The desperately lonely aren’t the only ones using dating websites anymore. With the advent of Tinder, online (or perhaps “mobile” is a more accurate name) dating is quite normal for 20 and 30-somethings. Here’s a review of some of the more popular apps:
Tinder: Ah Tinder. What better way to capture the cultural zeitgeist of 2015? While Tinder definitely has it downfalls (it can be sketchy), it also seems to boast some of the least desperate people. I’ve found that men tend to use it as an extra tool to assist their game rather than the end-all-be-all for meeting women. Since the users aren’t terrified of talking to the opposite sex in real life, they feel less pitiful.
Bumble: Created by the female co-founder of Tinder, Bumble’s distinction is that females have to initiate conversation. My female friends love the app though my male friends haven’t had as much luck with it. Many females will tell you Bumble has the most attractive users.
OKCupid: The worst of the free apps. If you want to be sexually harassed by a stranger on an app that isn’t Tinder, then OKCupid is for you.
Hinge: Hinge connects you with people you have mutual friends with on Facebook. And as such, creepsters and sexual harassment are much more avoidable. Most of the people on it tend to be semi-normal and looking for relationships.
Coffee Meets Bagel: Don’t bother with this oddly-named app. It’s the same concept as Hinge, except it only provides you with one connection at noon everyday. Worse, you have to use your “beans” (you get so many to start with and can earn more or pay for more) to determine your mutual connection(s). If you believe dating is really just a numbers games, then the odds are low for you on CMB.
JDate: For Jews only. You have to pay for this app, but I’ve heard quite a few success stories from it.
ChristianMingle.com: The few people I know who’ve used this have rated it poorly.
Farmers Only: Since I live in a city, most of my peers consider this app to be a joke.
Plenty of Fish: I only know one person who’s used this, and she met her husband off of here.