A few years back, not even the best dating apps for older people could convince my grandmother to try online dating. She believed it wasn’t suitable for singles “of a certain age” like her, and she just shook her head whenever I suggested setting up an online dating profile for her.
Then, my grandmother’s sister began dating a senior man she met online. Both were widowed and have been inseparable since their first date. Their story opened my grandmother’s eyes to what online senior dating sites could do for her. I helped her download a senior dating app to her smartphone, and she’s been swiping ever since.
It’s natural for senior singles to have reservations about online dating, but many trustworthy platforms have worked for people in their 50s, 60s, and up, and they can offer a fresh start in a brave new dating world. Here are some of our favorite grandmother-approved dating apps:
DateMyAge
- Relationships: Serious Dating, Long-term Relationships, Pen Pals
- Match System: Search filters, Suggested matches
- Our Experts Say: DateMyAge provides local and international matches for singles who are over 50 and hoping to entertain a long-term love interest. Our Review »
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DateMyAge can introduce senior singles to a world of romantic options, and it doesn’t charge anything to take a look around. Free members can view profiles and send likes to compatible profiles in the over-50 age group.
Keep in mind: DateMyAge isn’t a totally free dating site — it has a pay-as-you-go credit system for messaging. The benefit to that is senior people know they’re talking to real people who have paid for communication and are therefore serious about meeting new people.
DateMyAge has all the features of a typical matchmaking app, but it goes out of its way to explain how online dating works, offer safety tips, and guide senior singles to their perfect match. The international dating website has in-depth match settings based on religion, ethnicity, distance, and other qualities that are important to senior citizens in the dating world.
Match.com
- Relationships: Fun Dates, Serious Relationships
- Match System: Browse by location, age, interest, and more
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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.
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Match has been around since 1995 — back when internet dating involved a dial-up connection and adult chat rooms — and it has evolved to meet the dating needs of many generations of singles.
This top dating app has proven its longevity as a matchmaker. It has led to countless relationships and marriages in 50 countries around the world. Older singles can particularly benefit from Match membership because it offers mature dating options, high-quality profiles, and in-person social events.
According to internal stats, about 26% of Match members are over 50, and the senior age group is the fastest-growing demographic.
eharmony
- 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.
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A senior man founded eharmony in 2000 because he wanted to nudge online dating in a positive direction by using a psychology-based personality test to spark romance. To date, eharmony is responsible for bringing together over 2 million couples in the U.S. alone.
The eharmony matchmaking system digs deep into the user’s personality traits, communication styles, and relationship goals to calculate long-term compatibility. Single people can describe themselves in their own words in their dating profile and complete an 80-question quiz to attract a quality match.
Free eharmony members can browse profiles, send icebreakers, and read and respond to some messages in their inbox. However, only a premium member will have full access to photos, instant messaging, and video chat options on eharmony.
OurTime
- Relationships: Dating and Relationships
- Match System: Search by age as well as zip, gender, more
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About the App:
Made just for single seniors, OurTime is one of the most well-known niche dating apps. It’s a fun and straightforward app with simple swiping features. Once two people swipe right on each other, they can communicate. For more match options, visit the ConnectMe and I’m Interested pages.
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OurTime is a senior dating site and app with a massive following in the over-50 community. The dating platform has successfully united men and women of a certain age and provided avenues for companionship, romance, and long-term relationships.
As a People Media site, OurTime has a solid reputation in the dating industry, and its team has decades of experience behind it. Every day, more than 20,000 new members join this international dating network and entrust their love lives to a time-tested algorithm.
OurTime is a mobile-friendly site, which means you can access it through the web browser on your smartphone or tablet. That way, you don’t have to download the app to start your swiping journey.
5. SeniorMatch
SeniorMatch started as an online dating site in 2003, and now it offers an iOS and Android app to help mobile daters get into the swing of things. Over 1 million senior singles have joined this niche dating network, and it sees over 6,000 daily active members.
SeniorMatch provides a straightforward online dating experience that caters to people over 50. Its sign-up process takes less than five minutes to complete, and its members-only dating forums allow seniors to ask for tips or advice as they navigate the app and site.
A single senior can use the online dating app’s search tools to find their perfect match and spark a romantic connection that could last a lifetime.
6. Tinder for Seniors
Let’s be clear: TinderForSeniors.com is not affiliated with the dating app Tinder in any way, shape, or form. It simply drew inspiration from this app when creating a totally unique and easy dating service for seniors only. The online dating site offers senior forums where singles who are 60+ can engage in conversations and build confidence online.
The biggest difference between TinderForSeniors and Tinder is the membership base. The majority of Tinder users are under 30, and the majority of TinderForSeniors users are over 60.
TinderForSeniors is the passion project of a dating expert named Sue — available at DatingCounselorSue@gmail.com. It shares a database with SeniorMatch, so you may see a bit of overlap in its senior dating magazine, news feed, and match list.
7. MySeniorDatingSite
MySeniorDatingSite has over 100,000 users of all ages and backgrounds. Most of its users are over 50 and looking for a potential partner within their age group.
Sometimes young singles turn to MySeniorDatingSite to find an age-gap relationship. However, this niche dating site has mainly focused on finding age-appropriate matches in the dating scene.
You do not need to register with an account on MySeniorDatingSite to browse member profiles, and it’s worth taking a look around before you sign up to see what sort of people have joined the network. It’s completely free to mingle on MySeniorDatingSite.com, so, really, there’s very little risk in giving it a try.
How Do Dating Apps for Older People Work?
All it takes to enter a senior chat room is a few personal details and an email address or phone number. Some dating apps give singles the option to speed up the registration process by linking to a Facebook or social media account. This is optional, and you can always manually fill in details about your age, gender, and background if you wish.
Once you’ve completed your online dating profile, you’ll usually be directed to a match list or search tab where you can describe what type of person you’re looking for and generate a list of viable options. Typically, you’ll be able to view as many profiles as you want and send likes, icebreakers, or messages to show your interest in another person.
Some dating apps only allow premium members or mutual matches to engage in conversations online. Be sure to read reviews and learn what the chatting rules are before signing up.
Are There Adult Dating Apps for Older People?
Yes, senior people have sexual needs, and certain adult-only dating sites and apps are equipped to meet those needs. If you’re primarily interested in finding a sexual partner online, we recommend trying the following top-rated sex sites for seniors.
- Relationships: Casual Encounters
- Match System: Sort profiles by ZIP code, appearance, more
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About the App:
On NaughtyCharm, everyone is interested in finding sexual encounters with no strings attached. Within a couple of minutes, you can get a profile up for $0. Free membership includes unlimited photos, browsing, and reading chats. NaughtyCharm also has an anti-fraud system to ensure your personal information stays private while you flirt online.
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NaughtyCharm is a casual dating website and app where people don’t have to beat around the bush or pretend they’re interested in anything other than sex.
Millions of mature daters have joined this sex-positive network to spice up their love life. The site has search filters based on age, location, lifestyle, and appearance, so it’s easy to find a sexy adult who is exactly your type.
- Relationships: Hookups Only
- Match System: Filter by distance, gender, encounter
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About the App:
With 77 million members, Adult Friend Finder is one of the most popular apps for the sex community. It doesn’t matter if you’re single or part of a couple — you’re welcome to search for sex buddies, threesomes, and other casual encounters. And you won’t have to pay to do that as well as download the app, fill out a profile, and chat.
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Adult Friend Finder boasts having the world’s largest sex and swinger community. The X-rated site currently boasts over 103 million members and has over 98 million sexy photos in its gallery.
You don’t have to crop out or blur anything in your AFF profile picture. Nudity is allowed and even encouraged here. AFF members can enjoy a broad range of graphic content in the dating forums and video broadcasts, and they can upgrade to a Gold Membership plan to start sexting a stranger through the private chat tools.
- 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
Finally, Ashley Madison offers a discreet online dating service that can facilitate sexual relationships between single and married folks. This affair dating site can be helpful for a senior person who is considering getting divorced or separated and wants to explore local dating options on the down low.
Ashley Madison does not require members to browse under their real name or show their face in their profile picture. The dating platform even has a discreet payment system that ensures the words “Ashley Madison” and “online dating” will never show up in any credit card bills or bank statements.
Is Coffee Meets Bagel a Dating App for Seniors?
No, Coffee Meets Bagel is a general swiping app that’s open to singles of all ages. But the majority of its users are young adults in their 20s and 30s. That said, it’s free to download the app and give it a try if you want to meet new people.
Coffee Meets Bagel offers a slower paced online dating experience, which can appeal to senior daters, and users can go into their dating profile to set a preferred age range for their potential matches.
Are Dating Apps for Older People Safe?
Meeting a stranger on a dating app is about as safe as meeting a stranger anywhere. You should be a little cautious if a person is being a little too forward or seems disingenuous, but you can generally trust that each online dating profile is connected to a real person.
Free dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge require new users to verify their identity through a phone number or social media account. The most reputable dating companies also require all members to upload at least one photo of themselves. These verification steps discourage people from creating fake profiles.
It’s important for older adults to stay vigilant, as scammers might target them with requests for money or favors. Watch out for red flags like messages in broken English, requests to chat on international services like Whatsapp or Kik, and vague responses to personal questions.
A romance scammer may also make excuses about why he or she cannot meet you for a video call or in-person date.
Trust your gut when chatting with a new person online. If things seem to be moving too quickly or something feels off, you should voice those concerns and ask for confirmation that you’re talking to a genuine person. You can always block or report an online dater should the conversation get out of hand.
How Can I Choose the Best Dating App for Older People?
It’s good to do online research, read reviews, and see what people are saying about online dating before you create a dating profile. But don’t spend too long worrying if Match is better than eharmony or if a paid dating site will work better than a free dating app.
The fact is that you’ll never really know if these dating services will work for you until you try them out. You can start with a free trial or free membership on the top senior dating platforms and see which ones have the most promising options for you.
Can I Search By Age on Dating Apps?
Yes, virtually every dating site and app in existence has a search filter by age, location, and gender. That’s the bare minimum online daters should expect from an online dating service. Typically, you’ll be asked when you register an account what age range you’re looking for, and you can always adjust those numbers by going into your settings or dating profile and clicking “edit.”
Senior singles should be aware that some dating apps might show profiles outside their preferred age range if the person meets other match criteria. This often happens when an older person has already explored the senior dating options available in their area.
Does AARP Recommend Dating Apps for Older People?
As a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping American seniors, the American Association of Retired Persons has a lot of information resources geared toward the over-50 crowd.
Its experts have offered online dating tips in the past, but it has not gone so far as to recommend a specific dating platform for seniors.
It’s Never Too Late for Romance on a Senior Dating App
My grandmother has lived alone for nearly 20 years now, and I know she’d love to find a good man to fill the void left by my grandfather’s passing. However, it’s challenging for a senior woman as introverted and set in her ways as my grandmother to meet new people. That was until she discovered the ease of swiping and chatting on her phone.
Online dating gives senior singles like my grandmother a chance to dip their toe into the dating pool and explore new relationships while staying in their comfort zone. Swiping for senior dates has become increasingly popular as more tech-savvy singles enter their golden years and realize they don’t have to be alone.
We’ve created a list of the top dating apps for older adults, designed to help single parents and grandparents broaden their social circles and forge meaningful connections—all from the comfort of home.
