Ahhh dating apps. Love ’em or hate ’em, they are now part of our social fabric. Whether you’re thirsty for a hookup, looking for something casual, or desperate to find your lifelong partner, these apps offer some of the fastest ways to get from A to Z.
Bumble
What: This app puts the power in the girls’ hands—once a hetrosexual pair matches, the female of the species must spark up a conversion within 24 hours or forever hold their peace.
Who: Find empowered, independent women here who are comfortable being the one taking the initiative, and men who are equally comfortable being led.
Coffee Meets Bagel
What: Be matched with friends of friends only, through an algorithm that offers just a handful of matches each day so you don’t feel the need to burn through all your prospects in one sitting.
Who: The crowd here is generally classier than your average Tinder user, and are generally proactive with conversations thanks to the limited-time chat window.
Grindr
What: Geared towards the gay community, this is the ultimate hookup app. You can even pick your sex position preference, body type and relationship status.
Who: People who don’t shy away from a sexy photo, this is the place for you. This is probably one of the more shallow apps on the market (think labels like twink, trans, daddy and jock, to name a few).
Her
What: This app is aimed towards lesbian, bisexual, bicurious and queer women. Add your name, height, age, sexuality, and if you want—pictures to say a thousand words.
Who: Her is actually a really modest dating app, and probably the most inclusive one at that.
OkCupid
What: Finally, an app for actual relationships—well, kind of. It allows users to answer 15 questions to better match with like-minded dates.
Who: While OKCupid is stereotypically a dating app for those aged 35 and up, a younger crowd has been seeping in. Most know what they want and are looking for something serious.
Paktor
What: With a name like that, you know it’s local. Often called the more localised version of Tinder when it first started, Paktor has since carved out its own niche with things like gamification and virtual gift giving.
Who: Unlike other apps, enjoy swiping a largely local crowd on Paktor.
Tinder
What: The world’s go-to dating app lets you swipe left for ‘no’ or right for ‘yes’ on user profiles. If you match, you can chat.
Who: Everybody and their dog is on this. Be sure to leave your intentions in your bio—be it a hookup, relationship, casual sex or friendship.
