- Basic membership: Free
- Six months of Premium: $ ($15 per month)
- 12 months of Premium: $ ($10 per month)
You know, the one where hopeless romantics can post about that cute person they locked eyes with on the train, only to never see them again. It works by using the GPS tracking feature on your phone to list other users you crossed paths with IRL, and if your interest in someone else is reciprocated, you’ll be matched and can strike up a conversation in the app.
While it’s not so great for those who live outside major cities where white-collar professionals flick, if you live in places like New York or Kansas City, you might want to give it a try
Why it works: This is the next best thing to a built-in radar for singles. While it doesn’t match you on anything other than proximity (there are no personality tests with this app!), it’s great if your only non-work hours are spent commuting or running errands. For those who spend their days darting from meeting to meeting, spending their lunch breaks on the phone, or generally rushing from one task to the next throughout the day, it can be hard to notice, let alone strike up a convo, with people who could pretty much be your destiny if you’d just take a minute to talk to them. This app literally meets you where you are – and the bonus of sharing a location with your match gives you great leads into icebreaker questions, too.
- Free version: Yes
- Three months of Premium : $ ($ per month)
- Six months of Premium : $ ($ per month)
The gist: For when your schedule is too packed to plan times to meet new people – like, say, carving out time for happy hour at the bar – Happn (opens in a new tab) is like the dating app version of Craigslist’s “Missed Connections” section
The gist: Launched in 2015, The League (opens in a new tab) is for look-good-on-paper people who want to meet other look-good-on-paper people. Targeted toward young professionals, the app prioritizes education and job title – one of the social networks you connect is your LinkedIn (though it has a system that lets users block their profile from coworkers). It’s all about status, status, status.
Why it works: The app does the work for you by sending you five matches per day at 5 P.M., a.k.a. �Happy Hour� in the app’s lingo (which is good when you have a day packed full of calls and meetings). The pricing reflects its exclusive client base: Get ready to fork out some money if you’re accepted for membership – it’s pricey, and unlocking certain features will result in another charge to your credit card. While the argument could easily be made that it’s an incredibly elitist app – and it’s received a lot of flak for lack of diversity – it’s still a popular pick with the future 1%.
- Free version: Yes
The gist: Admittedly, the prospect of calling matches �bagels� is a little weird, but if you can overlook that, this app is great for people who need a few reminders to actually get out there and date – say, if work has you slammed with projects and matches are always expiring on Bumble before you can match them. On Coffee Meets Bagel (opens in a new tab) , you receive curated matches at noon each day, so you can schedule in the time to scroll through during your lunch break.