Ah, the old dating app. Once looked at with raised eyebrows, now begrudgingly accepted as the most common way to meet potential lovers, dating apps are everywhere and they're being used by a whole lot of singles, all over. But if you're new to this world, or just hoping to land yourself a better experience within it, how do you know which dating apps are the best in 2022?
We did a little digging to find out.
To start, which dating apps are the most well-established in Australia right now? There are loads to choose from these days, ranging from hook-up focused to super-specific (there's an astrology dating app now), so we've chosen to narrow down this list according to the apps most people are using.
After taking a quick peek and the number of ratings these apps have on the App Store, we can say this list is a pretty solid indication of where singles are choosing to swipe in Australia right now.
You also have options like Coffee Meets Bagel, OkCupid, Taimi, HER, The League and newcomers Hello Tiger or Ziinkle, but the numbers get a lot smaller once you move out of the top-used apps.
Taking a look at our favourite online opinion barometer, Reddit, it is clear there are a few dating apps that seem to win the most positive feedback from users. Those would be Bumble, Hinge and Tinder (with Tinder receiving some mixed reviews).
If we're looking at App Store or Google Play Store reviews, however, Tinder is easily pushed to the bottom of the list. The best dating apps list for 2022, when considering online reviews, looks something like this:
Bumble: 4/5
411K reviews on Google Play and 94K reviews on App Store
Hinge: 4/5
194K reviews on Google Play and 31K reviews on App Store
Grindr: 4/5
707K reviews on Google Play and 12K reviews on App Store
POF: 3.85/5
1.63M reviews on Google Play and 97K reviews on App Store
Happn: 3.75/5
1.65M reviews on Google Play and 12K reviews on App Store
Tinder: 3.5/5
4.67M reviews on Google Play and 24K on App Store
Oh and just to be clear, the score out of 5 we gave the best dating apps of 2022 is an average of the ratings given on both the Google Play and App Stores.
Sure, we may have an idea of which dating apps singles are enjoying the most right now, but what kind of experience do these apps offer? After all, dating is not a one-size-fits-all type of deal.
Here's a quick introduction to the top 3 dating apps from our 'best of' list, and why people use them.
Bumble:
Best known for its women-speak-first approach to hetero interactions, Bumble prides itself on "shifting old-fashioned power dynamics and encouraging equality from the start".
The app describes its philosophy this way:
Healthy relationships are central to living a positive, productive life. Bumble is a social network that allows you to feel empowered while you make those connections, whether you're dating, looking for friends, or growing your professional network. One first move on Bumble could change your life.
On the safety front, Bumble has a library of resources you can look through but it also has options for reporting people post-date, blurring out lewd photos to ensure consent is given before viewing, and the dating app has also teamed up with Bloom to launch complimentary online trauma support to members who report sexual assault or relationship abuse.
Hinge:
Hinge is the dating app that really popularised the more involved profile with questions you can answer to give a better sense of your personality.
This dating app is different to many others for a few reasons: not only does it have detailed profiles, but the likes you give are not anonymous and it uses a Nobel-Prize-winning algorithm that suggests Most Compatible matches to help you land a sweet date.
The app's key phrase is "designed to be deleted" and it claims to run with three core values at its heart: Authenticity, Courage and Empathy. Most recently, Hinge has added a function in which you can select what your dating preferences are (long-term partner or casual, as an example) to make intentions clearer, as Bumble has done.
Hinge also has a safety resource centre here to help offer support in looking for love cautiously.
Grindr:
This dating app's central mission is clear "connect queer people with one another and the world".
Grindr describes its service as:
...the largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people. We have millions of daily users who use our location-based technology in almost every country in every corner of the planet.
Along with being a queer-focused dating app, Grindr works a little differently in that people are shown to you based on their distance from you. You can select any profile you see and view that person's images and profile - you can also send them a message without having 'matched' like on other apps.
In saying that, the app's policies around safety are clear and there are warnings for anyone who doesn't respect people's boundaries.
And there you have it, a deep dive into the best dating apps in Australia for 2022. Did we leave your favourite off the list? Let us know in the comments below.