Who finds the love of their life by locking eyes across a crowded dance floor? No one, that’s who. Maybe we’ve gotten too busy or too picky, but what we do know is that it’s seriously hard to remember the singles scene before OKCupid, Match.com and Tinder. Even the Millionaire Matchmaker, Patti Stanger, who creates meet-cutes for a living, recommends dating apps, and we’ve found some to help you find true love… or even just true like. Baby steps.
1. Glimpse (Free): Are you an Amaro or a Valencia? This iOS app matches you based on your Instagram feed. So if you’re a foodie, you could be matched with someone who’s up for a culinary adventure. Glimpse offers a platform for you to be paired with someone who sees the world like you do.
HowAboutWe
HowAboutWe is all about where you’ll go on your date. Post a date idea or browse others’ and pick a date based on shared tastes! They have a version created for couples, too and we tried it out and loved it — so you can continue your love affair with the app long after that first fun date :)
3. Coffee Meets Bagel (Free): This iPhone app sets you up with one free match a day who’s a friend of a Facebook friend. Your match is a “bagel;” you’re the “coffee.” You have a day to respond to your match. We like that the selection pool comes from friends of friends so there’s less of a chance for creepers.
4. Moonit (Free): Do you believe true love is written in the stars? Moonit uses the “most advanced astrology algorithm ever developed” to match you with your ideal sign. After you connect with someone, you get their compatibility results so you can get stats on if it’s meant to be.
Siren
Siren hasn’t quite hit the app world yet, but we’re already on the waitlist. You can control your profile visibility, which will leave you feeling less vulnerable, and make a “Siren call” to see who is up for a spontaneous meetup. But the really fun part of this dating app is that you can respond to Questions of the Day and Video Challenges initiated by “Seattle’s movers and shakers.”
Flikdate
Android and iOS app is like FaceTime for dating. You get randomly matched with a local single and video chat in real time! If things are going sour, just swipe to the right. No harm, no foul. But if it’s going well, keep chatting or propose a date IRL. Reviews show it’s a little buggy for now, but it may be worth holding out for future updates.
7. Grouper (Free): Three’s company, but two groups of three could be perfect for matchmaking — if there are solid wing women in your friend group. Grouper matches you and two friends with another group of three friends and picks a place for your entourages to meet. It sounds great, but it’s a blind group date, so, well, you know how those go.
8. Plenty of Fish (Free): This app claims it has the largest dating community around, exchanging more than 200 million messages per week, which is “more than all other online dating sites combined.” So probability is on your side. You can review your matches from your iPhone and see who’s viewed your profile to get you one step closer to finding the perfect mate.
Let’s Date
OKCupid. You scroll through profiles and if two people share a match, you can start chatting. If you want, Let’s Date will pick a date for you.
Salad Match
only active where there are Just Salad joints, New York City and Hong Kong. Marketing ploy? Maybe. Super fun? We think so.