The 17 Best Dating Apps for Men [2021] to Help You Meet the One

It’s 2021 and, well, let’s just say the dating game hasn’t been an easy one. For all the singles out there, here are the best dating apps for men.

Well, what can I say? This past year has been a wild one, especially for singles. As if dating wasn’t hard enough, the pandemic happened and scrambled everything up. Dating became harder as people are unable to meet up in person. However, that said, it did shine a spotlight on online dating. Now, perhaps you took this year to take a break and connect with yourself, or maybe not. Whatever the case may be, you’re in need of the best dating apps for men. 

You’ve come to the right place. I’m going to show you some of the best!

Whether you’re gay, bisexual, or straight, there’s a dating app for you. While going through the list, think about what you’re looking for—this will help you select a dating app that will suit your needs. If you want a casual relationship, there’s an app for that. If you want a serious relationship, there’s an app for that. Whatever you want, there’s an app for that. So, let’s get going!

[Read: Dating during COVID? How to have fun and feel safe at the same time]

The online dating tips all men must know before using an app

Before I show you the dating apps to try out, I know a lot of men struggle with online dating. Hey, I get it. It’s not a face-to-face meeting, so in some ways, you’re at a disadvantage. But here are a couple of helpful tips to help you with your online dating experience.

1. Know what you’re looking for

Your time is precious, so don’t waste it. Before going online, think about what you want. Are you looking for something serious? Something casual? A one-night stand? Pick what you want and create your online profile with your needs in mind. That way, your profile shows what you want and isn’t playing games with potential matches. [Read: Casual dating vs serious dating: What your dating speed for now?]

2. Be realistic with your expectations

You’re not going to find the woman or man of your dreams two minutes after opening a profile. Online dating takes time. So, be realistic with your expectations. The odds are you’re going to get rejected or have plans canceled. That’s totally normal. 

3. Put yourself in your potential match’s point of view

If you want to rock the online dating world, think about your potential matches. Try putting yourself in their shoes. For heterosexual men, most women receive a lot of messages, but only a couple stand out. Create a female profile for a day to research how male-to-female interactions work! If you’re wondering how to describe yourself, use this to know the 30 best and worst words to describe yourself online.

4. Show, don’t tell

On dating apps, many men make the mistake of writing their traits down rather than showing them. If you’re someone who thinks they’re funny, don’t write it, show it. Use a funny profile picture. If you’re an animal lover, include a photo with your dog or cat. You don’t need to tell someone the type of person you are, use visuals instead.

5. Lead the conversation

If you meet someone online and you like them, lead the conversation. Your goal is to meet up with this person and see if there’s an in-person connection. So, you’re going to have to make it happen. Don’t be aggressive, but also lead the conversation to meet up. [Read: The must-know tips to start an online conversation with a girl]

6. What you think is a good profile picture may not be

Yeah, a picture of you holding a fish isn’t going to do it. Though you may think it’s a great photo, think again. Surprisingly, the most successful photos are ones where the man is looking away, not smiling. 

Finding the right dating apps for men is easy. But learning to use it well, and successfully? That’s art! Use this guide on how to take a good selfie for men to keep the must-follow suggestions while clicking your next pic.

7. Personalize your greeting message

If you think saying “hi” is going to do the trick, it won’t. Women and men receive so many messages, you must stand out. Personalize your message. Look at their profile and make a remark about it. It shows that you’ve gone the extra mile to look at their profile and get to know them. [Read: The best Tinder bio tweaks to make sure girls like you]

8. Talk like you would in real life

When you’re using these dating apps, men, try to think of online dating as if you were walking down a street and stopping someone for a conversation. You want to act as naturally as possible and talk to them as you would in real life. Use proper grammar and avoid making any comments on the person’s appearance. Oh, and don’t ask for nudes. 

9. If you like them, ask them out

If you’re having a good conversation with your match, don’t waste time. If you like them, ask them out. Make a plan for the date. The longer you talk online, the more time you waste potentially meeting them. [Read: Studies explain why you should meet your online date ASAP for success]

10. Accept rejection

It’s going to happen. Yes, you could have matched with someone and initially things went well, but then the trail goes cold. Don’t take it personally. Online dating has made it easy for people to simply lose interest and move onto the next person. Rejection is going to happen to you and everyone else who’s online. [Read: How to handle rejection without making a fool of yourself]

The 17 best dating apps for men worth trying

You know how to online date, but do you know where to go online? Good thing you’ve come here. Below are the 17 dating apps for men you need to check out. Let’s go!

1. Tinder

We all know Tinder. You’ve probably been on it. It’s a simple dating site that lets you swipe left or right to match with someone. It’s well-known as a hookup site, but there are people who are also looking for serious relationships on it as well. 

2. Bumble

With Bumble, they add some pressure on you to make conversation with your matches. Once you match, you have 24 hours to write a message. If not, your match expires. But there’s a catch, women have to message first. [Read: Bumble vs. Tinder: Which hot dating app best fits your love needs?]

3. Grindr

Grindr is a dating app for gay, bi, queer, and trans men. The app lets you see men based on distance. The app is used for hookups, but also for people to find serious relationships. 

4. Hinge

Hinge is an interesting dating app. It focuses on finding matches that are already in your social network. You can also add a lot of information to your profile to help you narrow down your matches. Hinge also follows up with you if you went on a date with one of your matches.

5. Feeld

If you’re looking for a non-monogamous relationship, Feeld is a good place to start. Maybe you want a polyamorous relationship or a threesome. Whatever your needs are, you can find it on this app. You can also “hide” yourself so you won’t match with your Facebook friends. [Read: Polyamorous dating – everything you need to know first]

6. Plenty of Fish 

I’m sure you have a profile on Plenty of Fish—almost everyone does. You’ll find plenty of men and women on this dating app looking for a variety of things, from casual to serious relationships.

7. Happn

You may have used other dating apps, but they matched you with people who live too far away. Happn matches you with people you cross paths with. If you were in the area of someone using the app, their profile shows up in your timeline.

8. OkCupid

OkCupid was one of the first online dating sites. Their dating app for men and women is easy to use and asks you a set of questions to help you figure out your matches. OkCupid is very inclusive with 22 genders and 13 orientations to choose from.

9. Recon

This is a kink and fetish dating app for men, and specifically for bisexual and gay men. So, if you’re someone who’s into stepping outside of sexual norms and experimenting with bondage or feet, this is a great app. If you’re also curious, check it out. [Read: Handkerchief code – how to communicate your sexual desires with a hanky]

10. FetLife 

Not everyone enjoys vanilla sex. Some people need a little more spice in their sex life. If you’re one of them, you should check out FetLife. This app is solely dedicated to those who are into kinks and fetishes. It used to be a social networking site but quickly evolved into a dating app.

11. Sweatt

Oh, I know there are some gym fans reading this right now. If you’re someone who’s into fitness, it may be nice to meet someone who also likes a good sweat session. Sweatt lets you add your workouts to your profile, so you can connect with someone based on your physical activity.

12. Open

Well, this app is fun. #Open specifically caters to non-monogamous relationships. You can sign up as a couple or as a single person. On the app, you can choose from 24 different gender identities and 23 sexual orientations. So, you have a lot of options to choose from and will probably find someone who fits what you’re looking for outside of traditional relationships. [Read: The cuckquean guide – For girls who get turned on watching their man with another woman]

13. Match

This paid dating app for men and women is extremely popular. If you’re looking for something serious, a paid app will weed out those who are only looking for fun. Of course, you can meet people on here for casual relationships, but you know what I mean. It’s not Tinder.

14. eHarmony

Everyone knows eHarmony. Though it’s free, you basically need to pay for most of its services. The site gives you a 150-question long survey to help you find compatible matches. So, if you’re looking for something serious, this is your dating app.

15. Raya

Now, this is a fancy one. Raya is a private, members-only app for dating. And when I mean it’s fancy, I mean it’s fancy. Ben Affleck, Kelly Osbourne, and Channing Tatum were/are members of this dating app.

16. Chappy

Think of this as Bumble dating app for gay and bisexual men. You swipe through your matches and if you both swipe on each other, you can chat. It also has a “what I’m looking for” option that helps narrow down your matches. [Read: Gay dating apps to connect you with the perfect lover]

17. The League

If you’re looking for someone who’s more career-focused, The League is the app for you. It pulls information from your LinkedIn site. Matches are carefully selected and you only get five matches per day. 

[Read: 12 meaningful topics that will ignite an intellectual conversation]

You have the best dating apps for men on this list, so what are you still doing here? You’re supposed to be making profiles on them—go, go, go!

Want to fine-tune things a bit better before you get online? Read these next!

Go from Overlooked to Dating God: The finer dating tips for men you MUST know

The 30 most important online dating tips to help you win everyone’s attention

Should you try online dating? The honest guide to know if it’ll work for you