A friend of mine recently attempted her hand on online dating post a number of years away from the scene. She signed up for one of the biggest dating sites in existence and, like many others, found herself swamped by messages and unscreened matches. It quickly became what is it worth work, not fun, and she gave up before she even met anyone. She’s not alone: Roughly 1/3 of Americans say they know a couple who met online. The good news is that there are plenty of other sites and apps out there to try. The key is identifying one that aligns with your dating goals and meets your needs.
The following eight of the best dating sites are some of the most popular on the U.S. and are catered at different audiences. Some, such as eharmony and Match https://www.timeout.com/washington-dc/bars/best-pick-up-bars-in-washington-dc, are intended for those looking for serious relationships; others, for example, Tinder and Bumble, are more focused on casual hookups. Some sites have a zero-cost membership that lets you create a profile and view matches, while others require a subscription-based subscription for messaging and other features.
OkCupid
This platform says it creates over 90 million matches a year and boasts that it’s “the ultimate scientifically proven dating site on the planet.” It has a detailed questionnaire that helps locate compatible mates, but isn’t as long as the one on eharmony. It also prompts users to answer questions about things they’re ardent about, ranging from climate change to cilantro (it’s not for the faint of heart).
Coffee Meets Bagel
After a successful launch in New York City and a stint on Shark Tank, this app has quickly increased beyond its home base in the Big Apple. The app claims to eliminate endless swiping by only showing you one match daily, and requires women to make the first move in heterosexual matches. It also offers a version that provides more potential matches and eliminates ads.