In this guide:
Forget about bars, clubs and singles nights – dating apps are the new normal and far from killing romance, they've made it easier to find than ever. You can find your life partner or your next casual fling from the couch, on the bus, in the office, pretty much wherever your phone is. Sound good? Then swipe right and read on for our top dating apps that Australians use.
All the apps we've reviewed in this guide are great for opposite and same-sex matches.
Bumble
Available on: Google Play, App Store
It may not be the number one dating app around yet, but Bumble is coming up in the world and making a name for itself with its twist on the Tinder format. You find matches in the standard Tinder way but once a match is made, the woman has to send the first message (unless you've made a same-sex match, in which case, either party is free to make the first move). This cuts out the problem many women have experienced on dating apps of being bombarded by too many messages from men, and is also intended to empower women and subvert traditional dating stereotypes.
Once a match is made, the first party has 24 hours to make contact, and the other 24 hours to reply, or the match expires – a great motivator if you're feeling shy.
As of 2019, Bumble has over 55 million users worldwide, with 1.1 million in Australia so there are plenty of fish in the sea. The app itself is free but there's a premium version that will let you sneak peak who's swiped right on you, starting from $11.99 for one week.
Hinge
Available on: Google Play, App Store
Hinge positions itself as the "relationship app", that was designed to be deleted. The company claims that three out of four first dates set up through the app lead to second dates, and that it is the number one mobile-first dating app mentioned in the New York Times Wedding section. With that bold pitch you should be fairly confident that people you meet on the app will be looking for something serious.
Hinge offers quite a different take on the dating app concept, with profiles that focus on ice-breaking facts like someone's unique skills, best travel story or ideal fake sick day. You get the opportunity to like specific parts of people's profiles to start a conversation and you don't have to match to get in touch. Hinge also offers thoughtful features like conversation reminders to reduce 'ghosting' caused by busyness or just plain forgetfulness.
Tinder
Available on: Google Play, App Store
Tinder is the app that brought the "swipe right" formula into the mainstream. Here's how it works: rather than complete complicated questionnaires and detailed profiles to find your matches, you simply upload some photos of yourself, a bit of a bio, and a preferred age and distance radius for potential matches. The app then shows you profiles that fit your criteria and you swipe right or left on people you like the look and sound of (or don't). If you swipe right on someone and they also swipe right on you, it's a match and you can start a conversation.
Some people love Tinder's simplicity, while others hate it. But when it comes to dating apps, the sheer number of potential matches makes Tinder difficult to ignore. In 2015 Tinder announced that 15% of the Australian population had joined the app.
Tinder is free but there are premium features like the ability to see who's swiped right on you, which start from $13.99 for one month.
Coffee Meets Bagel
Available on: Google Play, AppStore
Does swiping on a tonne of profiles sound like too much work for you? It can get laborious, particularly if you get lots of matches who never bother to send a message.
Coffee Meets Bagel is all about time-saving and providing matches who are serious about getting in touch. Every day at noon guys and LGBTQ members receive a few matches that are tailored to them based on considerations like social network, and interests. Women interested in men are sent profiles of guys who've already expressed an interest – the idea being you don't have to get excited about some guy who never messages.
Once you're matched the app also supplies ice-breaker questions to get the conversation going. The app is free to use with some premium features like read receipts available for $46.99 per month.
Happn
Available on: Google Play, App Store
If you've ever passed someone in the street and wished you had a chance to talk to them, Happn could be for you.
The app only shows you profiles of people you've crossed paths with in real life, which might be difficult at the moment but would still work for that 10/10 you saw when picking up groceries.
They're shown in chronological order and you tap on their profile to create a like. Crucially, the other person won't know you've liked them unless they liked you back, so no need to hide your face in embarrassment every time you walk past that cafe with the hot barista. Once you've both liked, you can start a conversation. Happn is free but offers premium features like the ability to tell people you like them and see who liked you, without reciprocation. Premium membership starts at $35.99 for one month.
Clover
Available on: Google Play, App Store
Clover is a nice, clean, easy-to-use app with plenty of Australian users and a couple of interesting features.
Like Tinder you get to look at a list of possible matches that you say yes or no to. But unlike Tinder you can filter your matches based on things like their relationship intention, interests, occupation and religion.
Once you find someone you're interested in you can like them, message them or play twenty questions to find out how similar or different you are. Clover also offers on-demand dating which basically allows people to shortcut the small talk and go straight to setting up a meeting. You can also join local events and online meetups based on your interests like "Game of Thrones" or "Fitness Freaks", so you get the real world experience of talking in a group setting rather than one on one.
The app is free but setting up a search filter on user profiles requires the premium version which starts from $29.99 per month.
Zoosk
Available on: Google Play, App Store
Looking for a match who's a bit more mature? According to Choice 1.1 million Australians are on Zoosk and of those the majority are over 30.
Zoosk tries to bring you the best of both the traditional dating site and the swipe-format dating app. You complete an extensive profile and compatibility quiz which will deliver you "smart matches" that Zoosk picks for you. But you can also browse user profiles at random and tap yes, no or maybe, Tinder-style
If you want to contact members on Zoosk you have to pay for a subscription, but on the plus-side that means you'll only hear from people serious enough about this whole online dating thing to front up some cash. A Zoosk subscription starts at $29.95 for one month.
OkCupid Dating
Available on: Google Play, App Store
The OkCupid app is much more like a traditional dating site than most apps, because that's what it used to be, and still is, with the added convenience that you can now use it on your phone.
You set up a profile which includes questions about things like your interests, lifestyle and what you're looking for in a relationship. You then get to browse profiles which will display a match percentage based on how much you have in common. People who use OkCupid find this a helpful way to filter through potential dates and find someone with whom they're going to have lots in common.
OkCupid is mostly free to use but there are some premium features like accessing a complete list of people who liked you, which costs USD$9.99 per month.
Jacqui Dent
Editorial Strategist
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