Best Dating Apps ranked and reviewed for Australia

Being on the best apps is a sure-fire way to get great matches and dates. Understanding what makes some apps stand head and shoulders above the rest is what allows us to find the best apps for you.

Best dating app recommendations

These are our top picks for online dating. Find the best options for you.

While some of the top apps started out as casual dating platforms, several have effectively evolved to provide compelling features and attract an audience that’s open to commitment and serious dating. 

Take a look at our rankings and reviews to choose the best app for you. Once you’ve found your pick, sign up for free to start getting great matches on your phone.

Best dating apps reviewed

Have a look at the reviews below to see what makes these dating services worth trying out.

eharmony

If you are looking for a reliable and safe app for dating, then you should sign up for the eHarmony app. This app has advanced search features to help you get great matches from the get-go.

Not only does eHarmony have an appealing profile design but it also gives you powerful insights, such as Compatibility Analysis, to make dating more successful. No wonder eHarmony gets glowing reviews from mobile app users.

Zoosk

With millions of users and innovative video chat features, not only is Zoosk one of the best apps – it’s super fun. Zoosk features a streamlined sign-up process as well as multiple ways to get matches with Smart Picks and Carousel features. 

One of our favourite features is being able to scroll back and check a profile again – one more reason why this app is a keeper. Zoosk isn’t just fun and games. Safety is another big plus here with robust safety features such as photo verification. Users agree overall giving Zoosk top ratings.

EliteSingles

By helping its users “date smarter, not harder” through a powerful personality matching feature, EliteSingles deserves to be called one of the best apps for dating available today. Each match you see on the EliteSingles app has a compatibility score, in addition to a well-designed layout.

Additionally, EliteSingles is a great place to get expert dating tips thanks to their updated blog. If you are looking for a serious relationship, EliteSingles is definitely worthy of a closer look.

SilverSingles

While apps let you filter matches by age, a strong contender when it comes to the best app for 50+ singles is SilverSingles. Thoughtful design, convenient features, and the possibility for great matches are all things we noticed when testing out this app. 

Strong mobile app review scores back up what we saw during our full SilverSingles review. If you’re looking for 50+ singles, SilverSingles is worth checking out.

Christian Mingle

Everyone has different priorities when it comes to dating. For faithful Christian singles, most dating apps do not meet their faith-based priorities and values. Christian Mingle strives to be the best app to “Meet Christian singles near you”.

The strong verification systems on this app make it one of the best for Christian singles. Believing in God does not mean you have to meet your future husband or wife the old-fashioned way. Christian Mingle balances faith, tradition, and modern features to help you find a match who shares your values.

JDate

For Jewish singles, JDate brings together the convenience of all the best online dating app features with a focus on devout and appropriate matches. By signing up for JDate, you also get the possibility of attending online and offline singles events.

If your Jewish heritage is important to you then you’ll be sure to appreciate the in-depth profile design. This will help you decide on the best potential matches for you, while staying true to your Jewish values.

How do we pick great apps for dating? 

Our criteria for recommending the best apps for dating are the following:

• Smooth sign-up process for users
• Convenient dating profile creation features and flow
• Practical search features that result in better matches
• Balanced design which makes features easily accessible
• Positive user reviews and feedback
• Strong security features that tie into clear safe dating policies and resources

The apps that we review have to offer extra value on top of what online daters have come to expect from a regular free dating app. It is also not enough for companies to just offer a mobile version of their dating sites. Great apps must be purpose-built for mobile.

Compare dating apps

Find out what dating app is best for you thanks to our dating app comparisons.

• Plenty Of Fish vs Zoosk
• Bumble vs Tinder
• Zoosk vs EliteSingles
• Match vs eharmony
• Zoosk vs eharmony
• EliteSingles vs eharmony
• OkCupid vs eharmony
• eharmony vs Bumble
• eharmony vs Hinge
• Match vs Zoosk
• Tinder vs eharmony
• Hinge vs Bumble
• Hinge vs Zoosk
• SilverSingles vs eharmony
• RSVP vs eharmony
• Christian Mingle vs eharmony

More great apps and sites for singles

Online dating is a diverse landscape. While the best apps we reviewed and ranked above cover a lot of ground, there are more niche apps and sites we didn’t have space to talk about here. Take a look at the dating categories below for a better match in terms of dating preferences

What’s important before you sign up on a dating app

Perhaps the biggest mistake people make when working out which platform to use is to just dive in and look for the most popular. A better approach is to ask yourself what you want from your online dating experience in advance.

Here’s what you should consider beforehand:

Not everyone is interested in commitment and there are other options available to them. Whether you’re looking for a casual or a serious relationship or just a fling, there are services that lead you straight to that goal.

It’s worth saying that hookup apps aren’t for everyone. They are popular with married people who aren’t getting what they need in the bedroom, people who just want to ‘play the field’, and even couples who want to experiment sexually.

Where do you want to meet your date? Are you exclusively seeking for Australian singletons or are you interested in meeting people from all around the globe? There are platforms that are created only for Aussies which can make it easier to find someone locally.

Typically, most platforms of this sort will require you to supply an email address and a username. If discretion is important to you, then you might want to consider setting up a separate email account for your registration.

Are you ready to spend money on the app?
Most of them offer free registration, which will give you immediate access to the free services they offer. However, these are often just a ‘taster’ of what the app can offer, and you might find that certain services are only available to users who have taken out a subscription.

Subscription packages can usually be found within the app itself and require you to enter your payment details and to choose a subscription period. Be aware that some of them will automatically renew your subscription just before it expires unless you cancel it.

How much time are you ready to dedicate for love?
You will discover that some apps will require you to fill in an online questionnaire. This often takes the form of a personality test and your input will have a significant impact on the type of person you’re matched with.
Generally, these are free and can take anywhere between ten minutes and half an hour to complete.
If you’re someone who’s okay with just uploading a profile picture and a short bio, look for a service that relies on physical appearance.

How niche- or LGBTQ-friendly do you need the application to be?

Different services offer a different degree of inclusivity and special features for, for instance, queer people, bigger singles, or kinksters.

Make up your mind about the features you’d need to feel welcome and included and search for services that fit those needs. Reviews of former users might help you to get a better impression.

Pros of dating apps

• Some of the best applications strive to create a sense of community, in addition to acting as an online dating service. Forums, chat rooms and notice boards are a popular way of getting users chatting and flirting. Some users even arrange their own ‘real-life’ meetups and parties.
• It isn’t much effort & you flirt at your own pace.
  Rather than having to present your best side over the course of an hour in a noisy bar, you can stretch out conversations as long as you need to. Unlike face-to-face encounters, online chatting doesn’t require an immediate response.
• There are all sorts of niche markets to fit your needs.
• You can date on the go with your phone which makes it incredibly fast to meet people.
• Special features not only will introduce you to the one and only, you’ll also have fun using the service. Sometimes you can play games, participate in photo contests or read the latest news of the dating world.

Cons of dating apps

• You have to be willing to give out some data which might attract some scams.
• With improved security measures and a crack-down on fake profiles, using an online application has never been safer. However, most people have heard anecdotal horror stories as to why they shouldn’t use dating apps.
• If small talk isn’t for you, and you rather enjoy long and meaningful conversations, the instant messaging won’t satisfy you.
• Mobile dating platforms are highly focused on appearance. If that’s not your vibe or you’re rather insecure about how you look, you could experience major disappointments if you don’t get any matches.
• In terms of male-to-female ratios, men outweigh women. Around 62% of those who use networks are male, with the remaining 38% being women.

Tips for using dating apps & staying safe

Although there are no strict rules to follow in order to be successful, here are some tips that might guide you through the first steps of getting to know someone digitally.

• Upload decent pictures.
  Whether you’re after something meaningful or just a one-night-stand, a sizable chunk of attraction is based on first impressions and how you look. Choose pictures that reflect who you are, as opposed to who you think people want you to be.
• Be genuine but precise when filling out your profile.
  While a picture might speak a thousand words, a good profile will do nothing but support it. Let people know as much about you as you’re comfortable sharing but it’s sexy to retain a little mystery.
• Respect other users.
  While hookup apps are for one thing only, don’t send unsolicited or offensive content or pictures; wait until you’re asked. The tendency for men to send inappropriate pictures has resulted in many female users only using apps that restrict this.
• Engage in forums and chat rooms.
  They are a great place for users to start chatting and flirting on their smartphones. Many apps offer these services for free, so they can be a great way of testing the waters before you commit to a subscription. Some offer conversation starters to get things going.

• Be honest.
  There’s no point in lying about the way you look or what your interests are. If there’s any chance that you’re going to meet your dating partners, any falsehoods are going to severely diminish your chances of a second date.
  Also, if you’re not interested, be fair with the person you dates and don’t simply ghost them.
• Get help.
  Ask a friend of the sex that you’re trying to attract to give your profile a once-over. Listen to their feedback and criticisms. While they’re at it, ask them if they can spot any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors that might put another user off making contact.
• Curate your profile.
  Once your profile is up and running, don’t let it stagnate. Post updates when you can, change your profile pictures and keep an eye on your message inbox. A profile that’s been left to grow stale will soon become part of the furniture for users, so you might as well try and keep it fresh.

Why are dating apps so successful?

Believe it or not, online dating sites have been around since 1995. However, with the advent of smartphones, things took a more technological twist and the first mobile apps were launched in 2007. Since then, they’ve come in every shape or form, catering to a diverse range of singles all over the world.

The mobile application market has revolutionised the way we date in the 21st Century, offering everything from social dating and hookup apps, to traditional dating apps.

There are several reasons why websites for relationships are overrun by their mobile counterparts.

Here are some of them:

You can cast your net as wide as you like.
With the best Australian dating apps offering international reach, geolocation and an estimated 600million users on their smartphones, you could find yourself connecting with that special person – even if they’re on the other side of the world.

You get to interact with people you might otherwise never meet.
Users of social dating applications come from all walks of life, with interests and backgrounds that might otherwise never appear on your social radar.

You’re not face to face.
Although to meet in person is the ultimate aim, remaining almost anonymous gives you the freedom to express yourself in ways that you might otherwise find challenging.
From the safety of your phone, you can probe potential dating partners and find out if they really are for you.

You truly meet like-minded singles.
If you’re using hookup apps to find casual dates or one-night stands, you know that everyone else on the app is looking for the same. With no awkward conversations to worry about, you can get straight to the heart of the matter.

They’re taking the pressure off.
Taking the time to get to know someone before you meet them ensures that your date will go that much more smoothly. You can pick up old threads of conversation and you’ll already know more about their likes and dislikes.

Dating wherever you are.
Mobile apps give you the opportunity to meet new people, wherever and whenever you happen to be. This is ideal for those who travel frequently for work and feel they don’t want to waste time trying to catch someone’s eye in a pub or club.

It’s estimated that there are around 600million singles using apps, worldwide. Of these, around 50% are thought to use dating services at least once a month. Given that there are around 8,000 networks on the internet, that means there are always plenty of users online and ready to chat with you.

Just because you’re using an app to find love, you’re not killing romance.
What might give romantics some heart is that according to statistics by businessinsider.com, of those who do use dating sites around 80% are looking for a meaningful relationship.

It also seems that couples who meet through dating applications are likely to get married quicker than those who meet under more traditional circumstances.

Michael Rosenfield, a researcher at Stanmore University, attributes this to app users being able to set criteria for potential matches, as part of the online application process. In addition, it seems that most of these couples used profile-centric applications, rather than those that were photo-focused.

Best dating apps FAQ

Get answers to common questions to help you choose the best app for you.

More related Reviews for you!