Best Dating Sites
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Lesbian Dating
Television and movies can glamorize the dating process as if all singles are drinking Cosmos, stealing blue French horns, and having a grand time.
But lesbian singles in the trenches of a women-seeking-women personals site may see things a little differently. It’s not always candlelit dinners and rose petals. Sometimes it’s afternoon coffee dates and overanalyzing texts.
Dating can be hard work for singles in the LGBTQ+ community. Lesbians deal with the usual problems, such as ghosting and catfishing, but they also have bonus issues like being harassed by men who want a threesome. And not all mainstream dating platforms meet the needs of lesbian, bisexual, and queer women.
Don’t worry, though — we’re here to help. Our dating experts have combed through the online dating scene to produce a comprehensive list of the best dating platforms available to women seeking women. We’ve included separate categories for different types of daters so you can tailor your experience to your tastes.
Over 49.7 million Americans have tried online dating, so you’d think you’d have your pick of desirable LGBTQ+ women online, right? Well, not exactly. Only about 38% of online daters are women. And you’ve got to assume most of those are straight women.
When it comes down to sheer numbers, lesbian women face a challenging dating field, so it’s important that they choose a dating site that will have their backs. We see the following top-rated dating sites as the best options for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women because they have some of the largest online dating populations around and accept singles of all orientations.
Relationships: Friends, Dates, and Relationships
Match System: Browse by zip, age, appearance, more
Our Experts Say: “More than a million lesbian women in the U.S. are looking for dates and relationships on Match, making it the best site for this audience...” 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 |
First up, we have Match, a prolific dating site with a long history of success. Since it launched in 1995, Match.com has honed its love algorithm to identify long-term compatibility and turn lonely singles into happy couples.
The Match network spans 24 countries and welcomes all types of daters. Something we like about Match is that your dating preferences aren’t set in stone, so you can change from “a woman seeking women” to “a woman seeking men” with a single click.
Relationships: Serious Relationships
Match System: Search, Receive Partner Suggestions
Our Experts Say: “EliteSingles is a wonderful option for lesbian women, as its users vary in age, gender, sexual orientation, and interests, among others...” 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 |
The name EliteSingles tells you right off the bat that this isn’t a run-of-the-mill white-label dating site. Its high-caliber search and matching features attract young professionals who are serious about settling down with someone special.
The site’s dating personality test sets it apart from the rest of the online dating world. Elite Singles delves into who its members are and uses that information to arrange over 2,500 matches a month. Every eight minutes, someone finds love on this dating site, and singles of all orientations are welcome to join the network and see what the fuss is all about.
It’s no secret that dating costs money, but online dating can also strain the wallet with subscription fees and paid features. Many singles invest in these features hoping it’ll yield quality dates. When all is said and done, dating services in the U.S. took in over $3 billion in revenue in 2018.
But you don’t want to blow your budget on a dating site and have no money left for the date itself. A survey conducted by Discover and Match Media Group found that 58% of online daters think a good credit score is sexier than a nice car or an impressive job title.
Making smart financial decisions — like joining a free dating site — can help you become a more attractive person in the dating world. So, let’s look at some free dating platforms for lesbian singles.
Relationships: Fun Dates, Serious Relationships
Match System: Search and get match recommendations
Our Experts Say: “Zoosk is a go-to for busy lesbian women because the site will do all the work for them. All they have to do is upload some information and photos...” 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 allows singles of all orientations to join its global network. Over 40 million singles have created accounts on this fast-growing platform, and users send over 3 million messages a day on average.
Zoosk is free to join, and you can earn Zoosk Coins to gain access to special features, including boosting your profile in search results, receiving delivery confirmation on messages, and unlocking Carousel matches. Liking Zoosk’s Facebook page will earn you 17 Zoosk Coins, and downloading the Zoosk app will earn you 30 Zoosk Coins. This is a great way to add value to your online dating experience without paying extra money.
is a dating app made by women for women. The idea started with a dating app called Dattch, which stood for Date Catch, but the team ultimately scrapped it and went for the cleaner, sleeker, and simpler HER that lesbian, bisexual, and queer women now know and love.
Unlike other dating platforms, HER supports a women-only community, and it actively screens new profiles and weeds out any men skulking around. The team’s goal is to create a safe space where women can come together and form deep relationships and friendships. Today, over 4 million women have joined HER and used it to network with women in the LGBTQ community.
Many HER couples have posted sweet Instagram and Twitter posts using #WeMetOnHER to let the team know they’re making a difference and having a positive impact on the LGBTQ+ community.
“It’s about understanding how women behave and building features that give them the value they’re looking for,” said Robyn Exton, Founder of HER. “It’s about helping women meet other women.”
Backpage.com was seized by U.S. law enforcement
in April 2018, leaving its users to find alternative means to meet local singles. Fortunately, there are plenty of other dating personals sites out there, and many of these platforms have tightened their guidelines in reaction to the Backpage scandal.
If you’re looking for a safe place to meet single women, we recommend checking out the following lesbian personals sites as a safer alternative to Backpage.
Relationships: Hookups Only
Match System: Search by location, interest, more
Our Experts Say: “LesbianPersonals.com is a favorite among frisky lesbian singles because it's free and easy to use. The site and app has more than 30 million members from all over the world looking for casual encounters today...”
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User Base | Gender Ratio | Popularity (Visits/Mo.) |
Today's Deal
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Singles & Couples* |
10%*
90%*
|
500,000* | View Profiles Free |
LesbianPersonals is a no-brainer for lesbians seeking single women online. This sexually stimulating platform was made to help adult women arrange casual hookups, threesomes, and orgies. Lesbian and bisexual women can sign up as individuals, or they can join as a straight couple, a lesbian couple, or a group.
This adventurous and open-minded atmosphere is perfect for women who like to have fun on their own terms. The site has many flirtatious features, including an instant messenger chat, a two-way webcam, and video and photo exchanges.
actually no longer has a personals section that specifically caters to singles seeking dates. But that doesn’t mean people don’t still use the site for that purpose. The Missed Connections section is popular among singles looking to build IRL relationships by posting who they are and what they’re looking for.
The Missed Connections sections gives you a second chance to ask out that crush you chatted with at the grocery store or dog park. It’s a way of reaching out and turning a spark into a flame. Craigslist also supports active discussion forums organized around interests (vegans, divorce, politics, pets, and gaming), which makes it easy to find like-minded singles in town.
When you’re looking for a niche within a niche in the dating scene, your best bet is to join a niche dating site and use the search tools to zero in on your type. Black lesbian singles may not run into each other every day on the streets, but they can find one another online.
Niche dating sites take a minority and turn it into the majority of its user base, thereby empowering folks to network with people like them. Black lesbian singles can find not only a date but a sense of belonging on a black or lesbian or black-lesbian dating site.
We recommend giving the following two niche dating sites a try the next time you want to diversify your date prospects and meet like-minded women in your area.
Relationships: Deep Relationships or Just Casual Dates
Match System: Search by location, age, more
Our Experts Say: “BlackPeopleMeet is one of our favorites for black and biracial lesbian singles because it's free to try...” 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 boasts being the world’s largest network of African-American singles with tens of thousands of users to its name. The black dating site is popular among people who are interested in dating black and biracial singles, and that includes lesbian women.
Since 2002, BlackPeopleMeet has established itself as a trusted name in the black community and racked up success stories from all corners of the U.S. and Canada. “I have found true love and the most beautiful, amazing, and wonderful woman, thanks to this site,” said an anonymous single from Sacramento.
BlackPeopleMeet is also available as an app available for download on Google Play and the App Store. This user-friendly app offers easy access to a nationwide network of date prospects.
Although PinkCupid is not a black dating site, it supports such a diverse membership base that we feel confident recommending it to single black lesbians. Thousands of women actively surf this website in search of friendship, romance, and love.
As part of the Cupid Media network, PinkCupid is one of 35 dating sites connecting singles around the world. This niche dating service has the standard search and matching features you’d expect on a dating site, and it proactively manages the site to ensure spammers and scammers stay well away. PinkCupid’s success stories show how it can impact people’s lives through a simple introduction.
Dating is often seen as a young person’s game, so singles of a certain age can feel left out of the fun. However, senior dating sites have encouraged these lonely hearts to come out of the shadows and find long-term companionship.
The senior population is one of the fastest growing demographics in the online dating world as an increasing number of singles recognize the power of technology to connect people across borders and generations. Lesbian singles can take advantage of this trend by hopping on the bandwagon of a senior-friendly dating site.
Relationships: Dates and Relationships
Match System: Search by profiles by zip and more
Our Experts Say: “OurTime is only for singles who are 50+, but its diverse membership comes from all backgrounds and lives all kinds of lifestyles...” Full Review »
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User Base | Gender Ratio | Popularity (Visits/Mo.) |
Today's Deal
|
Mature Singles (50+)* |
48%*
52%*
|
8.9 Million* | Over 50? Try It FREE |
The Match Group launched OurTime to give singles over 50 a safe and clear pathway to love. The site has streamlined the signup and matching process so that even tech newbies can understand it and use it to meet new people. You don’t have to have any experience with online dating to succeed on this unique, user-friendly platform.
OurTime has a women-only section where women seeking women can browse for age-appropriate dates without worry. Whether you’re just over 50 or well into your 80s, you can use OurTime to get a fresh start in the dating scene and find someone who shares your values.
In terms of rainbow personals sites, OneScene is about as good as it gets. The platform welcomes gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and other singles across the spectrum, and it empowers them to knit together and find a place where they belong. OneScene is a proud advocate for the LGBTQ community worldwide and does what it can to spread the word that love is love.
OneScene supports a friendly and inclusive community, but that doesn’t mean you should immediately jump into a relationship with someone you just met online and don’t really know in real life.
The OneScene team said it best on the website’s safety guidelines: “Keep in mind that to grow any relationship, you have to give a little to get a little. We recommend that you exercise caution when getting to know any new dating partners on our site.”
Online dating has become an international phenomenon with millions of users all over the world. Many international dating sites have sprung up to connect singles across borders and allow multicultural relationships to flourish.
Today’s lesbian singles no longer have to stick to their own neighborhoods to find dates, they can travel around the world in a few clicks. The following international dating networks can help women find desirable dates who may not live in the area.
Relationships: Hookups, Chats
Match System: Search by encounter, location, and more
Our Experts Say: “Lesbian women love BeNaughty for many reasons, including it's large user base, free membership, and extensive search filters...” 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 |
BeNaughty offers a non-judgmental and sexually stimulating environment for singles on the prowl for a date. The site’s purpose is to facilitate local hookups, but it also allows users to search beyond their hometowns and find international romance.
The BeNaughty dating network is active in the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Denmark, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Canada, and Spain — and it is always adding new members from other parts of the world. No matter where you live, you can find naughty dates on this seductively enjoyable platform.
Since its launch in 2014, Bumble has made a name for itself as a female-friendly dating app on a progressive mission to change misogynistic dating norms. Women have all the power here. They have the power to turn a mutual match into a flirtatious conversation by sending the first message. They have the power to screen dates and only receive messages from people they’re interested in getting to know.
Men have to wait on women to make a move once a mutual match is formed. This doesn’t really impact lesbians on Bumble, but the empowering feminist atmosphere is still nice.
Bumble Founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd has proven that she isn’t afraid to go against the grain and make waves in the dating scene. From banning pictures of guns to adding friends-only networking tools, the app challenges what it means to be a responsible dating app in a post #MeToo world.
As Whitney said, “We were founded with safety at the helm of everything we do — to create a kinder Internet, to create a platform that would encourage accountability and rewrite the rules of how we interact with each other.”
According to experts in the field, as many as 2.4 million Americans have tried sexual non-monogamy, and approximately 9.8 million people have identified themselves as open to having satellite lovers. Some of these couples are closeted swingers and others are openly polyamorous, but they all share similar fantasies and want to find a sexually adventurous partner to join their party.
If you’re looking for a unicorn (a bisexual woman who enjoys threesomes), you can use the following dating sites to make it happen.
Like it or not, Tinder and its swiping-based matching has been a game changer ever since it launched in 2012. This trendsetting dating app made it easy to find a hot date anywhere and anytime, and many sites and apps have tried to replicate its success and popularity.
Just look at the numbers and tell me this isn’t a great place to meet women. Tinder sees over 2 billion views a day and arranges over 1.5 million dates per week. The app has created over 43 billion matches and been downloaded over 340 million time. Its dating network is also active in more than 190 countries and available in 30 languages. And it’s still growing.
If you want to up the odds of connecting with someone in real time, try signing in on Monday around 6 p.m., which is Tinder’s busiest day and time according to internal statistics.
In recent years, Tinder has embraced the single lifestyle by advocating for swipe life and telling its users “single is a terrible thing to waste.” So go out there and swipe, match, and ghost to your heart’s content. The app doesn’t have a section specifically for couples, but you can write in your Tinder bio that you’re interested in a three-way or an open relationship or what have you.
If there’s one thing women are good at, it’s talking about how they feel. Many women are natural-born communicators, and that makes lesbian relationships a regular gabfest. Plenty of Fish supports chatty singles by offering 100% free communication for all users.
“She seemed so witty, nice, and friendly via her messages. I was head over heels immediately.” — Katie and Liz, a POF couple
Plenty of Fish’s free communication policy has motivated many singles to stick around and have a conversation with their mutual matches. Over 1 billion messages are sent a month on this platform. Plus, 70,000 new singles join Plenty of Fish every day, so you’ll find plenty of women willing to talk.
“Even from afar, we made our fairy tale come true,” wrote Christina and Jennifer, who met on Plenty of Fish and got married in May 2019. “Casually continuing to message each other led to texting, long phone conversations, and eventually meeting in person despite the distance.”
touts itself as the most effective dating site for bisexual men, women, and couples. Its dating network has over 1.6 million members around the world, so we’re not arguing on that point. You can identify as bisexual or bi-curious when you sign up for free, and your sexual preferences will be openly displayed on your profile.
Some bisexual women join BiCupid in search of a hookup while others are looking for friendship. This dating site doesn’t judge. Its features encourage a community atmosphere where individuals can share first date ideas or discuss their experiences coming out as bisexual on the largest bisexual blog around.
According to the BiCupid team, “Unlike other sites, singles here start out with something in common: love for bisexual passion and bisexual romance. That common interest will help make dating easier and more effective.”
Dating sites and dating personals sites are like fraternal twins. They may look similar, but they aren’t exactly the same, and it’s important to treat them as their own separate thing. You’ll have a different experience on a dating site versus a dating personals site because the latter is more fast-paced and free-wheeling.
Dating personals sites have taken the age-old practice of meeting people by placing ads in a newspaper and brought it online. These sites don’t match users like traditional dating sites do — instead, they let the personals ad speak for itself.
Singles must use the search tools on dating personals sites to find the right match. It’s really straightforward. No mutual matching. No swiping. No excessive features getting in the way of an introduction.
Dating personals sites often don’t screen members, either, so it’s important to keep some basic safety tips in mind when arranging a date with someone you’ve met online. Both dating sites and dating personals sites support massive dating pools, so do your research before diving into the deep end.
Long story short, the dating classifieds site known as Backpage was forced to shut down its operations in 2018 because the U.S. government handed down a 93-count indictment against seven higher ups at the company. The indictment included charges related to prostitution and money laundering.
“For far too long, Backpage.com existed as the dominant marketplace for illicit commercial sex,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “But this illegality stops right now.”
The FBI, the IRS, the Department of Justice, and even the United States Postal Service worked together to bring Backpage down.
In April 2018, the CEO of Backpage Carl Ferrer pleaded guilty to both state and federal charges.
This scandal has sent shock waves throughout the online dating community, and it has already led some dating personals sites to tighten their own standards and ensure their platforms are safe places to meet people. Craigslist actually closed its personals section, saying, “Any tool or service can be misused. We can’t take such a risk without jeopardizing all our other services.”
You may have seen W4W written on a few dating profiles or ads online. It’s a pretty common way for single women to indicate that they’re looking for single women. W4W stands for “women seeking women.” Back in the days of MySpace, it also stood for “whore for whore,” but we’d like to think the internet has evolved past that now. Shout out to MySpace for really classing up the web in its early days. Thanks for the memories and the blurbs.
Other common terms on dating personals sites include:
In most cases, a string of letters on a dating personals ad is there to describe the person’s gender or orientation. But if you aren’t sure, definitely look it up on Urban Dictionary so you know what you’re getting into.
Dating can be hard work, especially now that singles have so many options at their disposal. It can be overwhelming to sort through all the profiles and sites out there to find the niche community where you fit in. Hopefully, this list of 15 W4W dating sites can help you make sense of the online dating scene and find something that meets your needs.
Whether you’re enjoying a women-only platform or making a place for yourself on a general dating site, you can build confidence in your dating skills by mingling with other women who share similar experiences and goals.
Lesbian matchmaker and our resident lesbian dating expert Dr. Frankie Bashan encourages women to go outside their comfort zones to meet remarkable women. “Believing you’re going to find ‘The One,’ on a first blind date with someone you met online is for the movies, not real life,” she said. “It takes a really long time to get to know someone, so adjust your expectations accordingly. If you like her, tell her so. If you find that you have at least something in common, suggest a second date.”
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