Best dating apps?

[starymoon]

I'm 36, single parent looking to start dating, what's the best sites/apps to use? Which to totally avoid??

Met my husband on POF over 10 years ago and heard it's not good now.

Is this a proposition?!

Wtf??? Is this what people do??

Sorry to derail your thread OP... I was just astounded.

I used Bumble when I was online dating and quite liked it. I also used Match which was okay. Everyone said the paid ones were better but honestly, it tended to be the same men on all the platforms.

Don’t go near POF now. Its a sleaze fest.

Tbh none of them are great but I’d say Bumble and Hinge your best starting place.

I was on Bumble and Hinge last year. Found Hinge better as had a couple of longer term dating experiences on them.

A lot depends on your location too.

Agree with pp and I did recognise some of the profiles across both sites.

Facebook dating is the worst.

Be prepared to have a steep learning curve and don’t beat yourself up. You’ll need a thick skin too!

Oh I'm ready for it, I know what's to come! I done the online dating thing before I met my husband so I'm under no illusions.. I imagine it's got worst these days!

I'm quite happy and content with life at the moment, so currently just looking to occupy my child free weekends and give me and the girls something to talk about on the group chat! If the right guy comes along that's great but I'm not holding my breathe!

I'll sign myself up to bumble and hinge tonight!

@starymoon I tried bumble for about 48 hours, but didn’t like it. I was very out my comfort zone being the one to make the first move, and it did feel it was for low effort men which I had been warned about. Have you signed up?

@Datingahhhhhhhh I did, to bumble and hinge.

I also paid a week subscription to both just to get the full experience!

I think I prefer hinge, less matches but seem better quality. Bumble I've had endless people like me but very few I'd actually be interested in. I've messaged a couple of matches on bumble but so far, none have replied. Matches on hinge have worked out better but obviously too soon to see whether any of them will actually lead to a date!

I also agree it feels uncomfortable having to make the first move, I'm not keen on that feature!

@starymoon I did read several reviews on bumble that it was a con and they hold things back to make you pay. I didn’t swipe many on bumble and I only messaged 2 men, I did get replies but it still felt like they had the mindset that it was still down to me to make the effort even after initiating the message. So I don’t think bumble is for me. I would probably prefer one where it’s a bit more of an even playing field on effort! I might try hinge but I’ve only ever heard that one mentioned on here - not sure it’s take off in my location yet! Hopefully your matches will result in someone nice for you. 🤞

I never paid for either bumble or hinge. It depends on so many factors. I got loads more matches on Bumble and that’s where I found all my dates - none of them great though.

Hinge I didn’t get a single match. I’m older (55) and it was full of men who love hiking/kayaking/cycling/paddle boarding etc every weekend and I’m more of a cocktail bar in the warm sort of woman.

POF is hideous. Some of the messages I got were 🤮

Was on everything last year it seems like.

FB - Poor, free so thats good but limited views and not great profiles
POF - Awful, but I am a snob!!
Match - Ok, bit dated but not that many replies
Tinder - Fun to use and had some success
Bumble - The best, worth paying for
Hinge - Liked it but where I was, limited profiles.

Pof is great for back up to find out potentially more about a person. But would suggest staying incognito on there. Although. the paid members can see you. Much to my unhappiness lately.
Bumble is ok, so is Tinder. Hinge is better is some areas than others and Im sure for your age you'll be ok.
But always have a list of needs and what you wouldnt want, to make it easier to swipe.
Please remember that online dating has changed since you last tried it. Every man has a dog, no-one cares that much about actually dating and men are on their for the ego boost of how many people like them.
But Im 51, so it may be easier for you.

All of the apps are awful. Nobody wants to meet, everyone wants to chat for weeks on WhatsApp, people ghost after one meeting and you have to sleep with them quickly or they lose interest. I will never use them again. It gives people the idea that they have endless choices. I like to actually take my time and get to know a person as that I how I get interested. I don’t like a man after meeting them twice. Give me time to get interested. We have started off as strangers after all.

I'd definitely recommend Bumble or DoULike- they attract relationship-minded people. Avoid Tinder which is more hookup-focused.
The key is a positive but honest profile. Good luck