What Dating Apps Are Like Tagged?

The closest dating apps to Tagged are MeetMe, Skout and Plenty of Fish. Tagged's App Store listing describes a free app where you swipe to match with singles nearby, chat, and connect in video chats on Tagged LIVE. MeetMe and Skout also lean on chat and live video, while Plenty of Fish is the more traditional choice with search and a focus on verification.

Tagged describes itself as a free app where you can swipe to match with singles nearby and chat. It also offers video chat on Tagged LIVE, and the listing says you can send a gift in a livestream.

That mix is what you are looking for in an alternative: a free start, local people, chat, and a social layer on top of it. The live video part is the unusual piece. Most dating apps do not have it.

This table sticks to what each app's own listing says.

MeetMe, from The Meet Group, describes itself as a free social app for meeting new people nearby by text, video chat and live video streaming. The word social carries weight. It reads like a place to meet people in general, with dating as one use.

That suits a man who wants conversation first and does not mind a looser setting. It suits less well a man who wants every person on it to be there to date.

Skout's listing describes meeting people near you or around the world, chatting, broadcasting live and watching other people's streams.

Of the apps here, it is the one that most openly mixes local and long-distance contact. If you are in a small town where few people are nearby, being able to reach people elsewhere can matter. If you want to meet this week, treat the worldwide part as a distraction and stay with the people near you.

Plenty of Fish takes a different route. Its listing describes selfie verification, searching for exactly what you want, and restricting the number of first messages. It says it belongs to the Match Group portfolio, which also includes Tinder, Match.com, Hinge, OkCupid and The League.

If you like to look at who is there and filter, this is the most familiar format. The verification and the limit on first messages are there to cut down on spam, which is useful when you are the one reading the inbox.

Pick by what you want from the first week.

• You want free and fast, with some entertainment. Tagged, MeetMe or Skout.
• You want to search and filter. Plenty of Fish.
• You want a more selective pool. None of these describe themselves that way. Look at apps that ask for an application or a verification before you can join.

Run one or two, not four. Four apps mean four half-finished conversations and no dates.

The app you choose affects who you can reach. Your results depend on what you do with them.

Use clear pictures of you, written a few lines about what you do and what you like, and send first messages that ask about something she wrote. Then move quickly: suggest a specific day and place within a few messages. An app full of live video and gifts does not replace asking a woman to meet you.

Live streams and gifts exist to keep you on the app. A man can spend evenings watching and chatting and never leave his couch. If you try one of these apps, set a limit. Decide how long each evening you will spend, and count success in dates arranged, not time spent.

Try MeetMe or Skout for the most similar feel to Tagged, and Plenty of Fish if you prefer search and verification. Choose one or two, build a clear page, and spend your evenings arranging real meetings.