The finest online dating sites and apps have made meeting potential partners easier than ever before. You can scan through a pool of potential companions on your phone, looking for the right date, thanks to these romantic services. This may seem daunting at first, but don’t worry: most of our best picks take care of the job for you, filtering down the pool to only offer you matches who fulfill your exact requirements.

Many of the greatest online dating sites and apps now provide video chats, allowing you to see if you and your match have chemistry before meeting in person. Many of them also offer extra features like chat messages and question prompts that make it easier to engage with others.

We did a lot of testing to see which platform was the best out of the ones listed below. For each platform, we built profiles and then calculated how many matches we made over the course of a 24-hour period. We also looked at things like beneficial features and safety measures that had been implemented when evaluating platforms.

In addition, we’ve compiled lists of the best gay dating apps, best dating apps for women, best Christian dating sites, and best senior dating sites. If you’re having trouble deciding amongst the options below, these guides can help you narrow down your options.

1. Match.com: Best online dating site overall

Match.com is our best dating site overall. When we tested it out, it had one of the best sign-up processes and provided us with a good amount of high-quality matches. Furthermore, it releases new features on a regular basis, such as the most recent video chat option, which allows you to meet remotely. It even includes an AI dating chatbot called Lara that will give you dating advice and recommendations on where to meet.

The sole disadvantage of this website is that it has a very limited free tier. When you initially sign up, you can have a quick look at other people’s images, but you won’t be able to contact them or send them messages. Instead, you can send them a witty message.

2. OkCupid:  Best free dating site

The best part about this site is that it feels newer than eHarmony and Match.com, who are its main competitors. It’s brightly colored, has a funny sign-up process, and is jam-packed with entertaining features. It, like a few other current dating platforms, can be used to just create new connections, thus it isn’t solely for romantic purposes.

It’s one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly applications we’ve seen, allowing users to search for matches based on a variety of genders and sexualities. We loved both the desktop version and the app, and found them to be straightforward to use. We really appreciated how it assesses your personality before asking you to contribute images.

3. Plenty of Fish: Best dating site for rural areas

Plenty of Fish claims to have a user base of at least 150 million people, so there should be plenty of people to match with no matter where you live. Before you can create a profile and post photos, you must first complete a five-minute questionnaire that analyzes your personality, as with other older dating services.

Previously, the site prided itself on its lengthy sign-up process, but today it promotes its free messaging service prominently. You can contact up to 25 new users per day, and once you’re in a chat with someone, you can talk about whatever you like.

4. eharmony: Most thorough dating site

This is another site with a very basic free option, which effectively allows you to evaluate the local dating pool before committing to a paid subscription. However, we like that the site is just for people looking for long-term relationships; this means that everyone you meet with is genuine about finding love.

The eHarmony sign-up process is somewhat lengthy. The questionnaire, which the company uses to link you up with other users, took us around 15 minutes to complete. To use the platform, you can either download the app or go to the company’s website.

5. Tinder: Best for casual relationships

Tinder, famous for its addictive swiping function, nevertheless maintains a sizable user base that attracts a younger demographic (over half the users on there are aged between 18 and 25.) It’s completely free to use and can be accessed via the popular app or the Tinder.com website.

Tinder is unique in that it is truly enjoyable. It’s a little ego boost to swipe through profiles and pick the ones you like (and reject the ones you don’t). According to a 2017 study, the majority of users use the platform to entertain themselves.