Best dating sites for women 2022: From Bumble, Hinge, Match, and more

Dating today – we see more options than just Tinder, though it may have a bad rep, the OG swiping app Tinder can truly be a great place to meet genuine people who are open to getting serious, find a reliable friend with benefits, or get a good old-fashioned confidence boost from a mutual right swipe.

However if you’re frustrated with horny jerks disguising themselves as relationship seekers or actual relationship seekers who can’t handle it when you say you’re just looking for a hookup, or what you’re looking for means you’ll spend less time dealing with people who aren’t looking for the same thing.

So if you are ready to use a dating app, What is the most effective way to use dating sites and apps to meet more people? Once you’ve created a fantastic profile, it’s time to start looking for suitable partners.

Maybe you can’t stand starting every conversation from scratch. Maybe your biggest fear is ending up on a date with someone who doesn’t care about voting. Instead of a half-assed bio, dating apps that delve into someone’s hobbies, favorite movies, career goals, or political views before even talking to them provide a wealth of clever ice breakers to ensure that you aren’t going into things blindly.

Dating apps are trying to make things safer IRL

Meeting someone from the internet in person for the first time is nerve-wracking for anyone. But for women, it can dredge up the same fear that occurs when walking alone past a big group of men. Though there are always some precautions you can take, having in-app safety features can go a long way in making you more comfortable with online dating.

Match Group is making strides toward a safer dating experience: Tinder was the first to unveil features coming out of its partnership with Noonlight, a safety app that tracks the location of users and notifies authorities if there are concerns. Before heading out on a date, Tinder users can log info about where they’re going and who they’re meeting, as well as hit a panic button to alert authorities if there’s an emergency. (Match Group plans to roll out the same features for its other apps, like Hinge and OkCupid, later.) As of March 2022, after a year of testing, all Tinder users can access free background checks on their matches.

How the pandemic has changed dating for the better

COVID changed online dating dynamics forever. “Double vaxxed up and boosted” being a genuine turn-on is the obvious addition to 2022 dating checklists, but there’s something about dating discourse that we think could positively affect communication between strangers in the long run.

Waiting to meet each other and getting to know a match through FaceTime is kind of the norm now — and people don’t really want that to change, even once the pandemic has fully subsided. For the women who’d prefer to gather crumbs of someone’s vibe before meeting in person, online dating’s shift to video dating in 2020 could prove comforting. It goes without saying that you’re never required to meet up with a match in person immediately, but it’d be nice not to be pestered about it.

The communication skills gained through hashing out COVID-related issues aren’t for nothing, either. People have gotten comfortable with bringing up personal boundaries and bonding over universal anxieties with someone they met on a dating app — both of which could benefit women online. Tinder thinks the honesty will carry over when things are back to normal, and hopefully the assholes will continue to weed themselves out.

What are the best dating sites for women?

Here are the best dating sites and apps for single women looking for a date, a movie buddy, a friend with benefits, or a romantic commitment.

Match

Best For Proven Results

Match has a huge user base and matchmaking technology, but isn’t the cheapest option

Adult Friend Finder

Best For A Quick Hookup

A great place to find something fun and casual if you can get past the fact that it looks like an ad for a deserted strip club.

eharmony

Best For A Serious Commitment

If you’re serious about settling down, eharmony is the gold standard.

EliteSingles

Best For Career-focused Women

Turned on by career goals? This site introduces working professionals over 30 looking for other successful singles.

Tinder

Best For Finding A Friend With Benefits

The swiping app we’ve all used at least once should be able to find you a date within the hour.

Single Parent Match

Best For Single Mums

If you’re a single mum and only want to meet other single parents, this could be the site for you.

Bumble

Best For Women Who Hate Unsolicited Messages

Women are required to make the first move, so it’s great for ladies tired of being bombarded by creepy dudes.

Lumen

Best For Seniors

An app specifically designed for over 50s, with a focus on quality conversations.

Author Profile

Dan Dunn

Executive Managing editor

Editor and Admin at MarkMeets since Nov 2012. Columnist, reviewer and entertainment writer and oversees all of the section's news, features and interviews. During his career, he has written for numerous magazines.

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