The 5 Best Dating Apps for People Over 40
Whether you’re trying to understand more about what you want out of a relationship or looking for your soul mate, these are the top-rated dating apps.
Dating can be tricky no matter your age, but when you’re looking for the best dating apps for people over 40, there are special considerations to factor in. People in this age group may have just gotten a divorce and have kids, or maybe they’ve never tied the knot and aren’t interested in having children. It’s essential to know what you’re looking for before choosing the best dating app for you. And it doesn’t hurt to ensure the app is known for having a healthy pool in your age range.
How We Chose the Best Dating Apps
For this story, we talked with Nicole Moore, a relationship expert and love coach. She detailed what makes some apps better for people 40+ than others and how to choose the right one. To narrow down the dozens of options, we screened for certain key considerations.
- We considered popular and not-well-known dating apps to see if certain ones stuck out for being specifically beneficial for people over 40.
- We noted their features to see how personalized each one could be.
- We evaluated their subscription packages, because although there are a ton of free options, the winners might be hiding behind monthly costs.
- Finally, we considered their reputations, because real-world usage matters, and we wanted each option to have a healthy pool of singles.
The 5 Best Dating Apps for People Over 40
Consider the dating app a tool for opening yourself up to find a suitable match, whether that’s through swiping or in real life.
“It’s important to understand that dating apps can only do so much and that a huge part of your success on an app will come down to your mindset, emotional fitness, and clarity on what you’re looking for,” says Nicole Moore, a relationship expert and love coach. “If you put too much pressure on a dating app to be the place you must find love, you’ll probably be upset every time you go on the app and you don’t find a match.”
With that sage advice in mind, here are the best dating apps, whether you’re exploring your next casual meet-up, trying to understand more about what you want out of a relationship, or looking for your soul mate.
Best Overall: Match
Pros:
- Most users are ages 30 to 49
- Search filters for finding a match
- Allows for up to 26 photos per profile
- Free and paid packages
- 72 Hours feature
Cons:
- Not all features are available with the free version
- Takes time to set up a full profile
People over 40 are in the right place with Match. According to the site’s statistics, 48.6% of users are aged 30 to 49 (25% are under 30 and 36.5% are 50+). Match strives to create matches by providing various sections and prompts to fill out about yourself. And when you’re ready to find a partner, you can narrow the search based on interests, looks, lifestyle habits, and more. That’s especially handy for someone looking for something more serious, as Match won’t waste time presenting profiles with dealbreakers.
For singles who are serious about finding a relationship, they can take advantage of the 72 Hours feature. It’s a weekly timed experience for users who are ready to go on a date to get the ball rolling. “[Match is] known for being a place for forming more genuine connections, and people tend to be a bit more thorough on their communion there than on the swiping dating apps,” says Moore.
Best for Casual Dating: Tinder
Pros:
- Popular for non-serious relationships
- Well known, so has a wider dating pool
- Setting up a profile is quick
- Easy to use
- Free and paid packages
Cons:
- Prominent user group skews younger
- Free version is limiting
Tinder has gotten a reputation for being the go-to dating up for casual relationships and hooking up. That’s not to say that you can’t find a serious relationship there, but it’s preferred for those testing the waters. It’s one of the most well-known dating apps, which means that there are lots of users to potentially connect with.
Unlike Match, you’ll find that more Tinder users are in their 20s and 30s. However, the app says that there is a strong presence for those in their 40s. “While you might have to do a lot of swiping on Tinder before you find a suitable match, it’s a great app for using when traveling or when jumping back into the dating pool after taking a break,” says Moore.
Best for Serious Relationships: eharmony
Pros:
- Designed with mature users in mind
- Features a compatibility quiz and compatibility scores
- Search filters for finding a match
- Free and paid packages
- Unlimited matches even with free version
Cons:
- No monthly paid package option — only six, 12, and 24 months
- Takes time to set up a full profile
“If you’re looking for something serious, it’s important to choose an app that’s known for creating matches or ones where you’ve seen friends and family have success in meeting their life partner,” says Moore. eharmony sets you up for success right off the bat, as it starts with a Compatibility Quiz that asks questions about your likes and dislikes, communication style, personality type, and more. The idea is to understand your character in order to build you a Personality Profile. Then, eharmony calculates Compatibility Scores with other members and suggests potential matches based on the scores. Since eharmony encourages longer memberships, and it takes longer to set up a profile, there’s a better chance that people using the app are looking for something serious.
Best for Single Parents: Stir
Pros:
- Designed for single parents
- Allows for up to 26 photos per profile
- Free and paid packages
- StirTime feature
- For casual and serious relationships
Cons:
- Not all features are available with the free version
- Only search filters for age, location, and gender
With a slogan like, “Where single parents meet,” you know this is a best dating app for people with kids. It can be difficult to coordinate dates when you have children, so Stir, created by Match Group, the same parent company as Match, has brought understanding parents into one place. Just because someone has kids, though, doesn’t mean they’re necessarily looking for a serious relationship. Single parents who want something casual, serious, or something in between can all use Stir.
To further help singles make plans to meet in real life, this dating app offers the StirTime feature, which allows them to display their availability to potential matches. No more “sorry, I have my kid’s soccer game then” conversations. The search filters are limited, but at least you’ll know they’re in your area and the age and gender you desire.
Best for Meeting Up: Hinge
Pros:
- Designed to lead to in-person connections
- Uses a Nobel Prize-winning algorithm
- Well known, so has a wider dating pool
- Search filters for finding a match
- Free and paid packages
Cons:
- Not all features are available with the free version
- Takes time to set up a full profile
Hinge puts an emphasis on making genuine connections, so much so that its slogan is, “The dating app designed to be deleted.” It does that by making it more personal. Hinge has prompts it requires you to fill out before you start “liking” people. Unlike most other apps, you can like specific parts of their profile, like how they answered a question talking about their favorite football team. Boom! An instant way to get the conversation going.
You can certainly stick with the free version, but it’s quite limiting with only eight likes per day. The good news is that since so many features require a subscription, Hinge could be the spot for people who are more serious. “In general yes, the paid apps do tend to attract people who are more likely to want something serious,” Moore says.
No matter where you are on your relationship journey, there’s a dating app that can meet you there. The key is finding one that aligns with your values, your pace, and your stage of life. Because love after 40? It might be the most grounded, self-aware kind of love there is.
The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Do not use this information to diagnose or treat any health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives. Read our disclaimers.
