Photo KnowInsiders
Top 10 Most Popular Dating Sites. Photo KnowInsiders

Dating sites and apps are numerous nowadays and asking someone about their favorite site will elicit a response as unique as the person themselves. While some people might be searching for love and marriage, others may be looking for something more casual. The best dating sites offer plenty of variety and privacy, among other features.

Let's check out top 10 most popular dating sites

1.Bumble

2.Tinder

3.Match

4.OurTime

5.OKCupid

6.Plenty of Fish

7.Facebook Dating

8.Hinge

9.Coffee Meets Bagel

10.Happn

*****

How The Best Dating Sites Were Evaluated

User reviews - For each dating site we looked at app store reviews, forum discussions, and trustpilot reviews to find sites with the highest average rating in a given category.

Privacy and security - Everyone has heard horror stories of online dates gone sour or dangerous. The best dating sites feature built-in privacy features and even moderators to step in when a user is out of line or poses a risk to others.

Unique features - Some dating websites just offer straightforward meet-up options, whether through chat or video call. Others help people find their match with compatibility games, filtering options, and more. These additional features indicate a better chance at success.

What are the most popular dating sites?

1.Bumble-Great option for women

Photo Bumble
Photo Bumble

Bumble is unusual among dating applications in that it empowers women to initiate communication. Men cannot contact their female matches unless the woman makes contact first. This allows ladies to take the lead for once.

Similar to Tinder, Bumble enables users to find a match by swiping right if you like the person or left if you don't. The major differentiating factor is, for heterosexual couples, the woman must send a message first. Conversely, with same-sex couples, either person can initiate contact. There's also a premium service that can screen your matches for certain qualities or criteria, like level of education. Prices vary from $7.99 a week to $32.99 a month, or you can pay $199.99 for a lifetime subscription of the premium service.

The platform focuses on immediate contact. Users have 24 hours to make contact, and after that, the match expires. This indicates that the site is geared towards spontaneous hookups, but it is also suitable for those that do not like to spend a lot of time browsing around.

The app integrates seamlessly with social networking platforms such as Facebook, Spotify, and Instagram, allowing users to showcase various aspects of their personality. Accounts are also verified to help avoid fake profiles from popping up frequently.

Who it's good for: Because women have most of the control, Bumble is ideal for women who are sick of unsolicited messages from creepy dudes and for men who are tired of always having to make the first move. It's also for people who want transparency in what kinds of relationships potential matches are looking for.

The downsides: You have to be fast and active if you use Bumble as matches disappear after 24 hours if you don't interact with them. This is especially rough for men seeking women, because they can't even start the convo if the match is cutting it close to time.

How does Bumble work

To create an account on Bumble, sign up with either your Facebook account or your phone number. From there, you create your profile: add photos, write a bio, share traits like astrology sign and exercise level, and answer prompts like "I'm a great +1 because."

Before using Bumble, you'll also want to set your match preferences. You can set "Date Filters" to determine age and location ranges, as well as whether you want to see men, women, or everyone (there's no specific option for non-binary or trans users).

With a free Bumble account, you can set two out of 11 "Advanced Filters" and sift out users based on other factors like lifestyle (such as drinking or smoking) or what they're looking for (like something casual or a relationship). You can set as many Advanced Filters as you want with a Premium account.

2.Tinder

Top 10 Most Popular Dating Sites For Singles
Photo Tinder

Who it's good for: Tinder is place you go to find someone to flirt with ASAP. Everyone and their mother is on Tinder, and the wide variety of people means you'll never not be able to find someone close. Tinder is great for finding a quick hookup with someone nearby where you live, and it's especially handy if you're looking for a vacation fling or a local to show you around while you're traveling. It's pretty much online dating without the commitment: You can use it when you're bored, ignore it for three weeks, and come back to find new matches and a new crowd to swipe through.

This isn't to say that Tinder is only used for finding a one night stand or friends with benefits situation, though. A lot of people are truly on Tinder to find a real relationship, and it's likely that you know at least one couple that met on Tinder.

Is Bumble better than Tinder?

Given Tinder's less than stellar reputation, one may ask whether Bumble is the better option. Their interface is similar, so if you don't like swiping, neither Tinder nor Bumble is the dating app for you.

If you don't mind swiping but you do mind men sending appalling first messages, though, give Bumble a shot. Still, Bumble's 24 hour rule on both sides can be daunting. Sometimes you may not be in the mood to chat right away, or you may be swiping during a work break and forget to check back in. Tinder doesn't have time restraints.

Tinder also doesn't have alternative services like Bumble BFF or Bizz. If you're already in a relationship but looking for a different kind of connection, Bumble is your best bet.

There's also chatter about the "types" of people you'd find Tinder versus Bumble, like that users on the latter are more serious than those on the former. Given that Tinder has resulted in long-term relationships and marriages — and so has Bumble — I don't take stock in those assumptions. In 2021, people are on all types of dating apps for all different reasons; the specific app may not matter.

3.Match

Match is the most popular online dating app in 17 states according to PCMag’s survey of 2,000 people. As one of the OG dating services (it’s moved from website-only to a website and app), Match has a specific appeal to those between 45 and 65 looking for a serious relationship; additional research by SurveyMonkey found that 58 percent of adults 45-54 years old use Match, more than double the percent who use Tinder. You can download it for free, although that will restrict you to browsing; if you want to actually message potential partners, subscriptions start at $21.99 a month.

Match.com has a free version, but the general consensus is that you'll need a paid subscription to have any luck. That's a hangover from the early days of online dating sites, when a paid basic membership to a site meant you were serious about settling down. But my friends and I have long since come to the conclusion that you might be a little too eager to find a significant other or the perfect partner if you pay to get dates, particularly given the abundance of free dating apps. There are definitely paid features on some dating apps that are worth the price, but I've yet to be able to justify shelling out cash for love.

READ MORE: How to Find Love, Best online Dating Apps during Covid-19 Pandemic in 2021

4.OurTime

Dating apps aren’t just for millenials; 20 percent of internet users between the ages of 55 to 64 have used a dating app or service, according to a poll from technology and research company Morning Consult. OurTime turns the idea of hookup culture on its head; instead, it encourages users to search for pen pals, friends, dates, long-term relationships and marriage partners. The free-to-download app lets you send emails, flirt, and match with potential partners, and a premium subscription ($38 per month) allows for additional features like the ability to see who has liked your profile.

5.OKCupid

Photo mashable
Photo mashable

Who it's good for: This is the place for, well, pretty much everyone who takes dating seriously, but still wants to have fun. Though OkCupid's advertisements may have "DTF" plastered all over them, the site's intentions and matchmaking process are no joke. We also want to mention that OkCupid and its user base is pretty liberal. The ads with same-sex couples are an obvious giveaway, but OkCupid has snuck in other little features to weed out more conservative-minded people.

For instance, they'll ask questions about whether you're for or against the defunding of Planned Parenthood or same-sex marriage, and if you feel obligated to help fellow human beings — all as a way to tell right off the bat if your potential match leans left or right. (This can help you avoid awkward date conversations in the future.) Liberal ladies found that this worked to their advantage, as OkCupid released statistics showing that liberal-leaning answers to those questions made you significantly more likely (like 80% plus more likely) to find love on the site.

6.Plenty of Fish

Photo mashable
Photo mashable

Plenty of Fish, as its name suggests, features a wide selection of dating profiles. It is free, but you'll probably find it far easier to use if you pay for the premium services. Prices vary, but you can expect to pay $12.90 a month for three months or $6.78 a month for 12 months.

You can send and receive messages for free; the premium membership is an ad-free version that allows users to search more easily, using filtering options such as education and income.

7.Facebook Dating

Plenty of Fish, as its name suggests, features a wide selection of dating profiles. It is free, but you'll probably find it far easier to use if you pay for the premium services. Prices vary, but you can expect to pay $12.90 a month for three months or $6.78 a month for 12 months.

You can send and receive messages for free; the premium membership is an ad-free version that allows users to search more easily, using filtering options such as education and income.

8.Hinge

Photo mashable
Photo mashable

The company relaunched Hinge in 2016, and it is one of the most frequently discussed dating apps in recent years, most likely due to its users’ success rates. Approximately 75 percent of Hinge users opt to go on a second date after meeting their matches.

Those with Hinge profiles can also leave reviews, which the Hinge software then uses to help refine their match algorithms in the future.

Hinge's platform is interesting in that it prompts users to like or comment on a certain section of the other person's profile. It provides a way for people to interact beyond the usual chat.

9.Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee Meets Bagel is a dating site renowned for helping people find long-term romance. It aims to empower women, and most of its users are intellectuals. It was launched in 2012 and boasts international coverage; however, it is only popular in about five countries. That’s hardly a downside, as it is popular in the USA, as well as the UK and Canada. Then, a thinner user pool means you’ll face less rejections and greatly increase your chances of finding “the one.”

One of the most important things to check when picking a dating site is its availability. Sure; you’ll obviously pick a site that’s available in your area. But if you like to travel a lot and would like to use the service to find dates in other parts of the world, you should check if the dating site you like is available in that area.

10.Happn

Happn matches you with people who are located nearby. It's a cool concept and helpful for people who want to meet someone in a more organic manner. That said, I've never met a single person who actually uses the app.

After signing up, Happn showed me 68 people it said I'd crossed paths with in the preceding 3 hours, though I hadn't left my apartment all day. This might be helpful if you're looking to date your immediate neighbors (or Uber drivers), but I don't see the attraction when competitors like Tinder already show the distance between you and other users. Frankly, if I saw an attractive guy in a coffee shop, I'd just approach him rather than check to see if he's on Happn. The app seems designed for people who don't want to use online dating sites but also don't want to approach people in real life. Pick a lane.

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