Best Dating Sites
Looking for a dating site you can trust? Search no more.
When I was in my 20s, I created profiles on dozens of free dating sites for women. Mostly out of curiosity. I started online dating because I thought maybe I could enjoy some cheap laughs with a stranger, but then one of my matches wound up changing my life.
All my swiping and matching paid off in 2019 when I fell in love and got into a serious relationship. I have learned a lot about today’s most popular dating sites and apps in my search for a perfect match, and now I want to share some insights with women who are hoping to create their own online dating success story.
Whether you’re looking for something serious or something casual, tons of online dating sites have smart algorithms and international networks to help. Women can take their pick on the best dating site or app for their needs. Here’s our reviews of the best dating sites for women.
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 |
Match has the distinction of being the longest running dating site in the world. Since 1995, the Match platform has perfected its algorithm to identify true compatibility. The online dating site can support all types of romantic connections, but its users tend to be more interested in a mature relationship than a casual hookup.
According to the site, approximately 75% of Match members are over 30, and they tend to know what they’re looking for in a potential partner. Match helps singles search for dates by age, location, appearance, religion, and lifestyle, and it also recommends compatible users based on dating profile information and user activity.
Match offers some free messaging tools. Free members can chat with anyone in their Top Picks list for free, and they can respond to messages from premium users. So it’s not necessary to upgrade and pay subscription fees to meet a new person on Match.
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...”
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2. EliteSingles
★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
All Singles*
44%*
56%*
2 Million*
Browse Profiles Free
EliteSingles is a premier dating service where well-educated men and women congregate. The platform appeals to doctors, lawyers, engineers, and other single professionals in the dating scene. Over 80% of its members have a college degree, and over 90% say they are looking for a serious relationship.
By using a highly advanced matchmaking formula, EliteSingles has introduced tens of thousands of power couples in 20 countries, including the U.S. and the U.K. In fact, the dating site generates over 2,500 new matches every month.
It’s important to note that EliteSingles is not a 100% free dating site. You need a paid membership to view photos, send messages, and use advanced search filters. Free members can only browse the network and send likes or photo requests.
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...”
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3. eharmony
★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
All Singles*
48%*
52%*
4.1 Million*
View Profiles FREE
Since its launch in 2000, eharmony has focused on using psychology to lead mature singles to a healthy relationship and holy matrimony. The online dating site provides sound matchmaking based on an 80-question personality test. The algorithm provides a compatibility score that lets singles know how likely they are to hit it off on a first date.
A single woman can join eharmony for free and benefit from its match recommendations; however, communication between free members is limited to icebreakers and generic greetings. If you want to have a real conversation with a man (or a woman) on eharmony, you’ll need to invest in a six-month, 12-month, or 24-month subscription.
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 has made online dating more accessible to older singles who have been through a divorce or widowed. It fosters a friendly place to start fresh and meet new people. The senior dating site provides intuitive matchmaking tools and potential date suggestions that give local singles a boost in the dating scene.
Women slightly outnumber men on SilverSingles, so they can take command of their online dating experience. The standard SilverSingles membership can offer the chance to explore romantic possibilities and build confidence — and senior singles can upgrade to a paid membership to get the best perks and privileges.
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...”
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5. Zoosk
★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
All Singles*
48%*
52%*
28.9 Million*
Start Zoosk for FREE
As a Silicon Valley startup, Zoosk took inspiration from Facebook in designing a sleek, social networking tool for modern daters. The international dating platform’s high-tech matchmaking system has proven extremely popular and effective. The online dating website and app have attracted over 40 million singles in 80 countries since 2007.
Zoosk puts singles in the middle of the action and provides a variety of chat options and search tools to make things more fun. Free members can communicate by sending smiles and greetings, or they can use Zoosk coins to send virtual gifts. But only Zoosk accounts with a paid membership can send messages and replies without any limits.
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...”
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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 promotes the romantic interests of Black, biracial, and multiracial singles in North America. This niche dating network has millions of users who are actively seeking friendships and relationships in the Black community.
You do not have to be a person of color to join BPM. The BlackPeopleMeet platform does not discriminate based on race and will welcome any single person looking to diversify his or her local date options. It’s free to join BlackPeopleMeet, but free members have limited communication options to deter spam messages and fake profiles.
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
A lot of people know ChristianMingle as the most popular Christian dating site on the market. But fewer people know that it was created in 2001 by the same team that created JDate, a popular Jewish dating site. The two dating sites offer faith-driven matchmaking features that inspire lasting marriages.
Over the years, ChristianMingle has united over 15 million singles from all walks of life. The dating website boasts a high marriage success rate and an 84% approval rating among members surveyed.
If you’re looking for a single man who is a true believer, ChristianMingle may just be the answer to your prayers. And it’s free to join, so you don’t have to take its value and success on faith.
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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8. 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
OurTime is in the online dating business to prove that it’s never too late to find love. The senior dating site connects single men and women who are over 50 and looking for companionship.
Within the last few years, OurTime has earned the reputation as a top senior dating site because of its ability to lift people’s spirits without breaking their budgets.
OurTime encourages its free and paid users to have a friendly chat and see where things go. Not every match has to lead to matrimony. Some users stay pen pals for months or even years with no complaints.
Relationships:
Hookups Only
Match System:
Search by location, interest, more
Our Experts Say:
“Make no mistake: this site isn't about making friends, it's about finding hookups and casual encounters. No adult site has a larger or more active user base of those seeking discreet fun...”
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★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
All Singles*
65%*
35%*
25.5 Million*
3 Months @ $19.95/Mo
Adult Friend Finder is a hookup site with over 104 million personal ads and a lively chat room. Sex-driven adults can mingle in privacy and follow their desires in the AFF community.
Every new AFF user starts with a basic membership that includes unlimited profile and photo viewing. Free members also have access to erotic blog posts and discussion groups. However, all messaging and video privileges are reserved for Gold Members on Adult Friend Finder. The Gold Membership package costs less than $1 a day, so it may be worth it for singles who are eager to get laid as quickly as possible.
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...”
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10. BeNaughty
★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
All Singles*
48%*
52%*
13.3 Million*
Browse Profiles Free
BeNaughty offers a casual dating site where women are treated with respect and appreciation. The site facilitates sexting and one-night stands, but it does not allow dick pics or naked photos of any kind to be shared in profiles or through messaging.
If you’re a single woman, you can put your credit card away because BeNaughty offers free communication for all female users on the site. As long as you have an approved profile picture, you can send unlimited messages to any user for free. It’s a pretty great deal, honestly.
Relationships:
Hookups Only
Match System:
Search by location, interest, more
Our Experts Say:
“A hookup site specializing in casual encounters, secret affairs, live chats, and member videos, FriendFinder-X skips the awkward "dating" stage of a relationship and fast-forwards straight to the sex...”
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11. FriendFinder-X
★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
Singles & Couples*
64%*
36%*
1.2 Million*
Browse Members Free
FriendFinder-X promotes itself as a female-friendly space to enjoy sexual encounters. The hookup website has local search tools and private chat options to help women find a potential partner to take out on the town — or take straight to the bedroom.
Conversations on FriendFinder-X tend to escalate to X-rated content within a few messages, if not the first message. Singles and couples on this site aren’t interested in small talk, and they’re quick to disclose their favorite sexual positions, fantasies, and kinks in the online chat rooms.
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...”
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12. Ashley Madison
★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
All Singles & Attached*
71%*
29%*
65 Million*
Start Now for FREE
As an affair dating site, Ashley Madison has established a secret space for single and not-so-single people to arrange illicit affairs. Over 60 million people have joined Ashley Madison in the last 20 years.
Ashley Madison has a highly sexualized and anonymous forum for online flirtation. Its privacy features, which include the option to mask or blur faces in photos, are particularly advanced in comparison to mainstream apps and sites.
Over 61% of Ashley Madison users intimated in a survey that they joined the dating site to find sexual satisfaction, and 39% of women on the site said they had already had an affair in the past.
Relationships:
Hookups, Casual Dating, Chats
Match System:
Search by age, location, gender, orientation, and other factors
Our Experts Say:
“Flirt.com frees singles to chat with attractive locals and pick up dates on the spot. This hookup site is always open to horny and sexy people seeking one-night stands, casual dating, threesomes, and other sexual encounters...”
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13. Flirt.com
★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
All Singles*
48%*
52%*
1 million*
Browse Profiles Free
Flirt.com is a casual dating site that caters to women by offering them completely free and unrestricted messaging. That’s right — women can chat for free, while men have to pay their way into the conversation. This arrangement ensures that heterosexual women can enjoy flirtatious chats with men who are invested in getting a date.
The Flirt platform is open to same-sex matching as well as opposite-sex matching, and it doesn’t have a lot of rules regarding what members can post. Explicit photos won’t be removed. Sexual language won’t be censured. Sex-driven adults can say what’s on their minds and live out their fantasies on this casual dating site.
Relationships:
Hookups Only
Match System:
Search by location, interest, more
Our Experts Say:
“LesbianPersonals provides a fun, quick, and easy experience for gay and bisexual women looking for sex online. Join for free, and you'll be able to search and communicate immediately...”
Browse Free:
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★★★★★
User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
Today's Deal
Singles & Couples*
10%*
90%*
500,000*
View Profiles Free
LesbianPersonals has female-friendly written all over it. The lesbian hookup site encourages women to embrace their sexuality and enjoy casual sex on their terms. Sexting takes place 24 hours a day and seven days a week on this free sex site.
Anyone interested in wining and dining (not to mention bedding) a single woman can create a dating profile and browse for matches in this global database. Some couples and poly groups try their luck on LesbianPersonals, but the membership base is primarily made up of lesbian and bisexual women.
15. Coffee Meets Bagel
is among the most trusted dating apps for committed relationship seekers. The app offers totally free matching and browsing, but it puts a cap on the number of likes a user can send in a day. This system slows the matchmaking process down a smidge and motivates singles to put more thought and consideration into each dating profile.
Coffee Meets Bagel began as a passion project of three female entrepreneurs.
By prioritizing quality over quantity, Coffee Meets Bagel has raised the caliber of its matches and date opportunities. The best part is the swiping system puts you in control. Women can review a curated list of profiles on the free dating app and decide for themselves if it’s worth giving a like and starting a conversation. Only mutual matches can chat on Coffee Meets Bagel.
16. Bumble
When it launched in 2014, Bumble became world-renowned as the first feminist dating app. A pioneering woman came up with the idea to let women have the first and final say in their online dating conversations with men. And it became a huge hit.
As of 2020, Bumble has surpassed 100 million users and created over a billion matches worldwide. The online dating app has also sparked countless friendships through its Bumble BFF feature.
Bumble has made headlines as the worlds first female-friendly dating app.
Bumble has sparked countless dates, relationships, and marriages in the last decade. Its members are serious about finding a perfect match — and they often report getting fast results.
“I have a friend who met her husband on Bumble,” said a woman on Reddit. “For me, I met a guy back in September. It is still pretty new obviously, but I am pretty confident there is something here.”
17. Hinge
touts itself as the dating app that’s “designed to be deleted” because it’s ultimate goal isn’t merely to create matches and dates. Hinge got into the online dating industry to inspire long-lasting relationships, which means its users don’t stay users for long.
The Hinge swiping system allows personalities to shine and gives singles the information they need to decide if a spark is there. The Hinge profile features six photos, three prompts, demographic details, and even an Instagram photo gallery to help identify a compatible match.
Hinge is a free dating app for relationship-minded singles.
Hinge changed the swiping game by requiring users to comment or like something specific on the profile. That way, women can be more discerning and find potential matches that express genuine interest in them.
Full disclosure: I’m totally biased in Hinge’s favor because this happens to be the dating app where I met my significant other. Its matchmaking tools work, and it only took a few weeks for me to get positive results on this relationship app — which I’ve long since deleted.
18. Mingle2
Meeting people on Mingle2 is a two-step process. First, the new online dater will create a dating profile with a brief bio and a profile picture. Second, the person will browse the personal ads and be able to message anyone they like. Easy as that!
Mingle2 has about 12 million users worldwide. The dating website adds over 630,000 members each month, and the dating app has received more than 30,000 five-star reviews on Google Play and the App Store.
Mingle2 is a flirtatious dating website where local singles can come together.
Mingle2 offers free chatting for all its members with no strings attached. About 99% of Mingle2 users remain free users throughout their online dating experience, and the other 1% upgrade to get message-read receipts and appear higher in search results.
19. OkCupid
is an always free dating app that offers everything a woman needs to make a new friend or pick up a hot date. The platform features in-depth profiles with an abundance of optional prompts, questions, and galleries to complete. The profile even has 12 sexual orientation options and 22 gender options.
Women can express themselves in their own words on OkCupid without worrying about character limits or binary definitions. Or costly subscription packages. It is completely free to send messages on OkCupid.
OkCupid inspires over 91 million matches per year.
Once you’ve perfected your online dating profile, you can start swiping through lists of compatible matches based on online activity, location, shared interests, and other desirable qualities. You can send a like or message to anyone online, but you won’t be able to send a follow-up message until that person likes your dating profile.
20. HER
is a dating app designed by LGBTQ+ women for LGBTQ+ women. It verifies all new profiles and does not allow men to join its unique social network. The HER app has over 5 million users, most of whom reside in the U.S.
HER is available for free on Google Play and the App Store.
Joining the HER platform can open women up to a world of social and romantic possibilities. The app has a queer events calendar where local singles can RSVP to book clubs, cookouts, and festivals, and it also has dynamic profiles where women can express themselves and show interest by leaving comments or likes.
If you want proof that HER works, you can find plenty of evidence linked to #WeMetOnHER threads. “I met this gorgeous creature on HER in 2014,” said Sabrina P. on Twitter. “And I fall more in love with her every day.”
21. Tinder
Last of all, we have to add Tinder to this list because it’s the most popular dating app of all time — like it or not. Since 2012, Tinder has been downloaded over 430 million times and created over 70 billion matches. Experts estimate that Tinder inspires over 1.5 million dates every week.
The Tinder app can help women meet a lot of local singles at once.
Tinder offers completely free swiping, matching, and chatting. Though users will need a Tinder Plus or Tinger Gold subscription if they want to swipe on profiles in other countries, press rewind on their swipes, or send unlimited likes per day.
All in all, it’s worth the $0 price tag to download Tinder and see if its local date listings can help you make a smart match.
How Do Free Dating Sites for Women Actually Work?
Free dating sites always start with a step-by-step registration process that may require an email address, Facebook login, or phone number for identification purposes. Some require users to upload profile pictures to be visible or send messages on the platform, while others are more lenient in that regard.
Once the dating profile is complete, users have the option to browse the online dating network by either swiping through profiles or conducting custom searches. Most dating apps will automatically apply a location-based filter so only local singles appear in the match results. You can go into your settings to narrow or widen your distance parameters.
An online dating site can facilitate a text conversation or video date with a new love interest.
If you see a person you like online, you can express interest by clicking the like/smile/wink button. Or you can send a private message to really make an impression. Being bold often pays off for single women online. OkCupid crunched the numbers and found that women who message first are 2.5 times more likely than men to get a response.
Is it Safe for Women to Use Free Dating Sites?
Single women tend to express greater concern about online dating safety than single men, and for good reason. Women are almost twice as likely as men to report being harassed or physically threatened on a dating platform. Plus, in a 2010 survey, about 16% of women reported being stalked, and only 5% of men in the same survey said they had been stalked.
These statistics can raise concerns for a single woman in the dating scene, but online dating does not significantly increase the risk of intimate partner violence. In some ways, meeting online can mitigate the dangers of dating a stranger because you can conduct a screening process before the first date.
Always keep in mind that a dating profile can have misleading or false information. Dating sites and apps sometimes verify a person’s name or profile picture, but they do not fact-check much information beyond that. Anyone can create a dating profile and claim to be a doctor who graduated from Harvard. That’s why it’s important to do some background research on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google to make sure you’re not falling for fake profiles or online dating scams.
As a Woman, How Do I Go About Choosing the Best Free Dating Site?
Finding a 100% free dating website or app can be tricky because so many platforms have a combination of free and paid features. For example, it may be free to join a dating site and view potential matches, but communication may be reserved to paid members only. Such a paywall could actually be a good way for single women to escape spam messages, fake profiles, and scammers — but it could also cause an inbox to remain empty for weeks if not enough subscribers are online and local.
Free dating sites that include free messaging tend to have the opposite problem. A single woman will have no problem finding chat opportunities, but she could become overwhelmed by a never-ending influx of matches and messages.
OkCupid has always offered free messaging, but its rules have changed slightly over time.
OkCupid struggled with this issue for over a decade until it finally tweaked its totally free messaging system. As of 2017, OkCupid has maintained a quality-driven messaging system based on mutual interest. OkCupid users can send one free message to anyone online, but they cannot send a follow-up message until that person has sent a like or message in return.
Maybe a match-based swiping system is your jam because it makes you feel in control. Or maybe you enjoy paying $15 or $30 a month for an online dating subscription if it means you can up the caliber of your date prospects and only meet singles with well-paying jobs. Heck, I’ve heard some women say they enjoy wading in the free-for-all of a casual chat room, and that’s valid too.
The most important factor in your online dating journey is you. Stay in your comfort zone, focus on your priorities, and don’t let anyone discourage you from going after what you want.
Can I Search by Gender on Free Dating Sites?
Yes, gender is one of the most basic search filters in the online dating scene. All dating sites and apps require singles to disclose a gender identity, so searching for men, women, or non-binary people is a standard part of the matchmaking process.
Gender will often be a given in the potential match results once a person selects a gender preference. Some bisexual dating sites have started allowing individuals to go into their settings to change their gender preferences or choose to browse all genders simultaneously. But more often than not, mainstream dating sites expect online daters to choose a gender lane and stay in it throughout their membership.
Is There a Dating Site for Muslim Singles?
Muslim women may feel more comfortable — and have more promising date options — on Muslim dating sites, so it’s worth calling out a few of the best ones.
Single Muslim is a Muslim dating site and app with over 2 million members, and it has many success stories to its name. The platform was built by a British Muslim entrepreneur in 2000, and it has become a global sensation.
“SingleMuslim.com is an integral part of the fabric of British Muslim society,” SA Founder Adeem Younis told us in an interview. “It’s great to be a household name for UK Muslims, and I love to hear the amazing stories from each couple’s journey.”
Single Muslim can support Muslim women as they look for a potential match.
The muzz platform (formerly muzmatch) is not as well-established as some of its competitors, but it is rapidly growing in popularity in the Muslim community. Since 2015, muzz has attracted more than 6 million members in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. The app claims to be responsible for inspiring 350,000 Muslim success stories around the world.
Whether you’re looking for a single Muslim friend or Muslim matrimony, you can join a Muslim dating site like SingleMuslim.com or a Muslim dating app like muzz to mingle in the right crowd.
Single Women Can Meet New Friends & Make Dates Online
I know for a fact that online dating can work for single women because it worked for me. You just have to give it a chance to work. My online dating experience was hardly a straight line to love. I endured multiple disappointments and bad dates until I met the right guy on the right app (he’d messaged me before on a different app, and I’d ignored it — oops!) and no longer needed to online date anymore.
Just be mindful that online dating is not a guaranteed solution for single women. It’s just a fast way to meet new people and see where things go. Hopefully, the good experiences will outweigh the bad experiences, and you’ll wind up finding that perfect match that makes it all worth it.
If you’re thinking about joining a dating site or app, I’d say go for it! Our list of free dating sites for women has some great options to get you started, and you never know what could come of it. Good luck!
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