Online dating is now the new norm. What was once taboo is now a common place to meet potential dates, thanks to the rise of popular dating platforms. Since everyone deserves to find love and connection before the year ends, we’ll help you revolutionize your dating life. Here are the best dating apps to try and tips on how to successfully secure a date.

Bumble: Best for Women Who Don’t Mind Making the First Move

Bumble has been one of the best free dating apps for years. Ask any of your friends about this app and chances are they’ve tried it at least once. It’s ideal if you aren’t afraid to make the first move. Unlike other dating apps, once you have a match and are interested in the person, you should immediately send a message. If the guy fails to respond within 24 hours, the match expires. It’s not ideal if you seldom open your dating app.

The app also allows you to specify information about yourself and your interests. It also has other offers, such as Bumble BFF, which lets you forge new friendships. 

Facebook Dating: Most Convenient and Accessible

If you’re a huge Facebook user, chances are you’ve been invited to create a Facebook Dating profile. Facebook has over three billion monthly active users, and many of them are searching for potential partners. This dating feature uses the existing data from your profile to connect you with other people for free. There’s no need to worry about getting your dating efforts exposed on your profile — Facebook Dating and your typical Facebook main feed are two separate platforms.

The only caveat is it might not be for you if you want to separate your social media life from your dating life. 

Hinge: Best for Long-Term Relationship

Hinge is “designed to be deleted,” making it ideal for people who want to skip casual meetups and hookups. It has plenty of features that allow you to display and specify your interests and what you’re looking for in a potential partner. It may not be as serious as Match, but it’s ideal for people who want to put effort into their dating life.

When creating your profile, you can answer prompts via audio or texts, adding another dimension to your profile compared to other purely photo-based apps. Once you receive a like, you can review them and decide whether to start a conversation or skip liking them.

OkCupid: Best for Friendships and Short-Term Dating

OkCupid might be the best free dating app, but not necessarily for its features. Setting up your profile here is relatively easier than other apps — via Facebook or email address. Upload photos and fill out sections, such as “What I’m doing now,” “What I value,” and “You should message me if…” The pros of this app are it’s LGBTQ-friendly and users are generally respectful and there are forums where you can share your thoughts about common dating issues.

Match: Best for Long-Term Relationships

This dating app has a free version, but its perks are best enjoyed with a subscription. It’s worth the splurge if you want a quality long-term relationship. It features robust profiles, providing ample information about someone to gauge whether you want to start a conversation with them. Match also features search filters for better compatibility. Several cons include the cost and potential encounters with people who aren’t ready to commit.

Tinder: Best for Casual Dating

Tinder has been the go-to dating app for flirty encounters and casual hookups. Almost everyone knows this website and you might have already tried using it, too. Despite its reputation, you can still find a potential long-term relationship here. 

Its simplicity makes it a stand-out — swipe left if you’re not interested, and swipe right if you are. The approach may be very superficial — as the profile only requires a few photos and a short bio — but the good thing is that it allows you to verify your profile, helping to prove your legitimacy to other app users.

Kippo: Ideal for Gamers

Kippo is a dating haven for geeks and gamers. If you love games and are searching for a fellow potential gamer date, this might be the perfect app for you. It has a free and premium edition which comes with a price. It has unique visuals that feel childlike, especially because you need to create an avatar — as if you’re in a game. 

Happn: Ideal for Finding Dates in Other Countries

Happn matches users with people they have crossed paths with. It’s helpful if you’re looking for potential dates in your area or when you’re traveling. Most importantly, it’s useful if you pass by someone attractive but are too shy to approach and need another opportunity to meet them. 

3 Ways to Initiate Conversations to Secure a Date

Starting a conversation with a stranger is challenging, whether face-to-face or online. Now that you’ve got a match, it’s time to get them hooked with an interesting conversation. Here’s how to initiate a fun conversation:

1. Ask Open-Ended Questions

Look for something interesting in their profile that piques your curiosity. This could be a tattoo on their arm or their travel photo, then ask questions about it. Other conversation-starter ideas to help get you off on the right foot include:

• What’s your favorite food?
• What are your hobbies?
• Do you have any pets?

2. Use Humor

Starting the conversation with a joke is a great icebreaker. Share a meme, funny story or a joke that aligns with their interests. Do they like pineapples on pizza? Send a meme about it. It can be a way to see if your paths align or are interested in similar things.

3. Compliment Them

Open the conversation with a genuine compliment and follow up with an open-ended question. For example, you can say “I love your fashion sense! Where do you usually buy clothes?” Compliments like these make people feel good and show you’re interested in knowing things about them.

Try These Dating Apps

Now that you have the list of best dating apps, the search is on! May you find fun dates and — who knows — a potential partner in any of these platforms!