7 Best LGBTQ Dating Apps and Sites for 2024
The online dating scene used to be a nightmare for the LGBTQ community. But recently,…
Finding a free dating site that provides useful free features can be quite difficult. Luckily, some dating sites do offer free memberships that allow you to match with profiles and send messages to them for free. After all, the song goes, ‘love don’t cost a dime’, so you should not have to break the bank to find love.
Our team has tested various free dating sites to ensure that they’re as free as they claim and they provide useful free features for their free users. We also ran tests on their web and mobile versions to report on user-friendliness.
Our top pick is eHarmony because it is very inclusive, and its sophisticated matching algorithm ensures that users get matched to whom they’re most compatible with. Plus, they can browse through profiles for free. Read on to find out more information on our top 12 free dating sites for 2024.
Top 12 Free Dating Sites for 2024
eHarmony stands out with their compatibility test that helps them connect you to your potential matches.
Research has shown that eHarmony is responsible for 4% of marriages in the US. Almost everyone on the dating site is looking for something serious.
One of the reasons we love eHarmony is that even with a free membership they allow you to see who viewed your profile. eHarmomy also lets you take the compatibility quiz for free! You can send messages to anyone you like, although the free messages are limited in number.
We also reviewed their terms and conditions page to check what’s available for free. Upon sign-up, you’re required to take the compatibility test, so you get the benefit of this handy tool at no additional cost.
Pro-Tip: Take advantage of the Smiles, Likes, and Icebreakers since they’re available for free.
Feature | Details |
---|---|
User Base Size and Diversity | Large and Diverse |
Age Range | 25-55 |
Matching Algorithm | Personality test, Compatibility quiz, Search filter |
Ease of Use and Interface | Easy, Moderate |
Safety and Privacy Features |
|
Communication Tools | Paid: SecureCall, VideoDate Free: Smiles, Likes, Icebreakers. |
Price and Subscription Options |
|
Mobile App Availability | iOS and Android |
Special Features | Virtual Date |
Customer Support | Contact Form, Email |
Cancellation and Refund Policy | No refunds |
Community and Social Aspects | Forums |
Inclusivity | High; including LGBTQ+, over 50, Asian, Black and more. |
Match has been around for more than two decades, helping people find meaningful relationships by using the dating site. Match allows users from different demographics such as those over 50, LQBTQ+ Christians, Muslims, etc.
Using the free version, you can send messages to anyone, but the number of available messages is usually limited. You also get to browse through profiles without paying a dime! Whatever you’re looking for; friendship, long-term relationships, casual hookups, you’ll be sure to find one at Match.
Pro-Tip: Be sure about whom you want to send a message, so you don’t hit the message limit.
Feature | Details |
---|---|
User Base Size and Diversity | Large and Diverse |
Age Range | 20-55 |
Matching Algorithm | Zip codes, Interests, Physical Appearance |
Ease of Use and Interface | Very easy, Very easy |
Safety and Privacy Features |
|
Communication Tools | Wink, Email, Video Chat |
Price and Subscription Options |
|
Mobile App Availability | iOS, Android |
Special Features | Privacy Mode, Reverse Matches, Personalized Match Suggestions, Voice Call |
Customer Support | Live Chat, Email |
Cancellation and Refund Policy | No refunds |
Community and Social Aspects | Forum |
Inclusivity | High; including LGBTQ+, over 50, single parent, and more. |
OkCupid is a modern and very inclusive dating site as it caters for 20 sexual orientations and 12 gender identities. You’re required to select your gender identity and sexual orientation from the menu when signing up. OkCupid also provides options for monogamy and nonmonogamy.
Sign-up is usually free and during the process OkCupid will ask a lot of detailed questions about your personality and interests. Your answers will help them find who they think you’re most compatible with. You can also send and receive a limited number of likes and message matches for free.
Some people may find the questionnaire tedious but we think it’s very valuable as it helps to filter out people who will clash with your personality type, saving you both time and effort.
Pro-Tip: Since Likes are limited on the free version, use them wisely.
Feature | Details |
---|---|
User Base Size and Diversity | Large and Diverse |
Age Range | 18-55+ |
Matching Algorithm | Questionnaire, Personality traits, Interests |
Ease of Use and Interface | Easy, Very Easy |
Safety and Privacy Features |
|
Communication Tools | Likes, Message |
Price and Subscription Options |
|
Mobile App Availability | iOS and Android |
Special Features | Read Receipts, SuperLikes, Incognito Mode |
Customer Support | |
Cancellation and Refund Policy | No refunds |
Community and Social Aspects | Forum |
Inclusivity | High; including LGBTQ+, monogamy, non-monogamy and more. |
Who says you can’t find love in your 50s? SilverSingles is a dating site that allows 50+ singles to connect for free. Whether you’re looking for friendship, casual dates or long-term relationships, SilverSingles caters for you.
The dating site uses a personality test designed by relationship experts to match like-minded 50+ singles, and free services are available. Based on the results of your personality test, the dating site suggests three to seven matches for you per day, even if you only have a free membership! Taking the personality test might sound like a lot of work but it’ll save you a lot of time and effort in the long run. You’ll find relationships develop better and faster with more compatible matches.
Using the free version of SilverSingles, you can send winks and private messages for free. Winks help you tell the other person that you’re interested in them. One improvement we would like to see is the inclusion of video chat. Still, SilverSingles is highly recommended for singles in their 50s looking for love.
Pro-Tip: Use the Winks to your advantage since they’re free.
Feature | Details |
---|---|
User Base Size and Diversity | Medium |
Age Range | 50 and above |
Matching Algorithm | Based on the personality test |
Ease of Use and Interface | Very easy, Moderate |
Safety and Privacy Features |
|
Communication Tools | Wink, Private Message, Voice Message |
Price and Subscription Options |
|
Mobile App Availability | iOS and Android |
Special Features | Personality Test |
Customer Support | Phone, Email |
Cancellation and Refund Policy | Refunds available |
Community and Social Aspects | Social events |
Inclusivity | Moderate; LGBTQ+ friendly |
Tinder is one of the most popular dating sites with more than 50 million users worldwide. It is a swipe-based dating site, with paid and free memberships. You either swipe left or right to show interest or not.
What’s more, free members get one Super Like per day. The feature tells the other person that you really like them. Chatting with your matches is also available free of charge on Tinder.
Although Tinder has a reputation for having a lot of fake accounts and casual users, we can’t deny that the platform has produced a lot of successful relationships, so it’s worth giving a try.
Pro-Tip: Tap another user’s heart icon to show interest.
Feature | Details |
---|---|
User Base Size and Diversity | Large and Diverse |
Age Range | 18-55+ |
Matching Algorithm | Similar Photos, Location |
Ease of Use and Interface | Very easy, Very easy |
Safety and Privacy Features |
|
Communication Tools | Swipe, Speech Bubble, Heart Tap |
Price and Subscription Options | Tinder+, Tinder Gold, Tinder Platinum |
Mobile App Availability | iOS and Android |
Special Features | Super Like, Super Boost, Rewind, Passport |
Customer Support | |
Cancellation and Refund Policy | No refunds |
Community and Social Aspects | Social events, Group chats |
Inclusivity | High: including LGBTQ+ |
In September 2019, the CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, launched Facebook Dating. It’s a totally free dating platform that allows Facebook users to find their perfect match. There’s no premium membership, everything is free!
The platform uses your location, age, and common interests to find potential matches for you. No need to worry about your Facebook family and friends seeing what you’re up to. Facebook will not notify them that you joined the dating platform.
Special features like Lucky Match and Secret Crush are available to users for free. The Lucky Match feature broadens your search, linking you to profiles outside of your regular limits.
Note that dating is only available on the mobile app (iOS and Android). It’s not a widely-used dating platform yet, so it might take a while to find your perfect match but don’t give up!
Pro-Tip: Use the Lucky Match feature to extend your search.
Feature | Details |
---|---|
User Base Size and Diversity | Small |
Age Range | 18-55+ |
Matching Algorithm | Age, Common interests, Location |
Ease of Use and Interface | Very easy, Moderate |
Safety and Privacy Features |
|
Communication Tools | Like, Voice Chat |
Price and Subscription Options | None |
Mobile App Availability | iOS and Android |
Special Features | Secret Crush, Lucky Match |
Customer Support | Phone, Email, Help Center |
Cancellation and Refund Policy | None |
Community and Social Aspects | None |
Inclusivity | Moderate; LGBTQ+ friendly |
Bumble is a swipe-based dating platform that encourages women to make the first move on someone they like. This gives ladies freedom, more safety and more control in a dating setup, since only women can send a message first. If both users are women, anyone can send a message first.
They have apps available for Android and iOS. Bumble allows free members to swipe and send messages to their matches for free. Note that if the person doesn’t respond within 24 hours, the match disappears.
Typically, after matching, you have 24 hours to start a conversation or the match disappears. One helpful tool Bumble provides is the Extend feature which gives your match another 24 hours to reach out to you. This feature is available once a day for free members.
Pro-Tip: Use the Extend feature if your crush doesn’t start chatting after 24 hours.
Feature | Details |
---|---|
User Base Size and Diversity | Large and Diverse |
Age Range | 18-35 |
Matching Algorithm | Age, Location |
Ease of Use and Interface | Easy, Moderate |
Safety and Privacy Features |
|
Communication Tools | Swipe, Video Chat, Voice Call |
Price and Subscription Options | Boost
Premium
|
Mobile App Availability | iOS and Android |
Special Features | Backtrack, SuperSwipes |
Customer Support | |
Cancellation and Refund Policy | No refunds |
Community and Social Aspects | Social events |
Inclusivity | High; LGBTQ+ Friendly |
OurTime is a senior dating platform that allows single men and women in their 50s to find love. This platform is also LGBTQ+ inclusive. OurTime is known for hosting community events that you can attend even if you’re using the site for free. All you need to do is pay for that particular event.
The downside of this dating platform is that you can’t send or receive messages if you don’t pay for a subscription. On the free version you can only receive messages if the other person has a feature that allows you to reply to their message for free.
The good thing is that their subscription is more affordable when compared to many other dating sites.
Pro-Tip: Pay to attend the events so you don’t miss out on the fun.
Feature | Details |
---|---|
User Base Size and Diversity | Large and Diverse |
Age Range | 50 and above |
Matching Algorithm | Age, Location, Personality traits |
Ease of Use and Interface | Easy and Moderate |
Safety and Privacy Features |
|
Communication Tools | Message Board, Video Call |
Price and Subscription Options | Standard Membership
|
Mobile App Availability | iOS and Android |
Special Features | Digital Gifts, Highlighted Profile |
Customer Support | |
Cancellation and Refund Policy | No refunds |
Community and Social Aspects | Group chat, Social events |
Inclusivity | Moderate; LGBTQ+ friendly |
BeNaughty is a hookup site for men and women looking for casual sexual encounters without breaking the bank. Women can chat for free, but the subscription is as low as $0.99 per day, so if you like the platform it’s worth trying out the paid version too.
It is a great option for women who do not want to pay for a hookup site. Single men have limited messaging but free winks are available. When using the free option, you can only see a person’s profile photo. To access their gallery, you have to pay for a subscription.
Pro-Tip: Do not schedule a first encounter at your house.
Feature | Details |
---|---|
User Base Size and Diversity | Large and Diverse |
Age Range | 25-45 |
Matching Algorithm | Location, Age, Gender |
Ease of Use and Interface | Moderate |
Safety and Privacy Features |
|
Communication Tools | Chat, Video Chat |
Price and Subscription Options |
|
Mobile App Availability | Free app only for Android |
Special Features | Live Chat Room, Like Gallery, Flirtcast |
Customer Support | Phone, Email |
Cancellation and Refund Policy | No refund |
Community and Social Aspects | None |
Inclusivity | High; LGBTQ+ friendly |
ChristianMingle is a faith-based dating platform for Christians to enable them to connect with other Christians who share the same interests. To boost your chances of getting noticed you can upload up to six photos to your profile.
Although sending and receiving messages is limited to paid users, you can still send likes and read other users’ profiles for free. Note that you can respond to messages that a paid user sent you.
Pro-Tip: Use the free search and free likes to your advantage so that you can connect to paid users and be able to reply to their messages.
Feature | Details |
---|---|
User Base Size and Diversity | Large and Diverse |
Age Range | 20-55+ |
Matching Algorithm | Gender, Age, Preferences |
Ease of Use and Interface | Very easy |
Safety and Privacy Features |
|
Communication Tools | Chat |
Price and Subscription Options |
|
Mobile App Availability | iOS and Android |
Special Features | Lookbook |
Customer Support | Phone, Email |
Cancellation and Refund Policy | No refund |
Community and Social Aspects | Social events |
Inclusivity | Moderate; LGBTQ+ friendly |
As they say, there’s plenty of fish in the sea. This is still the case, even when you use Plenty of Fish for free. It is a popular dating site with free membership available that allows you to send and receive messages. You also get to see who’s online without paying a fee.
The downside of using Plenty of Fish for free is that annoying ads might pop up. Still, it has innovative features like First Contact that allows you to send a message to someone you haven’t matched with yet. Your message will appear at the top of the recipient’s inbox.
Pro-Tip: Take advantage of the First Contact feature but use it wisely since it’s only available once per day for free users.
Feature | Details |
---|---|
User Base Size and Diversity | Large and Diverse |
Age Range | 18-50+ |
Matching Algorithm | Location, Common Interests, Preferences |
Ease of Use and Interface | Easy |
Safety and Privacy Features |
|
Communication Tools | Message, Voice Chat |
Price and Subscription Options | Plus
Premium
|
Mobile App Availability | iOS and Android |
Special Features | First Contact, Recommended, Meet Me |
Customer Support | Live Chat, Email |
Cancellation and Refund Policy | No Refund |
Community and Social Aspects | None |
Inclusivity | High: LGBTQ+ friendly |
Zoosk is one of the most used dating sites in the world and users include the LGBTQ+ community. Using Zoosk for free, you can send Likes and Smiles to the people you like. Although you can browse through profiles for free, you can’t send or reply to messages except from paid users.
With Zoosk’s free option you can attract attention with the use of multiple images, instead of just one. Pick some of your best photos to let your matches and potential matches get an excellent first impression.
Pro-Tip: Since Likes and Smiles are available for free, take advantage of them to send positive signals to the people you like.
Feature | Details |
---|---|
User Base Size and Diversity | Large and Diverse |
Age Range | 18-45 |
Matching Algorithm | Behavioral matching |
Ease of Use and Interface | Very easy |
Safety and Privacy Features |
|
Communication Tools | Chat |
Price and Subscription Options |
|
Mobile App Availability | iOS and Android |
Special Features | Virtual Gifts, SmartPicks, Zoosk Live |
Customer Support | Phone, Email |
Cancellation and Refund Policy | Refunds available |
Community and Social Aspects | Social events |
Inclusivity | High: LGBTQ+ friendly |
We did extensive research on the free dating sites and narrowed them down to what, we believe, are the top 10 best free dating sites. Our ratings are based on the number of active users and matching algorithms used by brands like Match, eHarmony and Tinder.
We also looked for free dating sites that are known for initiating serious relationships and have many success stories. We ensure that these sites are LGBTQ+ inclusive. In addition, we considered free dating sites that also assist users looking for casual hookups.
Other factors we considered include reputation, cost, communication tools, and user-friendly interfaces.
Meeting your potential partner through a dating site is quite different from meeting them in real life. There are unique challenges because it’s more difficult to gauge someone’s true intentions when you’re only communicating online via text and video. This is why you should be very careful before choosing who you connect with and whether you’ll meet them in person.
Here are important tips for success and precautions to ensure your safety on free dating sites.
The best free dating site for you will depend on your preference like what type of match algorithm you prefer and what you’re looking for in a partner. For example, the best dating site for serious relationships is Match and eHarmony, and the best free dating site for Christian dating is ChristianMingle.
❤️ Personally, we think the best free dating sites are eHarmony, Match and Bumble. Take a look at each of these recommended free dating sites, and you will surely find one that suits your preferences.
What is the Best Free Dating Site for Serious Relationships?
eHarmony and Match are known to be the best dating sites for serious relationships. They’re some of the most used dating sites worldwide because of their unique matching algorithms that help users find their match.
Are Free Dating Sites Actually Free?
Free dating sites offer some free services. Features are usually limited, but you may still be able to chat with your matches. To use more of the features that the dating site offers, you’ll be required to pay for a subscription. Keep in mind, it’s entirely up to you to use the free version of the dating site or pay for their premium version.
Are Paid Dating Sites Better Than Free Dating Sites?
Research has shown that people who paid for a dating site had better experiences than people who used it for free. Although paid dating sites offer more features, if you don’t feel the need to pay for a dating site, you don’t have to. There are success stories from people who use free versions of dating sites too.
Which Free Dating Site Has the Highest Success Rate?
Match is known to have the highest success rate in the online dating industry, since it has been around for many years and has many success stories. It has led to many successful long-term relationships and even marriages.
Are Free Dating Sites Safe?
Dating sites do have security features in place, such as identity verifications and giving users the opportunity to use a site anonymously. However, the safety of a dating site largely depends on the safety steps users follow. For example, you should be cautious and never share personal details like your bank account. Above, we have outlined precautions to take while using free dating sites that must be followed strictly to ensure your safety.
How Do I Know Fake Profiles on a Dating Site on Free Sites?
If their profile picture looks too good, it’s probably a fake account used by scammers. If they’re always refusing video chat requests and asking for your personal information like your bank details, it’s definitely a fake account! Once you notice suspicious activity, report the account.