If you have caught yourself reading an article about dating apps other than Tinder, then you, like me, have been a victim of the Tinder craze, and then been thoroughly disappointed. However, once you are hooked to a dating app, it is tough to let go of that habit. It is like gum stuck to the bottom of your shoe- you can’t get rid of it even if you want to.

No one has been able to rule out the dating site, because online dating sites have lots of benefits. If you are looking for a partner or a long-lasting relationship, then you can’t just use your free dating apps and apps. Some sites work better than others. Make sure that you have a look at some of the sites that can help you to find a life. The USP: With more than 400 million members, Badoo is one of the world's most popular dating apps and part of the same umbrella company as Bumble. Uniquely, it allows users to live stream. What are the best Tinder alternatives? Is there anything better than tinder? It's a free mobile dating app that matches you with singles in your area. Tinder basically launched the location-based dating app craze back in 2012, and it's still the most popular dating app in the US. But honestle I don't like this app. It's free for general use, but Tinder does offer two upgrades: Tinder Plus and Tinder Gold. These include extras like undoing a left swipe (bless), send 'Super Likes' to people you're really into.

Image source: Google, copyright-free image, under Creative Commons License

To be honest, Tinder is murky waters that not many people are willing to wade into, precisely because there are ~too many~ people in it. Everyone seems to know about Tinder, and it is turning into another “send nudes” platform that frankly, I am getting really tired of.

Suggested read: The Complete Guide On How To Find True And Lasting Love (If You Are Tired Of Tinder)

However, just because Tinder is getting closer to disappointment with every left swipe, doesn’t mean that your dating dreams have to meet a sad demise. When you live in a metropolitan city you seem to be surrounded by a million new faces every day, and your singlehood bears down on you. When Tinder isn’t an option anymore, or when you get tired of Tinder and want to search different seas for your fish, then you can check out dating apps other than Tinder, which according to my expert opinion, are actually better!

Here are all the other dating apps which are better and more creative than Tinder, and who knows, you might actually find love on there!

1. Bumble

The first inclusion on the list is the wonderful dating app called Bumble, which is predominantly used in America, but is available all over the world. Doesn’t a feminist version of Tinder sound perfect? Well, this is what Bumble essentially is. Even after you match with someone you like, the woman gets to send the message first and it is essentially all about respect and consent and general awesomeness and empowerment.

2. Miss Travel

Most of the bios on Tinder read “wanderlust” because people seem to be super fond of travelling. Here is a dating app, which is literally made for lovers of travel, so that you don’t have to use “wanderlust” as a disclaimer. People who travel alone can meet other travelers anywhere in the world and vibe and have an actual chance of meeting, dating and liking each other.

3. OK Cupid

If you want something exactly like Tinder, but not Tinder, then you can always check out OK Cupid, which claims to be the best dating site on earth, according to its official website. The easy to use interface allows you to scroll through thousands of potential dates all over the world, and is in general, well-loved by a number of people, which is assurance of the fact that there are enough people on the app.

4. Happn

Here is an innovative concept for you, in the form of Happn. Have you ever walked down the street or bumped into some stranger and wished you knew their name because you found them cute? If both you and that person are registered on Happn, then the app will show it to you, and you can actually go out on a date! Apart from the slightly stalker-ish complex, it is a wonderful way to meet people who live near you, or you’ve met and liked.

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5. Plenty of Fish

Another wonderful app, which is sort of like Tinder, is Plenty of Fish. The only difference is that it comes with a host of other options which can help you filter your matches and decide what to do with them in a more organized manner.

If you are interested to go out with them without any prior obligatory conversation, then you can hit the “meet them” button. You can check out people with who you would be an “ultra match” or check out the people in your neighborhood under the “locals” filter.

Suggested read: Study Finds Men On Tinder Feel Entitled To Casual Sex As Compensation For ‘Breach Of Trust’

6. How About We

Personally, this is my favorite because this app, which is called How About We, is completely normal, sweet, polite and efficient. This not only helps you match with non non-creepy strangers on the internet, but after you have had a decent enough conversation, it also selects a date place for you!

As a dating app expert, I can say with confidence that a lot of the time conversations die because you can’t find neutral grounds to meet. The app chooses a cute date place for you and your match and you can make some pretty decent friends on here.

7. Hinge

Like Tinder, Hinge also is centered around your Facebook profile and links you with people who have common interests and opinions. However, the options aren’t endless and overwhelming like it is on Tinder. It is only refers to your friends of your friends on Facebook, and reduces the risk of you matching with a serial killer.

The only downside of Hinge is that the number of potential dates you could find on here is reduced considerably. That being said, it is always better when you have mutual friends with the people you match with, so that there aren’t nasty surprises for you.

8. Bark n’ Borrow

If you read online guides about Tinder hacks, you will see that the percentage getting matches increases exponentially when you have a dog with you on your pictures. However, if you want to bypass the rest of the hazards of Tinder, check out Bark n’ Borrow, which is a dating app, made exclusively for people who love doggos.

You can plan dates with your furry buddies and bond over your love for doggies, and to be honest, I can’t think of anything more ideal.

9. Bristlr

Specialized dating apps are an actual thing, and with 7 billion people on earth, you won’t have trouble finding the one, no matter how specialized your dating app is. This one called Bristlr, exclusively features men who have beards and according to their website, “women who want to stroke them.”

However, the actual app isn’t as cringe-worthy as their tagline. You get to choose various different beards and the men that come with them. It’s as simple as that. If you have a match, then you can bond over your mutual love for beards.

10. Grindr

Grindr has become one of the most popular apps on the dating apps market because it is exclusively for bisexual, gay, lesbian or bi-curious people. It is a wonderful platform where you can meet people without judgment or fear or awkward conversations.

Grindr has as many users as Tinder, which is saying something because Tinder has a lot of followers. It is also available worldwide, and has a relatively good success rate and non-creepy rate, so you are good to go.

11. Pure

Pure is another wonderfully simple dating app, which is like Tinder, but better and for hipsters. You can be as cool and as pseudo-intellectual as you please when you are on Pure, and meet people from your locality.

This makes arranging dates infinitely easier, which is why more and more people are discovering the wonderful platform that is Pure. Another great feature about this app is that it automatically deletes the pictures and conversations that you share with people, so that there isn’t a privacy issue where people misuse the info you send or the pictures. Pure also lists the people who are ready to date immediately, and not those “looking for something non-serious” or whatever other synonym there is for causal hookups nowadays.

Suggested read: Dating app Hyped – Tinder Meets LinkedIn, But For Hipsters Only!

12. The Inner Circle

Dating sites can be full of people who are there just to make your life difficult. The Inner Circle is a wonderful dating site/app which has an extensive screening process, which basically filters out everyone who is there to waste your time and make your miserable. You can meet people on there, talk to them, see what they are doing in real time if you match, along with a lot of other cool features.

The app also organizes singles’ parties, where you can meet like-minded singles in real life, even though it is through a dating site, which somehow makes the whole process seem more legit and real. All in all, it is a wonderful experience, with very few disadvantages.

When you are foraying into the world of dating apps and dating websites, it is normal to gravitate towards Tinder. However, when you have played on this ground for far too long, you know what a waste of time Tinder can be.

These specialized dating apps other than Tinder are a wonderful way to find love in a digital world where people barely look up from their smart phones. Using these apps might actually give you a chance to meet someone you genuinely like, and it would sound way cooler than telling your grandkids that you met on Tinder.

Featured image source: Google, copyright-free image, under Creative Commons License

Tinder gets a bad rep. And you know what? Sometimes, it deserves it. Tinder has become the hook-up app. It’s where you go when you want a one-night stand, not where you go when you want to walk down the aisle. And thanks to Tinder, free dating apps have become pretty synonymous with casual sex. But that’s not entirely fair.

While Tinder might be the hook-up hot spot, not all dating apps are created equal. Let’s take a look at a few that do a better job of helping you find a better match.

1. OkCupid
If you asked anyone maybe seven years ago if OkCupid was the place to go to meet people potential paramours, there’s a good chance that they might have laughed. In a lot of ways it was a buggy website where you get spammed with a bunch of messages from people you don’t want to talk to. But today, OkCupid works quite a bit differently.

Now a website and an app, there’s still matching and swiping like Tinder, but OkCupid redesigned so that there would be less of a focus on physical appearance and more of a focus on hobbies and interests. You’re shown more photos at first glance, plus descriptions pulled from someone’s profile and a list of some of their traits. You can click into their profile to learn a lot more and you can see questions that they’ve answered. You can dig into deeper questions to see if you’re compatible or have similar values, like if you both want kids. Or you can read to see what likes you have in common. All of this information at your disposal helps you get a better picture of who the person is beyond a profile photo.

2. Bumble
Most women have their fair share of Tinder horror stories or Tinder harassment stories or at the very least Tinder annoyance stories. Who among us hasn’t matched with a handsome gentleman whose opening line is, “Sit on my face.” Bumble was designed to get rid of situations like this by allowing women to make the first move.

While Tinder allows women to speak first, it’s widely expected that men will make the first move. With Bumble, after you match, the woman has 24 hours to start a conversation before the match disappears, lighting a fire to start talking and not let someone sit in your matches forever.

One issue with Bumble, though, is the heteronormative design. It was originally designed for women to message men, but what if it’s two men or two women? Bumble recognized the flaw and now if two people of the same sex match, either one can message first, making the app a safer and friendlier place for both homosexual and heterosexual daters.

3. Hinge
Hinge’s tagline is, “designed to be deleted.” A weird slogan for a dating app in today’s day and age, which is why it’s pretty awesome. The goal isn’t hook ups. The goal is a relationship.

The app does a good job of making connections about personality instead of appearance. While it doesn’t have nearly as many questions as OkCupid, profiles are pretty in depth, from whether or not they have or would ever smoke or do drugs to what they would consider the perfect date.

4. Now
Now is perhaps one of the greatest dating apps invented for anyone who is bad at making decisions or just doesn’t have a ton of time to date or to beat around the bush. How many times have you been on Tinder, matched with someone, talked for days, and then just never set up a time or place to meet?

Now is not for people who aren’t ready to date. It’s for people who know what they want and they want it now. The user matches with someone, they can chat for up to 2 hours, and then they can send an invite to go out. You set the activity, the place, and the time and they can accept or deny it. Users set their schedule so you’re able to set up a date when you know that they said they were free. It’s a great way to remove some of the friction getting to a first date.

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5. Happn
Believe it or not, once upon a time, people met other people through Craigslist. Its Missed Connections feature let people post messages for a person that they wish they’d worked up the nerve to talk to in real life. And that’s what Happn is based off of. We pass hundreds of people every day. If those people have a Happn account too, they’ll show up on your account, and it will even show the number of times you’ve passed them. You can like them and, if they like you back, you can start chatting. You never know if your soulmate has literally been getting coffee at your favorite coffee shop every day, the same time as you!

6. Twindog
Just to add this in there because there are hundreds of dating apps, a lot of them end up being pretty niche. There’s one to find a travel companion, several to find a match that’s the same religion as you, and there’s this one which is basically the premise of “Must Love Dogs.” With this app, you can post a picture of your pup and match with other dog owners. You might find love, you might find friends, or you might just find a friend for Fido!

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