Using the best free dating apps that you can find is an easy way to meet new people and maybe even get some action. Especially if you just moved to a different place with zero connections.
The only problem is that many free apps aren't actually free - but actually pay-to-win in disguise. And that can obviously depend on a lot of factors but you get the point.
That's why we gathered some of the best free apps that are actually free. So, without any further ado, let's get right into it!
1: Tinder
You obviously saw this coming. There is no doubt that Tinder's overall quality has gone down the drain over the past couple of years and it's now more pay-to-win than ever before.
That's unless you're an average looking woman or a rather handsome man. And there is no doubt about that - the tests/experiments have been made time and time again with the same results.
For the rest of us, getting even a single decent match can be rather difficult. And that's especially true if you're living in a rather small city.
In cases like these, paying severely increases your chances of getting a match since you'll be shown to more people and you'll be able to handpick anyone who's liked you. That's probably one of the biggest disadvantages of Tinder - it tends to focus rather aggressively on promoting its paid features.
The above screenshot is a good example of that. If you're good-looking, you don't even need to bother with premium. Every second swipe is most likely going to be a match.
But, for someone who gets maybe a couple of likes per week? Every small advantage you can get, like being able to directly see who has liked you and interact with them, is a huge plus.
So, Tinder may be one of the best free dating apps - but only for good-looking people. The rest of us will have to pay in hopes of getting something.
Pros:
- Great UI
- Easy to use
- Gives you the basic functionality for free
Cons:
- Pretty much pay-to-win for non-good-looking people
- It often freezes on startup for no reason (Has been tested on stock Android 9, 10, and on MIUI as well)
2: Badoo
Badoo, just like Tinder, offers all of its basic features for free while anything extra will cost you. However, it also brings a few interesting additions that we haven't found in other dating apps.
Let's start with the "Nearby" feature. As you can see in the screenshot above, it basically allows you to view everyone who is near you on a certain radius.
The great thing about it is that you don't really need to match - which sounds kind of counter-productive but it's not. That's because you get the option of chatting with anyone who may have the same interests that you do.
So, you basically get an extra chance to talk with someone who would otherwise instantly reject you after a quick swipe by looking at your profile picture. You get a chance to show what kind of character you are.
Speaking of character, Badoo gives you the unique option of highlighting different parts of yourself. You can emphasize on what kind of person you are, brag about a certain skill, or even mention something that you're actually not very good at.
Thanks to that, it's much easier to know if someone's your type in terms of personality and preferences before going through tedious, small talk to find out.
Obviously, that's not going to work with people who are just after looks and/or want a quickie. But, Badoo thought of that as well. The moment you sign up, you're obligated to state with big letters what you're after. So, people who look for something serious are generally more likely to bother with more than looks.
It's not perfect. But, we'd say it's better than what most apps offer and that's why Badoo is one of the best free dating apps right now.
Pros:
- Generally doesn't require you to go premium as much as other dating apps
- Lots of small additions like the "Nearby people" and the individual categories set this apart from the competition
- You can get credits for free by watching ads
Cons:
- Still very aggressive and even ridiculous in certain paid aspects (You can pay to put your messages higher on someone's list or even just to grab their attention)
- Many people don't bother setting up their profile and you're often left with nothing but a Tinder clone because of that
3: Jaumo
Let us start off by saying a big "thank you" to the developers for allowing people to log in by using something other than Facebook. After the "Delete Facebook" movement, lots of Android users nowadays no longer have an account to use.
Jaumo plays in a league of its own in terms of pricing. It's the only dating app that we've found so far that allows you to restrict potential matches down to whatever you may prefer.
We're talking about restrictions in height, weight, language, body type, religion, education, smoking, drinking, exercise, music, pets, and many more.
The only problem is that most of these options that are actually useful are only for premium users.
The good thing is that at the end of the day, you still have the option of chatting with people that you haven't matched with which, as we mentioned above, can make a massive difference for some. It can also negatively affect particularly good-looking individuals who'll probably get much more attention than they want. So, feel free to let us know how that worked out for you in the comments.
There are not a whole lot of downsides that we can report so far. Just like with any other dating app, the whole premium thing is a bit annoying and usually over the top. But, that's about it.
Pros:
- Lots of options on what kind of people you'll see
- You can chat with people that you haven't matched with - yet
- No region restrictions. You can chat with people outside of your country for free
Cons:
- Most of the useful functionalities require a premium subscription
Best Free Dating Apps in 2020 - Wrapping Up
That's about all we have for now. To wrap everything that we talked about as quickly as possible:
- Tinder: Generally ideal for people who are after hookups. Since there are zero filters, anyone who doesn't have a pretty face will probably struggle quite a bit with it regardless of the intentions
- Badoo: Offers a little bit of everything and makes it much easier to understand what kind of people you're dealing with before you chat with them. However, since there are no filters, you'll still have to filter out a lot of noise
- Jaumo: Generally the most feature-rich dating app that we've found to date. However, most of its useful filters are only for premium users
Feel like we forgot to mention something important? Got anything wrong? What are your favorite dating apps? Feel free to let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section down below!
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