What Are the Best Dating Apps for Men?

For most men in a US city, the best order is Hinge, then Tinder, then Bumble. Hinge tends to give the best results for relationships and dates in big American cities. Tinder is the better pick where it is the app everyone around you uses, which is true in many places in Europe. Bumble is the one to test third. The best app for you is whichever one turns your time into real conversations and dates.

a dating coach's view is that Hinge tends to beat Tinder in the US, especially in major cities, and he rates it far above Bumble. It has a relationship-leaning reputation, and it shows a man a woman's written answers before he decides on her.

That second point is the reason it works for men who are willing to read. You are choosing with more information than a single card gives you, and you can reply to something specific she wrote. A man who does that stands out among men who send a greeting.

If your city is large and you want relationships or regular dates, start here.

Tinder is the app with the most people in it, and in many places in Europe it is almost the only app anyone uses. The same app that is second choice in New York can be the obvious first choice in a European capital.

Its reputation leans toward hookups, though relationships start there too. a dating coach also says that in major US cities Tinder carries a lot of fake profiles, which is one reason he finds Hinge better there.

Tinder rewards clear photos, because the first decision happens on one card in a second or two. If your photos are strong and different from each other, it can work well. If they are weak, it will be the harshest app on the list.

On Bumble, the match comes first, and then each side has a time limit to send an opening line. If nobody does, the match expires.

That rewards the man who checks his app regularly and writes soon after matching. It does not suit a man who matches in bursts and replies days later. a dating coach's personal view is that Hinge is far ahead of Bumble, and he adds that you should use whatever you like.

The three above cover most men. If you are in a specific group, the answer shifts.

Men over 40 and over 60 have their own considerations, and we cover those in separate articles on the best apps for men in each age group. The same goes for long-form sites, where the written part matters more than it does on Tinder. a dating coach notes that on a longer-form site the profile matters more, and on Tinder it should be shorter, though a short good one still beats a short bad one.

Do not run six apps at once. Pick one, put your best effort into it and give it two weeks.

Count three things: how many matches you get, how many of them turn into a real conversation, and how many turn into a date. The match count flatters you. The date count tells the truth.

If one app gives you conversations and the others do not, stay. If none do, our view is that the problem is rarely the app. It is usually the photos or the first line.

a dating coach's most consistent point is that the app decides much less than you think. A man with strong photos and a page that says something specific does well on any app. A man with a dark selfie and a boring bio does badly on all of them.

His other point is that most men waste their matches on weak first lines. He says men who handle their matches well could be getting three to five times as many dates as they do now. A good opening line comments on something specific she wrote, in a few words, and moves toward a plan.

So the order of work is photos first, then the written part, then the first line, and only then a question about which app. Switching apps to solve a photo problem just moves the problem to a different app.

Start with Hinge if you live in a big US city and Tinder if that is where your city is. Give it two weeks. Add Bumble only if you have the time to check it daily.

Keep a count of dates, not matches. Whichever app produces them is the best one for you.