Dating apps! The playground for experimentation. If you’re looking for that special someone or just a fun Friday night, there’s some insider knowledge you need to know. You may think all apps are the same! Just a way to find love. I’m here to tell you it’s more complicated than that. 

Here is a breakdown of the most popular dating apps for young adults, what they have to offer, and where to be for your goals! 

Tinder

Hookup central! If you want a good time with little commitment, you’ll probably steer this way.

The format of Tinder highlights more superficial traits. It’s all photos with small bios. This gives little opportunity to show personality. People will base you solely on your broad hobbies and the way you look.

It also has a swiping feature for liking and disliking, making it easy to swip through 10 profiles in 10 seconds. Don’t get me wrong, some wonderful relationships come out of Tinder dates, but…I wouldn’t bank on it.

Hinge

Hinge has a softer nature than Tinder. It is still used among a younger audience who enjoys hook-up culture.

The major difference is you have more room for expression. Users can choose from an extensive list of prompts, replying with text answers, voice memos and videos! There is an opportunity to show your humour, talking style and overall vibe.

This is the app that is “designed to be deleted”, marketing successful relationships. If you’re in search of a partner, download Hinge!

Bumbling

The key feature of this app is women make the first move!

If you’re on Bumble for a heterosexual relationship, the woman must make the first move. For some, this may be appealing, empowering women and fostering respectful interactions. For others, this is the worst nightmare 

Honourable Mentions

The apps that have their unique purposes but don’t make the big three:

• Eharmony: For the people seeking a husband or wife. Eharmony has a science-based compatibility matching system, adding desirability for its audience, which is often an older crowd. 
• Christian Mingle: The #1 app for those targeting a partner who shares their faith.
• Grindr: This is a highly hookup-based app that is exclusive to the LGBTQ+ community.

With all this said, remember, love seekers, stay safe out there! Make sure they have at least four different photos to prove it’s the real them. Maybe add them on other socials to fact-check identity, we don’t want any catfishes. Be honest with your intentions, and most importantly, have fun!