People also tend to return throughout their online dating journey unless they’ve settled down for good

OkCupid

Of all the dating sites and apps out there, OKkCupid has become one that singles flock to for their first online dating trial run. The site hasn’t changed much in years, but rather banks on what it does have to offer singles, which seems to continually attract and re-attract members. The site features an easy-to-navigate interface, insightful but not obnoxiously long profiles, and a handful of question you can answer to help the site match you better and find you a meaningful relationship.

Potential matches are found based on searching instead of match suggestions, providing more control over your online dating experience. For each match you see, you also see the percentage match rate you have with that individual, giving you not just another conversation starter, but an actual data-driven indication (based on the profile questions you answered) of how well you and someone you find in your search results may match. OkCupid has a fun, laid-back feel to it, and users generally adopt a similar attitude when interacting on the site. It makes a legitimate choice both for people looking for casual flings, and those in search of more serious, long-term relationships. Essentially, it’s a win-win for all parties involved.

Plenty Of Fish

Go for a swim with Plenty of Fish, one of the easiest and most budget-friendly ways to dive into online dating. Functioning as both a site and an app, the platform provides a feature-packed online dating experience that doesn’t cost you a dime. There’s an abundance of members from all different walks of life, most of whom are continually active on the site. Plenty of Fish is also designed for finding people for long-term relationships as well as arranging casual, no-strings-attached meetings, although it skews more toward the latter option.

The site operates based on search, rather than any fancy, undisclosed matching algorithm. This means you can search the entire member database, and the number of members you can see in a week, day or hour is never limited. Profiles have various areas to express your personality, and can be made as detailed (or brief) as you want. There are also useful questionnaires that give you insight into your own personality traits and compatibility skills, meant to help your online dating game regardless of the site you end up using the most. The site incorporates seven ways to discover other people, the most useful of which is with standard or advanced searches (done by who’s online, by city, by new users, by contacts and by favorites).

Finally, there’s a handy alert section at the top notifying you of any relevant activity, ensuring you never miss a chance for interaction with another single.

Tinder

Tinder has become quite the cultural phenomenon, essentially responsible for introducing “swiping” to our dating lexicon. The casual dating app is incredibly straightforward and easy to use. In fact, it’s so simple that, at least for the standard free version, there are really only a few things you can do best hookup bar Brighton on it, including updating your profile, swiping left (to pass) or right (to like), and chatting with matches.

As is only fitting for a swipe-based dating app, profiles are minimal, focusing mainly on profile pictures with a brief bio, but they do allow you to connect social accounts if desired, including your Instagram account, which can give people a better idea of what you’re into via Facebook likes, and pictures of you visible on your Instagram. You can also connect your Spotify account if you feel like showing off your taste in music, too.