There are more Black dating apps now than ever before, but the problem is picking the right one for your needs. To help you find the affordable (and worthwhile) options, here are our experts’ best dating apps for singles who identify as Black, African American, biracial, multiracial, or a person of color. We chose these platforms based on the following criteria:
- Their popularity in terms of users and traffic
- Their set of features and customer service
All of the following sites are also completely free to join, so you can choose more than one to be your wingman as you date within the Black community.
1. Match
The largest dating site and app in the industry, Match is a fantastic choice for single Black men and single Black women because of its sheer size (over 30 million active users!). Not only that, but it doesn’t cost a single penny to do things like download the iOS or Android app, fill out your dating profile, search using lifestyle and ethnicity filters, save your favorite members, and send flirty virtual Winks. An online dater can also message their matches for free, and use the online dating service to meet their perfect match.
What’s Free: Sign up, create profile, browse singles, send likes, and limited messaging
2. eharmony
eharmony is one of the longest running and most trustworthy dating platforms in the dating scene. It is free to join eharmony and take its in-depth personality test, which powers its compatibility ratings and match recommendations. However, sending unlimited messages is only available to paid subscribers of the site and app. I’d recommend trying eharmony if you’re a Black person who has had enough of the swiping scene and are willing to pay up for better quality matches and smarter features
3. Fling.com
Fling.com has established a name for itself as a top casual dating site with free messaging. So, as you can already imagine, Black singles are welcomed by Fling.com into an inclusive community that’ s all about flirting without holding back. It’s a safe space for those singles who want to explore and try new things without all the judgment. And with millions of members, daters also have a great opportunity to connect through cool features such as video chats, a naughty meter and verification badges. “Really like the connection with open minded people on videochat,” said a Fling.com member on the site’s testimonials.
What’s Free: 100% free to download & send unlimited chats
4. DateMyAge
For all my mature but young-at-heart Black singles, DateMyAge is a must try because it focuses on deep conversations rather than superficial photo matching. Don’t know where to start? That’s ok! DateMyAge makes it easy to find connections with a simple Search tab and Inbox. All members start by creating a profile with a photo and an interesting bio that shows off their personality. From there, members can use the app’s browsing feature to scan profiles and if they feel bold enough, send a quick chat. DateMyage has a pay-as-you-go credit system that means users only pay for features they actually want to use. That’s completely optional, and the free membership never expires and includes international matches.
5. BlackPeopleMeet
Not only is BlackPeopleMeet.com one of the best Black dating apps because it’s free but also because it’s one of the most trusted and popular, with 4 out of 5 stars on Google Play. No matter if you’re filling out your profile, using the “Are You Interested?” feature to meet Black singles, or rating your Daily Matches, you won’t ever need your wallet. The BlackPeopleMeet app and site connect thousands of African American singles in the dating scene, so it’s worth getting a free membership to explore potential matches.
What’s Free: Download the app, create a profile, add photos, and use search filters
6. Real Black Love
Real Black Love is an award-winning Black dating app that cares more about quality than quantity, offering commitment-minded singles a safe space where they know they’ll meet Black folks who are like-minded. It’s free to do things like sign up, make a profile, search other profiles, and send one email a week to a match. The free Real Black Love account also allows you to send unlimited virtual winks! “With so many hookup apps to download, African-Americans seeking relationships finally have a better option at their fingertips,” said Founder and CEO Joseph Dixon.
What’s Free: Sign-up, dating profile creation, and certain types of communication
7. Tinder
We’ve all heard of the app Tinder, the dating app that made location-based matching and swiping famous. But what Tinder is also known for is adding quality to the free online dating experience, made proof by the 26 million matches and 1.4 billion swipes they’re responsible for every day. And thanks to its integration with Facebook, it only takes a couple of minutes to get started and find Black singles near you. When you download the app Tinder, you are essentially increasing your access to a potential match in the Black community. This mainstream app has the largest and most diverse following of online daters in the world, and it can help Black folks explore interracial dating or Black dating opportunities.
What’s Free: Download, swipe on profiles, and message your mutual matches
8. OkCupid
OkCupid was free when it launched in 2004, and that remains true to this day. Besides that aspect, it’s welcoming, progressive attitude has also landed it among the go-to Black gay dating apps out there. I like to lovingly call OkCupid the math nerds of the dating industry because of their one-of-a-kind matching algorithm and passion for sharing stats and figures, and it’s that metric-based thinking that makes the app so reliable for finding exactly what you want. Singles in the Black community can download or join OkCupid for free and start searching for a man or woman who could wind up being a perfect match.
What’s Free: Register, fill out info, view profiles, and chat with matches
9. Grindr
A leading gay dating app, Grindr is a fantastic choice not just for homosexual Black singles but also those who want a great online dating experience without the cost. With its GPS-based matching, Grindr is able to set you up with compatible guys in your neck of the woods, and that can be for hooking up, dating, serious relationships, or anything else you’re looking for. Skin tone doesn’t matter much to gay men on this dating app. All they need to know is that you’re single, nearby, and up for a chat.
What’s Free: Free to get started, fill out a dating profile & search for matches
10. BLK
BLK was created with Black professional singles in mind. A majority of members are looking for a serious relationship, and the app even uses a social media signup process to ensure the authenticity of every person. BLK says “slide, connect, and see where it takes you…” and they’re there to help you with numerous free services, including easy profile creation via social media platforms. The BLK app offers a personalized list of profiles to swipe and search through, and you can upgrade your account to show up higher on people’s list and send over 100 likes per month. The BLK app is about as good as it gets in terms of Black dating, and it can create a potential match within seconds of joining.
What’s Free: Signing up, creating a dating profile, create matches, send messages to matches
11. Black Cupid
Black Cupid is a Black dating site that matches you with compatible singles for free. It’s where Black people meet one another online. If you and a person you’re interested in both swipe right on each other, you can start messaging. The Black dating app also takes your location into consideration, and moderators police all profile content to make sure no funny business takes place. Black Cupid is a fun free app and dating website that supports Black Americans in the search for love.
What’s Free: Free to make a Black Cupid account, search singles, and review matches
FAQs: Are Mainstream Dating Apps Good for Black Users?
Yes and no. Let me explain. Mainstream dating apps are great because they are popular, active, and diverse. The dating pool being huge can be great, but it can also mean lower visibility, particularly for minorities.
Mainstream dating apps have search filters to help individuals find their type.
Feeling like a small fish in a big pond is a challenge. And some challenges are worth taking, especially if it means you’ll end up finding the love of your life.
Mainstream dating apps have search filters to help individuals find their type. That can be helpful at turning a larger community into a few viable date options. It will take work sorting and sifting though.
On the other side of things, mainstream dating apps can have a racial bias. According to research, racial preferences can come out on larger dating apps and leave Black singles out in the cold.
It can feel draining going through profile after profile and not finding any matches. So, I get it. If you’re in a time crunch or just tired of feeling like second place, mainstream dating apps with a bigger crowd may not be the right move.
What’s the Best Dating Site for Black Women?
Black women may have some reservations about trying online dating because they’ve heard horror stories about harassment, stalking, catfishing, racial slurs, and other bad behavior on popular dating sites and apps, so it’s important for a Black woman to choose a site that will have their back through thick and thin.
That sounds like Match to us. This online dating service is the O.G. — it’s the first ever dating site to launch, and it remains one of the most popular online dating brands ever. Match is available in 50 countries and 12 languages, and it’s inclusive atmosphere leaves no one out.
Black women looking for love can depend on Match to highlight options that meet their dating criteria and have real relationship potential.
Match is an all-purpose dating site platform with search and swiping tools that dig deep to find the perfect match, regardless of race.
Which Apps Let You Filter By Ethnicity?
There are a few dating apps that let you filter by ethnicity. Mainstream dating apps like Match allow paid users to search for matches by ethnicity. Free members can filter by who’s “online now” and having kids or wanting kids.
Niche dating sites like Fling.com often have a retinue of advanced search filters that members can use to find people with a specific background. Fling.com has free search filters by ethnicity, religion, body type, profession, eye color, and hair color, among other things.
Filters are a great tool to use to find what you’re looking for, but I wouldn’t count on it too much when online dating. It’s easy to overuse the filters and narrow the pool too much, possibly missing out on something great just by being too picky.
Does Tinder Match Folks Based on Race?
No, the app Tinder does not overtly match users based on race or ethnicity. Tinder offers match filters for location, distance, age, and gender identity in the Discovery Settings, and these are the primary factors the app uses to pair up compatible singles.
Tinder does allow users to identify as a Black, Asian, Hispanic, or white person in their dating profile, and that information can inform the matchmaking process in subtle ways.
The app may start off by providing date options of all different racial backgrounds until it can identify patterns in your liking history. Photos can play a role in this as well. We’d hazard to guess that the Tinder algorithm is savvy enough to notice if you seem drawn to men with dreadlocks or women with nut-brown skin tone.
The more you use the app, the more Tinder will learn about your dating habits and desires, and that can include any racial preference you may have in the dating scene.
A Black Dating App Can Take the Dating Experience Up a Notch
As you can see, Black dating apps come in all shapes and sizes, and some are more free than others. Every online dating service mentioned on this list have enough free features to get Black professionals browsing and matching with attractive singles, and they’re all free to download on your smartphone or mobile device.
What with racial discrimination, ghosting, and rejection, dating can be hard enough for Black men and women, and we firmly believe that singles shouldn’t have to worry about breaking the bank to find a date or a potential partner. With a free dating site or app in hand, Black folks can explore local date options and meet a person who understands their life experiences, personal struggles, family values, relationship goals, and all that jazz.
The best Black dating apps on this list have earned their reputation as the best of the best, and any of them could be a good partner on your dating journey. Have fun!
