Though you might be familiar with Tinder, Hinge, and even Grindr, there is a world of alternative dating apps to improve your chances of finding your happily ever after.
In 1995, the world was changed forever with the release of the very first dating app, Match.com. In 2024, the app has over 39 million users and millions of success stories. The business was so booming that the Match Group acquired the likes of Tinder, OkCupid, Plenty of Fish, and Hinge.
Dating app #1: Score
Score hit the headlines back in February after it was revealed that you need a “good” credit score to even get past the sign-in page. Designed by the financial platform Neon Money Club, Score only admits users if their credit score is 675 or above.
“Financial wellness often takes a backseat,” said CEO Luke Bailey in a press release. “‘Score’ aims to elevate the discussion around financial health, which has remained stagnant for decades.”
While you need a good credit score to be permitted entry, Score could be the perfect app for those who have had awful luck finding financially stable partners. Say goodbye to paying the bill!
Dating app #2: Feeld
If you’re a progressive who is tired of backward attitudes in dating, then Feeld is the perfect dating app for you. It also pays special attention to those looking for ethical non-monogamy, polyamory, casual sex, and other less traditional approaches to love and dating.
“Feeld offers an option for kinksters, couples, queer and poly people, a way to find friends and some fun,” sex educator Demi Wylde told mbgRelationships. “You can link profiles with your current partner and merge profiles in a way so that others know you are looking for a third (or fourth, or fifth!). This key feature sets Feeld apart from most dating apps—but there are still plenty of singles available to chat as well.”
Dating app #3: Tindog
While you might believe that you’re lacking in many important relationship areas, dogs can thaw even the iciest of hearts. Launched in 2015, Tindog aims to match dog lovers to one another using the immeasurable power of animal cuteness.
Much like Tinder, Tindog allows you to build a profile featuring your important information and what you’re looking for. But unlike other options on the market, Tindog forces you to incorporate your pooch into your profile, pictures included.
“Most dating apps focus solely on appearances, which often leads nowhere,” Dave McClure from the parent said in a press release. “Matching with someone who already shares your love for dogs only increases the chance for a real connection—plus everyone knows that dogs make the best wingmen.”
Dating app #4: Wingman
In 2017, Wingman joined the thousands of other dating apps on the Play Store and Apple Store. Unlike the other options, the singleton in question does not create the profile. Instead, that honor is left up to the people who know you best – your friends.
“It’s a cool alternative to other dating apps out there because it lets your friends jump on board if you’re not having much luck on your own,” one person wrote on Reddit, and another person said, “I like that idea because it may lead to matches that you’d not get otherwise because people will view you in a different light than you view yourself.”
Dating app #5: Settle For Love
With a tagline like “I’m not perfect, but I’m perfect for someone”, Settle For Love could be the most honest alternative dating app available. To sign up, users must post both “good” and “bad” pictures of themselves alongside a list of their positive and negative personality traits.
“With other dating websites, people are afraid because they don’t want to be judged,” user Ashley said about Settle For Love. “They don’t want to be rejected. This website encourages vulnerability and openness.”
