The Best (and Worst) Dating Apps for Men in 2024

Alright, lads, let’s face it: the digital dating world is like a sprawling supermarket—aisles upon aisles of apps, each promising the hottest dates, the best matches, and experiences so good they should be bottled and sold. But with such a buffet of choices, where does a guy even start? It’s like being a kid in a candy store, only this candy can talk back… and ghost you. So, how do you pick the right app that won’t leave you high and dry on a Friday night?

Each app slings around big promises of love (or hookups) – but sifting through the marketing fluff to find where the real fun or the real people hang out is the modern man’s challenge. Don’t worry, though, we’ve done the legwork, with Alex and I (plus students in our Mastermind) doing thousands of hours of testing. Let’s dive deep into the world of dating apps for casual flings and everything in between.

Best Dating Apps for 2024

Tinder: The Classic Go-To for a Good Time

Best for: Those looking for the broadest possible pool with a balanced mix of casual to potentially more.

As the titan of the dating app world, Tinder continues to dominate with a whopping 7.86 million global users as of 2019. Despite some gripes about the need for paid features and the challenges men face with high competition, Tinder remains the go-to for many.

Tinder’s all about the visuals. Swipe right if you’re interested, left if you’re not, and when a mutual right swipe occurs, voila, you’ve got a match. You can then start messaging. Remember, you’re playing in a vast pool here – Tinder’s algorithm enhances your chances by sorting your potential matches based on mutual swipes, profile attractiveness, and your activity level. Be wary, though – only 100 right swipes per day unless you upgrade.

Despite its shift towards more serious dating, Tinder still reigns as a top hookup app. We often recommend premium versions of Tinder to maximize your match potential.

With Tinder Plus, you get unlimited swipes and the ability to rewind accidental swipes. Tinder Gold adds the ability to see who likes you, making it easier to secure matches. Platinum prioritizes your likes and lets you attach messages to Super Likes. Our members remain pretty divided between Gold and Platinum as the best choice.

Hinge: Less Matches but Higher Quality

Best for: Those who value quality over quantity.

Hinge has made a name for itself as the ‘relationship app’, but don’t let that scare you off if you’re here for something more casual. There’s a good mix of subtly DTF women amidst those looking for something more. We often find that the girls on Hinge are the hottest, too.

With Hinge, you’ll say goodbye to mindless swipes! On Hinge, you ‘Like’ a specific part of someone’s profile – be it a photo or an answer to a prompt. This like includes a message, giving you a golden chance to make a memorable first impression. Hinge showcases your entire profile during interactions, which means your bio and photos need to be on point to catch her eye.

Although Hinge has fewer matches overall, the quality of interactions and matches tends to be higher. For those willing to craft a standout profile and engage meaningfully with prompts, Hinge can be a goldmine.

Bumble: Slightly More Dating Oriented, But Lots of Hotties

Best for: Men who want to broaden their options, often with hotter girls than Tinder.

Bumble, sometimes dubbed ‘Tinder for women’, initially set itself apart by requiring women to make the first move, though recent changes have opened up the initiation of conversation to everyone. This tweak keeps the core swiping mechanics similar to Tinder.

Just like the good ol’ swipe right for yes and left for no, Bumble continues to foster a dynamic where after matching, either party can start the conversation. Just like the other apps, it’s essential to have great pictures and a strong bio to ensure you not only get the right swipe but also the first message.

A lot of men in our community get great results in Bumble, which tends to attract women who are jaded by Tinder. While the app has more of a serious vibe than Tinder, there are still plenty of DTF girls.

More Niche Dating Apps for 2024

Coffee Meets Bagel

Best for: Those who like Asian girls. Guys looking for relationships. Guys with less optimized profiles.

Coffee Meets Bagel takes a more curated approach to dating, delivering matches (or “bagels”) once a day, which encourages users to give more thought to each potential connection. However, its smaller user base compared to titans like Tinder and Bumble means it might not be the best bet unless you’re in a big metro area.

Unlike the rapid-fire swiping of Tinder, Coffee Meets Bagel offers a slow-drip of matches. The profiles here are detailed, giving you more to work with than just photos. You receive a handful of curated matches at noon each day, which allows you to consider each potential match more seriously than you might on more fast-paced apps.

Coffee Meets Bagel’s algorithm tends to favor deeper connections, which can be a pro or a con depending on what you’re looking for. It’s particularly popular among Asian communities, so if that aligns with your dating preferences, it could definitely be worth a shot.

Given its niche approach and smaller pool of users, your success might heavily depend on where you live. It’s more suited for those in larger cities where its user base is more robust.

Jswipe

Best for: Those located in metropolitan areas with a significant Jewish community.

JSwipe might seem like a niche player in the dating app scene, but don’t write it off just yet. This app is the go-to for Jewish singles, and it shines brightest in cities with large Jewish populations. Don’t sweat the religious part – many users are here more for the cultural connection and less for the religious aspects.

On JSwipe, you’ll swipe right to show interest, swipe left to pass – sound familiar? JSwipe sticks to the tried-and-true formula.

Feeld

Best for: Those looking to explore beyond vanilla, and are less picky about quality.

Feeld is the wild child of dating apps, unapologetically focused on sex, kinks, and everything in between. It’s a niche player, but if you’re in a bustling city, it can be your gateway to exploring uncharted territories of dating, like threesomes or more experimental encounters.

Similar to Tinder, you swipe to express interest, but here, the stakes and the stakes are a bit more adventurous. Feeld is your playground for finding others with specific desires – whether it’s couples looking for a third, singles into various fetishes, or just DTF individuals. Its user base, while smaller, is generally very open about what they’re looking for, making it easier to find matches who are on the same page.

Sugar Baby Websites

Best for: The experienced player with a strong game and stronger frame, who wants the hottest of the hottest girls.

Sugar baby websites are a whole different beast in the online dating jungle. Here, the name of the game is transactions: women on these sites typically expect gifts or money in exchange for their company.

These sites operate on a quid pro quo basis. The dynamic is clear: women are looking for financial benefits, and in return, they offer companionship and sometimes more. If you’ve got a sharp text game, it’s possible to navigate these waters for a short while without the exchange of cash or gifts, scoring some hotties. If you’re skilled in maintaining your boundaries and sharp with your frame and game, you might find some success here.

This is not a playground for beginners or those looking for genuine connections. The relationships formed here are usually transient and transactional. And remember, while you may dodge the bullet of direct transactions initially, the pressure to ‘gift’ will almost certainly rear its head.

Worst Dating Apps for 2024

Plenty of Fish

Best for: Honestly? No one.

Once the reigning champ of the dating scene, Plenty of Fish now flounders more than it swims. It’s like an old gym sock lost under the bed – outdated and slightly unpleasant. With its glory days a decade behind, PoF struggles to keep up with the sleek, new apps on the block.

PoF operates like a traditional dating site with profile browsing and messaging. However, the interface feels like it’s stuck in the early 2000s, and navigating it can be more frustrating than trying to explain Tinder to your grandma. The user base is sparse, and what’s there isn’t always engaging… unless you count bots and cam girls, which, unfortunately, are aplenty.

The gender ratio is wildly skewed, and the quality of interactions tends to be low. Between navigating through escorts and dodging scammy profiles, your efforts on PoF are likely better spent on literally any other dating platform.

OkCupid

Best for: Guys who don’t mind sifting through a myriad of profiles to potentially (though not likely) find a diamond in the rough.

Once a stronghold in the realm of online dating, OkCupid has seen better days. What used to be a haven for eclectic dating has somewhat devolved into a landscape dotted with low-quality profiles, more bots than you can shake a stick at, and a gender ratio that’s anything but favorable.

OkCupid tries to mix the traditional profile and messaging aspects of dating sites with the swiping features that mobile users have grown to love. Users answer a series of questions to help determine compatibility, which are used to generate match percentages with other users. However, navigating the app can feel like going through a maze filled with subpar match options and complicated relationship statuses.

While OkCupid may offer a broad and diverse user base, the current state of the platform makes it a challenging environment for finding quality casual connections. The prevalence of non-traditional relationship structures and an overwhelming presence of bots and inactive profiles can make it tough sledding for someone looking for straightforward casual dating.

Badoo

Best for: Probably no one.

Badoo might pop up on your radar when you’re scanning the dating app landscape, but it’s definitely lost some of its luster. Once a bustling hub, it now suffers from a case of digital tumbleweeds – bots and inactive profiles are the norm, making it a less-than-ideal hunting ground for active daters.

Similar to other dating apps, Badoo features a user-friendly interface with swiping, chat features, and profile customization. However, the excitement of swiping right often ends in disappointment due to the high prevalence of bots and inactive accounts.

Badoo is not the go-to platform if you’re looking for consistent, quality interactions. The effort to reward ratio is skewed, with too much time spent distinguishing between real profiles and fakes.

Conclusion

So there you have it—a no-nonsense guide to navigating the waters of online dating apps for men in 2024. Today, there’s a platform tailored to every flavor of dating desire. While the landscape is cluttered with both treasure and traps, knowing which apps to invest your time in can make all the difference between a Friday night alone and one worth bragging about.

Remember that the key to success in these digital dating arenas lies not just in choosing the right app, but in how you present yourself and engage with potential matches. With this roadmap in hand, you’re well-equipped to dive into the dating app scene of 2024 with confidence and, hopefully, a bit of cheeky charm.

Happy swiping, gentlemen. May your matches be plenty and your ghostings few!

– Indian “App Master” PE