Love, love, where are you? In this modern day and age, you don’t sit by waiting for love and sulk if it doesn’t knock on your door. Today, we explore the various popular dating apps in Singapore.

Lovoo

Lovoo has been growing popular with social media fans/addicts, having features that other apps do not have. This would be LOVOO Live, the app’s live stream and live chat that you can start or join to make connections for free. The more viewers you have, the more diamonds you may earn. These diamonds can be converted to actual cash or in-app credits you can use to gift others gifts!

It also offers you an ‘icebreaker’ daily, giving you the opportunity to send someone you’re interested in a 250-character message without matching up first. If the person replies, both of you can commence messaging with no limits

Just be aware that the app currently has fewer local users. Lovoo is free, but you can purchase a subscription to block ads, hide your online status and more.

Hinge

The first thing you’ll see on Hinge’s webpage is an eye-catching header: “The dating app designed to be deleted”. The app promises to do so through better quality connections and transparency, making use of a ‘Nobel-Prize-winning-algorithm’ and showing you everyone who has liked your profile. How it differs from other apps lies in the way you have to ‘like’ a specific part of an individual’s profile, with the option of leaving a comment, giving them more insight into what about them caught your eye and a good conversation starter.

The app is free but has a subscription model that you can test out for free for a month. You will have to be an active user. Like Lovoo, the app may have fewer local users at present.

Klick

Klick was launched on Valentine’s Day in 2019. Founded by a Singaporean, Nelson Quek, the app acts like an Instagram for singles—users fill up a detailed questionnaire when setting up their profile, and proceed to express themselves by publishing photo posts showcasing their personalities and interests.

Image credits: A screenshot of Klick’s website 

The app is free and unlike CMB/Tinder, you can chat with others for free without any limitations (except that they must accept a Message Request first before both of you can start talking). This app is great for people who want to get a better feel of potential matches first before starting up a potentially-awkward conversation. As the app is fairly new, the user pool isn’t as large as what you might be expecting. It’s still a great app to try out, though!

Coffee Meets Bagel

There are many folks out there using CMB now, considering it to be the ‘classier’ sister of Tinder (see below). Guys get 21 ‘bagel’ profiles to like/pass each day at noon. Girls, in return, get 6 ‘bagel’ profiles from those that have liked them. So, guy likes girl. Girl likes guy back and a chat window opens for (only!) 7 days so that you’ll be spurred to take further action and maybe become something more!

CMB is free, using ‘beans’ as an in-app currency that you can pay for or earn through regular app use (like checking the app daily). What you might or might not like: CMB matches you with friends of friends and not complete strangers. Generally, most agree that they’ve met decent dates through CMB, or dates-turned-friends.

Same with all other dating apps: don’t be too stingy with your profile photos! Do avoid selfies (or too many of them) if possible.

Bumble

With its different features, Bumble is more than a dating app. Yes, it offers Bumble Date, which lets female users send the first text, but it also offers networking and friend making opportunities via Bumble BFF and Bumble Bizz!

Here’s how it works (for Bumble Date): You and another individual must match. Thereafter, you have 24 hours to initiate contact and send out the first message if you are female! If you are a male user, you will have 24 hours to respond. Users can also send video notes or initiate video calls (in-app) thereafter if they prefer this to text. Many friends have had good things to say about Bumble (that its more engaging and they’ve found deeper connections here), so this is one app you should give a go.

Tinder

Tinder, as everyone knows, is the most popular dating app in Singapore. It’s a simple concept about chatting only with people you’ve liked, who’ve liked you back in return. Personally, I like how you will be matched only if both users have mutually liked each other. There’s some anonymity to it so you can avoid embarrassing moments or feeling unwanted when the person you’re fond of doesn’t reciprocate.

Tinder, as most people described, is more of quantity than quality. Compared to other dating apps, it’s more luck based as you are unable to control or filter certain jobs, ideals, and characteristics—it’s a modern blind date. If you know exactly what you are looking for in a partner, you’re basically finding a needle in a haystack—not impossible to find what you’re looking for but the chances are low and it takes a lot of time and effort to do so. Some, on the other hand, like Tinder because of its mindless swiping, where you don’t have to think so hard about what you’re looking for.

On the other hand, if you’re not too sure what you’re looking for, Tinder offers many opportunities to interact and discover what your dealmakers and dealbreakers are.

Obviously, Tinder is the dating app for those that prioritise looks, considering how you have barely any other factors for consideration. The app has recently introduced virtual, face-to-face dates (aka video call), which is only accessible if both you and your Tinder match have toggled the video icon. It’s a great addition, considering the current circumstances the world is in, with the unexpected bonus of reducing the possibilities of catfishing! Don’t worry: you can turn off this feature anytime.

I’m not sure if it’s the same for a guy, but for a girl, it’s a feel-good dating app with a huge pool of people to swipe, to chat with, to reply—it makes you feel popular.

Tip: Select your preferred age range so you don’t have to filter through people who are 20 years older or younger.

Tip: You can also set your discoverable distance under your settings for places you frequent e.g. your home or your workplace. For instance, I used to use Tinder only when I’m home as the distance between me and my partner’s home is a crucial factor in the closeness of my partner.

Paktor

When Paktor was first launched, it was often likened to Tinder. That has changed over several developments, and now Paktor builds on the idea of a fun activity where you earn points from frequent activities to redeem ‘gifts’ to give to users whom you think deserve more than just a ‘like’. It also has simple yes/no quizzes asking if for instance, if you think this particular user is a dog-lover.

Like most games, there’s a lot of promotion of in-app purchases and Paktor is one that heavily markets it, even to the fact that you need to upgrade to see who has ‘liked’ you, which is usually a basic free function in most dating apps.

Tip: Know when and what rewards you can claim for free and remember to claim them! E.g. Daily Swipe, Continuous Visits, Daily Reward.

Tip: Tinder tips also apply to Paktor.

Hater

Well, this is a dating app with a novel twist. After you upload a few photos and list your age, you’re presented with thousands of things you can like or, well, hate to the depths of your cold cold heart. Hate balloons? Hate waking up? Reveal it all here! Grudgingly admit that you like sweet food if you must. You can then browse fellow users’ profiles and see if you’re a match based on your (dis)likes.

The downside? Hater might have fewer local users, so the dating pool might be limited. The upside? If you’re an awkward turtle, the app presents you with ‘Cards against Humanity’ style icebreaker cards you can send your matches. Do note, though, that the limited profile information doesn’t reveal much. So if you’re uncomfortable with this level of anonymity, this app might not be for you.

Update: A friend shared that Hater is really Tinder-esque and probably not everyone’s cup of tea. You never know, though.

Happn

Happn is the dating app that sparks the hope and romance in you everywhere you go. Users are able to scroll and view all Happn users’ profiles who are nearby. Meaning, you are able to like to chat up that good-looking stranger who caught your eye when you brushed past him earlier! If you’re the type who refreshes Instagram tags or check-ins in search of that one attractive stranger, this app is built for you.

Also, unlike Tinder or Paktor, there is no expiration date to make your choice. If you would like more time to consider another user, you may leave it in your view page and continue scrolling until you have decided and then scroll back up to like or to dislike the user.

Tip: Use Happn at places of interest you frequent to find dates of similar interests, especially if you have a unique hobby. For example, if you spend your free time hanging with your Popping and Locking buddies at SCAPE or practice your Yo-yo tricks at Esplanade’s open space, you are able to access all Happn users in your usual hangout area.

Tip: If you’re a careful decision-maker, feel free to observe your potentials who frequent similar places as you before deciding to like or chat with them. Stalker alert!

Esync

If you use Esync, the love of your life could be just one call away (Charlie Puth fans, where you at!)

In terms of servicing,  Esync tops the list with its A-plus service from beginning to end. They’re (apparently) the first and only dating app to do phone consultations, offline date coordination, and date confirmations. If you’ve been considering dating agencies but have been afraid to, this could be a good in-between.

Personality quizzes your kind of jam? Esync will match you and your potential soulmate based on a personality quiz that covers 16 different areas of your individuality. You’ll even get an in-depth report on your results, so you can get to understand yourself better and as a result, the things you’re looking for in a partner, too.

While the folks at Digital Senior haven’t tried this one, Esync was created by the Lunch Actually Group and is verified by the Singapore Government, so the singles you meet on this app are, well, single indeed. Do note that some services are paid services.

Lunch Actually

This one’s for the older, busy working professionals! Many of us would have heard about Lunch Actually; the dating agency was founded right here in 2004 by Violet Lim, to help working adults meet potential partners over lunch.

The agency now has an app to make things easier! If you’d like to engage Lunch Actually’s services, do note that you’ll have to be aged 24 and above for females and above 26 for males. Lunch Actually has resulted in over 4000 marriages and even more pairings, so this would be a good place (and app) to start with for those looking to settle down.

Lunch Click

Lunch Click is more targeted at those who are looking for long-term, serious, ready-for-marriage singles. There are minimal free-and-easy conversations and mostly questionnaires on one’s perspectives of the big issues in relationships like their view on children and living habits.

Contrary to Tinder, it focuses on quality over quantity whereby the system generates the best match for you with the most suitable match a day. It is a dating app that is built against hook-ups and cuts out sleazy conversations. However, the form itself takes a while to fill up because it requires even nitty-gritty details like your height, occupation, and education level. If you’re looking for something simple and user-friendly, I suggest Tinder, Paktor or Happn.

On the good side, the chances of securing an actual date are much higher since the app itself promotes getting to know each other over a meal. It basically cuts the small talk and goes straight for the main objective: getting a date.

Tip: Need advice? Look no further, Lunch Click has Love Assistants you can chat with on the app who are able to advise you on anything practically under the sun. (How cool is that!)

Tip: Prepare a list of your favourite dinner, dessert, and brunch places so you’ll have plenty of suggestions for your dates. Also, if your date enjoyed the food (and you enjoyed the date) you can quickly suggest a second date at a similar food place!

Okay Cupid

Okay Cupid is the dating app for those who know exactly what they are looking for in a partner. It displays your answers to detailed get-to-know-you open-ended questions on your public profile. It also has an extensive list of multiple-choice questions for you to answer, as well as rate its importance with explanations. The app generates potential matches for you based on your multiple-choice questions.

Not to be confused with Lunch Click where you create personalized questions directed to a specific person, Okay Cupid’s questions (from the app) and your answers are displayed publicly for all to see; it encourages an informed choice in the initial stages of selecting your dates. The app is free to use, but you can pay for a subscription to use it ad-free, use advanced search filters and more.

[Generally, though, Okay Cupid has users in an older age range and sometimes profiles might be a little too long (some can be essay-length even) if you’re not into that kind of thing.]

Tip: Okay Cupid basically lets any potential date understand your personality on a deeper level, and the dates you meet here are more likely to appreciate you not just for your looks but your core values and principles as well. A good way to further showcase your personality is to link your personal blog or Twitter.

 

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Editor’s Updates:

For hilarity and curiosity’s sake, we’re also in the midst of building an alternative list of dating apps. They’re alternative because….they’re not really apps we’d use but hey, you never know!

Luxy

So, you need to earn at least $200k a year (in USD, we’re assuming) to be able to use this “rich persons” dating app for free. Or, as the app blurb shares, you can also be voted in by “profile attractiveness”. Yup: free users need to be ‘vouched in’ within 24 hours by existing app members of the opposite gender.

Otherwise, shell out a cool 99.99 per month for their Black subscription or more for the Premium subscription. Payment methods even include Bitcoin. Well, okay?

*commences a search for my lone 50-cent coin*

The app, which uses swiping like Tinder and used to call itself the “Tinder without the poor people”, promises that at least 41% of their users earn over 1 Million yearly because as the app blurb on the App Store says, “why settle for average whilst being extraordinary by yourself?”

…On second thoughts, maybe the folks at Digital Senior will just stay average.