Swipe Right In 2021: What Dating Apps Are Worth Your Time

As someone who met the love of their life on a dating app, I would definitely consider myself biased when it comes to the value of these services. With so many apps to choose from, it can hard to keep up with what works and what will waste your time. There are lots of options out there, each with pros and cons. Some have easy to navigate user interfaces while others have helpful parameters for helping pick a potential significant other.

As someone who has had success and failure with dating apps, I consider myself well-rounded enough to give a bit of advice. Keep in mind that I was looking for a serious relationship and not a hookup, so that definitely influenced my opinions of each. Here we go!

Hinge

Hinge has my heart. I only met one person through this app, and he’s my everything. I have fond memories of Hinge, but I know that everyone has their preferences.

Hinge's selling point is that it is known as “the dating app designed to be deleted.” This ended up very fitting for my situation. Hinge has a plethora of features that let you be picky when it comes to finding a significant other. You can set your preferences in a partner so it makes your selection process easier. You can set preferences on things like religion, whether they smoke weed, height...and so many other tidbits. While you can select these as favorites- or the opposite, should you prefer to not encounter them, with the "dealbreakers" feature. If a potential match has something you list as a dealbreaker, they won’t even show up in your list of profiles to swipe through. However, people who have dealbreakers in their profiles can still attempt to match with you.

To match on Hinge, the other party must like or comment on something from your profile, or vice versa. It seems less superficial than other dating apps as you require three questions and answers on your profile about various things. I had a quip about how if you wanted to keep my attention you would talk about the Enneagram, so I had several men message me about their personality types. It’s a great way to start conversations and will weed out more of those that would only result in a smash and pass.

Overall, I felt like Hinge held up the hype of a useful tool to meet others who were interested in serious relationships. My only complaint was that I would rather have not had to sift through matches that had some of my dealbreakers in them (as they had messaged me first). Other than that, I loved the way it worked!

Rating: 9/10

Bumble

Bumble is also a classic. Bumble is known for only letting women message first when two people match. This is a great idea, as it helps women feel confident and safe in their interaction with their matches. However, if you tend to not like to make the first move, this app may not be for you. Having to provide the first attempt in everything can be exhausting, and with a time limit on Bumble, matches that are about to time out loom constantly.

If this sounds like it would stress you out, Bumble may not be your perfect fit. Regardless, the user interface is fantastic and easy to navigate. I never met up with anyone from Bumble, but that’s definitely because I’m very bad at messaging first.

Rating: 6/10

Coffee Meets Bagel

Coffee Meets Bagel definitely leans more Hinge than Tinder. This app is not for those looking to be entertained by mindless swipes. At noon each day, you are provided with a Bagel - your potential match - that you get to like or pass on. If you happen to match, you can converse with this match for a week before they disappear forever.

This app is unique in that its formula also uses your Facebook friends (and their friends!) to help curate a match. Other apps tend to use common interests or simply location, but Coffee Meets Bagel does a good job of combining the three. If you’re female, you may find comfort in the fact that this isn’t a random stranger, but someone on the outskirts of your friend’s friend group.

If you have the patience, Coffee Meets Bagel is a great option. Though I was looking for a serious partner, I often found myself discouraged with my matches in the beginning. I noticed over time that these matches became more personalized, so this app may just be a waiting game.

Rating: 7/10

Tinder

The most infamous “dating” app. Known for being primarily a hookup app, some happy couples profess to meet their forever match through Tinder. Most have hilarious first date stories or weird messages to show for their time in the Tinder-verse. Tinder seems to be a bit hit and miss, not matching couples by anything but looks and a short bio. While some may strike gold while wading through mud to find a partner, a lot more time has to be dedicated to sifting out the weirdos.

Tinder’s matching strategy is simply by location, providing the perfect opportunity for a weekend hookup. Less so for a solid foundation for a relationship. I made a lot of friends through Tinder after failing to connect on a romantic level, and they’re great, but it didn’t help me find a significant other. However, receiving that super like can be incredibly good for your ego.

Rating: 3/10

Unsurprisingly, I’m still a huge fan of Hinge. I think it balances interests, looks, location, and conversational abilities better than any of the other apps out there. Granted, different apps can be great fits for different people, but learning about a potential partner and knowing a bit about them before you match can give you peace of mind, which definitely seems to be worth it. Bumble is still a great alternative if you are more comfortable making the first move. It all depends!

If you’re looking for a serious relationship like I was, I highly recommend Hinge. I know I got lucky when my one date turned into a lifelong relationship, but other friends that use Hinge profess a fondness for the app as well. Remember that there can always be weirdos, no matter how vetted the app may seem to be, so stay safe! Your safety is the most important thing. As long as you let yourself be open to relationships, any of these apps could be the jumping off point for a fantastic beginning. Here’s to new relationships in 2021!