Online dating is, in a word, hard — but so is dating in person. Ironically, or perhaps completely fittingly, searching for someone to love (or even just like, tbh) using dating apps can be the absolute worst. That’s why we’re always trying to save you time and energy by downloading and testing the best online dating sites, including the best dating apps for introverts, college students, and, hell, even the best sexting apps for those who just want to “date” from home.
Even with our tips and recommendations, online dating will require some effort, so at the very least, you don’t want to waste a bunch of money too, especially if you’re newer to the online dating game. Free dating sites can be a great way to get a sense of what you want out of online dating, and we’ve tested the top apps for you already.
With these free dating apps and sites, the free version is actually all you need to find a match.
Which dating apps are free?
Part of the reason why so many people turn to online dating is that creating an account can be simple and completely free. Of course, some apps offer a “free” version as bait, and it’s only after you sign up that you discover all the necessary features are behind a paywall.
Even if a dating site offers a free version or free trial, that doesn’t mean it’s a truly free experience. So, when reviewing the best free dating apps for Mashable users, only apps with a robust free experience made the final cut. After extensive testing and interviews with online dating users, we’ve narrowed down our list of free dating apps to the following:
Tinder
OKCupid
Hinge
Grindr
Bumble
Her
Plenty of Fish
Yes, you can technically treat platforms like eHarmony and Match as free dating sites — that is, if you don’t mind being unable to actually message or match with people (though Match’s free features have recently become a tad more lenient).
The good news is, spending $40 a month on a dating app isn’t a prerequisite for finding love (or lust) online. In many cases, the best dating sites offer at least the barebones of matching and messaging entirely for free. Features like seeing people who’ve already liked you, sending messages without matching at all, and profile boosts are where you’ll need to pony up. Though these can be convenient time savers, they don’t necessarily increase your chances of meeting that perfect person. Even with purely paid sites, dating takes time and energy.
What are the best free dating apps?
Overall, we think that free dating apps like Tinder, OKCupid, and Grindr offer the best mix of features and user base for free users, but there are some great niche dating sites worth considering as well. We’ve reviewed all of the best free dating apps for you below, so keep reading for our in-depth experience reports.
Note: It’s almost impossible to find a dating site or app that doesn’t have some sort of paid upgrade feature, but all of the dating sites below have a free membership option that gives you almost everything you need for the full experience. These aren’t like Match or eHarmony, apps where you need to pay to do basically anything.
How we tested
Mashable shopping reporters, editors, and freelancers regularly test and review the best online dating apps for our readers. We’re also human, which means many of our team members actively use apps like Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble in our personal lives. As a result, we’ve extensively tested all of the top free dating apps for this and other reviews.
For apps that our shopping reporters haven’t used personally, we still download the app, create a profile, and test the waters. We check to see how robust the user base is, what kind of features are available to free users, and what the profile-building process is like.
For this particular review, we focused on apps that offer free membership tiers. Specifically, we wanted to see if we could create a profile, find matches, and chat with potential dates without upgrading to a paid membership. The best free datings apps with chat will let you foster true connections, and that’s what you’ll find here.
