004, OkCupid's founders decided to create a fool-proof formula for love, and they launched a free dating site to delve into what personal attributes made relationships work. OkCupid members can send unlimited messages for free. It's easy to discover mutual interests and compatibility on the platform's information-rich dating profiles.
- Free, unlimited communication for everyone
- Singles can swipe or search for a compatible date
- Over 91 million connections every year
- Browse OkCupid profiles 100% free »
OkCupid operates under the motto “Dating deserves better,” and it provides a range of free features to provide better matches that lead to better relationships. It has offered free and unlimited messaging since before it was cool (founded in 2004), and singles get a lot of value out of its quirky match system.
Basically, a group of Harvard math nerds founded OkCupid because they were curious if love could be condensed into an algorithm. The old-school dating platform used an ever-growing questionnaire to collect massive amounts of personal information about people’s likes, hobbies, opinions, sexual history, and dating dealbreakers.
According to OkCupid, the free dating site now has over 5,000 personal questions that get to the heart of who you are and what you want, and users can answer as many or as few as they want.
OkCupid uses a combination of profile information and match questions to calculate compatibility between two users. The more information it has, the more accurate its prediction will be, so don’t be shy. You can always mark your answers as private or hide your dating profile if you’re worried about oversharing.
6. Tinder
In 2012, Tinder pioneered a swiping-based match system that empowered singles to connect with dates who liked them back. Tinder users can message their mutual matches for free on this fast-paced dating app. Since its launch, Tinder has created over 97 billion matches worldwide.
- 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
- Browse Tinder profiles 100% free »
Tinder is the go-to dating app for millions of teenagers looking for a date. About 50% of Tinder members are Gen Z singles under 25 years old.
Since its launch in 2012, Tinder has been downloaded over 630 million times and created more than 97 billion matches worldwide. Yeah, that’s a billion with B. This app is one of the most popular of all time, and that can be either a blessing or a curse depending on what you’re looking for.
If you want to procrastinate on your homework, check out some hot photos, and maybe pick up a date, then by all means, swipe away and live your best life.
Tinder has turned online dating into a game, and many users find it quite addictive. The biggest issue on the app is there are so many people trolling, creeping, and ghosting that it can be hard to develop real feelings, focus on one person, and actually go out on a date.
In the average week, Tinder users swipe on over 7 billion profiles, send over 4.2 million GIFs, and yet only go on 1.5 million dates collectively. That’s a pretty poor batting average if you sincerely want to grab a cup of coffee, but it’s fine for teens who are more interested in #SwipeLife.
7. Bumble
Since its launch in 2014, Bumble has positioned itself as one of the queens of the online dating world. The dating app turns gender stereotype on its head by empowering women to make the first move in a conversation with a man. Once you've made that mutual match, you have up to 48 hours to respond and make a connection.
- 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
- Browse Bumble profiles 100% free »
Rounding out our list is Bumble, aka the world’s first feminist dating app. Bumble burst onto the dating scene in 2014 with an empowering message for women: Make the first move. Only women can send the first message when they match with men on the app, and they have 24 hours to initiate contact or the conversation disappears.
Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd was one of the founding members of Tinder, and she became fed up with the sexism running rampant in the tech industry. So she took action. She sued Tinder for sexual harassment, won $1 million in a settlement, and used her experience and money to become Tinder’s biggest rival. Talk about clapping back.
Today, Bumble is known as the female-friendly alternative to Tinder, and its high-integrity approach to dating has encouraged over 100 million users to give it a try.
Best for LGBTQ+ Teens
Everyone discovers their sexuality at their own pace and in their own way. It’s a journey of self-discovery, and it may take some time to figure it out completely.
In a Pew Research survey, most gay and lesbian respondents said they were around 13 when they first thought they may not be straight, and over 92% said they knew they were LGBTQ+ by age 17.
Whether you’re out, questioning, or just curious, you can use gay dating sites as a testing ground for your feelings. These platforms can offer a safe space to explore your attractions and pursue your desires, and it doesn’t cost anything to sign up.
8. MenNation
Since 1996, MenNation has connected over 93 million men around the globe. This men-only dating site measures its success by the number of conversations and dates it facilitates with its intuitive matching system. Gay men love having a site to call their own, and its helpful features keep members engaged and entertained as they look for a hot date.
- 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
- Browse MenNation profiles 100% free »
MenNation is a casual dating site geared toward men seeking men. This is a strict adult-only zone, so a new user must be at least 18 years old to join.
Most singles and couples stumble upon MenNation because they’re looking for no-strings sex, and the dating service’s erotic search tools offer tons of attractive options. You don’t have to give your real name, phone number, or location to become a part of MenNation, and the anonymous flirting is pretty exciting — especially if you like a man of mystery.
9. HER
HER is a women-only (or "womxn" as the team says) dating app that helps cis, trans, and non-binary identified singles come into their own. This is a strict no-boys-allowed zone. HER encourages LGBTQ+ women to mingle by commenting on photos or events in the Feed, or they can like profiles to initiate a private conversation with a mutual match.
- A quirky and unapologetic womxn-only dating community
- Queer events get users connecting IRL
- The constantly updated Feed facilitates social networking
- Browse HER profiles 100% free »
Since 2013, HER has established a heartfelt community of women of all ages, races, sexual identities, and backgrounds. Over 15 million lesbian, bisexual, and queer women have created profiles and been verified by the moderators, and the dating app continues to grow by word of mouth.
You won’t find any creepy dudes or straight couples here because HER is serious about removing anyone who isn’t an LGBTQ+ woman. The app also doesn’t allow nude photos, bullying, fake news, spamming, or cross-posting.
HER wants to foster real relationships, so it goes to great lengths to describe in its community guidelines what is cool and what is absolutely unacceptable.
“We are all different shapes, sizes, colors, identities, and that’s pretty badass that we can share this space together,” the HER team says. “Treat people the way you want to be treated (as cheesy as it sounds, you know it’s true) and report those who aren’t following these guidelines in any way, shape or form.”
10. Grindr
Grindr became the world's first gay geosocial app in 2009, and it continues growing its all-male user base more than a decade later. The app uses real-time GPS data to locate nearby date prospects and give gay and bisexual singles a chance to connect while they're out on the town.
- 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
- Browse Grindr profiles 100% free »
Grindr is the OG of the gay dating scene. This out-and-proud dating app launched in 2009 when gay marriage was still illegal in 45 U.S. states, and it was a pretty ballsy move if I’m being honest.
Grindr revolutionized the way gay singles meet one another (not to mention bisexual and trans men) by offering a private men-only chat room where you don’t have to rely on your gaydar to pick up dates.
Grindr currently has over 27 million members, and it sees over 3.8 million views per day.
From the beginning, Grindr focused on fostering friendship, romance, and love by using a person’s GPS location to generate a list of nearby profiles. A couple of minutes of swiping is all it takes to match with someone special — or just someone local.
FAQs: Are There Apps for Teenagers Only?
Yes, we’ve already mentioned a few quality dating apps for young adult singles out there. But if you want one that’s designed for teenagers, here are some recs.
Yubo is a networking app for finding new friends. It imitates the swiping mechanism of an adult dating app, but it’s more casual, and you’ll see people of all gender identities. Not everyone is looking for romance. It’s more about chatting and seeing where things go.
Yubo is a social networking app for friendships and casual chatting.
The PNK app offers a teenage chat room that’s gotten some good reviews (and some complaints about its ID check). The Android app has seen over 50,000 downloads, so it’s not the biggest app ever, but it can make some interesting connections between teens who are bored and chatty.
If you’re looking for an app that’s exclusively for teenagers, then Spotafriend could work for you. This app is more about making new friends than arranging dates, but it basically copy-pasted Tinder’s setup, so you can definitely mingle with young adults like you.
Spotafriend has created over 112,000 matches in total, and it has over 1 million users in the U.S., the U.K., Australia, France, and Canada. That’s not huge in comparison to mainstream dating apps, but at least you won’t be kicked out for being under 18.
Can a Teen Under 18 Join Tinder?
No, Tinder has an age limit of 18 years old, so it does not allow users to swipe, chat, or mingle on the app if they are under 18. The dating app blocks all underage users until their 18th birthday has passed. I know that’s a disappointment for high schoolers, but maybe a Tinder profile could be a fun birthday present to yourself when the time comes.
Tinder’s endless profile list can be oh-so-tempting to a young person on those boring nights at home. Over 50% of its members are between 18 and 25 years old. But if you’re under 18, it’s not the right space for you.
Are There Minors on Grindr?
The Grindr app doesn’t explicitly allow underage users to join its gay dating pool — but it’s fair to say that doesn’t stop all comers. Some teens download Grindr under an alias and swipe on the down low, without revealing that they’re underage.
The Grindr team polices new profiles, including age verification, to identify fakes, trolls, and minors, but no online moderation system is 100% effective.
“Please note that your government ID is immediately deleted from our system after we’ve verified your age.” — Grindr
Grindr is a popular dating app with a lot of heart, pride, and valuable matching tools — but the rules state you have to be over 18 to check it out. The age restriction may be a bummer for a high school kid, but there are safe LGBTQ+ communities like Trevor Space that could be a good alternative.
Up Your Game on a Teen Dating Site
Look, there are good reasons and bad reasons to join a dating site for teenagers. If you’re having trouble meeting age-appropriate dates in your area, that’s a good reason to give online dating a try. If you’re just bored or want an ego boost, that’s a bad reason.
The online dating experience is only as good as your intentions. Local dating sites and apps can give young adults the opportunity to explore the dating scene in a safe and proactive way, but they can also lead to ghosting, catfishing, and awkward kissing, so be sure to vet a new person before agreeing to meet.
As a teenager, you may be eager to meet interesting people, make deep connections, and have a romantic adventure, and online dating is just one of many ways to go about it. Have fun!
