Best Dating Sites
Looking for a dating site you can trust? Search no more.
Some singles join dating sites looking for love and become jaded by pickup lines, flaky dates, and ghosted conversations. A bad experience on a casual dating app can turn people off from online and mobile dating altogether — when all they really need to do is switch to a more love-centric dating site or app.
Not all dating sites and apps support today’s swipe-happy hookup culture. Many dating sites are in the business of inspiring loving relationships, and the best of the best have proven successful for generations of daters.
Online dating has become the most popular way to meet a spouse, and it’s now pretty common to hear about couples meeting and falling in love online. If you want to create your own online dating success story, then consider joining these top-rated dating sites for serious daters.
1. Match
★★★★★
Relationships: Friends, Dates, and Relationships
Match System: Browse by zip, age, appearance, more
Our Experts Say: “Match has facilitated the most dates and relationships of any dating site, and its large audience and high success rate make it our top review...” Full Review »
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| User Base | Gender Ratio | Popularity (Visits/Mo.) |
Today's Deal
|
| All Singles* |
49%*
51%*
|
39.7 Million* | Try Match FREE |
If you’re on the hunt for a relationship, Match is one of the safest bets in the online dating scene. This dating site has been around since 1995, and its matchmaking algorithm has only gotten more effective in that time.
Match’s claim to fame is that it has facilitated more relationships and marriages than any other dating service, and it has collected testimonials from couples from all walks of life.
It’s free to create a dating profile on Match and receive a curated list of potential dates who meet your standards in terms of age, location, appearance, education, religion, and other factors. Pro tip: the more detailed you are in your dating profile, the more accurate your match suggestions will be.
2. EliteSingles
★★★★★
Relationships: Serious Relationships
Match System: Search, Receive Partner Suggestions
Our Experts Say: “EliteSingles is a leading dating site just for busy, single professionals. More than 80% of members have earned a college degree, and most are looking for a serious commitment...” Full Review »
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| User Base | Gender Ratio | Popularity (Visits/Mo.) |
Today's Deal
|
| All Singles* |
44%*
56%*
|
2 Million* | Browse Profiles Free |
EliteSingles has created an impressive dating network full of high-quality singles with college degrees, well-paying jobs, and high standards. These ambitious daters have a lot going on personally and professionally, and they’re looking for someone on their level.
According to EliteSingles, about 90% of its members are interested in building a real relationship online. You can go into your settings to adjust your Dating Preferences regarding that ideal partner. You can state a preference for a certain age range, height, education, income, ethnicity, religion, and other characteristics, and you can also state how important each of those factors are to you in a relationship.
EliteSingles uses this information to highlight the most compatible matches in your area, making love more likely to find you.
3. Zoosk
★★★★★
Relationships: Fun Dates, Serious Relationships
Match System: Search and get match recommendations
Our Experts Say: “Zoosk is integrated with social media sites, like Facebook and Google+, so it's very popular with singles on the go...” Full Review »
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| User Base | Gender Ratio | Popularity (Visits/Mo.) |
Today's Deal
|
| All Singles* |
48%*
52%*
|
28.9 Million* | Start Zoosk for FREE |
Zoosk has over 40 million singles in its database, and the dating site’s powerful social networking tools help men and women feel comfortable chatting and meeting someone new. It’s free to join the site, and you can read and respond to the free greetings in your inbox.
In total, Zoosk members send over 3 million messages per day. What’s more, the dating site and app are available in 80 countries and have been translated into 25 languages. And it has inspired love stories between couples from all walks of life.
“Adrian and I had both only been on Zoosk for about a week when Adrian sent me a message that said ‘Hi,'” Tamika said in a testimonial. “I can honestly say I found my soul mate. He spoils me.”
Relationships:
Casual Dates, Deep Relationships
Match System:
Personality test suggests matches
Our Experts Say:
“Accounting for 2% of U.S. marriages, eharmony's compatibility-based system and commitment-minded user base are ideal for those seeking a serious relationship...”
Full Review »
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4. eharmony
★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
All Singles*
48%*
52%*
4.1 Million*
View Profiles FREE
From the beginning, eharmony has set itself apart as a dating site for people who are serious about love and marriage. This isn’t a random swiping space. The dating site uses a combination of psychology and science to create a curated list of matches.
The eharmony team says that over 2 million people have found love thanks to its smart matchmaking system. The secret to its success lies in its personality assessment and compatibility ratings. Members can choose to take an in-depth quiz to help the site get to know their core values and dating goals. You must complete the quiz once you start it, and that can take anywhere from 20 to 35 minutes.
The Compatibility Quiz has thought-provoking questions, including “What are your main reasons for wanting a relationship?” and “What do you want your ideal partner to like about you?” Take time to think about your answers because each response will impact your compatibility ratings and match recommendations on eharmony.
Relationships:
Friendship, Casual Dates, Serious Relationships
Match System:
Search by age, location, height, education, ethnicity, and religion
Our Experts Say:
“SilverSingles is a fast-growing, easy-to-use niche dating site exclusively for active daters over the age of 50...”
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★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
Mature Singles (50+)*
41%*
59%*
800,000*
Sign up for FREE
SilverSingles offers a quality dating experience for singles in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and up. Basically, anyone with a little silver in their hair can join this dating site to mingle with single people in the same age range.
SilverSingles is the sister site of EliteSingles, and it includes all the same bells and whistles — just for a more mature audience.
If you have any questions along the way, you can always find support at the Help Center. SilverSingles takes pride in being a beginner-friendly dating site, so older singles don’t need to be a tech whiz or a dating expert to find friendship and true love here.
Relationships:
Dates and Serious Relationships
Match System:
Search by gender, age, education, more
Our Experts Say:
“ChristianMingle is among the largest dating sites in the industry that only caters to single Christian men and women, and the site has some of the best search filters and safety features...”
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★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
Christian Singles*
44%*
56%*
3.5 Million*
Try Now for $19.99/Month
Christian Mingle supports a faith-driven dating scene where Christians can fall in love and build lasting relationships.
Since 2002, Christian Mingle has welcomed singles who share similar values and want the same things in life. The dating site sees people of all kinds — from traditional Catholics to spiritual agnostics — and they’re all looking for a good Christian to take home.
“I knew there was something special about him when I first met him,” said Sarah, who got engaged to Todd in 2019 after meeting him on Christian Mingle. “This was exactly what I had prayed for.”
Relationships:
Dates and Relationships
Match System:
Search by profiles by zip and more
Our Experts Say:
“OurTime is well-known in the over-50 dating crowd, particularly because it has a ton of helpful search features and an easy layout...”
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7. OurTime.com
★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
Mature Singles (50+)*
48%*
52%*
8.9 Million*
Over 50? Try It FREE
Senior dating has taken off in the last decade, and OurTime has been at the forefront of that movement. This senior dating site and app give over-50 singles the opportunity to find date prospects without leaving home, and that’s been a game-changer for many people.
OurTime has a simple signup process, a variety of matching features, and premium chat tools to connect singles in the mature dating community. The site even offers online dating safety tips for newcomers wondering how to spot fakes and avoid trouble in this fast-paced scene.
Ultimately, the OurTime success stories can offer the best reason to create a dating profile here — because you never know when love will strike.
Relationships:
Deep Relationships or Just Casual Dates
Match System:
Search by location, age, more
Our Experts Say:
“BlackPeopleMeet.com is the one of the largest and most popular dating sites for black and biracial singles, and the site is used by more than 5 million people a month...”
Full Review »
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★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
Black Singles*
47%*
53%*
5.7 Million*
FREE Trial for New Users
BlackPeopleMeet is a niche dating site with the largest community of African-American singles in North America. Ethnicity isn’t the only thing that matters to daters on this platform, but it’s pretty high up there.
As a free BlackPeopleMeet member, singles can refine their searches for a local date and like or favorite profiles that stick out to them. If you find yourself wanting to talk to a lot of people on BlackPeopleMeet, you can upgrade your online dating experience and send unlimited messages for less than $5 a week.
BlackPeopleMeet highlights compatible profiles based on your profile information, so be sure to provide a lot of personal details in the About Me, the Personality Questions, the Top Interests, and In a Nutshell sections.
9. Hinge
is the dating app where I fell in love, so I’m pretty partial to it. Hinge may not have the largest user base or the most flashy features, but it certainly has its heart in the right place as the “dating app designed to be deleted.”
The Hinge team wants to build relationships, not just set up dates, and they’ve come up with some innovative ways to do that.
Hinge has brought more value to the swiping experience by requiring users to like or comment on something specific on the dating profile, which includes six photos and three personalized prompts. This unique matching system ensures conversations go beyond generic greetings and get into more interesting fare — like opinions about pineapples on pizza.
Hinge is a quality-driven app where users can get to know one another on a deeper level online.
I’m not the only one to meet a significant other on Hinge. Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg met his husband on the app, and a pediatric oncology nurse named Rachel found her perfect Hinge match in a cancer survivor living in D.C. “We’re a great balance for each other,” the couple said.
Hinge Co-Founder Justin McLeod created the app in 2012 after getting his heart broken by his college sweetheart. After she took him back and they got married, he began using his relationship insights to perfect the app and make sure it satisfies the user’s desire for finding love and connection.
10. Bumble
launched in 2014 on a mission to bring greater equality, integrity, and basic human decency to the online dating scene, and many dating experts have hailed it as the world’s first feminist dating app.
Women come first in the Bumble Hive. Seriously. Women must send the first message when they match with a man (anyone can send the first message in a same-sex match), or the conversation will disappear within 24 hours.
Bumble has empowered singles to network with like-minded people.
In a recent survey, 85% of Bumble users said they’re on the app because they’re looking for a serious relationship or marriage, and only 1% of women on the app said they want a short-term hookup.
Bumble has been so successful in the dating scene that it has expanded to help build friendships and business relationships via Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz.
11. HER
Speaking of female-friendly dating apps, HER has created a lesbian dating space where queer womxn can build relationships without being solicited for sex by creepy dudes and straight couples.
In the last decade, HER has become a social hub for lesbian, bisexual, trans, and queer womxn throughout the world. It currently has over 10 million members, all of whom have been verified as real.
HER offers queer events and match suggestions to help singles come out of their shell.
HER is a fun, safe, and quirky dating app, and many friendships and relationships have blossomed thanks to its community-focused tools. You can read #WeMetOnHER stories to get a sense of its phenomenal impact on the LGBTQ+ dating scene. Thanks to HER, finding a woman to grow old with has never been easier.
12. Coffee Meets Bagel
Three single women created Coffee Meets Bagel to bring greater quality to the online dating process and ensure that people didn’t treat their matches as disposable. The app invites its members to “rediscover dating” and spend more time getting to know potential dates.
Coffee Meets Bagel limits the number of swipes and matches a user can have each day. Its curated list fosters more authentic connections between values-driven daters.
Coffee Meets Bagel has made over 50 million matches and led to thousands of relationships.
Coffee Meets Bagel has earned a 4-star rating on Google Play, and many users praise its quality-driven approach to online dating.
“By far the best dating app out there,” said Leslie G. in a review. “The limit of six options per day makes every interaction more meaningful and keeps you from mindlessly swiping for hours on end. Even before meeting my now boyfriend, the quality of guys I went on dates with was much higher.”
13. OkCupid
operates under the slogan, “Dating deserves better,” and the team uses a time-tested matchmaking algorithm to deliver fast results to its members. The dating site and app have created a personality-driven matching system that helps singles build relationships based on compatible interests, habits, and lifestyles.
Every week, OkCupid’s matches and conversations lead to more than 50,000 first dates, and its success stories keep growing year after year.
OkCupid facilitates over 91 million love connections in the average year.
It’s totally free to create a profile on OkCupid, though it may take quite some time to fill out all the sections and answer a bunch of personal questions. Free members enjoy unlimited messages with their mutual matches, and they can also use the advanced search filters to find viable dates anywhere and anytime they want.
14. Happn
The Happn dating app maintains that love can find you anywhere, and all you need is the search power to take advantage of those serendipitous opportunities.
Happn uses the smartphone’s GPS data to identify where singles run into each other in their daily routines. The app shows an interactive map highlighting the coffee shops, bars, parks, bookstores, and other places where you’ve crossed paths with a match.
The Happn dating app can inspire real-life romance by showing you where to find local dates.
If you frequently cross paths with someone in real life, Happn will recommend that dating profile to you and give you the chance to get to know each other in a private chat.
Happn has over 100 million users around the world, and its members send and receive over 4.9 million messages per day.
15. The League
is a high-class dating app where only the best of the best can rub elbows and arrange dates. Singles must apply to gain entry to The League, and only the most intelligent, successful, and attractive people can enjoy this platform. Think of it as a high-powered dating club with exclusive membership plans and unlimited social potential.
The League caters to well-educated professionals who have high standards.
Every day, The League takes its best shot at connecting you with a love match. The app sends its members daily match recommendations, and it encourages them to meet highly driven and confident singles around the world.
Premium members of The League have access to a Personal Concierge who acts as a wingman, adviser, and confidante throughout the online dating process.
What are the Best Hookup Sites?
We’ve covered a lot of lovey-dovey sites in this article, so now let’s swing to the other end of the spectrum and talk about the casual dating sites for lovers and pleasure-seekers of a different sort.
BeNaughty is one of the most popular hookup sites around, and it’s open 24/7 to anyone feeling flirty, thirsty, or straight-up horny.
★★★★★
Relationships: Hookups, Chats
Match System: Search by encounter, location, and more
Our Experts Say: “BeNaughty is a premier hookup app where you can feel comfortable expressing your desires. Plus, it's free to join, browse, and flirt...” Full Review »
Browse Free: View Photos Now
| User Base | Gender Ratio | Popularity (Visits/Mo.) |
Today's Deal
|
| All Singles* |
48%*
52%*
|
13.3 Million* | Browse Profiles Free |
You can chat for free on BeNaughty and flirt with sexually active people who use this reputable hookup site as their personal late-night playground.
Which Dating Site is Completely Free?
A lot of dating sites are sort of free or basically free or free as long as you don’t want to talk to anyone — but only a handful are 100% completely free for everyone always. Plenty of Fish is one of those proud few.
Plenty of Fish is a completely free dating site and app where singles don’t have to pay anything to send messages, read incoming messages, and build relationships online.
What is the Most Elite Dating Site?
That’s easy. It’s EliteSingles. Elite is in their name, for crying out loud.
This is a dating site for doctors, lawyers, engineers, investment bankers, and industry leaders. Over 82% of EliteSingles members report being college-educated, and 90% are seeking relationships with someone on their level.
★★★★★
Relationships: Serious Relationships
Match System: Search, Receive Partner Suggestions
Our Experts Say: “EliteSingles is a leading dating site just for busy, single professionals. More than 80% of members have earned a college degree, and most are looking for a serious commitment...” Full Review »
Browse Free: View Photos Now
| User Base | Gender Ratio | Popularity (Visits/Mo.) |
Today's Deal
|
| All Singles* |
44%*
56%*
|
2 Million* | Browse Profiles Free |
EliteSingles has quite literally made a name for itself by appealing to the top tier of the dating world, and its success rate in the professional dating scene can’t be beat.
Which Dating Site Has the Highest Success Rate?
Success means something different for everyone, particularly in the dating scene. Tinder has created over 75 billion matches since 2012, and some would argue that makes it the most successful dating app ever. However, an online match doesn’t always lead to a first date or relationship, and some studies suggest Tinder isn’t very successful when it comes to matching people in real life.
Match has been around longer than any other dating site or app, and it claims to have facilitated more relationships and marriages than any other dating service. However, we couldn’t find any hard numbers to back that claim. Still, Match has stayed in business since the 1990s, so it must be doing something right.
Available on: iOS, Android
- Relationships: Fun Dates, Serious Relationships
- Match System: Browse by location, age, interest, and more
- About the App: Available via the App Store and Google Play, Match is a fantastic app for dates and relationships. With a user base of 30 million singles, Match is where you'll have a high chance of success. It's free to download, create a profile, search for date prospects, and receive compatible matches based on personalized preferences. Free members can also chat with select members and send unlimited likes.
- Browse Free: View Profiles Now
| User Base | Gender Ratio | Popularity (Visits/Mo.) | App Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Singles* |
49%*
51%*
|
13.5 Million* | Free Download |
In 2018, Hinge became one of the first dating apps to actually follow up with its users and ask how their first dates went, and the early data shows that 90% of Hinge members said their dates went well and 72% said they’d be interested in going out again.
Love Could be Just Around the Corner on a Dating Site (or App)
The search for love is serious business, and singles need a serious dating site to help them get it right. We’ve listed several top-notch dating sites and apps to help singles on the journey to love, and all of them are free to join and fun to use.
Since the 1990s, online dating has inspired countless loving relationships (including my own), and it continues growing in popularity every day. You can build self-confidence, meet new people, and discover a whirlwind romance simply by creating a dating profile and embracing the possibilities in your inbox and match suggestions.
Love-oriented dating sites and apps make it easier to find partners who share your intentions and meet your standards, and that can make all the difference. Good luck!
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