Want to find your perfect partner? There are many dating websites and apps to choose from – here are five of the best.
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A few years ago dating could be complicated. Either you would have to meet someone at work or in a bar or, if you’re really proactive, you’d send the VHS tape in to a dating company that you saw in the back of the newspaper. These days however, it’s much more simple. Thanks to a wealth of sophisticated online dating companies, meeting the perfect partner can be as simple as a swipe with your thumb. Here are five of the best dating apps and websites in Germany.
Tinder
Tinder was arguably the one that kickstarted a dating revolution. Choosing who you would like to date just by moving your thumb either left or right negated a million bad chat-up lines and months of workplace flirting, meaning that (most of the time) you were both on the same page within a few seconds and off on a date within days (or hours in some cases). It could be said that Tinder’s popularity also fine-tuned the app-based and online dating scene. The fact that Tinder was awash with hook-ups, casual dating and people seeking more serious relationships meant it could at times feel not very targeted, meaning that many other companies offering a more tailored service followed in its wake. However Tinder has been constantly updated to stay on top of the game, meaning that it can also be used to just find friends with similar interests in the 190 countries that it now operates, and is still one of the best around.
Hinge
Hinge is one of the apps that has more of a grown-up approach than others, focusing more on finding the right person than just whiling away a bit of time on the loo. It uses a Nobel Prize-winning algorithm that improves the quality of the match as well as showing you who has liked you rather than waiting for you to match them back. There is also a very detailed section to talk about what you’re into as well as encouraging you to share your education, religion and day-to-day life. Hinge also asks you about how your date went to help find better matches in the future.
Parship
Hamburg-based Parship is an online dating service designed to find you a long-term partner. Authenticity is at its core, with love-seekers needing to fill in a minimum of 50 per cent of their profile before they can get matching. The company also ensures messages are more than just a ‘hi’, requiring users to give more than one-word introductions as well as having icebreakers and interesting profile questions to help you get to know each other. There is a lot of emphasis on safety too, with maximum IT security, a trust and safety team, and SMS verification. The company proudly claims that nine out of ten Parship couples are still happy together.
Grindr
Since launching in 2009, Grindr was an easy and quick way to meet people who may be virtually standing next to you, using location-based tech to find likeminded dates, from the casual to longer term. Naturally it got a reputation for being all about hook-ups but since then the company has grown and evolved into the largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people. Grindr has millions of daily users in almost every country in every corner of the planet and actively strives to mobilize, inform, and empower the LGBTQ communities. Grindr focuses on creating a safe space for anyone using its app and has wide-ranging initiatives to make positive impacts on issues that matter the most, including safety, sexual health and advocacy.
HER
HER is a free dating app for lesbians and LGBTQ+ people, with a range of features allowing you to add friends, view profiles, start chats, view events, and join communities. There are more than 13 million queer women, lesbian, bi, nonbinary, trans, and gender nonconforming folks using HER, with a safe and inclusive space and communities in the US, UK, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, Netherlands, Thailand, and Brazil. HER claims that the mainstream apps with LGBTQ+ can be limiting, whereas the firm’s aproach is tailored specifically to queer people, including filters that allow users to select their swipe deck’s genders, sexualities, and preferences – the aim is to find a community that aligns exactly with what you’re looking for.