5 Popular Dating Apps: Ranked Best to Worst

Do you need some help getting into the dating scene? Yes, dating can be hard, especially in the city. But some of these apps make it a lot easier! (keyword: SOME) Keep reading for my list of 5 popular dating apps: ranked best to worst.

Honestly, I haven’t gone on a date with a guy I’ve met IRL in years. In fact, I met one of my boyfriends when I was a teenager on Facebook (not creepy at all). So to say I’m an online/dating app expert would be an understatement.

Let’s be real, dating apps get a lot of flack. People tend to look down on them because they’re not the traditional way of meeting people. But guess what? It’s 2020. Everything we do is online. Why is dating any different? 

I LOVE connecting with people on apps. It’s an awesome way to get a taste of their personality before meeting them. If you’re an expert FBI agent like myself, you’ll be able to locate their social media accounts and find out more to determine whether they’re worth your time or not. Some people may see that as creepy, I look at it as doing my research, and trying to find someone who may align with my values.

I’ve signed up for every dating app that you can think of. And I’ve had a lot of success with a few of them! And zero success with many others. I’ve decided to narrow down the top 5 most popular apps I’ve been on and let you know what makes them worth it or not. Please keep in mind these apps are considered “popular” in NYC. They may not be the best choice for where you live. But oh well! Who cares. Let’s dive in, shall we?

1. Hinge

Hinge owns my soul. It is HANDS DOWN the best dating app in NYC for multiple reasons. First, the guys are super hot. Second, they require users to answer questions on their profiles which makes your experience on the app personalized AF which I LOVE. I can’t tell you how many guys I’ve gone on dates with throughout my time in the city, but out of all of them, I’d say I’ve met at least 80% on Hinge.

On Hinge, you must have 6 pictures and answer 3 questions before you are able to match with other peeps. And the questions that Hinge offers are good. They get you thinking and allow you to show your personality. This is really where guys with humor have a leg up on the basic bro’s. Like I get it, dude, you love The Office and REQUIRE the girl you’re dating to work out with you but the guy with the SpongeBob reference in his profile really made me LOL. Ladies, use these questions to your advantage. They’re there for a reason.

Another reason I love Hinge is that it allows you to view all the guys that have already liked your profile. You have to pay to view them all at once, but even if you don’t pay you can go through them one by one. I really enjoy this feature because I get to strike up a conversation with a guy right away rather than wait for them to potentially like me back. They also assign one person to you daily that they consider compatible with you. And honestly, I don’t know how they do it, but they’ve matched me with a ton of guys I’ve been extremely compatible with. Seriously Hinge, how do you know I like former skater boys who play guitar and work at a startup? Like woah, spot on.

In terms of the guys I’ve actually met on Hinge, most of them have been pretty awesome. While others, not so much. But that’s okay because you can’t tell everything about a dude solely from this app. But you can definitely weed out the assholes (especially if you have great intuition like me!). If you want to read more about the types of guys I’ve dated in NYC (that you will probably date as well), click here.

Overall: 10/10, would ABSOLUTELY recommend it.

2. Bumble

Bumble is an OG fave of mine. It’s comparable to Hinge in the sense that I’ve had great luck meeting nice guys on there. The biggest reason why some people love (or hate) Bumble is because the woman is required to make the first move (aka message the guy first). I personally don’t care who messages who first IMO, however, I understand why some women (or men) may not like this. But I don’t mind it because I love to talk and have really great dating app openers. In fact, I’m a pro at it and I’ve created a list of the 20 best openers for dating apps here. Check it out!

The other aspect I like about Bumble is that you are on a time limit when you match with someone. There are only 24 hours for you to message them and then *POOF* they’re gone forever (kinda). This puts a healthy amount of pressure on you to start the conversation. Sometimes guys have the choice to extend their time for another 24 hours, which solidifies their interest in you. Again, some people may not like this feature but I actually think it’s great.

I’ve been on Bumble for years and since I’ve been on, it’s evolved a lot. It used to be your average “swiping” dating app but throughout the time it’s created some Hinge-like features, such as question prompts. Prompts are a great idea for all dating apps, but I personally don’t resonate with Bumble’s a ton because not everyone is required to use them. However, Bumble is still a great app and I’ve connected with quite a few guys on there that I’ve had great runs with. Also, they have Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz where you can meet even more people for different areas of your lives.

Overall:  8/10, would recommend.

3. Raya

First, let me start off by saying I am NOT on Raya. I have been on the waitlist for over a year *sheds tear*. So all of this information has been gathered from my BFF Karin who has experience with the app. Shoutout to Karin, I love you bitch!

Raya is a dating app for D list celebrities. Okay, maybe not everyone on there is a D list celeb. But a lot of the people are! I don’t say that to be mean, but it’s definitely the truth. A lot of people you see on Raya are influencers or sports stars. A lot of these people have done very well for themselves, but you may not necessarily recognize them walking down the street. However, there are definitely a healthy amount of well-known celebs on the app as well as regular people! As much as I think Karin is a queen, she is not a celebrity. So it just goes to show that yes, regular people can get on Raya too. 

As I said, I’ve been on the Raya waitlist for over a year now. Honestly, I’m not that sad about it because I truly don’t know what I’m missing out on and I have Hinge to fill all of my dating app voids. I totally understand that they want to keep the app as exclusive as possible, so I take no offense. But what I can tell you is that if you apply to Raya, you may be approved fairly quickly or you will be waiting a very long time. Even if you have someone refer you, as I did, you still may wait for many many many moons.  So in the meantime, I suggest you check out the apps I mentioned above for your dating app needs.

If you manage to get on Raya, you will notice that the set up is much different than typical dating apps. Mainly because you get to choose a song that goes with your profile! It’s basically a slideshow of your pictures, a bio, and your favorite song which, to me, is a performance I would take very seriously. Come on Raya, plz approve me already so I can play Shots by LMFAO on my profile!

Lastly, according to Karin, the selection of guys is *chefs kiss* spot on. If she was writing this article, she would put Raya in the #1 spot because of the gorgeous men on the app. I mean, hot guys on a dating app is always a plus, right? *sarcasm*

Overall:  My rating is 5/10, would maybe recommend. Can’t really say though cause I’m not on it. Karin’s rating is 10/10 (that bitch).

4. Tinder

Ahhh, Tinder. The OG dating app of our generation. Tinder was the first dating I ever joined and I’ve had limited, but decently good experiences on the app. Unfortunately, Tinder has evolved over the years from a dating app to a hookup app, at no fault of their own. There is absolutely no shame in joining ANY apps strictly for a hookup, live your best life girl! But from my experience on Tinder, the pickings are slim to none in terms of respectful, genuine guys. Tinder does a good job of delivering guys who are slightly sleazy and gross directly to me. Maybe it’s just a faulty algorithm or something (lol, I have to stop acting like I know shit about algorithms).

Tinder is a great app to join if you’re looking for some casual fun or maybe you just want to get your feet wet in the dating scene. Believe it or not, I’m still on Tinder! Yes, my profile is paused at the moment but I occasionally go on if I’m hella bored.

One really great thing about Tinder is that if you like to meet people when you travel, then this app is for you. It’s offered internationally and can be used basically anywhere. All I ask is that you practice safe dating and always use the proper precautions when dating internationally (and domestically, for that matter!).

Overall: 6/10, definitely not my fave.

5. The League

Coming in at dead last, we have The League. Now don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy The League. After spending over a year on the waitlist, I was recently approved. Yay me! But honestly, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. The League goes a great job of honing in on their sense of exclusivity and almost, mysteriousness? It definitely made me feel like a loser when I was applying. They had to check my LinkedIn profile. Like what?

Now that I am officially on The League (no applause necessary), I’m able to give my fair opinion of it. It’s honestly not that bad. The app is okay. It’s mediocre. Whatever. Every day, you get three matches which you can choose to either like or dislike. Some of the guys are really cute and have impressive resumes while other guys are just eh. They also have a concierge bro that messages me way too often to see how I’m doing. And frankly, dude, I’m fine. Leave me alone and let me do my man hunting on my own. JK, I know they’re trying to be helpful but it sucks when I see I have a new message and it’s just from the concierge.

Overall: 5/10, could be better but could also be worse.

Final Thoughts

Moral of the story, scouting for men dating apps is a journey and can be a fun one if you’re on the right app. You have to find the best app that works for you and what you’re looking for. And it may not be the same as everyone else! I say give them all a try. Set aside an hour or two, download all the apps, and make your profile flawless just like you. If you need any help, feel free to message me here and I will give you an honest rating of your profile and find ways you can improve it. And also don’t forget to check out my favorite dating app openers here.