The best dating apps

The dating world’s changed loads since the days of courting and awkwardly asking someone for their number. Swiping right and sliding into DMs are the new norm.  A massive 20% of relationships and over 17% of marriages start online.

So, where do you start? There are hundreds of dating apps out there, all claiming to help you find love. Just fancy a flirt or want to settle down? We’ve got info on some of the best dating apps around.

Launched in 2012, Tinder paved the way for ‘swiping’ apps. And today, swiping ‘left for no’ and ‘right for yes’ has become a bit of a cultural phenomenon. The app focuses on your location using GPS, letting you browse profiles of potential matches in your area.

Although it uses your Facebook info to create your profile, your Tinder exploits will never appear on your newsfeed. Your matches are for your eyes only – phew.

And if you love to travel, Tinder might just be the dating app for you. When you check into a new location, it pushes your profile to the front.

Flying solo? Check out our favourite travel apps.

• Over 50 million people use Tinder
• The average person logs on to Tinder 11 times a day
• 1.6 billion swipes happen daily
• Women only swipe right 14% of the time
• Men swipe right 46% of the time
• 42% of Tinder users are already in a relationship – not cool.

It’s free. But with Tinder Plus – £3.99 a month, and Tinder Gold from £3.50 a month, you get extras like:

Super Likes – If you Super Like someone, they’ll see that you like them before swiping left or right. You’ll get a notification when someone Super Likes you too. And when you start swiping, their profile will have a blue star icon.

Rewind – Accidentally swiped left instead of right? Does that mean a potential love has been lost forever? Not with Rewind. You can literally rewind your last swipe.

Boost – Want a bit of VIP treatment? Boost puts your profile at the top of the swiping list. That means more people see your profile, and according to Tinder, results in you getting 10 times more matches

Bumble has become known as the feminist dating app and was created by Tinder co-founder, Whitney Wolfe. It’s another swiping app but with a difference. A common problem on other dating apps is that women can be bombarded with messages from men. With Bumble, when 2 heterosexual people match, the woman has to message first.

Bumble isn’t just for heterosexual couples though and you don’t need to define your sexuality. Simply click whether you’re interested in men, women, or both and the app will show you the best profiles. And you can find people you want to be mates with using BFF mode. Or build your career and get networking with Bumble Bizz.

It’s free, but there are paid for extras like:

Bumble Boost – lets you swipe through profiles that have already liked you.

Bumble Coins – lets you send SuperSwipes to make a ‘bold first impression’.

If you’re serious about settling down and want to quit dating apps for good, listen up. This one’s for you.

Its creators believe in quality over quantity when it comes to finding your perfect match. There’s no endless swiping, and it’s easy to strike up a conversation with someone.

As well as your usual profile info, you’re asked to create a ‘story’ by answering 3 prompts. There are over 80 available, including “I know the best spot in town for…” and “My last meal would be…”. Your answers are added to your profile and can be great conversation starters.

To kick off, like or comment on different parts of people’s profiles. If you like what you see or they’ve given the perfect answer to a prompt, give ‘em a like. And if the feeling’s mutual, it’s a match.

With a free membership, you can filter profiles by gender, location, age, distance, ethnicity, and religion. You only get up to 10 likes a day though, so choose wisely. You can also see everyone that likes you, but only one at a time.

With a Preferred Membership, you get more filter options, including height, smoker, or nonsmoker and whether they want a family. You get an unlimited number of likes and you can see everyone that likes you at the same time. Preferred Membership subscriptions start at £10.49.

Zoosk is the #1 grossing dating app in the App Store. That success is largely down to its ‘secret’ matchmaking formula – Behavioural Matchmaking technology. Now, that sounds scientific, but it basically learns your likes and dislikes to help throw up more compatible partners. The more you use it, the better it understands what you’re looking for. Less time wasted means you’ve got more time to find your perfect match. In fact, this app’s perfect if you’re looking for efficiency while you look for love.

Dating isn’t just about finding someone you’re physically attracted to – there’s much more to it. But that being said, no one wants to be catfished. Luckily, Zoosk’s photo verification tool can help with that. It asks users to submit a video selfie that confirms that they match their profile and are legit

A free membership lets you set up a profile, search, and view other members and see your matches too. But if you want to freely chat with people, you need a paid subscription, which costs £22.74 a month.

You can’t put a price on finding your soul mate though, right? So, if the subscription cost’s putting you off, don’t let it. With our Unlimited data SIM, you get Unlimited texts, minutes, and all the data an online dater could ever need. All for just £20 a month.

And if travelling’s your thing, don’t stall your search while you’re away. You can use data around the world in over 70 Go Roam destinations.

OK, so it’s time to get serious with this one. The personality test on EliteSingles is thorough – asking how you look physically and what you’re like as a person. Are you tidy? Patient? Positive? Honest? And what is it you’re looking for? It sounds a bit daunting, but you can answer the questions on a scale, so you can hedge your bets.

And although the personality test can take up to 25 minutes to do, it’s well worth it. Your results help the matching process find people you’re most compatible with.

Heard that ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ line a few too many times? Well, with EliteSingles, you get a personality profile, which can help with excuses…ahem, self-discovery.

Setting up your dating profile is free and you can send ‘smiles’ and flirt for free. But to see photos and to send and receive messages, you need a paid subscription. And that starts from £24.95 a month for 12 months.

OkCupid is a free online dating service. Search and view complete profiles and chat with other members, without paying a penny. It’s also got an impressive compatibility feature that generates quizzes to help you in your quest for love. Quirky questions that touch on both the fun stuff and the deep stuff, help you get better matches.

There’s also an amazing feeling of inclusivity with OkCupid too. It offers 12 gender identities and 20 sexual orientations, giving you the freedom to just be you.

What if you’re done with mindlessly swiping, but not quite ready to put a ring on it? OkCupid could be the perfect match. It sits right in the middle of all the dating apps we’ve mentioned so far.

It sounds too good to be true, but this dating app really is completely free of charge. If you fancy some more attention, you can pay for a subscription – from £5.99 a month for 6 months. But, there’s absolutely no need to part with any cash if you don’t want to.

So, are you looking for the one or just a bit of fun? Either way, these dating apps are a great place to start. Who said romance is dead? It’s just gone digital.