Online dating stopped being a niche habit in America some time ago, and it has stopped growing, too. In Pew Research Center’s most recent national survey, 30% of US adults said they had used a dating site or app, exactly the share recorded in 2019. Among adults under 30 the figure was 53%. One in ten partnered Americans met their current partner online, rising to one in five of those under 30.
The pool is enormous but no longer expanding, which is why 2026 has brought mandatory face scans, AI matchmakers and the end of Bumble’s women-first rule. This guide to the best dating apps in the US weighs ten services on what they actually offer American daters: US App Store ratings checked on October 19, 2026, dollar prices as listed, verified safety features and the published numbers behind each company.
Quick picks: our top US dating apps by goal
- Best overall: Hinge, for conversation-led matching and a free tier you can actually date on.
- Best for safety tools: Bumble, with photo and ID verification and AI that blurs explicit images.
- Biggest pool: Tinder, still the most-used app among online daters in Pew’s data.
- Best for over-50s: Match, which older users favor five to one over Tinder.
- Best free option: Facebook Dating, which charges nothing to unlock features.
- Best for LGBTQ+ men: Grindr, the highest-rated app on this list in the US store.
How American dating apps compare at a glance
Ratings are from the US App Store on October 19, 2026. Prices are the lowest relevant subscription items listed in the US App Store on the same date; Apple doesn’t show plan lengths for every item, and in-app offers vary by age and promotion.
| App | Best for | Our score | Store rating (App Store US, Oct 19, 2026) | Free version | Paid from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinge | Serious relationships | 9.3 | 4.4 (1.1M ratings) | Yes | Hinge+ items from $16.99 |
| Bumble | Safety-first dating | 9.0 | 4.3 (1.8M ratings) | Yes | Premium from $17.99 |
| Tinder | Biggest pool | 8.8 | 4.2 (1.8M ratings) | Yes | Tinder Plus $9.99 |
| Match | Over-50s, searching with filters | 8.7 | 3.9 (243K ratings) | Yes, incl. messaging matches | $44.99 (1 Month Standard) |
| eharmony | Compatibility matching | 8.6 | 4.1 (49K ratings) | Yes, limited | Items from $59.99 |
| OkCupid | Values and identity | 8.4 | 4.3 (289K ratings) | Yes | Premium from $7.99 |
| Grindr | Gay, bi, trans and queer men | 8.2 | 4.5 (389K ratings) | Yes, with ads | XTRA from $14.99 |
| Coffee Meets Bagel | Curated daily matches | 7.8 | 4.3 (22K ratings) | Yes | $34.99 (1-month Premium) |
| Facebook Dating | Free dating | 7.6 | Part of the Facebook app | Yes | Free |
| The League | Curated, career-focused | 7.6 | 4.2 (56K ratings) | Yes, limited | $19.99 (Monthly Dues) |
Hinge: the US favorite for dating with intent
Hinge is the strongest-performing app in America’s biggest dating company. In the second quarter of 2026, Match Group reported that Hinge revenue rose 22% year over year and its global monthly users rose 13%, while group revenue slipped 1% to $853 million. The company still expects Hinge to reach $1 billion in annual revenue in 2027.
The appeal is structural. Instead of swiping on a whole person, you like or comment on a specific photo or written Prompt, so every opener has a hook. Hinge’s 2025 additions sharpened that idea: Match Note lets you privately share something important (identity, lifestyle, relationship preferences) before chatting, and the company credits a rebuilt recommendation algorithm with a “double-digit increase in matches overall,” according to its 2025 product round-up. Face Check, a mandatory video-selfie scan in markets where it has rolled out, earns a Selfie Verified badge.
On October 19, 2026, Hinge held 4.4 out of 5 from 1.1 million ratings on the US App Store, which listed Hinge+ items at $16.99 and $19.99 and other “Hinge Subscription” items between $14.99 and $34.99.
Free users see only one incoming like at a time, a deliberate squeeze. Even so, in our assessment Hinge offers the best mix of matching quality and usable free features. Read the full Hinge review.
Bumble: a safety-first app mid-reinvention
For a decade, Bumble’s identity was that women send the first message. On August 11, 2026, it dropped that rule globally: either person can now open the conversation, and matches have 72 hours to reply instead of 24. Bumble said the change followed testing and member feedback, including an August 2024 internal survey of 2,267 US women in which 66% said they preferred men to make the first move.
The business behind it is shrinking. Bumble Inc. reported second-quarter 2026 revenue down 15.2% to $210.5 million, with Bumble app paying users down to 2.08 million from 2.50 million a year earlier.
What keeps Bumble near the top is safety. Photo verification, optional ID verification, Private Detector (which blurs explicit images), an AI Deception Detector for fake and scam profiles, and in-app video calls form one of the most complete toolkits on the market. Users seem to agree: the US App Store listing showed 4.3 from 1.8 million ratings on October 19, 2026. Bumble Boost items started at $2.99 and Bumble Premium at $17.99.
The caveat is that Bumble has promised to replace swiping altogether, with a redesign due in select markets in late 2026. A long, discounted plan locks you in before you’ve seen it. Our Bumble review tracks the changes.
Tinder: America’s largest pool, with Face Check in California
Pew’s survey found that 46% of Americans who have dated online have used Tinder, far ahead of Match (31%) and Bumble (28%). Among online daters under 30, the figure was 79%. No other app on this list comes close for sheer numbers, and that is still the best reason to download it.
Tinder is also working to earn back trust. Since October 2025, Match Group has required Face Check for all new Tinder users in California, alongside seven countries, with more US states promised. New users record a short video selfie that is checked for liveness and compared with their photos; Match Group says the rollout, combined with other safety measures, cut exposure to potential bad actors by more than 60%. The video is deleted after review, but an encrypted face map is kept to catch duplicate accounts.
Tinder’s daily active users still fell 4% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, though its in-person Events tab is now live in the US and Europe.
On October 19, 2026, Tinder held 4.2 from 1.8 million ratings on the US App Store. Tinder Plus was listed at $9.99 and Tinder Gold items between $13.99 and $24.99. Gold’s “see who likes you” is the upgrade that matters most. See our Tinder review.
Match: the veteran site Americans over 50 still choose
Match launched in 1995 and, in its owner’s words, “helped create the online dating category”. Three decades on, its audience skews older, and Pew’s data shows why it remains relevant: online daters aged 50 and over were about five times as likely to have used Match as Tinder, 50% against 11%.
The US version has become more generous: the free tier now lets you message your matches, according to the company. Search filters built around relationship goals suit people who would rather read a profile than flick through photos, and Match Events take people offline.
It is also expensive. On October 19, 2026, the US App Store listed “1 Month Standard” at $44.99 and a “6 Month Bundle” at $129.99, which works out much cheaper per month. The app held 3.9 from 243,000 ratings, the lowest score of the paid apps here. Match Group also agreed to pay $14 million in 2025 to settle Federal Trade Commission claims about Match.com’s past guarantee and cancellation practices, a reason to read renewal terms carefully before subscribing.
Our Match review has the full breakdown.
eharmony: compatibility matching for long-term relationships
eharmony asks for more effort up front than any rival. Every member completes a Compatibility Quiz, profiles must be at least 50% complete, and each match comes with a compatibility score, according to its US App Store listing. The company claims it has helped more than two million couples, a figure it does not independently substantiate.
The free Basic membership lets you take the quiz, see matches, send likes and a first message, but messaging is limited and seeing other members’ photos is a paid feature, according to eharmony’s own cost page. Premium comes in three-, six- and 12-month plans. The site doesn’t publish prices without a login, and the US App Store listed items from $59.99 to $349.99 on October 19, 2026, without labeling durations. It is, by some distance, the priciest commitment in this guide.
US iPhone users rate it 4.1 from about 49,000 ratings. Owned by ParshipMeet Group, part of Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1, it is one of the few major alternatives outside Match Group. It suits people who want fewer, more considered introductions; see our eharmony review.
OkCupid: questions first, for values-driven daters
OkCupid describes itself as “an American company with mostly US users,” and its roughly 500 match questions reflect that: expect prompts on politics, religion and lifestyle that map neatly onto American life. Each answer feeds a match percentage you can unpack question by question, and dealbreakers genuinely filter.
Its identity options are among the broadest of any mainstream app, with 22 genders, 20 orientations and more than 60 additional identity tags for LGBTQ+ members. The free tier lets you like, match and message; Premium adds the list of people who have already liked you.
OkCupid held 4.3 from 289,000 ratings on the US App Store on October 19, 2026. Premium items ranged from $7.99 to $59.99, depending on plan length, and the A-List was listed at $9.99. Our OkCupid review covers the tiers in detail.
Grindr: the location-first app for gay, bi, trans and queer men
Grindr reported 15 million average monthly active users and 1.4 million average paying users in its second-quarter 2026 shareholder letter, with payers up 16% year over year.
The format is simple: a grid of nearby profiles, sorted by distance, with no matching step before you chat. Privacy tools are strong and mostly free, including hiding your distance, a discreet app icon, PIN lock, expiring photos and Profile Hide, which makes you mutually invisible to chosen users.
It is also the highest-rated app here among American iPhone users: 4.5 from about 389,000 ratings on the US App Store on October 19, 2026. XTRA, which removes ads and expands the grid, was listed from $14.99, and Unlimited from $27.99.
The record matters, though. Norway’s data protection authority fined Grindr about €6.5 million for sharing user data with advertisers without valid consent, a decision upheld on appeal in October 2025, and in September 2026 Grindr agreed a £26 million UK settlement over pre-2020 data sharing, without admitting liability. Our Grindr review sets out that history and how to tighten your settings.
Coffee Meets Bagel: slow, curated daily matches
Coffee Meets Bagel was founded by three sisters on a simple premise: fewer, better introductions. Its US App Store listing describes daily batches of curated matches, detailed profiles covering education, interests and family plans, and icebreakers. A Seven-Day Chat Limit is designed to push conversations toward an actual date rather than an endless text thread.
The company says 91% of its daters want a serious relationship and that it has made more than 150 million matches, according to its homepage. Both are company claims. Premium adds unlimited Suggested profiles, the full Likes You list and read receipts.
Pricing is high for a smaller app. On October 19, 2026, one-month Premium items were listed at $34.99 and $39.99, three months at $74.99, and Platinum from $46.99 a month. The current US listing held 4.3 from about 22,000 ratings.
Why we scored it 7.8: strong match intent and a design that discourages endless swiping, held back by a smaller pool than the big apps, limited published detail on verification, and premium prices close to Match’s.
Facebook Dating: free, AI-assisted and already on your phone
Facebook Dating has none of the polish of a stand-alone app, and one huge advantage: it costs nothing. Meta describes it as a free experience within the Facebook app, built so people can find matches without “endless swiping or paying to unlock features.”
In September 2025 Meta added two features aimed at swipe fatigue. A dating assistant in the Matches tab takes requests in ordinary language (Meta’s example was “Find me a Brooklyn girl in tech”), suggests date ideas and helps with profiles. Meet Cute delivers one algorithmically chosen surprise match a week, which you can chat with or pass on. Both were rolling out gradually in the US and Canada. Meta says hundreds of thousands of 18- to 29-year-olds in the two countries create Dating profiles each month and that matches among young adults rose 10% year over year, as Fast Company reported.
There is no separate store rating, and Meta publishes no total user figure.
Why we scored it 7.6: unbeatable value and genuinely useful AI matching, but thin published safety detail, no separate verification system we could confirm, and the privacy trade-off of dating inside a platform that already knows a great deal about you.
The League: curated, career-focused dating in big cities
The League has always sold exclusivity. Applicants are waitlisted until they pass screening, and existing members review and vote on applications, according to its website. Accounts are verified with LinkedIn, which screens out fake profiles but also ties your dating life to your professional one. Match Group bought the app in 2022 for $29.9 million net of cash, TechCrunch reported, and now lists it among its affinity brands.
Members receive a daily “Batch” of prospects at Happy Hour rather than an endless feed. Matches expire after 14 days, a “flakiness score” demotes people who match but never message, and matched members can video chat without sharing numbers.
Its pricing is the most aggressive on this list. On the US App Store on October 19, 2026, “League Monthly Dues” were $19.99, but a one-week Premium Membership was $59.99, a one-month Premium Membership $99.99, and a one-week Unlimited Membership $99.99. The app held 4.2 from about 56,000 ratings.
Why we scored it 7.6: LinkedIn verification and curated batches suit busy professionals, but waitlists, very few free daily prospects and some of the highest prices in the market weigh on value.
How we ranked these US dating apps
Every app is scored using the weights set out on our how we review page: match quality (35%), features (25%), safety and verification (25%) and value (15%). Scores for the ten apps we have reviewed in full match our main best dating apps ranking. Coffee Meets Bagel, Facebook Dating and The League were scored on the same weights, using their official listings, company announcements and published pricing.
US App Store ratings and prices were checked on October 19, 2026, and company figures come from SEC filings and official announcements wherever they exist.
How to choose a dating app in America
Start with what you want, not what is popular. Pew found that 35% of online daters have paid for a site or app, and 41% of those aged 30 and over have done so, so it pays to choose deliberately.
- For a long-term relationship, Hinge, eharmony and Coffee Meets Bagel are built around intent. Match suits daters over 50.
- For volume, especially in a smaller city, Tinder’s pool is the deepest.
- For a budget of zero, Facebook Dating and the free tiers of Hinge, OkCupid and Match are all usable.
- For LGBTQ+ daters, Pew found 51% of LGB adults have used online dating, against 28% of straight adults. Grindr and OkCupid are strong options, and our LGBTQ+ guide covers more.
- Before you pay, try the free version for a week. Longer plans are usually cheaper per month, but App Store subscriptions renew automatically; The League’s listing, for example, says renewal must be turned off at least 24 hours before the period ends.
Staying safe on US dating apps
Americans are wary, with some reason. Only 48% of US adults told Pew that online dating is a very or somewhat safe way to meet people, down from 53% in 2019. Among users, 52% said they had come across someone they thought was trying to scam them, and 38% had received unsolicited sexually explicit messages or images.
The losses are real. The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report recorded 23,159 complaints of confidence and romance fraud and $929.3 million in losses, which The Register ranked the fifth most costly form of cybercrime in the US. The FTC said in a May 2026 consumer alert that reported romance scam losses rose 22% in 2025, at about $2,020 per person.
The FTC’s warning signs are consistent: a match who quickly wants to move off the app, who claims to be working overseas, on an oil rig or in the military, who asks for money for an emergency, or who pushes gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency. Its rule: never send money or gifts to someone you haven’t met in person.
Verify matches with a video call or badge before meeting, keep chat in the app until you trust someone, and meet in public with a friend informed. If you are targeted, contact your bank or payment provider right away, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, and tell the app where you met.
Our romance scam statistics report has the full picture.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular dating app in the US?
Tinder. In Pew Research Center’s survey, 46% of Americans who had used online dating had used Tinder, ahead of Match at 31% and Bumble at 28%. Among online daters under 30, the figure was 79%.
Which US dating app is best for a serious relationship?
In our assessment, Hinge, which scores 9.3 and is built around conversation rather than volume. eharmony and Coffee Meets Bagel also prioritize long-term intent, and Match is popular with daters over 50.
Is there a completely free dating app in the US?
Facebook Dating is free inside the Facebook app, and Meta says it doesn’t charge to unlock features. Hinge, OkCupid, Tinder and Match all have usable free tiers, with paid upgrades for extras like seeing who has liked you.
How much do dating apps cost in the US?
On the US App Store in October 2026, prices ranged from $9.99 for Tinder Plus to $99.99 for a one-month Premium Membership on The League. Hinge+ items started at $16.99, Bumble Premium at $17.99 and Match’s one-month Standard plan at $44.99.