Looking for a free dating app where you can meet new people online? We’ve rounded up our top 7 and today we’ll tell you all about each of them! As with anything, there are some pros and cons to each one, but we’ll give you all the information you need to decide which app will work best for you based on the type of relationship you’re trying to start.
Here are our top 7 recommendations for the best free dating apps to try out in 2018.
1. eHarmony
eHarmony.com is one of the most well-established online dating services available. They have their users fill out a questionnaire in order to find other users that will be most compatible with them. You can download the eHarmony app, sign up for an eHarmony account, and fill out the questionnaire, all for free. You’ll even be able to see a preview of your matches, and send them messages if you want to! However, with a free account, the features you can access will be limited, so we’d recommend getting their premium membership for the best experience.
Since eHarmony has been around for so long, there are millions of people using eHarmony, so you’re very likely to be find someone who is just right for you. eHarmony focuses on building serious, long-lasting relationships between compatible users. If this is what you’re looking for, you should consider giving it a try!
You can download the eHarmony app for your iPhone/iPad or Android device, or access their service on their website. To learn more about eHarmony and how to use it, check out our free eHarmony course.
2. Match.com
Match.com is another well-established online dating service. Match has been around since 1993, and it’s the world’s most popular dating service. You can download and sign up for Match for free, and get a look at some of your matches. However, similarly to eHarmony, it’s better if you get one of their premium subscriptions. A good thing to know is that if you sign up for a 6-month Match subscription and don’t meet anyone in that time, you can get another 6 months for free.
Match will help you find people in your area that you’d be interested in and compatible with. Since millions of people are on Match, you’ll probably be able to find someone you have a great connection with.
You can use Match on their website or download the app for your Android or iOS device.
3. Tinder
Tinder is arguably the most popular free dating app with the younger generations today. It’s free to download and use, and the interface is simple and straightforward. Tinder is kind of like online speed dating – it’s easy to quickly scan over someone’s profile and decide whether you’re into them or not. If you like someone’s profile, you can swipe your screen to the right, if not swipe left. If you and another user both “like” each other’s profiles, you’ll be matched with each other and be able to send each other messages.
Since Tinder doesn’t require users to answer questions or tests to determine compatibility with others, it allows users to determine compatibility for themselves by actually talking to their matches. Some people may like that they don’t have to answer questions or fill out lots of information to complete their profile, while others might not be fond of this.
A few great things about Tinder are that it’s free, easy to use, and that because it’s so popular, there are tons of users – giving you more potential matched to choose from. On the other hand, some downsides of Tinder are that you don’t know if someone has liked you unless you like them back, and that many Tinder users are only looking for casual, short-term relationships, which is bad news for those who want something serious.
You can download Tinder for your iOS device (iPhone/iPad) or Android device, and you can check out their website here. Learn more about Tinder and how to use it with our free Tinder course.
4. PlentyOfFish
PlentyOfFish (POF) is an online dating service that’s been around since 2003. It’s a little older than most of the other services we’ll be talking about in this article, and it’s still very popular today. POF launched their apps for iPhone and Android devices back in 2010. POF is free to use, but they also offer additional features if you choose to get a premium membership.
To determine compatibility between users, POF has 2 different tests. The first is called the “Chemistry Test,” which focuses on your emotional needs, and the “Relationship Needs” test, which focuses on what you need in a relationship.
What’s nice about POF is that it’s free to download and sign up for, it gives users guidance as to who is compatible with them, and it focuses more on building long-term, serious relationships, rather than casual ones. However, you can’t access all the features of POF for free – you need a paid subscription to get additional features.
You can download thir app for your Android phone or iPhone. You can also access the service through their website.
5. OkCupid
OkCupid is another great free dating app to try out. You can browse other users in your area who OkCupid feels will be compatible with you based on your answers to fun quizzes on the app. However, you don’t have to answer tons of questions before you can start meeting people on OkCupid – just fill out some of your basic information, and you can message any user you see on OkCupid! But the more questions you answer, the greater the likelihood is that OkCupid will be able to find someone who’s compatible with you.
We love that OkCupid is free, easy to use, and has a quick sign-up process. We also like that it lets you work on answering questions at your own pace to increase your chances of finding someone who is more compatible with you. On the bad side though, since any OkCupid user can message another (without the need to match first) you may end up with some unwanted messages in your inbox.
Download the OkCupid app for your iPhone or Android device, or access their services on their desktop site.
6. Bumble
This dating app has a different way of doing things that we find quite interesting! Bumble is similar to Tinder, in that it’s kind of like online speed-dating, but what makes it different is that after two users are matched, the woman has to make the first move and start the conversation. If no conversation is started within 24 hours of matching, the match disappears forever (though in the case of same-sex matches, either user can start the conversation). Bumble also has a feature called “BFF,” where in the same app interface users can look for potential platonic friends with the same matching system.
What’s nice about Bumble is that it changes up the typical expectation of men having to make the first move and gives more power to the women. In addition, if you and another user both “like” each other’s profiles, you’ll automatically both be notified that you’re a match. This also means that you won’t end up with any unwanted messages from people you haven’t matched with. However, some women that are more shy may not enjoy that they’re forced to start conversations, and men might not like that the match disappears if the woman doesn’t send a message soon enough.
If you’d like to try Bumble, you can download the app for your Android device or iPhone.
7. Badoo
Badoo is the last dating app we’ll be covering today. It’s the largest social discovery network in the world, with over 338 million users. Badoo is available in 180 countries, so no matter where you live, you’ll likely be able to find lots of Badoo users to meet in your area. On Badoo, you can browse other users in your area, or use their “Encounters” feature to quickly decide if you’re interested in someone or not (similar to how Tinder and Bumble work). Of course, Badoo is free to sign up for and use, but they also offer additional features if you opt-in to their paid subscription membership.
While Badoo users can see when another user has interests in common with them by looking at their profile, Badoo doesn’t only let users view profiles of others who share their interests. Badoo lets users determine compatibility for themselves by communicating with each other.
We like that Badoo offers different ways to meet other users, and that users can determine compatibility for themselves rather than being restricted to only seeing users deemed compatible with them. Another great thing about Badoo is that it gives several ways for users to verify their profiles to prove that their account isn’t fake. On the downside, since users are able to view the profiles of any other users in their area without having to match with them, you could potentially end up with unwanted messages.
You can use Badoo on their website, or download their app for iPhone or Android.
Those are all of our top 7 recommendations for the best free dating apps for iPhone and Android in 2018! We hope we helped you find another new dating app to try out, and that it leads you to a happy relationship.
