You might have gone into this year with high expectations. Motivated, excited, and enthusiastic, 2021 was going to be your year to find that special someone. But nearly half the year is gone, and that hasn’t happened yet. Your enthusiasm might begin to wane. But wait! There’s still plenty of 2021 left, and it’s time to switch gears. Because it might just be that you haven’t been using the right dating apps.
There are thousands of dating sites on the world wide web, and it’s definitely safe to say that NOT all were created equal. Some dating apps are clearly a shadow of their more professional counterparts. Even the ones that look impressive may not actually be as productive or successful as they claim to be.
In order to have success in online dating, you’ll want to subscribe (that means pay money - no freemium account business) to a legitimate service. Look for one with a good reputation, lots of members, the right kind of communication features for you, and a smart matching algorithm to find you the best matches for what you’re looking for. If you haven’t had success yet, then you owe it to yourself to check out these top dating apps in 2021. Because this IS your year. So get out there and own it!
Zoosk was started back in 2007, and it’s one of the most popular dating sites today. With more than 40 million members, Zoosk is up there for a lot of reasons, notwithstanding the fact that it is easily integrated with social media apps like Facebook and mobile usage. What really makes Zoosk stand out, though, is its behavioral matchmaking engine. This smart algorithm-based technology creates match suggestions using a sophisticated program that compares various aspects of your profile, questionnaire answers, and even your online behavior within the site to pair you up with the most accurate matches.
Zoosk also has a fun, game-like interaction, relying heavily on the latest fad of gamification to keep users amused and iterating. Singles can also appreciate the Carousel, Zoosk’s own brand of speed dating. Other neat features include Instant Crush, SmartPicks, and virtual gifts.
EliteSingles is another top dating app but for entirely different reasons. This service caters to a more selective audience: career-oriented, educated professionals. If you believe strongly in the statement that your time is too valuable to waste, then EliteSingles is a great option for you. The members in this network are primarily well-educated, with 85% holding degrees. So you are getting a dating pool of like-minded individuals. The platform also lends itself to a more serious user base, so you’re not going to waste your time with annoying kids just looking to have a good time and goof off.
EliteSingles uses a long psychological questionnaire that’s based on the Five Factor Model of personalities to accurately pair up members with other members who share their same values on things like politics, relationship goals, and your idea of a good time. EliteSingles has a good search functionality, and the matching scores are golden if you want science-based suggestions.
Match.com is arguably the most popular and widely-used dating site in the industry. Launched back in 1995, it’s certainly been around long enough to earn that reputation. Match has spent that time honing its offerings, features, and tech to ensure that the app stays on top. Match also vets each profile. So you know you’re dealing with a real person, not just a bot.
Match makes the whole online dating process a lot easier with an intuitive design and fun features. You can use cool features like email read notifications, profile views, and push notifications. We particularly like the MatchPhone feature which allows you to safely call other members without disclosing your own number. What’s more, unlike most dating apps which require you to pay before you can get any real features, Match.com has a decent freemium account. The Match.com free account even lets you communicate with matches, something most free dating accounts don’t allow. Best of all, you can use the video chat feature (premium accounts) to see what the other person looks like and acts like before you meet up IRL. And Match even has live events and social networking activities to help people get out from behind the screen and meet people IRL.
OurTime celebrates the independence, confidence, and experience that comes from having been around for awhile. This dating site is geared towards 50+-ers, and it’s a great way for people in or heading towards their senior years to find love and companionship.
Designed for simplicity, OurTime is easy to use even if you aren’t tech-savvy. And the popular dating app makes it a cinch to navigate the dating scene. OurTime also has a free smartphone app for Android and iPhones. This allows you to keep up with your dating life even when you’re not in front of the computer. You can send messages, check out profiles, and peruse your latest activities from the convenience of your phone.
With close to 20 million members, OurTime makes it simple to find someone nearby who shares the same perspective, interests, and life experience as you. OurTime has fun features like the Flirt button (to tell someone you like them without sending a long message), daily matches (with easy yes or no options), and PromoteMe which sends your profile to the top of the search results.
You can read important safety tips for dating on and offline. And OurTime also has flexible payment plans ranging from monthly to six months that include unlimited email, chatting, and instant messaging.
SilverSingles is another good option if you are single in your golden age. In fact, it might be an even better choice than OurTime if you like personality-based matches. SilverSingles has an in-depth, thought-provoking questionnaire that you’ll fill out when you first sign up. Using the answers to these questions, SilverSingles has a smart algorithm that will generate matches that fit the bill for you. As with its sister site EliteSingles, the SilverSingles suggestions are surprisingly accurate thanks to the detailed questions.
SilverSingles also has detailed profiles that are colorful and loaded with good information about the other members. This is a great way to scout out potential matches before actually making contact. One thing that’s great about SilverSingles is that you can like a specific part of someone’s profile. So they know you actually took the time to read their profile and are really interested in them.
SilverSingles has useful features like a wildcard match and user-friendly navigation too.
Between social distancing, quarantines, and general unease, dating in 2021 has been particularly challenging. Which is why online dating apps have been so useful in this unprecedented time. With cool features, fun app designs, and easy to use interfaces, dating apps are allowing singles to browse the dating pool, get to know one another, and even meet up virtually, without having to compromise your health or your comfort zone.
Now that you have the top dating sites for 2021 , it’s your turn. Get out there and make yourself known. Because, to paraphrase, this is your time, this is your moment, and nothing can stop you now!