Newly single? Here's a refresher on the most popular dating apps to use

The Classic Rock of dating apps, this has been a staple of our generation since its birth in 2012. Using photos and a short bio to craft a profile, Tinder is perfect if you want to meet a match quickly without having to fill up a lengthy bio.
Features
Tinder’s main asset is the swipe feature, which you can swipe left for no and swipe right for yes. If you accidentally swiped left on a cutie, you can shake your phone to return to the profile again. You can also cut the queue by pressing a blue star, which is the Superlike button so that the man of your dreams will notice you as a priority. A free user has one super like per day, while paid Tinder Plus and Tinder Gold users have five. If you are too lazy to swipe through a mass of profiles, the app has a Music Mode where it can help you narrow your choices based on the type of music you listen to. However, there are not many filters besides age and distance.
User Experience
A seasoned Tinderella, the app has never left me with any difficulties with its UX-friendly features at the swipe of my index finger or flick of the wrist. Finding a match is often frustrating for me as I hate filtering through a long list of suitors who have swiped on me. Since Tinder works on variety, it is easier to filter down a match on the Music Mode folder, which has multiple folders to help narrow it down to the genre you listen to.

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Target Audience
Throughout the years I’ve used Tinder before and during covid, it’s always been a millennial-heavy crowd. As of 2020, the majority of users are still millennials, albeit later-stage millennials in their 30s to 40s. Despite the release of the Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler, it hasn’t put off many hopeful singles searching for love as 59 per cent of users answered in a survey that Tinder is their go-to app in February 2022.

Based on my experience, there’s no shortage of men flexing their shirtless selfies in bathrooms and at gyms. If you like to look at men with chiselled jawlines, rippled arms and sculpted abs, Tinder is where you can manifest your Singles' Inferno fantasy to life.
Relationship Success Rate
Due to its basic profile, Tinder has gained a reputation for being superficial, as users do not have much to go on beyond a simple one-liner bio and five images. While its easy nature requires minimal effort to sign up, it also tends to attract people who have a similar mindset, with a lot more people looking for casual hookups and situationships on the app. If you are the type that's looking for something casual, Tinder is the app for you. But if you want a life partner, a survey said that the app only has a 13 percent success rate of finding marriage.

Swearing by its tagline as a “designed to be deleted” app, Hinge is the anti-Tinder for singles looking to find long-term relationships. Using prompts as a way to entice a match, Hinge is perfect for singletons to break the ice. Users are also encouraged to upload videos and voice notes as a way to add personality to your profile. As a way to prevent swiping fatigue, Hinge has also limited free users to liking only eight profiles a day, though there is no limit to discarding profiles.
Features
Think of a Facebook wall, where you shamelessly paired cheesy photos with cringy captions in high school. Since Hinge is all about selling a personality, prompts are its main feature. You can pick as many prompts as possible whether it’s paired with a photo or a voice note. Since you have to scroll instead of swipe, you can only reject a user with an X at the bottom.

Though Tinder has limited filters, Hinge has more filters that allow you to filter down to race, religion and even horoscope. You can indicate if a preference is a dealbreaker as it helps you to narrow down what you are searching for, though paid users will have access to more detailed filters.

Feeling overwhelmed by the pile? Hinge also curates a bunch of profiles for you daily as part of your Standouts, and you can choose to give one of these profiles a rose (just like The Bachelorette!) as a way to indicate to them that you like them just a little bit more. The downside? The rose doesn't really do anything extra and will not move you to the top of someone's pile. You also only get one free rose per week, and if you want more, you'll have to end up paying at least $14.99 for three roses.

The best feature is that there’s a pin you can move anywhere. Since this is free, you can move your location to a different city (even if you are in town) just in case you want to try out the dating scene abroad before making plans to visit friends.
User Experience
I have zero issues with the interface as it allows me to rearrange things at ease whether it’s photos or questions. Since swiping is limited, I find that Hinge is easier to use than Tinder as the only swiping motion I use is whenever I need to unmatch or press “We Met” to indicate that I met a match in real life. Hinge works on using limits to vet out a quality match, so I like that there are not too many categories besides who liked my profile and who I’ve matched with. However, I cannot send photos to my matches (perhaps to prevent unsolicited pictures), yet, I can send voice notes. Compared to Tinder, it’s less overwhelming as you have set limits to narrow down your choices from the jump.

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Target Audience
If you want a bigger age variety, Millenials and Gen Zers prowl through the app. In fact, 49 percent of users ages 18 to 29 in the U.S. favour Hinge. Though it’s popular in the States, only nine percent of participants in Singapore use Hinge alongside other dating apps. So this might mean a smaller pool of profile for you to discover, which could be a good or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it.

Despite the surveys, I have seen plenty of locals on it and there’s no shortage of diversity whether it’s a finance bro, professional athlete or grad school student. Also, you don’t need to join a waiting list to find your celeb crush as Hinge is used among public figures. I spied a couple of local athletes while on the app.
Relationship Success Rate
If you want something long-term, this app is full of people looking for a committed relationship. Thanks to how the app encourages users to build a personable profile, it's also easier to start a conversation with someone outside of just basing it on looks. According to The Knot, 30 percent of couples who met on Hinge got married in a survey conducted in 2022.

Founded by an ex-Tinder Co-Founder, Bumble is just as old as its rival since its founding in 2014. However, its main selling point is that it allows you to have the power to make the first move as the app gears women to initiate conversations and matches.
Features
Bearing the same swiping mechanism as Tinder, the difference is that Bumble forces a 24-hour time limit once you and your prospective suitor are matched, hoping that the time crunch will help pressure people to start conversations, rather than letting them sit in the app.

Similar to Hinge, Bumble also allows you to fill in your prompts. Unlike both apps, you can list out interests such as hobbies or the type of movies you like watching.  While it also bears similar filters to Hinge and Tinder, Bumble allows you to filter down to someone’s star sign and help you find your matches based on the type of sign you are into.

Although it’s best known as a dating app, Bumble allows you to link up with peers for its Bumble Business tab (which is sort of their version of LinkedIn) or find a new best friend under Bumble BFF.
User Experience
For those who have used Hinge and Tinder, Bumble is engineered to make it easy for users to swipe and scroll through profiles. You can’t see who has liked your profile, so you can only chat with someone once you are matched. Since safety is prioritised, the app has an AI that can detect unsolicited pictures and will blur out any photos being sent. You can then decide whether or not you consent to the photo. Bumble has an easy-to-use format from uploading to texting, and is perhaps the easiest app to use based on my prior experience with it.

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Target Audience
Since millennials have been its core audience, the app is favoured among 20 somethings with 26 as the median age. Compared to Tinder, it’s not as popular as only 20 percent of users aged 16 and above answered in a survey that they use the app as of February 2022.

Based on my experience of using Bumble throughout the years, I have seen plenty of expat profiles. If C-suite bros are your thing, you might stumble upon many of them using this app.
Relationship Success Rate
Given a variety of dating goals, it’s good to help you explore the kind of dating you want to experiment with. Bumble’s survey reveals that 85 percent are looking for marriage or a serious relationship. In a survey conducted by wedding planning company The Knot, 22 percent of users get married.

Think about this: Coffee Meets Bagel is basically Hinge meets Bumble. Like the former, it relies on you to write unique prompts and similar to the latter, it allows you to make the first move when you match with a bagel (a.k.a. Suitor).
Features
Since it’s an anti-swiping app, Coffee Meets Bagel wants you to pick your bagels in a queue. Though the options are wide, you are only allowed a certain limit to pick based on the number of coffee beans you have. Additionally, you can also filter your bagels to their race, education or religious background. The moment you select a match, the sound of grounded coffee beans plays. However, you have to pay for more beans if you want to continue sweeping your fingers through the queue as you only have a limit of five a day.

If you struggle to initiate a conversation, prompts are shown to you in the Inbox feature as a way to suggest what your pickup line will be. It’s one of the best features of the app as it encourages new users to think of something creative to say as opposed to a clichéd “hey”.
User Experience
Sorry swipers, this app isn't for you if your muscle memory is accustomed to swiping left or right. To get a match, you have to swipe left to see your bagels in a queue and then, pick a match. To reject a bagel, you have to open your messages to unmatch them, which isn’t so handy if you are accustomed to rejecting a person immediately. If age concerns you, you can see bagels outside of your preferred age bracket despite not seeing them in your queue. As a former user, the last two issues I mentioned were what made me quit the app as it’s the least user-friendly.

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Target Audience
Compared to the prior apps, Coffee Meets Bagel is geared towards professionals who are looking to get married. In my experience on the app, I have also seen lots of men disclose their religious status as Christians on their profiles. Although this app is popular among millennials, it’s only within the 30 to 49 age bracket since most of their users are serious about settling down. In fact, only approximately 42 percent of users surveyed have admitted to using Coffee Meets Bagel, which makes it the second most popular app in Singapore.
Relationship Success Rate
Since CMB is best for users who are seeking marriage, 91 percent of users who participated in the app’s survey have mentioned that they are looking to have a serious relationship.

LinkedIn meets Bumble? Sign us up! Created as a members-only style app, all members must use LinkedIn to sign up on the app. Then, The League vets for the cream of the crop while you are on its waiting list before being accepted. If you are picky about job, salary and life goals, then it’s in your League (pun intended). While The League has gained a reputation for only accepting well-educated or members with traditionally "good" jobs, that is untrue as there are profiles with members who do not have degrees or are in the creative fields.
Features
Rather than swiping through a mass of singles, free users will get only three matches a day and you can select one to choose from. Like Coffee Meets Bagel, The League issues Tickets, which act as currency on this app. If you accidentally reject a match, you can undo it by pressing the gold undo button and your League ticket will be returned back to you.

Once you pick a match, you have 21 days to make your move. After the first few texts happen, you can either go for a video call on Sunday or meet up with your mate in real life. (Rest assured, the app will also notify you if your date is also talking to other matches before waiting for a video call!) If you are still exploring other options and you are scared of ghosting, this app will soothe your nerves to notify you when someone has read your message. If the match frequently flakes on your dates, then they are removed from the app.

If you are not in the mood to date, you can join a group, where you can befriend dozens of like-minded women who are looking for new friends in town.

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User Experience
If you have survived the waiting list to get accepted, good job! The app only has a 14 percent acceptance rate in Singapore, which means more limited users and matches. The app is swipeless with simple features, such as tapping a heart (for a match) or an x (for rejecting a match). However, if you want to do a Live call with your date, buckle up for the competition as your request has a chance to be (potentially) declined if there are too many users.
Target Audience
While the app is perfect for professionals, it’s also great if you are not too concerned about age as The League allows users to hide their age. There are singles above 40 who also use this app, so it’s great if you want to snag a zaddy. Apart from that, the median demographic happens to be people in their '20s. Most importantly, all users are verified by the system before joining.
Relationship Success Rate
According to a wedding database conducted by a top leading American newspaper, The League is a top contender for being 1,082 times more efficient in finding a spouse than leading dating apps in the US. Though the market is smaller in Singapore, it could lead to fewer matches.

The OG of dating apps, this 19-year-old app has witnessed the dawn of the early days of Internet romances since its founding in 2004. Originally a website, it’s expanded to an app where you can find your match with a tap of a finger. For two decades, its distinctive asset is its extensive profile (you could fill up an entire page if you wanted to) pairing you up with a suitor based on answering multiple-choice questions before you are presented with a match.
Features
No wrong answers if you want to find the right match. Programmed to filter your match, you have to answer between 40 to 50 questions that ask you about your values to what you fear. In addition, you have to answer what type of dating goals you have in mind whether you're looking to just date casually, or interested in something long-term. If you are on the hunt for dating someone with similar values such as climate change, a Climate Change Advocate badge will appear on their profile.

If you want to see more matches, there’s a Nearby tab to see who is near your location. Otherwise, you can check out the Popular tab to see which suitor has been getting the most attention across the island. If you aren’t feeling your picks nearby, the app has a Discover feature where you can meet more users around the world and that’s something that you can tick off the box.
User Experience
If you like your match, you can either drag your finger to the right or press a heart. If you aren’t vibing with someone, you can remove them from the Who You Like List or tap the X button if you ain’t feeling them. Since it bears similar features to The League and Hinge, it’s very UX-friendly.
Target Audience
If you are concerned about age, most users tend to fall within the 25 to 40 range. Since the user profiles are pretty extensive, you'll be able to find a match that is aligned with whatever your romantic goals are — from FWBs, hookups, causal relationships or long-term dating. Most dating apps are heteronormative, but OkCupid offers diversity for multiple sexual orientations and genders.
Relationship Success Rate
In a market research survey, 44 percent of Singaporeans surveyed have said that OKCupid is where they have formed genuine connections compared to Tinder or Coffee Meets Bagel.