Dating apps in 2026, scored the same way
We rate every app on five things: how serious the users are, what it really costs, how big the pool is where you live, what women report, and how easy it is to disappear. Same scale, every app, updated quarterly.
Want a ranking rather than a scale? Our guide to the best dating apps scores three apps, lists the rest as not reviewed, and dates every price.
| App | Serious | Real cost | Pool | Women report | Easy to ghost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bumble | 3/5 | Free + Premium 249 kr / month (Sweden); from $17.99 (US) | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | Undecided, 25–35 |
| Feeld | 2/5 | Free + Majestic from 159 kr / $29.99 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | Open relationships, couples and singles |
| Hinge | 4/5 | Free + Hinge+ from 179 kr / $16.99 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2/5 | Relationship-minded, 25–35 |
| Raya | 3/5 | Membership from $24.99 / 219 kr | 1/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | Members-only dating and networking |
| Tinder | 2/5 | Free + Plus 109 kr / $9.99, Gold from 165 kr / $13.99 | 5/5 | 3/5 | 4/5 | Volume and casual, 18–30 |
By country
Common questions
Which dating app is the most serious?
No app publishes how many of its users want a relationship, so nobody can answer this with data. On our scale, Hinge, Mötesplatsen and You& share the top score for serious, 4 out of 5, which rests on product rules, a paywall and app design, not on what users say they want. Hinge blocks new likes and matches when eight conversations are waiting on your reply, which is a rule, not a measure of intent.
Is there anything better than Tinder?
Depends on what you want it to do better. Tinder has the largest pool on our scale, 5 out of 5: 46% of US online daters have used it, against 28% for Bumble and 19% for Hinge (Pew Research Center, 2023). For something serious, Hinge scores 4 against Tinder's 2, but that rests on Hinge's own claims and product rules, not outcome data. In Sweden, Mötesplatsen also scores 4 on serious, but you pay to message.
Is Bumble better than Tinder?
Not by much, on our scale. The serious scores, 3 for Bumble and 2 for Tinder, are both preliminary, so that gap is not a finding. Tinder has the bigger pool, 5 against 3. The rule that set Bumble apart is gone: since August 11, 2026, either person can send the first message, with 72 hours to do so. On ghosting, Bumble's expiry timer puts it at 3 against Tinder's 4.
What is the 3-3-3 rule in dating?
The 3-3-3 rule is a rule of thumb from social media, and the versions disagree. The most repeated one says to check how things are going after three dates, three weeks and three months; others start at three hours or three days. We found no study that tests any version, and the outlets that credit anyone credit different TikTok creators. Our glossary entry on the 3-3-3 rule lists the versions with dates.
Sources
- Key findings about online dating in the U.S. (full report PDF), Pew Research Center, 2023-02-02
- Relationships in 2023 take many forms: Tinder daters are saying yes to all the possibilities, Tinder Newsroom, 2023-03-14
- Bumble ditches its rule that kept men from making the first move, TechCrunch, 2026-08-11
- Hinge Launches Your Turn Limits Globally to Help Daters Focus on Current Matches and Conversations, Hinge Press, 2024-09-18