Key Takeaways
Our experienced team of dating app reviewers have tested and analyzed the most popular dating apps for women.
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With a relatively even gender split, Match is the best app for women seeking quality dates.
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For marriage-minded singles, eharmony is a time-tested online matchmaker.
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Ashley Madison is the best casual dating app with free chatting for women.
Are you newly single and looking to dip a toe into the online dating world? Or have you already been online dating for some time and are tired of swiping on male-dominated dating apps?
We got you. Let us spoil a secret: Women are the choosers in online dating.
Most dating sites and apps have a gender imbalance. They have too many men and not enough women to go around. Here are some interesting stats:
- Tinder is 21.9% female and 78.1% male.
- Badoo is 35% female and 65% male.
- Bumble is 43% female and 57% male.
- Hinge is 36% female and 64% male.
You can see how frustrating that can be. The men scramble and fight to be seen, while the women are bombarded with matches and messages.
To help you get better results, we’ll explore the best dating apps for female users and answer some common questions about how to succeed at online dating.
Match
- Relationships: Friends, Dates, and Relationships
- Match System: Browse by zip, age, appearance, more
- Our Experts Say: “Match pairs a large dating pool with search filters specific enough to make that size useful rather than overwhelming.” Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
Launched in 1995, Match is the enduring go-to site to find quality dates and serious relationships. Match claims that 75% of its members are over 30 and college graduates. Free members can search for dates by age, location, and family life, and paid members get extra filters for height, religion, politics, pets, drinking habits, and other interests.
Match is estimated to have more than 96 million registered users and 7.7 million paid subscribers. And most of its users are interested in long-term relationships, not casual hookups.
Pros
- Geared to serious daters
- Free messaging with matches only
- Lots of personality prompts
- Safety check-in tool for first dates
Cons
- No video or voice note features
- Not all search filters are free
Match’s algorithm identifies similarities in profile information that can range from educational background to what type of music you like. The more details you add to your profile, the better the algorithm can spot potential alignments.
A free membership includes curated lists of compatible profiles and free messaging with all matches. Only paid members can see who’s liked them first, though.
When I used Match, I landed several good dates (without having to pay for the upgrades). One guy brought me flowers and a card upon meeting, so that was memorable. I like that Match is a little bit more adult than the swiping apps, so it’s mostly employed guys who are serious about getting into a stable, healthy relationship.
eharmony
- Relationships: Casual Dates, Deep Relationships
- Match System: Personality test suggests matches
- Our Experts Say: “eharmony helps relationship-minded singles meet compatible people who share their values and long-term outlook.” Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
eharmony launched in 2000 and takes a different tack by focusing on core values, psychological profiles, and online safety. With over 10 million active users, eharmony takes its mission to strengthen marriage seriously. The platform has sparked about 2 million relationships in the U.S. alone.
To use eharmony, you need to answer a lengthy personality test, and the algorithm will use your answers to find the right match for you. Every profile includes an assessment of how likely you and your date will hit it off.
Pros
- Compatibility ratings driven by psychology
- Mature and respectful dating pool
- Robust profile verification
- Trustworthy match suggestions
Cons
- Lengthy signup process
- Limited free messaging
- Mix of long-distance and local matches
It takes a good 20 minutes (maybe longer if you’re an overthinker like me) to complete the eharmony questionnaire. That’s a lot of effort. Only those who really want to find love will do it. There are easier ways to hook up than determining what your love language and attachment style are!
You can join eharmony for free and benefit from its match recommendations. But the free member can only send generic greetings.
If you want to have a real conversation on eharmony, you need to be one of the 750,000 paid eharmony subscribers. You can choose between a three-month, six-month, or 12-month subscription. Again, the site requires some investment and intentionality.
3. Hinge
Since 2012, Hinge has operated with the motto “Designed to be deleted.” It means the app is working hard to get singles to their happily ever after. It worked for me…my husband and I met on Hinge in 2019!
Hinge users don’t blindly swipe on a profile picture. All profiles include six photos, three written responses to icebreaker questions, and demographic details that include education and smoking habits. Users can also link their Instagram feed or post voice notes.
All that is cool, but the real game changer on Hinge is that users must like or comment on a specific part of the profile to initiate a match. It isn’t just a blanket thumbs up. It’s a way to start a conversation about a specific thing you like about a person.
I find the interaction is more thoughtful this way. Women can discern, at a glance, men’s personalities from how they express their interests and what they choose to comment on.
People seem to like this approach because Hinge has been estimated to have around 32 million users worldwide. Hinge reports its users go on 200,000 dates a week. And the app has a high success rate of turning first dates into second dates.
Pros
- More thoughtful profiles
- Free chatting with matches
- Diverse and active dating pool
Cons
- Age breakdown skews younger
- Not all search filters are free
In 2024, the Knot’s annual survey of engaged couples found Hinge was the dating app most likely to lead to nuptials (36% met on Hinge, 25% met on Tinder, and 20% met on Bumble).
What’s more, Hinge’s popularity among LGBTQ+ users shot to the roof when in 2019, U.S. presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg mentioned that he’d met his husband on Hinge.
4. Christian Mingle
Are you a woman looking for a man of God? ChristianMingle may work best for you. Launched in the early 2000s, ChristianMingle is the most popular Christian dating site, pretty much ever. It has historically had a big appeal to single women who want to marry a good Christian man.
ChristianMingle positions itself as a faith-centric dating site where someone can highlight their favorite Bible verses and gospel songs. And members specify the Christian denomination to which they belong. Members don’t have to be Christian to join, but they should be open to dating or marrying a Christian person, since that’s the core user.
Pros
- Safe and PG dating environment
- Values-led match algorithm
- Women outnumber men on the app
Cons
- Smaller user base
- Limits on free membership
ChristianMingle currently has 16 million members. The niche app reaches 29 countries and is available to English, French, German, and Spanish speakers.
I was impressed by the level of courtesy I encountered from men on ChristianMingle. It’s so refreshing to meet guys who are actually interested in having a conversation before getting flirty or sexual.
If faith is a dealbreaker for your relationships, ChristianMingle is the way to go. The dating site is proud of its high marriage success rate. And according to a survey, 84% of users say they would recommend ChristianMingle to a friend.
5. Bumble
Bumble became famous as the female-friendly dating app that gives you total control over your chats and visibility. Its founding mission was to uplift women, and its quality-driven search filters and high safety standards reflect that.
The photo guidelines show the app’s commitment to fostering a respectful space. Bumble users aren’t allowed to post photos of guns or of themselves wearing a bathing suit indoors.
Bumble’s founder, Whitney Wolfe Herd, designed this app with a simple idea: ladies first. That used to mean that only women could send a first message, but when polling indicated that female Bumble users wanted that rule retired, the Bumble team changed tactics.
As of 2026, any person can send a first message after a match has formed. The only limit is that the chat will disappear within 72 hours if no one says anything.
Pros
- Simple swiping setup
- Strict community safety rules
- Profiles focus on values over looks
Cons
- The women-first rule is gone
- Swipe fatigue
- Matches disappear after 72 hours of inactivity
Whitney Wolfe Herd founded Bumble after she left her job as VP of Marketing at Tinder and won a lawsuit against Tinder for sexual discrimination and harassment in September 2014. That’s why people call Bumble a feminist dating app. It prioritizes safety for women in the online dating world.
“Every single day we have just gotten up in the morning and focused on building an experience around women, for women,” Whitney said in a CNBC interview. “When women are safe and happy, everyone else follows, and it creates a better relationship for everyone.”
The market loves this approach, for sure. In the first three years, Bumble had 70% growth, making it the fastest-growing dating app at that time.
In 2020, Bumble surpassed 100 million users worldwide. Bumble members are serious about finding a perfect match — and they often go beyond just dating by using Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz to meet new friends and colleagues.
FAQs: Which Dating App Has the Most Women?
This answer shouldn’t come as a surprise: The dating app with the highest percentage of women is HER. Aptly named, right? HER is a lesbian dating app that is famed for being 100% women. The moderators check to be sure. HER has over 15 million female profiles.
If you’re looking for a straight dating app with a high female percentage, then your best bet is probably eharmony or Match. Since these apps are better known for quality matching and safety features, they tend to attract more women.
Senior dating sites also tend to have more women than men, but there is usually an age requirement of being over 50.
Are There Any Good Casual Dating Apps for Women?
Now, I’ll be honest, the gender ratios on casual dating apps tend to be incredibly lopsided toward men. Maybe that’s a good thing if you’re a girl who likes having a ton of options and guys coming from every which way with all sorts of sexual innuendos. But if you want an app to give you more filtering, more privacy, and more control, my recommendation is to go with Ashley Madison.
- Relationships: Hookups, Casual Dates, Affairs
- Match System: Search by age, location, appearance, and more
- Our Experts Say: “With its massive user base and advanced privacy features, Ashley Madison is the #1 site for discreet hookups, dates, or relationships.” Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
One major perk of Ashley Madison is that all women chat for free, but men must pay for credits to send replies. You’ll only be chatting with men who are invested in online dating and take that extra step to actually have a conversation. These are also guys with some extra cash in their pockets, so you can expect a certain level of financial stability.
While Ashley Madison originally became known as the dating site for affairs, it has since expanded to encompass all types of discreet dating. A good 57% of its users are single. They just like the privacy tools that let them blur their faces, skip adding too much detail, and look for matches under a nickname that doesn’t tie back to their real lives.
What Are Best Dating Apps for Women Over 40?
On mainstream dating apps like Tinder and Bumble, the majority of users will be under 30. It’s just the nature of the dating scene that it attracts younger folks who set the tone and rule the swiping game.
That’s why our experts recommend that singles over the age of 40 download mature dating apps like Stir, OurTime, or DateMyAge instead of trying to compete with younger people on the big apps.
What’s the Best Dating App for Me?
Your experience with these apps may vary depending on your age, location, intentions, budget, and other factors. While this list is a general guide to the best of the best options for women, you might want to dig deeper to explore niche sites for your particular desires.
Ladies, use this quiz to choose the dating app that serves your needs best.
This interactive tool needs JavaScript to run. See our top-rated dating apps instead.
As you can see, each app offers online dating with a slightly different angle. And there is no shortage of options. If you’re not feeling it on the app you started with, don’t be afraid to change things up and create another profile on a new app!
How Do I Attract the Right Matches When Online Dating?
Be original and respond quickly to matches or messages. I know it’s tempting to copy/paste the same opening lines or let new matches marinate for days in your inbox – but you will likely get zero dates for your lack of effort.
Instead, we recommend treating every dating profile like it has a person behind it — because they do. When you send that first message and follow up, you should behave as if you want to get to know that person. You don’t need to be incredibly witty. Just be curious and courteous.
Ask thoughtful questions. Be specific about why you like that person’s profile and what commonalities you have. You don’t have to run through your whole life story or list a bunch of dealbreakers to start out. Just see if there’s enough interest there to merit meeting in person.
Bottom line: You attract quality dates by being a quality date yourself, so make sure your dating profile is as polished as you can make it and maintain a high bar for your online chat game. No word answers!
Is Online Dating Safe for Women?
I’d say online dating is mostly safe. Women certainly face greater safety risks than men do online, but the safest dating apps have protocols in place to remove fake profiles and limit bad behaviors. And women can take their safety into their own hands by researching their matches and making sure things are on the up and up.
Look out for the obvious red flags, of course, of asking for money or being aggressively sexual too early on. But also be wary of yellow flags like trying to rush you to meet in person or trash-talking an ex.
I ran into a fair number of rude men online, but I never felt truly unsafe on my dates. I only went out with guys who’d proven they could hold a real conversation over the course of multiple days, and I usually looked them up on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram to see what I could learn about them.
Don’t be afraid to say “no” or “not yet” to a date if you’re feeling unsure. Trust your gut. A good guy will understand. A bad guy will try to pressure you or make you feel guilty for having reasonable safety concerns.
How Can Women Succeed With Online Dating?
My pro tip: Try using more than one app to find your dates. I was using Hinge, Match, and OkCupid simultaneously when I met the guy I’d later marry.
He messaged me on OkCupid, and I ignored it (who asks for a dog park date in the first message? My husband, apparently!). When he messaged on Hinge, it only took us a week to decide to meet in person, and a week after that, we became exclusive and deleted our dating profiles.
Joining multiple dating apps isn’t just about numbers. It’s about trying new strategies and creating more opportunities to meet the right person at the right time.
Online dating works best when single women are intentional. That means they know what they want and act in alignment with that vision. If you want love but you’re sexting with f*ckboys and putting up with situationships, it’s going to be a long road.
What I learned after years of swiping is that online dating success doesn’t come easy, no matter what your gender identity is. Women have a lot of options to sift through, and that can be a real challenge at times. If you’re not ready to put in the work and follow up on messages from multiple guys at once, well, online dating will not work for you.
When you start your dating adventure, prioritize your safety, keep an open mind, and stay positive. You may find your patience wearing thin sometimes, but trust the process and keep going. The only way to truly succeed at online dating is to keep at it. Giving up has a 0% success rate.
Methodology: Choosing the Best Dating Apps for Women
I created my first dating profile in 2015. I started online dating in search of a boyfriend, and then I began rating and reviewing apps for my profession. Now I have hundreds of active profiles in my name. My recommendations come from hard-earned experience and rigorous research.
For this list, I started by assessing the gender ratio. I knew it’d be tough to find a mainstream app where women outnumbered men in large numbers, but I wanted to highlight those where the gender breakdown was about even.
As previously stated, eharmony and Match historically have a high number of female signups, so these two apps earned top placement. I gave Match the #1 spot because I’ve actually been on dates with multiple decent, genuine men on the app, and I appreciate the safety checks along the way.
My experience swiping on the apps absolutely influenced my rankings, but it wasn’t the only factor in consideration. DatingAdvice.com ratings are the sum of five key criteria:
- Popularity
- Ease of Use
- Features
- Safety
- Value
Our goal is to determine how likely the typical user is to find a real match on the app. Are the search features helpful? Does the free membership include enough swiping and chat capabilities? Are there profile checks to catch fraud before they show up in someone’s inbox? These are all must-haves for the best apps.
Women are not a monolith, so I made sure to include diverse offerings that suited different types of singles. All the apps on this list have high standards for online safety and actually curate quality matches rather than throw users unceremoniously into a crowded dating pool.
Single Women Have an Advantage on Dating Apps
Don’t forget that you’re in the driver’s seat of online dating. It’s up to you to choose who you want to talk to and how far you want to take things. Whether you are in search of a long-term relationship or a casual date, there’s a female-friendly app for you.
Now it’s time to take control of your dating life and find the partner you’re looking for. Take your best selfie and rejoin the online dating world with new confidence.
Keep in mind that these apps need more ladies in the online dating game. You’re the one in control. So use it to your advantage. Happy dating!
