“Location, location, location” is the mantra that real estate agents live by, and that motto also applies to singles seeking love and romance on local dating sites.
Local dating sites tend to be the most popular options for singles because it’s just more convenient to date a person who lives in the same city, town, or state. Many free online dating sites and apps use location-based settings to organize date prospects by proximity and feature active profiles in your area.
Online dating is also an affordable way to meet a potential match instead of, for example, spending $50+ at a bar or club every Friday and Saturday night hoping you’ll happen to catch the eye of a compatible single man or woman. Here are the best local dating websites and apps that allow searching for dates by distance.
1. Match
Match isn’t just one of the top local free dating sites — it’s the top one in our expert rankings, and for good reason.
Match is responsible for making the most romantic connections than any other dating site, and the secret to its success lies in its personality-driven algorithm.
- 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. Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
On Match, you don’t just have one affordable option — you have two. You can sign up for a free account that never expires and lets you do things like browse for potential matches and exchange messages with mutual matches.
Or you sign up for an all-inclusive subscription plan that lets you communicate without any limits and gain access to features like Email Read Notifications.
If you’re eager to find compatible dates while you’re out and about, you can easily download the Match dating app for free. It offers all the same features as the website, but in a more convenient format for your phone.
2. OurTime
Free, effective, large senior demographic — this may seem like you’re asking for a lot out of a dating site, but you’re really not. This is your love life, and it’s worth being a little picky. If all of those things matter to you, you can find them on OurTime. This local dating website is dedicated to singles aged 50+ and doesn’t require you to input any payment information to create a dating profile.
- 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. Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
Some other great features of OurTime include its user-friendly design, detailed search options, and an overall enjoyable online dating experience.
OurTime has a companion online dating app to help a single senior find a potential partner while on the go, and the user base includes lots of over-50 date prospects.
3. eharmony
Getting something for free is great, but if the quality is lacking or the service doesn’t work for you, the free aspect becomes “a moo point,” as Joey Tribbiani would say. Whether we’re talking about cost effectiveness or efficiency, eharmony does both extremely well in both areas.
Without spending any money, you can create an account, take eharmony’s famous 32 Dimensions of Compatibility Quiz, and receive and view compatible matches.
- 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. Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
Ultimately, eharmony is an excellent choice for those seeking a serious, long-lasting relationship or marriage. The dating website and app have facilitated over 2 million relationships in the U.S., a figure that surpasses many of the free local dating sites.
While eharmony does charge members to send messages online, the dating website definitely makes it worth your while by continually recommending high-quality singles who are everything you’re looking for and then some.
4. BlackPeopleMeet
Not only is BlackPeopleMeet (BPM) a popular Black online dating site, but this is also a popular free local online dating site. In just a few minutes and for absolutely nothing, daters can set up a profile and find Black and biracial men and women near them.
- 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. Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
BlackPeopleMeet stands out as one of the few online dating sites that provide ethnicity and race filters, allowing you to specify exactly the kind of person you want in your life. While Black individuals make up the majority here, other races are warmly welcomed. This dating service is open to anyone in the U.S. or Canada seeking a Black or biracial date.
BPM has over 1 million monthly users from various locations and of various ethnicities, cultures, and religions, so trust that your ideal match is among that user base.
5. NaughtyCharm
We’ve talked age, religion, and race, and now it’s time to talk sex. For passionate singles who want a passionate night with someone equally as passionate (with no strings attached) there’s NaughtyCharm. One of our favorite sites for hookups, NaughtyCharm has some great free features, including the ability to search for matches by age, location, and appearance.
- Relationships: Hookups, Chats
- Match System: Search by encounter, location, and more
- Our Experts Say: NaughtyCharm is a premier hookup app where you can feel comfortable expressing your desires. Plus, it's free to join, browse, and flirt.
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
Whether you’re on desktop or mobile, NaughtyCharm can help make your naughtiest daydreams come to life.
NaughtyCharm offers five free messages to start out, and premium memberships start at $2.99 for three days, so don’t worry about going over budget here.
6. Tinder
This should come as no surprise. Tinder is actually one of the most popular dating apps in the world, and its swiping technology was designed to spark local matches. Since 2012, Tinder has been downloaded over 630 million times, and it has created over 97 billion matches in 190 countries.
If those stats aren’t enough to blow your mind, just consider the 1.5 million dates happening every week thanks to Tinder. It’s truly impressive. This online dating app tirelessly works for you, showcasing local single profiles that match your dating preferences and are interested in you too.
Of course, Tinder isn’t the same as a casual dating site like KinkyPeopleMeet where all users are looking for something naughty. Some singles join Tinder in search of a relationship or just wanting to chat.
What’s the Best Dating App for Finding a Serious Relationship?
A lot of quality-driven dating apps focus on building meaningful connections, and many of them have become quite popular among serious relationship seekers. You can download free apps like Hinge, Bumble, and Coffee Meets Bagel to meet a match. But sometimes true love is worth an investment.
Our online dating experts find that a premium dating app like eharmony gives a user a greater likelihood of getting into a lasting relationship.
The app uses an in-depth personality test to get to the heart of who you are and what you want, and that informs every match made in this upscale dating network.
- Relationships: Long-Term Relationships, Marriages
- Match System: Get daily match suggestions
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About the App:
Responsible for 4% of marriages in the U.S., eharmony is among our top picks for relationship-minded heterosexual singles. To become a member, add the app to your phone (iOS or Android) and then take its 29 Dimensions® of Compatibility Matching Quiz. It’s absolutely free to do both these things — as well as receive matches and communicate during other special events.
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
It’s free to join eharmony and set up a dating profile, and you can start browsing other people’s profiles immediately upon registration. If you want to improve your match ratings, you can invest some time in taking the personality questionnaire and completing every section of your dating profile.
Free eharmony members can send icebreaker quizzes and some free messages on the site and app, but only paid members with a premium membership can message anyone they like, so it may be a good idea to upgrade if you’re serious about finding love in the dating scene.
Are Free Online Dating Sites Worth It?
Leading dating sites for singles provide some free features to help newcomers understand the compatibility matching system and explore the singles network’s appeal. You might encounter a free trial membership or limited free messaging or liking options, which is fantastic for those hoping to save some cash while meeting new folks.
Free dating sites like OkCupid, Facebook Dating, and Plenty of Fish provide unlimited free messaging to all users, and that can seem like a pretty sweet deal at first. However, it can be difficult to sort through all the scammers, flakes, fake profiles, and phonies in a dating field where there’s no cover charge or messaging limits.
We’ve found that free dating sites may tempt single men and women on a budget, but they often require more effort, patience, and vetting to find a potential partner who’s the real deal. So, proceed with caution when you see a dating site or dating app offering 100% free chatting.
Which Site is Best for Casual Dating?
If you’re looking for a one-night stand, a threesome, or a casual fling, then Adult Friend Finder should be on your radar. This hookup site has over 100 million members, and it offers forums, blogs, chat rooms, live video feeds, and private messaging features to satisfy the desires of sexy singles and swingers around the world.
Adult Friend Finder is the best casual dating site in our book because it has so many flirtatious options available, and it provides adequate safety and privacy features to make sure local men and women can search for dates anonymously.
- 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. Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
A free membership with Adult Friend Finder includes a lot of helpful connective tools. You can like and favorite profiles, view nude photos, post in the members-only forum, and read stories in the erotic blog, and you can also use the search filters to find a local date who’s your type.
Now, when it comes to messaging that perfect match in the AFF community, that will cost a little extra because this hookup site wants to ensure that everyone is authentic before letting them get in contact with one another. That way, it effectively removes spam messages and inactive profiles from the conversation.
Your Ideal Match is Around the Corner on a Free Local Dating Site!
Location is an important factor to consider when buying a house, and it’s also critical when looking for a date. That’s why so many online dating tools focus on identifying the closest potential date options and inspiring romance by bringing locals together on common digital ground.
By joining one of these free local single dating sites, you’re taking a giant step forward in your love live and will be saving yourself money and time. A free membership can help you explore your options and figure out what you want, so you’ll be on your way to a love affair or relationship in no time at all. Best of luck!
