Hinge is a unique dating app ‘designed to be deleted.’ In other words, it does its job so effectively that you will find your match soon enough and delete the app.
Hinge has grown from just 2.4 million users in 2017 to over 23 million in 2023. So, why is Hinge that popular?
First, setting up a profile is a piece of cake; simply fill in the basic details, choose three prompts, and add six of your best photos or videos. You can leave details blank, such as whether you have children, where you were schooled, and your current job.
Are you traveling to a different location and want to meet new people? Hinge lets you change the location without paying.
Hinge allows you to chat with videos and answer prompts with text or audio. Also, the profiles on this app are more in-depth than you’d find elsewhere.
However, Hinge isn’t the only dating app. We have many alternatives, including eharmony, Tinder, Bumble Match, Coffee Meets Bagel, Badoo, and more.
The best dating app like Hinge is eharmony because it has an intelligent compatibility quiz that makes it easy to match you with the right people. It’s available on mobile and desktop and provides icebreakers to simplify communication.
Why Explore Hinge Alternatives?
While Hinge lets you easily create a profile, interact with your matches via text or video, and change your location for free, it has limitations.
Hinge doesn’t do background checks on new members, and you know what that means? Scammers and fake profiles (catfishing) are likely to sneak in unnoticed.
As a free user, you only get ten likes daily, which can all fly by within a minute or two. You will need to subscribe for unlimited likes.
Hinge doesn’t have a desktop version, which can be limiting for users who spend more time on their PCs and want to date online while at it.
So, are there better dating apps like Hinge? Keep reading to discover a suitable one for your needs.
Also Read: Social Catfish Alternatives
Dating Apps Like Hinge
1. Bumble
This popular dating app is built to reflect the principles of equality, respect, and inclusiveness. What differentiates Bumble from Hinge is that it lets women be the first to make that initial move.
After two people right-swap each other, creating a match, the next move depends on gender. If one of the members is a woman, she should start a conversation within 24 hours. If she doesn’t, the connection expires. Paid memberships allow for more extended response periods.
The good news is you don’t have to initiate a conversation if you don’t want to; keep swiping through more profiles instead.
Have you moved to a new city or state and want to find friends with similar interests? Bumble makes that easy. Simply tweak your settings to indicate BFF, swipe right to find interested members, and kick off the chat.
With the app’s free version, you enjoy unlimited swipes; swipe right and left as often as you want until you find suitable folks.
The free version lets you use video chats to know your match better. In fact, you can link your Instagram and Spotify accounts to showcase your hobbies with friends or potential dates.
Bumble is free, but if you want additional premium features to enrich your dating experience, consider their Bumble Boost and Bumble Premium options for paid subscriptions.
2. Tinder
Tinder is one of the world’s most popular dating apps, with 75 million monthly active users from over 197 countries.
The app has a simple matching software that allows you to swipe left to pass someone and swipe right to like someone.
Tinder uses a double opt-in system to ensure two individuals only match after sharing similar interests.
Finding a date on Tinder is straightforward. Start by swiping through various profiles you like, chatting online with your preferred match, and physically meeting the person to commence a relationship.
Whether you are bisexual, gay, straight, or anything in between, use this app to reveal your identity and find whoever you want.
All the profiles you will find are photo-verified because the only surprises you want are stunning flowers on your first date.
Before meeting someone in person, you can video chat with them first to test your dating chemistry.
Tinder is entirely free on your Android and iOS devices. But if you want to enjoy premium features, subscribe to their Tinder Gold, Tinder Platinum, or Tinder Plus plans. The prices vary from user to user.
Their premium features are incredible. For example, unlimited likes let you catch feelings for countless people. Use Passport to find people outside the online zip code and Monthly Boost to pin your profile at the top for 30 minutes of massive attention.
3. Match
Being authentic beats being a crowd-pleaser at Match; it’s always crucial to acknowledge who you are and your desires. And while most think refusing to settle for anything less is fussy, Match thinks it empowers you.
All you need to do is install Match, create a profile, and let other members know your interests. Next, start chatting and meeting.
Match lets you pause texting and start chatting via video so that you can understand your match better. So, before meeting in person or exchanging cell numbers, use the integrated video chat to see and integrate with other people.
What I like about Match is their personalized search, which lets you be specific when searching for singles on the app. This feature ensures you don’t connect with the wrong person dues to something you overlooked.
How do you start a chat with a new match? No worries; you can use this app’s discussion starters, such as icebreakers and popular themes, for inspiration.
Take advantage of low-pressure and fun Match Events to mingle with like-minded individuals near you. I haven’t seen this functionality on Hinge.
Match is a free dating app on your iOS or Android device, but they have subscription plans if you want more features.
4. OkCupid
If you are looking for an enjoyable and personalized online dating app like Hinge, use OkCupid. This app goes beyond photos to show potential matches who you are.
OkCupid displays your interests and personality to let everyone see what you love and care about. Ultimately, you match and meet because of your mutual interests and deal breakers and focus on what matters.
Crown it with a sexy profile photo, and you can start meeting new people, finding love, or going on dates.
The app has a unique messaging system that lets you flirt and converse effortlessly. Finding and connecting with someone compatible with your personality and interests is easy.
Local dating tools help you meet people within your location. After identifying potential matches around you, it’s time to use the local chat to plan a date.
Select from more than 60 sexual orientations and gender identities, including lesbian, gay, pansexual, bisexual, queer, and more.
While OkCupid is a free dating app, you can upgrade to their premium version and enjoy more features, including seeing who liked you without liking them first, sending unlimited likes to get more matches, and setting deal breakers to find the exact person you want.
The premium version starts at $19.99/month, as highlighted on the app’s page on App Store.
Hinge is only available on the iPhone, but you can use OKCupid on your smartphone or the web.
5. eharmony
eharmony makes finding love simple due to its unique Compatibility Matching System. This system ensures your matches are based on the qualities you value most.
Finding love on this app comes down to three easy steps. The first step is to complete a compatibility quiz to let the app know more about you. After knowing you better, they can suggest suitable matches.
The second step is to learn about your personality. How does this work? Well, your answers to the compatibility quiz help create your personality profile.
The personality profile is a personalized report about your lifestyle, character, communication style, and relationship behavior. eharmony uses the results to match you with other like-minded singles.
Next, it’s dating time! The Match List gives you access to your match’s profiles, allowing you to understand each individual better.
It gets better: eharmony keeps updating this list as new people join, giving you endless opportunities to fall in love.
Communicating with your matches is a breeze. You can use an icebreaker to start a conversation, send a smile, or use the similarities cards to discover exciting character traits you and the matches have in common.
Upon joining eharmony, you start enjoying the free Basic Membership plan. To access more capabilities and functions, subscribe to their premium membership for six, 12, and 24 months.
The premium membership pricing and terms are available on the app’s subscription page once you are logged into your free account.
6. Feeld
Feeld was created to help you connect with open-minded couples and singles seeking to date and form relationships privately and safely.
Dimo and Ana created this app in 2014 after Ana confessed she had feelings for women. The experience inspired the couple to create the app, as they thought such a human feeling could cause fear and confusion among other people.
So, they designed Feeld to help people like them find like-minded humans.
Feeld is open to anyone, regardless of relationship status, from curious singles to open-minded couples.
You can select from more than 20 gender identities and over 20 sexualities to personalize your dating experience.
Explore the app alone or pair up with a partner or lover to find other open-minded members ready for an exciting way to date. Hinge doesn’t have the option of members pairing with others to find someone else (yet).
Feeld has a mode that lets you remain invisible to Facebook friends who may be on this app. The group chat is equally handy and safe to use.
Feeld is entirely free to use on your Android or iOS phone. However, if you want additional features, join their paid subscription program (Majestic Membership) for $19.99 monthly.
7. Coffee Meets Bagel
Ready to quit dating games and find someone serious? Coffee Meets Bagel provides you with the company to meet like-minded people.
91% of members on this app are interested in a serious relationship. In other words, less swiping and more matches, chats, and actual dates.
So, how does Coffee Meets Bagel work?
Each day at noon, you receive a collection of your potential matches. And since the app keeps learning your dating needs, their recommended matches will improve.
The chats are made for face-to-face meetings. While small talk online is healthy, real connection happens in person. That’s why the app has a seven-day chat limit to encourage actual dates and discourage ghosting, whether in person or virtually.
The profiles on Coffee Meets Bagel are more detailed than what I have seen on Hinge and other apps. By looking at someone’s profile, you can tell whether they want kids, are into traveling, enjoy clubbing, and more.
And these detailed profiles make sense because each date on this app should be relationship-material, not a time-waster.
While Coffee Meets Bagel is free, you can upgrade to their paid version and start using particular features, such as seeing all your likes, three monthly profile boosts, reading message receipts, activity reports, and more.
The Coffee Meets Bagel Premium Membership costs $34.99 per month on both Android and iOS.
8. happn
happn is another dating app like Hinge that lets you hook up with individuals you’ve crossed paths with.
When you visit the coffee shop and another user is in the same shop, you will see their profile on your app. Hinge doesn’t provide suggestions based on who you crossed paths with.
If you are attracted to that person, like them secretly, and the person won’t know it unless they like you back. If you like each other, you can start chatting; just make the first message stand out.
If you want to stand out, send the person a FlashNote, see their reaction, and you two can start dating.
You can download and use happn for free, but switch to premium to access superior features. The paid subscription lets you see the members who liked your profile. Now, you can send up to ten FlashNotes a day to any profiles you love so you can stand out.
You also get to personalize your criteria only to see those profiles that you find interesting. You can also schedule invisibility or hide specific attributes from your profile, such as age, connection date, and distance. happn premium is ad-free, too.
The premium membership is $24.99 per month.
9. Badoo
Badoo is more than a dating app; it’s a social network that lets you match and find a date. You can also join the app to chat with friends near you.
The app takes the safety of its users seriously. They have strict usage guidelines and don’t condone inappropriate behavior. You will also find a long list of safety features to guarantee a safe dating experience on the platform.
Its rigorous, three-step profile verification process makes Badoo stand out from Hinge. You can decide to only interact with people that have verified profiles.
Profile verification enhances members’ safety and helps to minimize the chances of fake profiles or scammers on the app.
Like happn, Badoo lets you meet daters in your neighborhood. I like their video chat, too, as it lets you hold face-to-face conversations online before meeting the person in the real world.
Connecting with your matches is a no-brainer on Badoo, as well. Like someone? Swipe right. Don’t like a profile? Swipe left to skip.
Badoo also auto-detects explicit images sent through the app and blurs them to warn you before you can open them.
Badoo is free on iOS and Android, and the free version’s features are excellent.
But if you want to take your dating game to the next level, you will want to activate Badoo Premium.
The premium version lets you know who added you as a favorite, see anyone who liked your profile and connect with them, get people to read your texts first, undo a left swipe you did by mistake, etc.
Please note that Badoo’s Premium pricing varies by country and can change without notice.
10. Facebook Dating
You can start a dating profile within your current Facebook app.
Facebook Dating is only accessible in specific countries, including the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Singapore.
To get started, log into your Facebook app, tap on the hamburger menu, and tap dating. Next, start creating a dating profile.
Your Facebook social profile and dating app are separate. Information from your dating profile and chats won’t be shared outside the dating app. Also, the dating app won’t broadcast you are using it, nor suggest your Facebook friends as matches.
Setting up the dating profile is easy, as Facebook Dating creates your profile from your standard Facebook account. You can tweak the profile info later.
Finding matches here is easy; the groups you’re already in, and the events you’re going to can help you find persons with similar interests.
Also Read: Best Apps Like Houseparty
11. Plenty of Fish
Plenty of Fish, or POF, is among the oldest and most popular dating apps. It was established in 2003 and has evolved over the years, but its features continue to attract tons of users daily.
The latest features include a compatibility quiz and the Cue Me! Game with several quirky questions to show a side others may need to capture from profile info.
POF puts more emphasis on compatibility and messaging than photos, which encourages users to want to know each other more before swiping right or left. On the contrary, Hinge doesn’t prioritize conversations.
POF offers several valuable features that you can access for free. They include messaging other users, uploading a limited number of profile photos, taking the compatibility quiz, configuring advanced search filters, and more.
The premium version lets you upload 16 profile photos, use the live feature, see who reads your chats, send up to three virtual gifts daily, pin your profile to the Meet Me list, and more. Upgrading costs $38.99, as listed on the App Store page.
12. The League
Are you an ambitious professional with high standards looking for like-minded individuals? The League is your go-to dating app.
This app is created for the overly-ambitious people who know what they want and won’t settle for anything less.
What sets The League apart from Hinge and other match-makers is their high standards for entry. They have a rigorous screening process to ensure only serious and like-minded persons get in.
A panel carefully reviews your dating profile and your Facebook and LinkedIn credentials. How long they take to review your profile depends on the waitlist in your area.
I know it sounds tedious, but once you are accepted, it’s worth it. However, if you don’t make it, you can try other dating apps like Hinge.
The League is free to use on your iOS or Android device. You can choose a premium weekly subscription, one month, three months, six months, or 12 months. According to the pricing on the Apple Store, weekly membership starts at $19.99.
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Wrapping Up
There are many dating apps like Hinge, but my analysis shows eharmony is the winner. The dating app features an intelligent compatibility quiz that makes it easy to find your match.
The quiz helps the app to generate a personality report summarizing your character, lifestyle, relationship, and communication traits. With such a detailed report, the app connects you with like-minded partners.
Icebreakers come in to make communication easy, plus they keep adding endless matches to your list, so you have a large pool to select from.
You can also sign up and use eharmony on your PC, something Hinge won’t let you do.
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