Dating in this day and age is hard, not to mention scary. After reading my last blog about the top 5 safe dating inventions, you should be armed and ready to go. Now is the time to get out on the field and start playing the game!
Meeting people is hard, but there’s a certain stigma that still follows online dating sometimes. However, it’s definitely diminished some over the last few years. Most people are intelligent enough now (when sober) to know that if you really want to meet a person that’s relationship material, it isn’t going to be in a bar. As adults, let’s be honest, work takes up most of our time. Rarely is there time for anything we’d actually like to be doing. The job is generally where people get introduced and end up dating. That’s not a bad thing by any means, but what if you work in a position where you can’t date a coworker? Or even worse–none of them are datable? Leave it the app industry to have your back!:
1. The Infamous Tinder
This app gets a great deal of attention, and we all know it by now, whether we use it or not. It seems it’s kind of gotten a bad wrap, but it really doesn’t have to be used as a hookup-only app. Its user-friendly interface and anonymity are a few of the reasons it’s so popular. It’s famous for it’s left and right swiping action, which is how you meet potential dates/hookups. If you both swipe right, Tinder will let you know that the feeling is mutual and you can take it from there! (Hopefully!) A positive thing about Tinder is the whole “rejection” issue. With Tinder, you don’t really know if you’re being rejected or not, only when there’s a match. Tinder has a 3.5 star average rating in the App Store with a wide variety of reviews. Make sure to check and see if this app might be right for you!
2. OkCupid
I have in fact used this app, and I actually really liked it. I met quite a few cool dudes who I hung out with occasionally, and the app itself matched me with people pretty accurately. The app has definitely upgraded since I’ve used it, following Tinder’s lead with the swiping of pictures. OkCupid provides you with a match percentage based on your information and questions you answered when signing up. My roommate and I had fun with OkCupid, and I think most people in my age group would (18-27.) This dating app has a 4.5 average rating in the App Store with the majority of reviews being positive.
3. Coffee Meets Bagel
This dating app is a new one for me. I honestly hadn’t heard of it, but when I started my research, this one popped up in many different articles. According to their website, they are “the Dating App That Women Love! Safe. Private. Fun.” It looks like the app does the majority of the work for you. At noon everyday, the app sends you a “bagel,” a match that shares mutual friends on Facebook. The hope for integrating Facebook into your dating apps is to cut out the creep factor for both men and women. It’s also to insure that you do in fact have people and interests in common to create more enjoyable experiences for you both. You can then like or pass on the person, teaching the app what your preferences are. If the two of you express interest in one another, the app will send you both to a private chat room where you can get to know each other better and make plans to meet. Coffee Meets Bagel also has a currency called “beans” that you can use those to buy viewing privileges of who your mutual friends are. I’m not a fan of the whole “beans” situation, but I do like the idea of seeing that you have mutual friends. It’s comforting to know that you can ask around about someone. Not just for information, but for safety purposes as well. This app also has an 4.5 average rating in the App Store with 208 5-star reviews.
4. Loveflutter
I personally love this app. It’s very creative in it’s process and I like that they stepped outside the box of the superficial dating profile experience to give you something a little more personal. For your profile picture, this dating app asks that you go with a unique fact about yourself. You then superimpose that fact over a blurred out image, which will then reveal more information if you stay on the profile. The creators really want people to meet based on their interests and personality, not by whether they took a great selfie that day. What I like most about Loveflutter is that it also suggests dates for you. Planning a date is nerve wracking! Now you have a little help in that department. Loveflutter has an average rating of 4.5 as well but only has a total of 17 reviews in the App Store.
5. How About We
This dating app has really gotten creative in finding its user’s matches. Instead of wading through tons of profiles, How About We has you describe the type of date you want to go on. Users can view other people’s date ideas and pick their matches accordingly. This will hopefully lead to someone who has similar interests (the whole point of the dating app game!) This dating app has an average rating of 2.5 in the App Store with almost 50 reviews posted on it. I still chose this app to talk about because I think it serve a small niche market in the dating world.
There are many other dating apps out there as I’m sure we could all name a few more, any number of which just might not be the right app for you. Play with them, experience what each has to offer and see what fits best for you! These are apps that I have personally had experience with, or know someone who has. These are great alternatives to buying a subscription to Match.com or eHarmony and are a little more laid back and less intimidating. These are FREE dating apps that let you play around with your profile and potentially meet the type of person you’ve been wanting to meet, but haven’t been able to leave the office to do so just yet! Now get out there and meet people!
Do you use a dating app? Tell me which one and how well it’s worked for you!
