Best Dating Apps of 2021: Money-Saving Review

The global pandemic has truly amplified single people's struggles at finding love (myself included in that). Not only does it keep me from being able to meet someone out in the real world, going on dates has been challenging in their own right.

As everyone responsibly retreats into their house, trades their work pants for loungewear, and cozies up at their computer for their next zoom meeting, people looking for love are generally left scratching their heads as to how to navigate this ever-evolving dating world.

Luckily, we also live in a time when technology has given us many avenues of making connections through our smartphones via dating apps. For many people such as myself, dating apps have been a great way to be social and form connections from the safety of your own home.

In fact, online dating has become so popular that it has all but lost the stigma that it once had ten years ago. While I have yet to find the love of my life, there are countless success stories of people finding loving relationships through the apps on this list.

So if you're hesitant to jump into the world of online dating, it helps to understand that it's a relatively normal thing to do and gives you the potential to meet and connect with people you wouldn't get within your everyday life. Plus, online dating apps have made it fun and easier than ever to begin your online dating experience. 

Our testing criteria involved a combination of in-depth testing of each app, analysis of customer reviews, and cost comparisons between the apps' premium membership options. As we tested each individual app, the app's ease of use, free and premium features, approach to dating, and a number of users on each app were examined to see what option had the best overall dating experience for users. 

In addition to this, we also took into account user reviews of each app in order to get a better sense of how different users experienced these apps. Because I am a cis-gendered, heterosexual, white female, my experience might be much different than a trans individual or someone that identifies as a different gender than myself. Therefore, by looking at real user reviews, we could better understand possible shortcomings or positives that each dating experience had for a wide variety of individuals. 

Throughout the testing process, we set our location to Chicago, Illinois, on all of the apps tested. Because this is a larger metropolitan city, it may increase the number of users on apps and may increase the amount of diversity seen as opposed to using these apps in a more rural setting. 

A quick note: 

Each app was tested by a person who is single and actively looking to date and find love during the Covid-19 pandemic. We believe that this gives you a better and more honest review of how helpful and fun the apps tested actually are when a person is using them authentically. 

This app has one of the cleanest and easiest layouts out of all of the apps that we tested and doesn’t feature a swipe right or left function as most of the other popular apps do. Instead, Hinge allows users to comment and like specific parts of a potential match’s profile, which makes it much easier to break the ice and start a conversation from the very first message. Plus, without the swipe left and right feature, it keeps people from speed swiping and allows you to look at each profile before liking or rejecting it.

Hinge also has one of the cheaper memberships if you are looking for more premium features within a dating app. For a monthly subscription, it costs $19.99 and $9.99 per month for a six-month subscription. While the free version is almost fully functional, the premium membership does have its perks, such as increased control over preference, unlimited likes, and the ability to see a full list of who has liked you. 

It’s difficult to find many qualms about this dating app, and I have to say that I found myself using this the most out of all of the ones tested. However, I will say that I wish there were a bit more things you could fill out on your profile. 

For instance, there isn’t a spot to input what you are looking for. While Hinge is meant for finding more serious relationships, I did match with a few people that told me they weren’t looking for anything serious. By having a space for that, it would save people a lot of time by being able to filter out people that weren’t looking for the same things as they were. 

That being said, I did typically run into people that seemed to actually care about finding a meaningful connection, and the rate of ghosting was much lower than other apps on the market, making this slight snag nothing close to a drag.

Overall, Bumble is a well designed, fun, and easy to use dating app that offers so much more than just dating. Whatever your budget, this app can be functional and lead to great and lasting connections. 

Tinder is one of the original modern dating apps and is responsible for making the swipe left and right function popular among online dating platforms. Generally, this app is great for users between the ages of 18 and 30 and has one of the largest user bases out of all of the apps tested. 

However, if you are looking for a serious relationship, this may not be the app for you. In fact, Tinder has made a name for itself as being a go-to app when you are looking for a casual fling.

The app itself is straightforward to use, set up, and has a fun vibe, but it can start feeling a bit shallow due to its emphasis on pictures and limited profile information. However, it is an inclusive space for everyone, including members of the LGBTQIA+ community, making it a great choice for people with a wide variety of preferences.

Regarding the debate over whether or not to pay for the membership, it is almost completely up to the individual and how much they find themselves using the app. As it is almost completely functional within its free version, we recommend only upgrading to the paid version if you want to manually set your location to somewhere you aren't physically in. That being said, we found that there are more cost-effective apps to spend your money on, especially if you are looking for something potentially more serious. 

Overall, we recommend this app for its fun and user-friendly interface, bold design, inclusivity, and if you are looking for something a bit more casual. 

OkCupid was one of the first dating platforms to take on online dating. Having been on the scene for a long time, it knows a thing or two about the app-based dating game.

Recently, OkCupid has gone through a major revamp, making it more user-friendly, fun, and inclusive to more people. In fact, it is one of the most LGBTQIA+ inclusive apps on this list, having more than 13 gender identities, 22 sexual orientations, and a space for your preferred pronouns that no other app has.

In addition to this, OkCupid has a large dating pool with most of its users between 18 and 34. This makes it a great choice for younger adults looking for anything from casual friendships to marriage. While the profile set up is a little lengthier than other apps, they do ask fun, non-traditional questions to help their advanced algorithm match you with compatible people.

While testing out the easy to use app, I found myself having much more fun on OkCupid compared to others due to its different ways of matching, from a swipe function to an exploration section that lets you view potential matches in your area based on preferences you set. Due to these reasons, we recommend checking out OkCupid if you're a young adult looking for a dating app to use. 

Because the ads on the app can get a little distracting, and with the multitude of perks that the premium membership offers, we found that the 39.99 a month or 19.99 a month for six months was well worth it if you are serious about finding love. 

This premium plan opens up your ability to customize your profile, tap into more features within its large user base, and get access to features such as sending unlimited likes. While it is a bit pricier than the other apps, we found that the features, inclusivity, and layout were well worth the price tag. 

Match.com is one of the top apps to use if you are serious about finding a meaningful relationship. That being said, this app is only useful when you have a membership, so if you aren't willing to spend money on a dating app at this point, other apps on this list might be a better fit. 

However, Match.com offers pretty competitive pricing compared to its competition. A monthly subscription costs 29.99 per month, which gets you unlimited messaging, complete visibility of other people's profiles, up to 12 top picks for you per day, and a profile review from an expert. These perks, especially the review from an expert, are great if you are new to online dating and want to learn how to put your best foot forward.

There are a couple of downsides to Match.com's dating app experience. While it is very gender and sexual orientation inclusive and the overall app design is great, there seems to be a slightly older demographic than the more popular dating sites. While this may not be a negative for people between 35 and 45, I found myself having a slightly difficult time matching with people around my age (twenty-five).

Despite the drawbacks of age and the need for a paid membership, Match.com's algorithm is said to lead to higher quality matches and is a great place to meet other people looking for a serious relationship. Additionally, its sleek and simple design, features, and inclusivity make it worth the responsibly priced membership fee. 

That being said, if you do want to match with more people than your curated Bagel batch of the day, there is also an option to explore other bagels within your area. If you like one of these, you can ‘buy’ a like with coffee beans that you are able to purchase if you run out of the beans they start you out with.

Facebook Dating is one of the newer dating apps that was recently released by Facebook. It is a very basic, no-nonsense approach to dating that verges on a watered-down version of different aspects of popular apps on the market. 

That being said, Facebook Dating is one of the only apps that is completely free to use which makes it the most cost effective dating option on the market. 

Additionally, Facebook Dating has a very large user base. This is due to the fact that anyone who has a Facebook account can also easily sign up for Facebook Dating. However, it should be noted that Facebook does keep your actual Facebook account private so you don't get random friend requests from strangers. 

Overall, it is a solid app to at least check out due to it's straightforward approach to online dating. In fact, throughout the testing, I came to enjoy how simple it was to navigate and even met some wonderful people in the process. 

Eharmony is supposedly made for finding a real, serious, romantic connection with a compatible partner. However, I was immediately let down upon signing up when I noticed that it was not as inclusive to many sexual or gender orientations as other modern dating apps. With that in mind, if you are anything other than straight or gay, this app may be difficult to navigate. 

While it does have an extensive compatibility algorithm said to match you with the best person for you, the free version is almost completely non-functional. In fact, you are required to commit to a six month membership at $45.50 a month if you want to use eharmony. 

According to some users and success stories, some people are able to find lasting love on this platform. However, that seems to be the case with many other, cheaper, and more inclusive apps on the market as well. Because of this, we recommend checking out some of the other apps on our list before eharmony. 

This form of online dating is perfect for the introvert or someone new to the online dating world as it keeps your identity a secret to the person you are playing a game with until the game is over. This takes the pressure off of you and lets you focus on making the connection purely through the gaming experience.

Overall, this app is a fun and alternative way to online date. I had a lot of fun playing games with and getting to know potential matches. Because of this, I recommend checking out XO if you're looking for something different.

Happn is another dating app that veers from the traditional app-based dating approach. Happn shows you people that you may have crossed paths with in real life via geo-locations on your phone. 

This app is helpful to have if you see someone in public that you’re interested in and don’t have the chance - or are too nervous - to go up to them and strike up a conversation. The only catch is that they also have to be on the app, but it’s worth a shot.

Happn has a relatively large user base, with most of its users being in metropolitan areas, so you probably won’t run out of people to match with if you’re using it in a populated area. Unfortunately, the app has limited customizations unless you upgrade to the paid version, which gives you access to dating filters.

The paid version also lets you see who likes you and gives you 10 FlashNotes per day, which allows you to send a message directly to your crush, unlimited profile reactions, and turn off your geolocation when you want, among other things. However, we found that the paid version at $24.99 per month or $89.99 for six months isn’t worth your money unless you find yourself solely using Happn for online dating.