Muzz says it brings together more than 950 Muslim couples every day, many of them in a diaspora spread across continents. Dil Mil, an app for South Asian singles, says 70 per cent of its success stories began “miles apart”. Both are company figures, but they point to something real: for a growing number of people, the right partner may live in another country, and the apps have rebuilt themselves to make that meeting possible.
Distance is also the scammer’s best friend. America’s Federal Trade Commission says romance fraudsters routinely claim to live or work abroad, on an oil rig, in the military or for an international organisation, precisely so they never have to turn up, according to its guidance. So this guide ranks the best international dating sites for travel, relocation, diaspora communities and long-distance relationships, and then explains how to check that the person on the other side of the world is real.
Quick picks: the best sites for dating abroad
- Best for matching in another country: Tinder (8.8), with Passport
- Best for planning dates before a trip: Bumble (9.0), with Travel Mode
- Best for relationships across cities: Hinge (9.3)
- Best for Muslim singles worldwide: Muzz (8.2)
- Best free app in Europe and Latin America: Badoo (7.4)
- Best for South Asian diaspora dating: Dil Mil (7.1)
- Best for video-first overseas dating, if you watch the costs: Dating.com (6.8)
International dating apps compared: scores, ratings and costs
| App | Best for | Our score | Store rating (store, country, date) | Free version | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tinder | Matching in another country | 8.8 | 4.2 (App Store, UK, 19 Oct 2026) | Yes | Plus from £3.99 |
| Bumble | Pre-trip dating | 9.0 | 4.2 (App Store, UK, 19 Oct 2026) | Yes | Premium from £9.99/week |
| Hinge | Relocation, long-distance | 9.3 | 4.3 (App Store, UK, 19 Oct 2026) | Yes | Hinge+ from £12.99 |
| Badoo | Europe and Latin America | 7.4 | 3.8 (Google Play, UK, 19 Oct 2026) | Yes | Not published |
| Muzz | Muslim marriage, worldwide | 8.2 | 4.3 (Google Play, UK, 19 Oct 2026) | Yes | Not published |
| Dil Mil | South Asian diaspora | 7.1 | 3.8 (Google Play, UK, 19 Oct 2026) | Yes | Not published |
| Dating.com | Video chat, translation | 6.8 | 4.4 (Google Play, UK, 19 Oct 2026) | Registration only | £8.49 |
App Store prices are UK listings checked on 19 October 2026. The listings do not say which price maps to which plan length, so check the subscription screen before you pay.
Tinder: Passport makes it the best app for dating across borders
Tinder’s reach is the reason it leads any list like this. Its homepage says it is available in 190 countries and has made more than 55 billion matches. If you want to talk to people in Lisbon before you land there, Tinder is where the most people will be.
The tool for the job is Passport. According to Tinder’s help centre, it lets you browse and match in another city by searching for it or dropping a pin on the map. It comes with Tinder Plus, Gold and Platinum, or as a standalone purchase. You can be in one city at a time but switch as often as you like, and people you liked while using Passport may still see your profile for up to 24 hours after you move on. Where Face Check, Tinder’s facial verification, is required, you must complete it to use Passport in that region.
On the UK App Store on 19 October 2026, Tinder Plus was listed at £3.99, which makes Passport the cheapest cross-border tool here, and the app held 4.2 from about 274,000 ratings. The weaknesses are familiar: a swipe-first pool of very mixed intent, and a user base that is still shrinking slightly, with daily active users down 4 per cent year on year in the second quarter of 2026, according to Match Group’s results. Our Tinder review has the detail.
Bumble: Travel Mode for meeting people before you land
Bumble’s version of Passport is narrower and, for a trip, rather better designed. Travel Mode, explained on Bumble’s support pages, shows you profiles from a chosen destination for seven days and puts a banner on your profile so people know you are visiting. Your GPS location does not change, you can appear in only one travel location at a time, and you can switch it off whenever you like. It requires Bumble Premium or Premium+.
The banner is the clever part. It tells people in your destination that you are a visitor, which manages expectations on both sides. On the UK App Store on 19 October 2026, seven-day Premium items were listed at £9.99 and £21.99, and Bumble held 4.2 from about 268,000 ratings.
Bumble’s own annual report describes the app as a leader in several countries including the US, UK, Australia and Canada, so it is strongest in the English-speaking world. It had 2.08 million paying users in the second quarter of 2026, down from 2.5 million a year earlier, according to its Q2 results. In August 2026 it dropped the rule that only women could send the first message, and in October it agreed to be taken private by Ithaca Holdings. Our Bumble review covers both changes.
Hinge: long-distance dating with a pin you move yourself
Hinge has no dedicated travel feature, but it gives you something that suits relocation better than a time-limited mode: a location you set by hand. According to its location settings help page, you can type a city, neighbourhood or postcode, or drag the pin anywhere on the map. Hinge does not update your location automatically, only your neighbourhood name is shown to others, and you can choose to see profiles outside your distance preference.
That makes it useful for people about to move cities or splitting their week between two. There is a rule to respect: new accounts can only set an initial location in countries where Hinge is available, or risk removal, so check before you travel.
Hinge is also the brand Match Group is growing abroad. In the second quarter of 2026 its revenue rose 22 per cent and its revenue across European expansion markets rose 86 per cent, according to Match Group. On the UK App Store on 19 October 2026, Hinge+ items were listed from £12.99, and the app held 4.3 from about 197,000 ratings. Our Hinge review explains the paid tiers.
Badoo: a global dating app strongest in Europe and Latin America
Badoo predates the smartphone dating boom. Bumble Inc., its owner, says in its annual report that the app launched in 2006, was one of the pioneers of free-to-use dating and is a leader in several countries in Europe and Latin America. Its homepage is available in a long list of languages, which matters when the person you want to meet lives somewhere else.
According to its Google Play listing, Badoo offers swiping and a Meet People Nearby feature, video calls with matches, short video Clips that answer prompts, and a way to state what you are looking for. Profiles with a tick have been vetted by Badoo, and the app blurs graphic images and flags rude or discriminatory messages. Premium shows who has liked you, lets your messages be read first and removes ads.
The paying audience is shrinking: Badoo App and Other had 1.08 million paying users in the second quarter of 2026, down from 1.28 million a year before, according to Bumble’s results. On 19 October 2026 the app held 3.8 from about 6.5 million reviews on Google Play in the UK, with frequent complaints about intrusive adverts. We could not verify Premium prices or a dedicated travel feature.
Muzz: the Muslim marriage app for a worldwide diaspora
Muzz is the clearest example of an app built for a community rather than a country. Founded in London in 2015 by Shahzad Younas as Muzmatch, it rebranded as Muzz in 2022, and it had members in 160 countries as early as 2017, according to Wikipedia’s history of the company. The Muzz website now claims more than 20 million members and over a million success stories.
It is also the most safety-conscious app here. Muzz says profiles are verified with a selfie, SMS confirmation and location checks, and its Google Play listing adds ID checks. You can hide your photos, use a nickname and invite a chaperone, or wali, into your conversations, and Muzz says it blocks screenshots of member photos. Video calls are free and do not require sharing a phone number, which makes it practical to talk to someone in another country before anyone books a flight.
Matching and chatting are free; Muzz Gold adds more detailed search, though we could not verify its price. On 19 October 2026 Muzz held 4.3 from about 336,000 reviews on Google Play in the UK. It is designed for people seeking marriage, and it is most useful to those who share that aim.
Dil Mil: South Asian dating for the diaspora
Dil Mil was built for South Asian singles living abroad. When it was bought by Dating.com Group in 2019, in a deal valuing it at up to $50 million, it had more than a million users in the US, UK and Canada, TechCrunch reported. Its Google Play listing now claims 4 million users across the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, India and other countries.
The Dil Mil website pitches global matching and community chat rooms, and its paid VIP Elite tier includes a Travel Mode along with unlimited likes, advanced filters and a preview of who has liked you. The listing mentions phone-number sign-in and profile verification as ways to cut duplicate and fake profiles. On 19 October 2026 it held 3.8 from about 17,900 Google Play reviews in the UK. We could not verify VIP prices, and the site gives little detail on how verification works, which keeps its safety score modest.
Dating.com: worldwide video dating on a pay-per-credit model
Dating.com is the most explicitly international service here, and the one that needs the most careful reading. Its homepage claims a reach of more than 150 countries over 26 years and offers video chat, voice messages, virtual gifts and instant translation tools. Its Google Play listing, by contrast, says you can meet people in over 70 countries. Members marked as verified have confirmed their identity with a government-issued ID, according to the site.
Who runs it takes some unpicking. Dating.com is part of Social Discovery Group, which names it among its brands, alongside Dil Mil and Cupid Media, and claims more than 250 million users in 100 countries, according to its rebranding announcement. Its terms and conditions say it is operated by Dil Mil Inc. in San Francisco, while its apps are published by Kreova Tech LLC. In 2024 it added VR video chat for users with compatible headsets, in a feature promoted through sponsored content on Global Dating Insights.
How Dating.com credits work, and what they cost
Registration is free, but most contact costs credits. According to the terms, basic chat costs 1 credit a minute, video chat up to 12 credits a minute, VR video chat 6 credits a minute and audio calls 2 credits a minute. A “letter” costs 10 credits, sending or viewing a photo or video 15 credits, and virtual gifts anything from 1 to 12,000 credits. Purchased credits expire after 90 days and used credits are generally non-refundable.
On the UK App Store on 19 October 2026, a Premium Membership with 70 credits a month was listed at £19.99, a Silver Membership at £8.49 and credit packs from £9.99 to £99.99. By our arithmetic, at the 70-credit rate of roughly 29p a credit, ten minutes of video chat at the maximum rate would cost about £34, and a single letter about £2.86.
Two clauses deserve attention. The terms say third-party “Suppliers”, including translation providers, may access members’ correspondence, and that the company cannot guarantee each profile is being used personally by the member. Store reviews are split: 4.4 from about 165,000 reviews on Google Play in the UK, but 3.3 from about 2,100 UK App Store ratings, where several reviewers allege high charges and fake profiles. Those are user claims, but the pay-per-minute model means a long conversation can become expensive, and we score it accordingly.
How we ranked these global dating sites
Our scores are consistent across the site, so Hinge keeps its 9.3 and Bumble its 9.0. The order on this page reflects how useful each service is for cross-border dating, which is why Tinder, with the widest reach and the cheapest location tool, comes first. Every score weighs match quality (35 per cent), features (25 per cent), safety and verification (25 per cent) and value (15 per cent), built on published facts, store ratings and company filings rather than invented testing. The full method is on our how we review page, and the overall ranking is in our best dating apps guide.
How to choose a site for long-distance and cross-border dating
- Travelling for a week? Bumble’s Travel Mode is built for exactly that, and labels you as a visitor.
- Want the biggest pool in a new city? Tinder Passport, which is also the cheapest option.
- Moving or commuting between two cities? Set your location by hand on Hinge.
- Looking within a faith or culture worldwide? Muzz for Muslim singles, Dil Mil for South Asian singles.
- Expect a long-distance relationship from the start? Prefer apps with free video calls, so you can see who you are talking to without paying by the minute.
International romance scams: how to verify someone across borders
The figures are sobering. The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report recorded $929 million lost to confidence and romance fraud across 23,159 complaints. In the UK, romance fraud cost victims more than £102 million in 2025, City of London Police reported, with offenders spending weeks or months building trust and increasingly using AI-generated images and messages.
International dating gives fraudsters their favourite excuse: they cannot meet because they are somewhere else. The US State Department warns about online contacts who offer romance or marriage quickly, then claim to have problems overseas and ask for money for hospital bills, visa fees or legal expenses, according to its guidance on international financial scams. It also warns that some drug-trafficking schemes begin as fake romances, with victims asked to carry items across borders. The FTC adds plane tickets and cryptocurrency “investments” to the list of requests, usually paid by gift card, wire transfer, payment app or crypto.
A cross-border verification checklist
- Insist on a live video call early. In-app video calls on Muzz and Badoo make this easy. Repeated excuses to avoid one are a warning sign.
- Reverse-search their photos. The FTC recommends it; an image tied to another name is a red flag. Search their job title with the word “scammer” too.
- Check the story against the map. Local knowledge, time zones and working hours should add up for someone who says they live there.
- Never pay for someone else’s visa or ticket. Visa applicants deal with governments directly. UK Visas and Immigration’s fraud guidance warns against paying by vouchers or into unknown bank accounts.
- Never carry a package across a border for someone you met online.
- Never send money, crypto or gift cards to someone you have not met face to face. This is the one rule every regulator agrees on.
- Tell a friend. Scammers ask for secrecy; a second opinion breaks the spell.
If you think you are being targeted, stop contact and tell your bank immediately if money has gone. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, report to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk or on 0300 123 2040; in Scotland, Police Scotland on 101. In the US, report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI at ic3.gov. If someone claiming to be an American in trouble abroad asks for help, the State Department’s Overseas Citizens Services, on 888-407-4747, can help check whether the situation is real. Always report the profile to the app too. Our romance scam statistics have the full picture.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best international dating site?
For reach, Tinder: it says it operates in 190 countries, and Passport lets you match in another city from home. For relationships across cities, Hinge; for faith-based international dating, Muzz.
How do I change my location on a dating app?
On Tinder, use Passport (included with Plus, Gold and Platinum). On Bumble, use Travel Mode with Premium; it lasts seven days. On Hinge, you can set your location manually in your profile settings.
Is Dating.com legitimate?
Dating.com is a real service owned by Social Discovery Group, with ID verification for members who choose it. Most contact is paid for with credits, video chat can cost up to 12 credits a minute, and its terms allow third-party translators to access correspondence, so set a budget and read the terms before buying.
How can I tell if someone overseas is a scammer?
Ask for a live video call, reverse-search their photos and watch for requests for money, especially for visas, travel, medical bills or investments. Never send money to someone you have not met in person.
Are international dating apps safe?
They can be, if you use their verification tools and keep conversations on the app until you trust someone. Choose services with selfie or ID verification, and remember that distance is the excuse scammers rely on most.