Rankings
Of the best dating sites, Hinge is our top pick if you want a relationship, eHarmony suits marriage-minded daters and Tinder has the biggest free pool. Below is our full list of dating sites, from the top 10 to niche apps.
| Site | Rating | Best for | Free version | Paid from | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinge | Finding a relationship in your 20s and 30s | Yes | ≈ $16.99 (US App Store) | Visit | |
| eHarmony | Serious relationships and marriage | Limited | shown after you sign up | Visit | |
| Bumble | A big, well-moderated swipe app | Yes | ≈ $2.99 for Boost (US App Store) | Visit | |
| Match | Serious daters who like to search | Yes | ≈ $19.99 (US App Store) | Visit | |
| Tinder | Meeting lots of people fast | Yes | ≈ $9.99 (US App Store) | Visit | |
| OkCupid | Matching on values and answers as well as photos | Yes | ≈ $10/mo | Visit | |
| SilverSingles | Over 50s who want an age-limited, verified community | Limited | ≈ $18.99/mo (US App Store) | Visit | |
| EliteSingles | Busy professionals who want something serious | Limited | ≈ $64.99 for 1 month | Visit | |
| Coffee Meets Bagel | Busy people who want fewer, better matches | Yes | ≈ $34.99/mo (US App Store) | Visit | |
| HER | LGBTQ+ women and queer people | Yes | ≈ $14.99 (US App Store) | Visit | |
| Zoosk | Casual to serious dating on a budget | Limited | ≈ $29.99 (US App Store) | Visit | |
| OurTime | Over 50s who like to browse | Limited | ≈ $19.99 for 1 week (US App Store) | Visit | |
| Christian Mingle | Christian singles in the US, Canada and Australia | Yes | ≈ $49.99/mo (US App Store) | Visit | |
| Plenty of Fish | Free messaging and searching a big pool yourself | Yes | ≈ $19.99 (US App Store) | Visit | |
| Badoo | Meeting people nearby on a budget | Yes | ≈ $13.99/week for Premium (US) | Visit | |
| Facebook Dating | Trying online dating without paying anything | Yes | No paid plans | Visit | |
| Hily | Younger daters who want a free, easy swipe app | Yes | ≈ $7.99 (US App Store) | Visit | |
| happn | City dwellers who want to meet people nearby | Yes | ≈ $14.99 (US App Store) | Visit |
43 rankings for specific audiences, communities and countries.
Best for: Finding a relationship in your 20s and 30s
Best for: Serious relationships and marriage
Best for: A big, well-moderated swipe app
Best for: Serious daters who like to search
Best for: Meeting lots of people fast
Best for: Matching on values and answers as well as photos
Best for: Over 50s who want an age-limited, verified community
Best for: Busy professionals who want something serious
Best for: Busy people who want fewer, better matches
Best for: LGBTQ+ women and queer people
Best for: Casual to serious dating on a budget
Best for: Over 50s who like to browse
Best for: Christian singles in the US, Canada and Australia
Best for: Free messaging and searching a big pool yourself
Best for: Meeting people nearby on a budget
Best for: Trying online dating without paying anything
Best for: Younger daters who want a free, easy swipe app
Best for: City dwellers who want to meet people nearby
Smaller sites and apps built for a specific community — often the best place to start.
Best for: Gay and bi men meeting people nearby
Best for: LGBTQ+ singles of every identity
Best for: Jewish singles
Best for: Muslims looking for marriage
Best for: Black singles who want a community-focused swipe app
Best for: Latino singles
Best for: South Asian singles
Best for: Rural and country singles
Best for: Sober and sober-curious singles
Best for: People with disabilities or chronic illness
Best for: Career-driven professionals
Best for: Australians over 35 looking for a relationship
Best for: Countryside singles in the UK and Ireland
Best for: City professionals who want a screened community
Best for: Christian singles in the UK and beyond
Best for: Catholics looking for marriage
Best for: Latter-day Saint singles
Best for: Latter-day Saints over 30 who prefer a website
Best for: Asian American singles in North America
Best for: Muslims looking for marriage
Best for: Marriage-minded singles who like swiping, including Christians
Best for: Over-50s who want a site just for their age group
Best for: Over-50s who want company and activities, not just dates
Best for: Gay and bi men who want more than a grid
Best for: LGBTQ+ people who want community and friends as well as dates
Best for: Single parents who need dating to fit a busy schedule
Best for: Neurodivergent adults looking for friends or a partner
What dating site is the best? The one where people like you are looking for the same thing. The best dating websites and apps differ a lot in who uses them, so four questions narrow it down quickly:
The first ten sites in our full ranking above are the top 10 dating sites for most people; the rest serve specific communities. Still unsure? Our dating site quiz suggests the sites that fit you in about a minute.
Three in ten US adults have used a dating site or app, rising to 53% of people under 30. Among Americans who have used online dating, these were the most widely used platforms in Pew Research Center’s 2022 survey (Pew Research Center, 2023):
| Platform | Share of online daters who have used it |
|---|---|
| Tinder | 46% |
| Match | 31% |
| Bumble | 28% |
| OkCupid, eHarmony, Hinge | About 20% each |
Tinder is the online dating service most people have tried, but popular isn’t the same as best for you, so which dating app is the best depends on your goals. The top dating sites give you the most chances to meet people online, but a smaller site where everyone wants the same thing can work better, especially if you want a relationship or belong to a specific community. Our ranking of singles dating sites compares the big general apps by who you’ll meet on each.
About a third of online daters (35%) have paid for a dating platform, according to the same Pew survey. Whether you need to pay on the best online dating sites depends on the site:
A paid plan often means members are more serious, but it isn’t a guarantee. Try the free version first. Our ranking of free dating sites covers the best options if you don’t want to pay at all.
Less than there used to be. Most big dating websites now have apps, and some of the most popular services only exist as apps. If you prefer a laptop, pick a site with a web version, such as Match, eHarmony, Tinder, OkCupid or Plenty of Fish. Hinge, Bumble, Coffee Meets Bagel, HER, happn, Hily and Facebook Dating work on your phone only. Bumble closed its website version in 2025.
Every service in our ranking has both an iPhone app and an Android app, so your phone doesn’t limit your choice. Pick by goal instead. Hinge suits people who want a relationship, Tinder has the biggest free pool, and Facebook Dating is the easy option if you already use Facebook. One practical difference: a subscription bought through the App Store or Google Play has to be cancelled there, not on the dating site, and app prices can differ from website prices.
If you’re dating online for the first time, a few simple habits protect you from fake profiles and scams: keep chats on the site until you trust someone, video call before meeting, meet in public and never send money to someone you haven’t met. Our safety guides cover romance scams and how to verify a match.
We ranked sites on match quality, features, value, safety and ease of use, and weighed how well each fits this audience. See how we rate dating sites.
For most people who want a relationship, Hinge is the best place to start: detailed profiles, free messaging and a relationship-minded crowd. If you want guided, marriage-focused matching and are happy to pay, choose eHarmony. For the biggest free pool of people, try Tinder.
Tinder is the most widely used. In Pew Research Center’s 2022 survey, 46% of Americans who had used online dating had used Tinder, ahead of Match at 31% and Bumble at 28%. OkCupid, eHarmony and Hinge had each been used by about one in five online daters.
Many are free to join, but not all are free to use. Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, OkCupid and Plenty of Fish let you match and message without paying, and Facebook Dating has no paid plans at all. eHarmony and most sites for over 50s charge for messaging, while Match’s free members can chat only with their matches.
eHarmony and Hinge are the strongest choices. eHarmony matches you on compatibility after a quiz and suits people over 30 who want commitment. Hinge is free to start and popular with people in their late 20s and 30s. Match is a good middle ground with a big pool and detailed search.
Start with your goal, your age and whether a shared community matters to you, then decide if you’re willing to pay. Our rankings by audience narrow the choice, and our free dating site quiz suggests the best matches for you in about a minute. Try one site for a few weeks before paying.