Who it’s for:
Hinge is the ideal dating app for geeky 20 to 30-somethings looking to see where a connection takes them. It’s not as serious as eharmony and a little more hip than Match, with on-profile videos, prompts, and a fresh, modern design.
Hinge is a top-three dating app among young people between the ages of 18 and 29 (Tinder and Bumble have more users), according to research from the Pew Research Center. The organization found that approximately one in five young people have used Hinge, and among online dating app users in this demographic, 39 percent used Hinge.
Why we picked this:
Even though Hinge is a part of Match Group, it takes a more personalized approach to dating — and encourages users to “Date Forward” by being intentional and thoughtful. With Hinge, you can embrace your geekiness and showcase your interests through the app’s profile prompts and on-profile videos. The more you put yourself out there, the higher your chances of finding your lobster (or that special someone).
Hinge goes beyond surface-level swiping by prompting users to engage with each other’s profiles, creating opportunities for deeper connections based on shared interests. In fact, according to a recent poll, Hinge said its top prompt for 2024 (as of October) was “I go crazy for…” Following this prompt are “my simple pleasures,” “the way to win me over is,” and “together, we could.” Unfortunately, for our purposes, “I geek out on…” is 24th on the list, beating last year’s 25th prompt, “I bet you can’t.”
That’s not the only way Hinge encourages engagement. To combat ghosting and encourage more conversations, Hinge’s “Your Turn” feature prevents you from “liking” or matching with new people until you’ve responded to existing messages. Once you have eight in your inbox, you have to get busy. And to help you curate a more positive experience, Hinge’s “Hidden Words” feature, which debuted in April 2024, lets you filter out specific words, phrases, or emoji you don’t want to see in your Likes or Comments.
If you’re tired of accumulating matches without any real conversations (or dealing with unwanted comments), Hinge might be the app to help you break that cycle.