12 people explain their dating app allegiances
In our Love App-tually series, Mashable shines a light into the foggy world of online dating.
In our Love App-tually series, Mashable shines a light into the foggy world of online dating. Just in time for cuffing season.
On dating apps, people's intentions and objectives vary wildly, which is partially why they're a breeding ground for disappointment. But sometimes -- and yes, this has happened -- someone uses a dating app and thinks, "Wow, that was not so bad."
We asked 12 people to explain why they love (or at least tolerate) their favorite dating app. Spoiler: Despite the corny questions, a surprising number of people love Hinge. The interviews below have been edited and condensed for clarity.
AdultFriendFinder — readers’ pick for casual connections
Hinge — popular choice for regular meetups
Lara, 39
Favorite app: Tinder
Why? I am 39 and I know how hard it is to meet people. The reason I prefer Tinder is mainly due to volume. You will find more people on there than any other app or site, at least in my city. Tinder is also great when traveling. I’ve made some romantic connections as well as friends that I still communicate with. I have used Bumble, OKCupid, and Hinge and I found myself deleting these apps after a month.
Charlotte, 22
Favorite app: Hinge
Why? I feel like I can take [Hinge] so much more seriously as a dating app than I can an app like Tinder. I feel Tinder has a "hookup culture" stigma that's hard to get around, and Hinge provides you with more ice breaker questions to help spark a conversation or [discover] a common interest.
Adam, 41
Favorite app: OKCupid
Why? I'm happily married now and haven't used a dating app in 5-plus years. The big thing that set OKC apart from other options when I was a user: It was free. But this was before a lot of advances in dating services. Tinder didn't launch until 2012, and by that time I was invested enough in using OKC that it never occurred to me to try a different app.
I'd like to tell you that OKC's percentage match [algorithm], questions, and personality quizzes kept me there, but honestly ... it was the free thing that kept me there.
Vicky, 27
Favorite app: Tinder
Why? It's the original “I don’t have the time to waste energy on people who don't find me physically attractive” app. I also believe people go on the app without a set idea of what they want overall, so the idea of a date and one-nighter is attractive and effortless. But that doesn’t mean everyone is opposed to relationships of growing from the first encounter.
Lisa, 32
Favorite app: Bumble
Why? I am on Bumble and Hinge. Bumble has been my go-to for quite some time mainly because the quality of men I find on Bumble seem (key word: seem) to be more along the lines of what I am looking for and now with the options that Bumble provides i.e. height, religion, reasons for being on the app, etc. No success yet, but I know friends that have had success so ... I'm still keeping the faith.
Abby, 24
Favorite app: Hinge
Why? I pretty much only use Hinge now. I have tried almost all of them: Tinder at one point in college, Bumble, OKCupid, Coffee Meets Bagel .... I found that Tinder was mainly for hook-ups and while I liked that guys were less grimy on Bumble, I’m pretty shy so I didn’t like that I had to be the one to initiate conversation. (Editor's Note: Women seeking men must message first on Bumble; for women seeking women, that rule goes away.)
And then I found that CMB and OKCupid were just not as user friendly. I didn’t love the app experience and it seemed like most people were just looking for hook-ups there too. What I like about Hinge is that it’s not just driven by people’s pictures. When you build your profile, you’re forced to answer a series of questions -- anything from your favorite movie to your best travel story or dream dinner guest. They’re all good questions because the responses give you a sense of who the person is and their interests.
Sarah, 27
Favorite app: Bumble
Why? I met my now-fiancé on Bumble. I liked that I had the power to choose who I talked to. I was tired of getting cornered by creepy men at bars who wouldn't take a hint, but I was too nice to just walk away. (In hindsight, I should have!) Bumble allowed me to never feel obligated to talk to anyone just because they initiated a conversation with me.
Diana, 26
Favorite app: Hinge
Why? Hinge is by far the best for a long-term relationship. I met my current partner on there and have been with him for a year. I used every dating app out there and met, like, three new guys per week for about two years. The creepiest, worst dates I had all came from Bumble, and so many people ghosted from Coffee Meets Bagel.
[Hinge] isn't swipe-style like Tinder or Bumble. People upload pictures and answer icebreakers and you have the chance to comment on those ... you can't just send a message like "hey." You can also filter based on whether the person drinks, smokes, wants kids, does drugs ... so you can rule out people who don't fit your values.
Ray, 30
Favorite app: Coffee Meets Bagel
Why? I personally like Coffee Meets Bagel because it’s not an endless cycle of swiping through uninterested prospects. It’s very casual [in tone], but catered more to individuals looking for actual dates/relationships rather than just a hookup. In comparison to the other apps/sites, I think there is a better quality of men on CMB. Only issue I have: Their messaging app is extremely subpar, doesn’t load correctly and messages don’t send.
Amanda, 27
Favorite app: Bumble
Why? I guess I am biased towards Bumble because it is where I met my boyfriend, but I like it for several reasons.
I like that the app was made by a woman. It always gave me peace of mind when I remembered the creators had similar needs and experiences.
I also like that I was forced to be the instigator. I’m not usually one to go out and start a conversation, so that little push was nice. Finally, I like that it only gives you 24 hours to send a text before you lose a match. I have spent so long in match purgatory on other apps. This one actually forces you to put yourself out there.
Heather, 35
Favorite app: OKCupid
Why? It was the writer's dating app. If you were one of those people who relied on clever copy than, say, photos, OKCupid was your site. Some of my best material was in my 2009 dating profile. RIP.
Elisha, 30
Favorite app: Hinge
Why? I felt like the people on Hinge were more likely to be looking for a serious relationship. Rather than just flipping through photos, I liked that I also got an insight into their personalities straight away -- from the questions they chose to the answers they gave.
I also really liked that I could see their political affiliation, religious beliefs, if they drank, smoked, or did drugs, etc. because those can be real deal-breakers, but awkward questions to ask on a first or even a second date.
So when I matched with people, it was nice to know that we had some of the 'big things' in common right from the get-go, rather than investing in them through chatting or even meeting IRL only to be massively disappointed by something.
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Chloe was the shopping editor at Mashable. She was also previously a culture reporter. You can follow her on Twitter at @chloebryan.
