Broke and single? We found 8 free dating apps that actually work

Online dating is, in a word, hard — but so is dating in person. Thankfully, dating apps have made it a little bit easier to find a potential partner sans the serial killer vibe (ahem, Facebook dating, Craigslist, and old-school personal ads).

While many mainstream dating apps offer free downloads and basic features, such as creating a profile and browsing through potential matches, a few stand out as the best free dating apps in 2023. Unfortunately, the word "free" almost always comes with a catch. And to add insult to injury, most dating apps require some sort of paid membership to use "premium" functions, like messaging. For this review, we only considered apps that let you build a profile and match with users without handing over your credit card digits.

From free trials to working with limited features, we've tested dozens of dating apps (including the best dating apps for introverts, college students, and sexting, just to name a few) to find the best way to meet new people without emptying your wallet. Just think of us as your dating app guinea pig; we've done the research, so you don't have to.

What are the best free dating apps?

When it comes down to it, dating apps like Tinder, OkCupid, and Hinge have a free version that holds its own against their paid counterparts. That said, there are also some completely free, more niche dating apps worth checking out, like Archer and Lex.

Below, we've compiled a list of dating apps to find your forever partner, a casual encounter, or something in between without paying a dime.

Note: It's almost impossible to find a dating site or app that doesn't have some sort of paid upgrade feature, but all of the dating sites below have a free membership option that gives you almost everything you need for the full experience. These aren't apps like Match or eharmony, where you need to pay to do basically anything.