Best Dating For Serious Relationships
Match.com has come a long way since it launched in April 1995. This well-reputed dating site has honed its match algorithm to identify long-term compatibility and facilitate countless first dates, serious relationships, and successful marriages. Match.com's esteemed dating experts go to great lengths to guide singles to a seriously good match. To assist you, here are a few reviews of the best serious dating sites in the USA to provide some guidance. #1 Serious Relationship Dating Site - eHarmony (best overall) Regarded as the best dating app for New Yorkers, eharmony. Match is one of the online dating sites for people who are looking for serious relationships. The site was founded in the year 1993, and they have launched officially in the year 1995. This makes the site the longest running online dating site today. In fact, Match has a total of 42 million sign-ups so far and monthly, they have more. Best Dating Sites For Serious Relationship Tinder: Tinder is so far the best dating site in the world and covers all spheres of our love lives. It doesn’t matter if you just need a night-stand, serious relationship leading to marriage. Anything casual, date, or friendship. You are all set. When You’re Looking For A Serious Relationship, You Need A Strategy To Match. Choosing the best dating app for a long-term relationship is the first step, but that’s when the hard work really begins. You’re looking for The One – but so is your future perfect match.
- Best Dating Apps For Serious Relationships 2020
- Best Dating Apps For Serious Relationships
- Best Dating For Serious Relationships
- Best Serious Dating Sites
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With so many dating apps out there, it can be really difficult to choose which one is best. As a dating coach, I will often take on a client only to find that they have been dating on an outdated site or app for years. No wonder they aren’t getting any results! Dating apps are tools and in order to be the most effective, you need to be using the right one. Here is my recommended list for the best dating apps for relationships.
7 Best Online Dating Apps For Serious Relationships
#7 – OkCupid
Summary Of OkCupid:
OkCupid is best for users under the age of 35. It attracts this age group because of its progressive outlook on dating. For example, they offer the ability to select among multiple different genders as well as sexual orientations. Another reason it attracts a younger crowd is that you can use all it’s features 100% for free.
OkCupid is more of a traditional platform in the sense that you don’t swipe for matches, which limits your viewing to only one at a time. Instead, you can run a search using your filters (like height, religion, etc.) and see all the men that meet your criteria at once. This can really speed up the process filtering process.
How To Use OkCupid For Serious Relationships:
Better Filtering and Screening:
OkCupid is one of the best dating apps for relationships because it allows access to longer profiles. This gives you more information on potential matches without having to small talk text them as much, like you would on Bumble or Tinder. Since OKCupid also allows you to search for all matches at once, you can easily filter and message the men you are interested in the most.
May Attract More Serious Minded Young People
Many people in the younger age group are tired of swiping. They don’t want to go on dates with people who don’t match up with their lifestyles. This means that people who are tired of the quick dating scene that is Tinder and Bumble will look for an alternative, more “serious” minded site and likely turn to OKCupid.
If you’re ok with spending some extra time reading longer profiles, OKCupid can make it easier to filter for high-quality matches and increase your chance of finding a real relationship.
An interesting fact about OkCupid is that according to DatingSiteReviews,“In the wedding section of the New York Times, OkCupid is the most mentioned dating app.”
Word of Warning
One thing I will mention here (and this is the same for Match.com) is that you dont’ want to get too caught up in arbitrary filters. Giving people a chance even if they don’t meet your minimum height requirement or don’t eat the same ice cream as you can really boost your chances of meeting a high-quality man. So, don’t go too crazy on the filters!
Related: 10 Most Important Dating Tips for Women
#6 – Match Mobile
Summary Of Match:
Match Mobile is the dating app version of the traditional dating site, match.com. According to statistics, this dating app is best for users aged 24-38 (DatingSiteReviews). But, my personal experience with clients on this site has determined that you should be between 30-60 to get good results. I wouldn’t recommend this app if you’re under the age of 30. Instead, you should try OKCupid (above).
Match has been around for a really long time (since 1995) and some people might think this is a bad thing. I once suggested using this site to one of my clients and she freaked out saying that “no one has been on there since 2004!”
My client was dead wrong.
Millions of people use this dating site and it continues to be one of the most popular dating apps.
How To Use OkCupid For Serious Relationships:
Relationship-Minded Users:
Statistics from DatingSiteReviews show that “91% of Match members have attended college” and that “income and ‘wants kids’ are the most important criteria. This is great news for anyone looking to score a real relationship from a dating app.
Paid Subscription Leads To Higher Barrier of Entry
Match also requires a paid subscription in order to message other members. This is a great way to filter out spam, catfishers and people looking for casual flings. It also means that the average Match subscriber has a little extra money to spare, making them more likely to be financially stable.
Allows You To Search For All Suitable Matches At Once (No Swiping)
Just like OKCupid, Match allows you to search for all suitable matches upfront, and it has much longer profiles than Tinder or Bumble. This means you can do a much better job at filtering out potential matches and you don’t have to spend time swiping! The other great thing about match is that you can run a search for men in your criteria before you pay for a subscription. This allows you to take a look at the available pool of matches before jumping in with a paid subscriptions.
I highly recommend this as one of the best dating apps for relationships if you are within the age group stated above.
#5 – The League
Summary Of The League
The League is an excellent choice for highly educated professionals. As soon as you land on their website, the first thing you’ll read is:
“Are your standards too high? Keep them that way!”
Their whole schtick is that they only accept the best looking, best-educated, and highest quality matches. In order to make sure all their matches are meeting their strict criteria, all members are put on a waitlist to have their profile vetted. If you’re in, great! If not, tough luck because they don’t accept any payments to bypass the waitlist.
I find this app is best for users between the ages of 22 and 35. If you’re older than that, I’d just give it a try for a month to see if it’s worth it.
This app does not allow you to swipe freely like Tinder or Bumble and you cannot search for members openly. You are only given 5 matches a day that are selected by the League’s algorithm.
How To Use The League for Serious Relationships:
Great for Time Saving
The League chooses matches for you based on your criteria. If you’re a busy professional this is a good way to filter for high-quality matches without investing the time yourself.
Best Dating Apps For Serious Relationships 2020
The only downside of this system is that you have to wait for them to give you your 5 matches per day. If you don’t like any of them, you have to wait until the next day. Although you’re not doing any work to find these matches, it can extend the dating process by weeks or months if you are picky.
Much Higher-Quality Matches
The League is great if you’re highly educated or very successful and looking for a partner who shares the same qualities. The vetting process is not perfect, but it does weed out a lot of the fluff. Since it has a paid subscription model and the vetting process is so strict, it does attract people who are more relationship-minded and not just looking for a fling.
#4 – Facebook Dating
Summary Of Facebook Dating
Facebook Dating is a new addition to Facebook that just launched in 2019. It is still gaining in popularity but I would recommend it for all ages at this point. Especially since it’s free and easy to use if you already have Facebook.
You don’t have to download a new app to use it, you can simply access it via your Facebook app. All you have to do is hit the hamburger (three lines) menu button on your app and select “dating”. Here’s what it looks like:
Then, you will go through the process of creating your profile.
The dating app is completely independent of your Facebook profile. It will not show your dating activity to friends or family on Facebook.
How To Use Facebook Dating For Serious Relationships:
Filters Based On Preferences and Interest
Ok, I know its creepy that Facebook knows so much about us, but if it can get you a real relationship, that’s not so bad, right?
Facebook uses the interests and preferences of each person to send you suggested matches for who they think might be a good fit. Other dating sites like eHarmony and EliteSingles claim to do this as well, but we all know that Facebook has the most accurate representation of who we are as people. So technically their algorithm for finding like-minded matches should be spot on.
Facebook dating is still very new to the dating world so time will tell how effective it is at matching people up. For now all of its features are free so it’s worth a shot.
#3- Coffee Meets Bagel
Summary Of Coffee Meets Bagel
Ever since Tinder took the dating world by storm, many people quickly grew tired of the swiping model. It often lead to casual hookups rather than more serious relationships. Both Hinge and Coffee Meets Bagel are marketed as dating apps for relationships, not hookups. This means they do not rely on the swiping method.
The Coffee Meets Bagel website specifically states:
“It’s the meaningful dating app for people who are sick of swiping.”
This is another app that uses an algorithm to match people based on similar criteria and preferences.
Coffee meets bagel works well for people under 35 who live in more populated cities. For some reason it is also very popular in the Asian community so if you are Asian yourself or looking for an Asian partner, this is the best app to be on.
How To Use Coffee Meets Bagel for Serious Relationships
Limited Number of Matches
Coffee Meets Bagel limits the amount of people you can like per day. This encourages you to really look at each match individually. You can see if you might have a connection rather than endless swiping to see “just one more.”
Encourages The Dating Process To Move Forward
Coffee meets bagel also has a countdown system that only allows you to chat back and forth on the app for 7 days. After the 7 days are up, the conversation will expire. This encourages people to actually meet up and go on dates rather than creating penpals.
#2 – Bumble
Summary Of Bumble
Now, Bumble is the only one that I have on this list that uses the traditional “endless swiping” method but it still has less of a hookup culture than Tinder. Bumble markets itself as being a place to have deeper connections, while Tinder markets itself for quick hookups.
The profiles on Bumble are short and you must swipe and match people before you can talk to them. Women initiate all conversations by being required to send the first icebreaker.
The reason I put Bumble on here as one of the best dating apps for relationships is because it is so popular. This app is the second most popular app (after Tinder) so the number of options for high-quality matches are endless.
Pretty much anyone that you’ll find on any of the other dating apps I mentioned will have tried Tinder and then also Bumble.
This makes it a great choice for people who live in less populated cities.
How To Use Bumble For Serious Relationships
Best For Lower Populated Cities
Since Bumble uses the endless swiping and the short profile method, it can be a little harder to filter out the fluff and find someone that is serious. This is why I only suggest using Bumble if you live in a smaller city (less populated) or have tried some of the other options on this list and had no luck.
Related: How To Write A Good Online Dating Profile: The Do’s And Don’ts
Best App For Endless Options
Bumble works in your favor in terms of numbers. There are many, many people on it and if you keep swiping and talking to people, you are bound to find someone.
The only problem with this is that it can get time-consuming really quickly, so use this one with some caution. As a dating coach, the biggest reason why people are single is that they get too tired of online dating and they give up. Pushing it aside year after year. Bumble has the potential to make you feel that “dating fatigue” much faster.
#1- Hinge
Summary Of Hinge
We made it to number one! Hinge is the absolute best dating app for relationships because it was specifically built with that in mind. The CEO and founder of Hinge has stated that he wanted Hinge to be like the serious relationship version of dating apps. Much like Match was for serious relationships and Plenty Of Fish was for casual relationships, he wanted it to be the opposite of apps like Tinder and Bumble.
Years later, Hinge has taken off and is becoming one of the most popular dating apps out there. It definitely tops the list for best dating apps for relationships.
Related: How To Delete Tinder Permanently And Get On With Your Life
How To Use Hinge For Serious Relationships
Doesn’t Rely on Swiping
Hinge doesn’t use the swiping model, and instead you can interact directly with people’s profiles. You can send them a like on their photo, or answer one of their many “prompts”. The prompts are conversation starters that encourage people to connect on a deeper level rather than just starting things with a “hey, what’s up” like you might get on Tinder or Bumble.
Gaining In Popularity
Although traditional sites like OkCupid and Match still have millions of users, the the growing trend for dating is gravitating towards phone apps. Since phone apps have had the culture of quick swiping/hookups, Hinge is actively trying to change that. They are trying to mesh the convenience of the phone app with more serious dating. Bcause of this, it has really taken off in the past few years and I can see it continue to gain popularity as the years go by.
How To Find Serious Relationships Using Dating Apps
The hardest part about dating online is that it is time consuming and emotionally draining.
The best way to increase your chances of success is to make sure you’re doing everything you can to attract high-quality matches. If you need help with this, check out my Free Guide: “How To Attract Higher-Quality Men” by clicking here.
Conclusion
Thanks for checking out my list on the best dating apps for relationships. If you need help with getting better at online dating, feel free to check out these related posts:
Related:
After a year of social distancing and isolation, millions of singles worldwide have decided to make 2021 the year they find a meaningful relationship with someone special.
Best Dating Apps For Serious Relationships
The challenge is that, given how important your love life is to your happiness, you want to make sure you're using the best dating site in the world!
With so many options to choose from, the Best10 Dating Guide team works diligently to provide independent, authentic reviews to help you make the best choices.
Let's run through what you should look for in relationship dating and the red flags that a potential platform isn't right for you.
What Should I Look for in the Best Free Online Dating Apps?
The first thing to do is analyse what you are looking for from a matchmaking or online dating membership.
Best Dating For Serious Relationships
You could be a premium member of the best free online dating app ever, and yet if the theme or niche or the site doesn't align with your romantic aspirations, it isn't going to be your key to a happily ever after!
Here are a few factors to consider:
- Are you ready to settle down, and what values and qualities do you bring to a relationship?
- Do you want to meet people of a specific age or in a particular location?
- Can you keep your options open, or are you only interested in full-blown love?
- What demographics do you fall into, and would an exclusive dating site be the best option to help you meet like-minded folks?
As an illustration, the Best10 team analyses hundreds of the best free online dating apps every week to arrive at our shortlist of the crème de la crème.
Some of those sites might be designed for casual dates or online flirting, primarily used by younger singles or men and women - and they're not going to be much use to you if you're looking for marriage, kids and long-term romance.
Likewise, relationship dating sites themselves can vary significantly in the value they offer! You might want to connect with Christian singles, other single parents or divorcees, or be focused on your career and prefer a professional dating service.
Best Serious Dating Sites
It's well worth taking your time to work out what you want to get out of your online dating experience and what sort of matchmaking service is the best dating site in the world for you before shelling out on a subscription or spending time creating a perfect profile.
How Can I Improve My Chances of Finding a Real Relationship Online?
The concept that the best dating sites in the world are focused on casual sex or dodgy webcams simply isn't true. There are so many fantastic quality platforms explicitly designed to help single men and women find legitimate dates with real people.
It's always wise to think carefully about the dating site you want to join and check out independent reviews to avoid signing up for a niche platform that doesn't cater to relationship dating.
Our reviewers might recommend the best free online dating app - but if it's designed for kink lovers, it's not for you!
Here are a few other tips to make sure your dating adventures go to plan:
- TAKE YOUR TIME! We know it's overwhelming when you match with someone who seems like your perfect date. You chat, connect, and feel like you've met your soulmate. However, it's always wise to take things one step at a time and feel out the situation before stacking all of your eggs in one basket.
- Be authentic. Whether that's an unfiltered profile photo (a lot of dating sites ban photoshop to stamp out catfishing), being realistic about what you want from a relationship, or honesty about how you're likely to want to spend the majority of your time, real people want to meet real people. Romanticising or exaggerating can be a death knell for a fledgeling romance, so keep honesty a top priority.
- Don't close your inbox to anybody who doesn't instantly seem like a match made in heaven. How many times have we asked a couple how they met, and they say they were friends for years, had no idea there was anything to it, and then one day *BAM* everything changed? Be open to new prospects, and take a bit of time to chat and reply to messages - because you never know when an opportunity comes knowing, and you're not paying attention!
I'd also say to always be kind in any scenario. Online dating can be nerve-wracking and tense, and people who suffer from anxiety or low self-esteem can find it extremely hard to work up the confidence to send out likes or direct messages, with all the risk of being rebuffed.
You can also do wonders for your reputation by simply being a stand-up guy or girl, so if you end up on a first date and it's 100% obvious it isn't going any further, laugh it out, enjoy the time, and take it as a golden opportunity to make a new friend (who might even have some very eligible besties you'll do well to meet!).
How Can Reviews of the Best Dating Site in the World Help Me Find Love?
Here's the kicker - not all reviews are authentic. We come across glowing endorsements all the time, which bear no reality to our experience on a dating site.
The critical thing with reviews is to make sure it's an actual review by a real person and not a paid-for advert masquerading as a genuine endorsement.
Check what the site is all about, if it's independent, who writes the reviews, and whether it is an information source you are confident relying on to make your online dating decisions.
There are multiple factors to consider before registering on any of the best free online dating apps, such as:
- Security settings and whether it is packed with spammers.
- The volume of users in your local area.
- What features are free, and which you have to pay for.
- Costs of subscribing or upgrading your membership.
- How easy it is to chat and send messages.
- The target audience or niche dating demographic it's aimed at.
If you know what sort of dating app you're dealing with and feel that it resonates with your relationship aspirations from the outset, you will be in a much better position to get cracking in your profile and have expectations of success with a little time and effort!