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The best free dating apps and sites for singles on a budget. All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.
Click here for best cheap online dating site
Our Top 7 Picks. OkCupid (opens in a new tab) Best For Something More Serious Than Swiping. The Good. Modern and easy to use Large dating pool LGBTQ-friendly Filtering by interests, questions, and preferences is totally free. The Bad. Profile-building can be tedious. The Bottom Line. OkCupid genuinely wants dating to be a good experience, and their multi-faceted matchmaking and modern vibe help you steer clear of feeling like a loser looking for a boo online. Hinge (opens in a new tab) Best Comprehensive Free Version. The Good. Unlimited messaging included in the free version Prompts provide conversational jumping-off points Voice prompts and messaging are a fun twist on a classic Hinge format. The Bad. Have to go through your likes one by one Limited to sending 8 likes per day on the free version. The Bottom Line. Hinge is the place to find a relationship if you want something committed, but aren't quite ready for anything too serious. Tinder (opens in a new tab) Best For The Impatient. The Good. Large dating pool Easy setup One free Super Like per day. The Bad. Can't see who liked you unless you match or upgrade to paid subscription Might receive some vulgar messages Can feel superficial. The Bottom Line. Tinder makes it super easy to find someone to talk to — whether that leads to a relationship or a hookup. Bumble (opens in a new tab) Best For Setting Clear Intentions. The Good. More serious than Tinder, but less serious than eharmony Profile tags state your interests, characteristics, and intentions Time limit to start convo keeps your match queue from becoming too clogged. The Bad. Matches disappear after 24 hours of inactivity Much of the same crowd as Tinder. The Bottom Line. Bumble only gives you 24 hours to start a convo with a match, which encourages people to actually interact. Grindr (opens in a new tab) Best For Queer Men. This is the place for gay people who can't stand the heteronormativity of apps like Tinder or Bumble. The Good. Hookup heaven Someone is always online. The Bad. Tough if you're looking for something serious. The Bottom Line. Her (opens in a new tab) Best For Queer Women. HER is the award-winning mix of dating and social media that lets you meet queer women, trans, and non-binary people. The Good. Made for queer women Has features to prevent catfishing. The Bad. Doesn't have a huge user base yet. The Bottom Line. The number of users might not compare to Tinder's just yet, but HER is making serious strides toward becoming a total boss of an app. Plenty of Fish (opens in a new tab) Best For People Looking For To Get Chatting. The Good. Huge dating pool Unlimited free messaging Matchmaking algorithm. The Bad. Interface isn't as attractive as other apps Can lean more hookup-oriented Livestreaming feature is a weird fit for a dating app. The Bottom Line. Online dating is, in a word, hard — but so is dating in person. Ironically, or perhaps completely fittingly, the process of searching for someone to love (or even just like, tbh) can be the absolute worst. That's why we're always trying to save you time and energy by ranking the best online dating sites in general, the best dating sites for introverts, the best dating apps for college students, and, hell, even the best sexting apps for those who just want to date" from home. Even with our tips and recommendations, online dating will require that you spend some energy, so at the very least, you don't want to be spending a bunch of money too, especially if you're newer to the apps and sites game. Testing out a free version can be a great way to get a sense of what you want out of online dating, but for some dating apps and sites, the free version may actually be all you need. What dating sites are totally free? Part of the reason that so many people turn to online dating is that creating an account can be simple and completely free. Actually getting the benefits of having an account though, is where things can get a little more dicey. For websites like eharmony and Match, you can technically use them for free, if you don't mind technically being unable to message or match with people (though Match's free features have recently become a tad more lenient). The good news is, spending $40 a month is not requisite for finding success in love. In many cases, apps and sites offer at least the barebones of matching and messaging entirely for free. Features like seeing people who've already liked you, sending messages without matching at all, and profile boosts are where you'll typically start to shell out. Though these can be convenient time savers, they don't drastically increase your chances of meeting that perfect person in a week. Even with purely paid sites, dating takes time and energy. The benefits of using free dating sites. Some people simply want to test the waters of online dating without investing a lot, which is completely valid and says nothing about how serious you might be. Connecting with someone can be much better when you're open and vulnerable with your emotions — the same does not need to happen with your wallet. Expensive sites do offer free trials, but seven days isn't enough time to find someone or get a sense of what a website has to offer you. Even if dating is high on your priority list, we're willing to bet you have more to do with your day then smash refresh on your matches page. That's why using a dating website with plenty of free options can take the pressure off. Plus, if it turns out you don't have the greatest experience, there's no sunk-cost fallacy business you have to contend with. To make the free dating game even easier for you, we did the research and compiled a comprehensive list of the best free dating apps and sites. Enjoy the lowdown on what type of person each one is best suited for. (And if you land a hot date out of this, we do expect a thank you.) Note: It's almost impossible to find a dating site or app that doesn't have some sort of paid upgrade feature, but these are the sites where the free option gives you almost everything you need for the full experience. These aren't like Match (opens in a new tab) or eharmony (opens in a new tab) where you need to pay to do basically anything. Related Video: These dating sites and apps are perfect for people on a budget. Free features: See all potential matches, send and receive likes, send and receive messages One month of OkCupid Basic: $14.99 Three months of OkCupid Basic: $29.97 ($9.99 per month) Six months of OkCupid Basic: $44.94 ($7.49 per month) One month of OkCupid Premium: $24.99 Three months of OkCupid Premium: $49.99 ($16.66 per month) Six months of OkCupid Premium: $74.94 ($12.49 per month) The gist: OkCupid (opens in a new tab) is a seriously hip LGBTQ-friendly app that has won the hearts of millennial and mature singles alike. I've said this a million times before and I'll say it again: OkCupid's advertising is outstanding. They deserve endless applause just for that, but I realize many people on dating apps care about more than aesthetics. Good thing OkCupid is so much more than that, taking compatibility factors into account that other sites haven't even thought of. Who it's good for: This is the place for, well, pretty much everyone who takes dating seriously, but still wants to have fun. Though OkCupid's advertisements may have "DTF" plastered all over them, the site's intentions and matchmaking process are no joke. We also want to mention that OkCupid (opens in a new tab) and its user base are pretty liberal. The ads with same-sex couples are an obvious giveaway, but OkCupid has snuck in other little features to weed out more conservative-minded people.
Article:
The best free dating apps and sites for singles on a budget. All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.
Click here for best cheap online dating site
Our Top 7 Picks. OkCupid (opens in a new tab) Best For Something More Serious Than Swiping. The Good. Modern and easy to use Large dating pool LGBTQ-friendly Filtering by interests, questions, and preferences is totally free. The Bad. Profile-building can be tedious. The Bottom Line. OkCupid genuinely wants dating to be a good experience, and their multi-faceted matchmaking and modern vibe help you steer clear of feeling like a loser looking for a boo online. Hinge (opens in a new tab) Best Comprehensive Free Version. The Good. Unlimited messaging included in the free version Prompts provide conversational jumping-off points Voice prompts and messaging are a fun twist on a classic Hinge format. The Bad. Have to go through your likes one by one Limited to sending 8 likes per day on the free version. The Bottom Line. Hinge is the place to find a relationship if you want something committed, but aren't quite ready for anything too serious. Tinder (opens in a new tab) Best For The Impatient. The Good. Large dating pool Easy setup One free Super Like per day. The Bad. Can't see who liked you unless you match or upgrade to paid subscription Might receive some vulgar messages Can feel superficial. The Bottom Line. Tinder makes it super easy to find someone to talk to — whether that leads to a relationship or a hookup. Bumble (opens in a new tab) Best For Setting Clear Intentions. The Good. More serious than Tinder, but less serious than eharmony Profile tags state your interests, characteristics, and intentions Time limit to start convo keeps your match queue from becoming too clogged. The Bad. Matches disappear after 24 hours of inactivity Much of the same crowd as Tinder. The Bottom Line. Bumble only gives you 24 hours to start a convo with a match, which encourages people to actually interact. Grindr (opens in a new tab) Best For Queer Men. This is the place for gay people who can't stand the heteronormativity of apps like Tinder or Bumble. The Good. Hookup heaven Someone is always online. The Bad. Tough if you're looking for something serious. The Bottom Line. Her (opens in a new tab) Best For Queer Women. HER is the award-winning mix of dating and social media that lets you meet queer women, trans, and non-binary people. The Good. Made for queer women Has features to prevent catfishing. The Bad. Doesn't have a huge user base yet. The Bottom Line. The number of users might not compare to Tinder's just yet, but HER is making serious strides toward becoming a total boss of an app. Plenty of Fish (opens in a new tab) Best For People Looking For To Get Chatting. The Good. Huge dating pool Unlimited free messaging Matchmaking algorithm. The Bad. Interface isn't as attractive as other apps Can lean more hookup-oriented Livestreaming feature is a weird fit for a dating app. The Bottom Line. Online dating is, in a word, hard — but so is dating in person. Ironically, or perhaps completely fittingly, the process of searching for someone to love (or even just like, tbh) can be the absolute worst. That's why we're always trying to save you time and energy by ranking the best online dating sites in general, the best dating sites for introverts, the best dating apps for college students, and, hell, even the best sexting apps for those who just want to date" from home. Even with our tips and recommendations, online dating will require that you spend some energy, so at the very least, you don't want to be spending a bunch of money too, especially if you're newer to the apps and sites game. Testing out a free version can be a great way to get a sense of what you want out of online dating, but for some dating apps and sites, the free version may actually be all you need. What dating sites are totally free? Part of the reason that so many people turn to online dating is that creating an account can be simple and completely free. Actually getting the benefits of having an account though, is where things can get a little more dicey. For websites like eharmony and Match, you can technically use them for free, if you don't mind technically being unable to message or match with people (though Match's free features have recently become a tad more lenient). The good news is, spending $40 a month is not requisite for finding success in love. In many cases, apps and sites offer at least the barebones of matching and messaging entirely for free. Features like seeing people who've already liked you, sending messages without matching at all, and profile boosts are where you'll typically start to shell out. Though these can be convenient time savers, they don't drastically increase your chances of meeting that perfect person in a week. Even with purely paid sites, dating takes time and energy. The benefits of using free dating sites. Some people simply want to test the waters of online dating without investing a lot, which is completely valid and says nothing about how serious you might be. Connecting with someone can be much better when you're open and vulnerable with your emotions — the same does not need to happen with your wallet. Expensive sites do offer free trials, but seven days isn't enough time to find someone or get a sense of what a website has to offer you. Even if dating is high on your priority list, we're willing to bet you have more to do with your day then smash refresh on your matches page. That's why using a dating website with plenty of free options can take the pressure off. Plus, if it turns out you don't have the greatest experience, there's no sunk-cost fallacy business you have to contend with. To make the free dating game even easier for you, we did the research and compiled a comprehensive list of the best free dating apps and sites. Enjoy the lowdown on what type of person each one is best suited for. (And if you land a hot date out of this, we do expect a thank you.) Note: It's almost impossible to find a dating site or app that doesn't have some sort of paid upgrade feature, but these are the sites where the free option gives you almost everything you need for the full experience. These aren't like Match (opens in a new tab) or eharmony (opens in a new tab) where you need to pay to do basically anything. Related Video: These dating sites and apps are perfect for people on a budget. Free features: See all potential matches, send and receive likes, send and receive messages One month of OkCupid Basic: $14.99 Three months of OkCupid Basic: $29.97 ($9.99 per month) Six months of OkCupid Basic: $44.94 ($7.49 per month) One month of OkCupid Premium: $24.99 Three months of OkCupid Premium: $49.99 ($16.66 per month) Six months of OkCupid Premium: $74.94 ($12.49 per month) The gist: OkCupid (opens in a new tab) is a seriously hip LGBTQ-friendly app that has won the hearts of millennial and mature singles alike. I've said this a million times before and I'll say it again: OkCupid's advertising is outstanding. They deserve endless applause just for that, but I realize many people on dating apps care about more than aesthetics. Good thing OkCupid is so much more than that, taking compatibility factors into account that other sites haven't even thought of. Who it's good for: This is the place for, well, pretty much everyone who takes dating seriously, but still wants to have fun. Though OkCupid's advertisements may have "DTF" plastered all over them, the site's intentions and matchmaking process are no joke. We also want to mention that OkCupid (opens in a new tab) and its user base are pretty liberal. The ads with same-sex couples are an obvious giveaway, but OkCupid has snuck in other little features to weed out more conservative-minded people.
