Can we make a list of all the dating apps currently available in the App Store?

Started by ZachP 19 May 2025 Dating & Hookups Community
ZachP
ZachP avatar
Joined: 2018
Posts: 2523
#1

Genuinely curious what people's experience has been with this. I've been lurking a lot of these conversations and there's a lot of conflicting information out there. Personal experience is worth more than any review site because those are almost all paid placements anyway.

I've tried a handful of options with mixed results. Some have decent communities, others feel completely hollow—either fake profiles, bots, or just inactive accounts that never respond. The free options especially tend to have this problem.

Drop your actual experience below. What's working, what's a waste of time, and are there any hidden gems people aren't talking about?

BriC
BriC avatar
Joined: 2022
Posts: 349
#2

Been using various adult platforms since the Craigslist personals era so I've seen a lot of changes. Here's my current take:

  • Read the billing terms before any trial signup
  • Use a VoIP number for initial contact, not your real phone
  • Reverse image search every profile photo you're serious about
  • Video chat before committing to any in-person meet
  • Public meetup first, always—no exceptions for first encounters

Take the above as a starting point, not the final word. Your mileage may vary significantly.

Danielle White
Danielle White avatar
Joined: 2018
Posts: 1273
#3

Good timing on this thread—I was just thinking about this last week.

The gender ratio problem is real on most platforms. Apps that have done something creative about it tend to have better communities overall.

A few others worth knowing about if you haven't come across them yet: datebie.online, souldate.site, datingfly.online. Each has a different strength so it's worth checking which fits your situation.

Happy to answer questions if anyone wants more detail on any of these.

Robert Young
Robert Young avatar
Joined: 2017
Posts: 2042
#4

Good timing on this thread—I was just thinking about this last week.

Profile quality matters more than most people think. A well-written bio with specific details about what you're looking for does better than a generic one even with worse photos.

One thing worth mentioning is Datelink—it has a different approach to matching that I think deserves more attention. The interface is cleaner than most and it doesn't bury everything behind a hard paywall immediately.

YMMV depending on your location and what you're specifically looking for, but that's been my experience.

Jade
Jade avatar
Joined: 2016
Posts: 854
#5

I'll give you the honest breakdown since there's a lot of marketing noise around this topic:

  • Free doesn't always mean free—look for trial periods with auto-renewal
  • Profile verification reduces bot ratios significantly
  • Smaller communities often have better engagement than huge platforms
  • Privacy settings matter—always check what's public by default
  • Response rate > profile count: 50 active users beats 50,000 ghosts

Also worth having in your toolkit: turndate.site for one type of thing and datedesire.online for another—they're not identical and knowing the difference saves you from frustration.

Hopefully some of this is useful. Happy to answer follow-ups.

Samantha Wells
Samantha Wells avatar
Joined: 2019
Posts: 3857
#6

Let me break down what I've learned the hard way:

The gender ratio problem is real on most platforms. Apps that have done something creative about it tend to have better communities overall.

A few others worth knowing about if you haven't come across them yet: turndate.site, datedesire.online, luvdate.site. Each has a different strength so it's worth checking which fits your situation.

Happy to answer questions if anyone wants more detail on any of these.

Liam Carter
Liam Carter avatar
Joined: 2016
Posts: 641
#7

Long-time lurker here but this one I actually have useful things to say about.

Profile quality matters more than most people think. A well-written bio with specific details about what you're looking for does better than a generic one even with worse photos.

That's my take anyway—curious if others have had different results.

ZoeC
ZoeC avatar
Joined: 2017
Posts: 2262
#8

This is something I've thought about a lot. Let me lay out a more complete picture.

  • Free doesn't always mean free—look for trial periods with auto-renewal
  • Profile verification reduces bot ratios significantly
  • Smaller communities often have better engagement than huge platforms
  • Privacy settings matter—always check what's public by default
  • Response rate > profile count: 50 active users beats 50,000 ghosts

That's the honest picture as I see it. Things shift but the fundamentals stay pretty consistent.

LucT
LucT avatar
Joined: 2021
Posts: 2604
#9

Tried a few of these and honestly the landscape changes faster than anyone can keep up. What works one month might be dead the next.

Came across Datescout recently—worth checking out.

KaylaH
KaylaH avatar
Joined: 2023
Posts: 3630
#10

Speaking from experience on this one:

The gender ratio problem is real on most platforms. Apps that have done something creative about it tend to have better communities overall.

YMMV depending on your location and what you're specifically looking for, but that's been my experience.

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