Match Group, the company behind Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and Plenty of Fish, ended 2025 with 14.2 million paying users, down 5% on the year, according to its full-year results. In the same release, Hinge’s direct revenue was up 26% in the final quarter. Fewer people are paying to swipe, and more of those who do are paying for something slower and more deliberate.
That shift sits at the heart of this guide. The best dating apps in 2026 are no longer interchangeable grids of faces. Each has a distinct theory of how people should meet, and the right one depends on what you want, who you are and how much patience you have for the paywall.
Pew Research Center found that 30% of US adults have used a dating site or app, rising to 53% of those under 30, and that roughly one in ten partnered adults met their current partner that way. The apps below are where most of that meeting happens.
Our ranking is editorial analysis based on each company’s published features, pricing structures, safety tools and app store ratings. Store ratings quoted are from Google Play (UK), checked on 19 October 2026. Prices vary by country, age and promotion, and none of the apps below publishes a fixed price list on its help pages, so we describe what each tier includes rather than quote figures that may not apply to you.
Best dating apps at a glance: our quick picks
- Best for serious relationships: Hinge (9.3)
- Best for strong safety tools: Bumble (9.0)
- Biggest pool for casual and open-ended dating: Tinder (8.8)
- Best for over-30s and in-person events: Match (8.7)
- Best compatibility-led matchmaking: eharmony (8.6)
- Best for inclusive, question-based matching: OkCupid (8.4)
- Best for ethical non-monogamy and couples: Feeld (8.3)
- Best for gay, bi and queer men: Grindr (8.2)
- Best for queer women and non-binary daters: HER (8.1)
- Best for getting started without paying: Plenty of Fish (7.9)
Dating app comparison: free versions, paid tiers and scores
| App | Best for | Free version | Paid tiers | Platforms | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinge | Serious relationships | Yes | Hinge+, HingeX | iOS, Android | 9.3 |
| Bumble | Safety-first matching | Yes | Bumble Boost, Premium, Premium+ | iOS, Android | 9.0 |
| Tinder | Casual and broad dating | Yes | Tinder Plus, Gold, Platinum | iOS, Android | 8.8 |
| Match | Over-30s, events | Yes | Premium memberships | iOS, Android, web | 8.7 |
| eharmony | Long-term compatibility | Yes (Basic) | Premium Membership | iOS, Android, web | 8.6 |
| OkCupid | Inclusive, values-based | Yes | Premium subscription | iOS, Android, web | 8.4 |
| Feeld | Open relationships, couples | Yes | Majestic | iOS, Android | 8.3 |
| Grindr | Gay, bi and queer men | Yes | XTRA, Unlimited | iOS, Android, web (XTRA) | 8.2 |
| HER | Queer women, non-binary people | Yes | HER Premium | iOS, Android, web | 8.1 |
| Plenty of Fish | Free browsing, large pool | Yes | POF Plus, Premium, Prestige | iOS, Android, web | 7.9 |
The top dating apps for 2026, reviewed
Hinge: the best dating app for serious relationships
Hinge is built for people who would rather have one good conversation than forty matches. Profiles are a mix of photos and written prompts, and you like or comment on a specific part of someone’s profile, which nudges openers beyond “hey”.
The free tier is unusually usable. According to Hinge’s help centre, free members get a limited number of daily likes, can see one incoming like at a time, and receive one free Rose and one Undo Skip each week. Hinge+ adds unlimited likes, lets you see everyone who has liked you at once, and opens advanced filters for height, children, family plans, politics, drinking and more. HingeX layers on an always-on visibility boost and Priority Likes that sit at the top of a recipient’s list for seven days. Roses and Boosts are sold separately.
Safety is a strength. Hinge offers optional selfie verification and is rolling out a mandatory Face Check liveness scan where local rules allow. It is rated 3.7 on Google Play (UK).
Read our full Hinge review.
Bumble: a dating app rebuilding its rules around safety and intent
Bumble made its name by requiring women to message first in opposite-sex matches. That rule went on 11 August 2026: either person can now open the conversation, and the other has 72 hours to reply. Opening Moves, the prompts introduced in 2024 that let you set a question for matches to answer, remain a quick way to start a chat.
It suits daters who want a little more structure and a little less noise than Tinder. Safety features include photo verification, a Private Detector that blurs lewd images, and in-app voice and video calls, according to Bumble’s safety page.
The paid ladder has three rungs, per Bumble’s support site. Bumble Boost brings unlimited likes, weekly SuperSwipes and a Spotlight, match extensions and unlimited Backtrack. Premium adds seeing who liked you, advanced filters, Incognito and Travel Mode. Premium+ adds priority placement, photo insights and larger weekly allowances. The core app remains free. Bumble is rated 3.8 on Google Play (UK), from about 1.58 million reviews.
Read our full Bumble review.
Tinder: the biggest pool for casual and curious daters
Tinder remains the default. With more than 500 million downloads on Google Play, it offers a scale no other app on this list can match on Google Play, and it serves everyone from the openly casual to those who simply want to see who is out there.
The trade-off is volume over depth. Profiles are lighter than Hinge’s, and the experience rewards quick decisions. Match Group says it has cut interactions with bad actors by more than 50% in markets where its Face Check verification is live, according to its 2025 results.
Tinder’s help centre sets out three subscriptions. Tinder Plus offers unlimited likes and Rewinds, Passport Mode for swiping in another city, Incognito mode and an ad-free experience. Tinder Gold adds weekly Super Likes, a monthly Boost (not on weekly plans) and See Who Likes You. Tinder Platinum adds Prioritised Likes, designed to get your likes seen faster. Swiping, matching and messaging are free.
It is rated 3.9 on Google Play (UK), from more than nine million reviews.
Read our full Tinder review.
Match: the veteran dating site for grown-up singles
Match has been operating since 1995, which makes it the elder statesman of this list. It appeals to daters who have outgrown swipe culture and want a service that treats dating as an adult undertaking.
Its distinguishing features, according to Match’s own site, include Core Values matching, a Dating Intention filter, interest tags and 72 Hours, a time-limited prompt to get matches talking. Match also hosts in-person events in member cities, from wine tastings to cooking classes, which you RSVP to through the site.
The free membership is more generous than its reputation suggests. Match’s Google Play listing says you can chat with your best daily recommendations with no subscription, use custom search and video chat, and join events. Premium memberships add unlimited profiles, the ability to rewind your last pass and advanced filters, with Boosts and Super Likes sold separately. Match does not publish tier names or prices in the listing, and costs depend on the length of plan you choose in the app.
Match is rated around 3.8 on Google Play (UK). It is available on iOS, Android and the web.
Read our full Match review.
eharmony: compatibility-led matchmaking for long-term love
eharmony asks more of you up front than any other app here. Before you see anyone, you complete a Compatibility Quiz on your values, interests and goals, which also generates a Personality Profile. Each potential match then carries a compatibility score, and the UK site says it has helped more than two million people find love.
This is an app for people who are explicit about wanting a long-term relationship, and the process filters out the idly curious. Its Google Play listing says every profile must be at least 50% complete.
The free Basic Membership lets you take the quiz, view profiles, send and receive initial likes and first messages, and see who has visited your profile. Premium Membership opens up full photos, the complete Personality Profile, expanded search filters and ongoing messaging, and comes in several durations. eharmony does not list prices on its homepage.
Its Google Play (UK) rating is 2.9, the lowest of the mainstream apps here, and a useful reminder to read the subscription terms before committing to a long plan.
Read our full eharmony review.
OkCupid: question-driven matching for inclusive daters
OkCupid has always been the thoughtful one. You answer questions on everything from politics to pets, and the app turns your answers into a compatibility percentage with other users, as Australia’s eSafety Commissioner describes. It is a good fit for daters who care about values first and photos second.
It has also long been a strong choice for LGBTQ+ and non-binary users. Its Google Play listing notes that you can set your pronouns at registration and choose from a range of orientations and preferences.
OkCupid is free to download and use, including swiping and in-depth profile browsing. An optional premium subscription lets you see who likes you without liking them first, search with advanced filters and use the app ad-free, according to the store listing. Boosts and Read Receipts are among the extras listed in OkCupid’s help centre. It works on iOS, Android and the web.
OkCupid is rated 3.3 on Google Play (UK). Its 18+ minimum age is stated in the eSafety guide.
Read our full OkCupid review.
Feeld: the app for open relationships and kink-curious couples
Feeld is where you go when conventional dating apps feel too narrow. It is built for open-minded singles and couples, and its profiles let you list desire tags such as ENM (ethical non-monogamy), monogamy or kink, alongside what you are looking for, from long-term connection to friends with benefits.
Its signature feature is Pairing: according to Feeld’s site, you can link your profile with up to five other people and date solo or together, with group chats for planning. Feeld says it has more than 14 million registered community members, citing Sensor Tower data from February 2026.
The free membership covers browsing, connecting, messaging and linking with a partner. Majestic, the paid tier, adds unlimited likes, a view of everyone who has liked you, Incognito, private photos, filtering by desires and a daily Ping, with monthly, 90-day and yearly billing. Privacy tools include photo timers, screenshot protection in chat and optional nudity blurring.
Feeld’s Google Play (UK) rating is 2.4, a low score for an app with a loyal community.
Read our full Feeld review.
Grindr: location-based dating and chat for queer men
Grindr does not pretend to be anything other than what it is: fast, proximity-led and direct. Its home screen, the Grid, shows people nearby sorted by distance, with location accurate to within about 100 metres, according to Grindr’s help centre. Tags, filters and the Explore feature let you widen the search, including to other cities.
It is aimed at the LGBTQ+ community, and anyone can use the basic service. It is also the highest-rated app on this list on Google Play (UK), at 4.1 from more than 1.6 million reviews.
The basic service is free. Grindr XTRA removes third-party ads, shows up to 500 nearby profiles, adds read receipts, saved phrases, expiring photos and access to Grindr Web. Grindr Unlimited goes further, with features including up to 1,000 minutes of video calls a month, per its video help page.
Grindr’s safety guidance is unusually frank, covering PIN Lock, discreet app icons, travel to countries that criminalise LGBTQ+ people and how proximity sorting can reveal location even with distance hidden.
Read our full Grindr review.
HER: dating and community for queer women and non-binary people
HER was built from the start for lesbian, bisexual and queer women, and for non-binary and trans people, rather than adapted from a straight app. That shows in the details: profiles carry pronouns, gender identity and orientation, and Pride Pins let you signal causes you care about and filter your feed by them, according to HER’s website.
It doubles as a social network. Alongside dating there are more than 30 interest-based communities, a discussion feed and local events, and chat opens only after a match or an approved friend request, as the eSafety guide to HER notes. HER now sits within Match Group’s portfolio of emerging brands, per the group’s results release.
Core features, including matching, chatting and joining communities, are free. HER Premium adds incognito mode, real-time online status, filtering by sexuality, seeing who liked you, rewinds, unlimited swipes and an ad-free experience. It works on iOS, Android and the web, and is rated 3.3 on Google Play (UK).
Read our full HER review.
Plenty of Fish: a long-running free dating app with a big pool
Plenty of Fish has been around long enough to feel like part of the furniture, and its pitch is still the same: you can date, chat and match for free. It suits daters who want a large pool and minimal outlay, and who don’t mind a busier, more ad-supported experience.
Free members can search by gender, location, age, distance and religion, like people in Meet Me, and see and message Mutual Matches, according to POF’s help centre. POF Plus adds extended profile details, unlimited likes, a first look at new members and no ads. POF Premium adds a single view of everyone who has liked you, plus read receipts. POF Prestige adds unlimited first contacts and priority likes, with your messages seen first. There is also a live-streaming feature, POF Live.
Like its Match Group siblings, POF is rolling out a Face Check scan where local rules allow. It is rated 3.3 on Google Play (UK) and runs on iOS, Android and POF.com.
Read our full Plenty of Fish review.
How to choose a dating app that suits you
Start with intent, not brand. If you want a relationship, the apps that slow you down (Hinge, eharmony, Match, OkCupid) give you more to go on than a photo and a first name. If you want to keep things open, Tinder’s scale and Feeld’s explicitness are more honest fits than pretending otherwise on a commitment-led app.
Then think about who you want to meet. For queer women and non-binary daters, HER’s community features change the experience. For queer men, Grindr’s proximity grid is the norm, while Hinge, Tinder and OkCupid all offer broader inclusive options.
Use the free tier for a fortnight before paying. Every app on this list has one, and most paid tiers sell the same few things: unlimited likes, seeing who has liked you, filters and visibility boosts. If the free version isn’t producing conversations, a subscription will rarely fix the underlying mismatch. When you do pay, check the renewal terms in the App Store or Google Play, since most subscriptions renew automatically.
Finally, keep an eye on your own energy. Our research on dating app fatigue explains why fewer, better apps tend to beat installing all ten.
Dating safety tips and official safety centres
Most harm on dating apps starts the same way: someone pushes you off the platform, rushes the relationship, then asks for money. The US Federal Trade Commission’s romance scam guidance is blunt: never send money or gifts to someone you haven’t met in person, treat any request for hard-to-reverse payment as a red flag, and run a reverse image search on their profile picture. Our romance scam statistics put the scale of the problem in context.
The basics:
- Keep conversations in the app until you have met. Scammers prefer WhatsApp, email or crypto platforms.
- Use verification badges and in-app video calls to confirm someone is real before meeting.
- Meet in a public place, arrange your own transport, tell a friend your plans and keep your phone charged.
- Never share bank details, card numbers or copies of your passport or driving licence.
- Block and report anything that feels wrong. On Hinge, for instance, reports are anonymous and you won’t see that profile again.
- In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, report fraud to Report Fraud (which replaced Action Fraud in December 2025) on 0300 123 2040; in Scotland, call Police Scotland on 101.
Each app publishes its own safety guidance:
- Hinge Trust & Safety
- Bumble safety
- Tinder safety tips
- eharmony safety tips (UK)
- OkCupid advice and safety
- Feeld privacy, safety and support
- Grindr safety tips
- Plenty of Fish safety tools and resources
How we rank dating apps
Our scores are editorial judgements out of ten. We weigh how well each app serves its intended audience, the usefulness of its free version, the value and clarity of its paid tiers, its safety and verification tools, its privacy practices and published user ratings. Our commercial relationships are set out in our affiliate disclosure.
We do not claim to have run test accounts. Our assessments draw on the companies’ own help centres, store listings, investor filings and independent research, all linked in each review. The full methodology is on our how we review page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best dating app overall in 2026?
In our assessment, Hinge is the best all-round choice for people seeking a relationship, thanks to its prompt-based profiles, usable free tier and strong verification tools. Bumble and Tinder follow closely, depending on whether you value structure or scale.
Which dating apps are genuinely free?
All ten apps on this list have a free version that lets you create a profile, match and message. Hinge, OkCupid, HER and Plenty of Fish offer some of the more functional free tiers. Paid plans mostly add unlimited likes, filters and the ability to see who has liked you.
Which dating app is best for serious relationships?
Hinge, eharmony and Match are designed around long-term intent. eharmony’s Compatibility Quiz is the most structured, while Hinge offers a more natural, prompt-led experience. OkCupid suits people who want matching based on values and opinions.
What are the best dating apps for LGBTQ+ people?
HER is built for queer women and non-binary people, and Grindr’s proximity-led grid is a long-standing choice for gay, bi and queer men. Feeld suits those exploring non-monogamy, and OkCupid offers broad identity and orientation options.
Are dating apps safe to use?
They can be, if you use the tools available. Choose verified profiles, keep chats in the app, meet in public and never send money to someone you haven’t met. Pew Research Center found 48% of US adults consider online dating a safe way to meet people.