Fact Checked by: Debbie Gutfreund, MA
For most women, online dating seems to be a constant battle of dodging flaky men, low-effort singles, and yes, unsolicited d*ck picks. But we come bearing some good news and hope. By being a bit more selective about where you choose to date online as a woman, you can significantly change your results and experience.
By using one of the best dating apps for women, you can’t 100% eliminate the riff-raff, but you can greatly increase the quality of your experience! In this guide, we’ll share our picks for the best dating apps for women, some tips to help you make the right selection, and links to other resources to enhance your online dating experience.
Our Testing Criteria
To test for the best dating apps for women, here is the criteria that our team used to develop the overall scores.
| Factor | Weight | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Safety & Security | 20% | Tools to protect women from harassment, scams, and data misuse. |
| Women’s Control & Empowerment | 20% | Ability for women to control messaging, matches, and pacing. |
| Ownership & Mission Alignment | 15% | Woman-owned or woman-led companies, or those with clear women-focused mission. |
| Inclusivity & Diversity | 15% | Support for diverse identities, ethnicities, and body positivity. |
| Tech & App Experience | 10% | Smooth, modern design that reduces stress and frustration. |
| Serious Intentions | 10% | App’s focus on serious relationships vs. casual dating. |
| Value & Pricing | 10% | Fair pricing for quality and safety features. |
In the coming sections, you’ll see our results for each of the apps selected.
Best Dating App for Letting Women Take the Lead
For Women Dating App Success Score: 9.06/10
An option that is never far from the discussion of the best dating apps for women is Bumble. Founded by a woman, Bumble was designed to put women into the driver’s seat. It’s a swipe-style dating app where the ability to have a conversation is locked unless there is a mutual match.
The catch, though, is that only the woman can send the first message. If you don’t send one in 24 hours after the match is made, no conversation ever happens. For women who want to be in charge, this is awesome. But if you still value the ability for both men and women to start a conversation or you prefer to be responsive with online dating, might not be the best fit.
Testing Results
| Factor | Score (0-10) | Weight | Weighted Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safety & Security | 8.8 | 20% | 1.76 | Solid reporting tools, profile verification, and photo blurring for unwanted images. Some harassment still reported but lower than many apps. |
| Women’s Control & Empowerment | 9.7 | 20% | 1.94 | Women must initiate conversations in heterosexual matches, a revolutionary feature that gives women significant control. |
| Ownership & Mission Alignment | 10.0 | 15% | 1.50 | Founded and led by Whitney Wolfe Herd, with a strong feminist mission to make dating safer and less toxic for women. |
| Inclusivity & Diversity | 9.2 | 15% | 1.38 | Strong support and diverse user representation across the entire app platform. |
| Tech & App Experience | 8.5 | 10% | 0.85 | Modern, bright design, but swipe fatigue and decision overwhelm can still be an issue for some women. |
| Serious Intentions | 7.8 | 10% | 0.78 | Used both for serious dating and casual connections, which may cause confusion for women seeking clarity. |
| Value & Pricing | 8.5 | 10% | 0.85 | Reasonably priced with good free features, though some premium tiers are costly. |
| Total | 9.06 |
Best Woman-Owned Dating Dating App
For Women Dating App Success Score: 8.58/10
Are you a woman who likes the best of the best, especially when it comes to who you’re going to spend your time with? If you’re tired of dating singles who don’t have goals, drive, and direction in life—enter The League dating app.
With one of the most rigorous acceptance processes on the planet, The League boasts one of the highest caliber single databases out there. Yes, this means you’ll need to get on the waiting list to get accepted as well, but it’s all worth it if you’re looking for a dating app for women with the highest of standards. And in case you’re curious, The League was started by and is still run by a woman.
Testing Results
| Factor | Score (0-10) | Weight | Weighted Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safety & Security | 9.0 | 20% | 1.80 | Rigorous screening and exclusivity reduce fake profiles and harassment risk, but some users feel pressure from the elite vibe. |
| Women’s Control & Empowerment | 8.6 | 20% | 1.72 | Gives women solid control through detailed preferences and curated matches, but less radical than Bumble’s women-message-first feature. |
| Ownership & Mission Alignment | 10.0 | 15% | 1.50 | Founded and led by Amanda Bradford, with a mission emphasizing women’s professional ambitions and curated communities. |
| Inclusivity & Diversity | 7.9 | 15% | 1.19 | More diverse than reputation suggests, but still leans heavily toward elite educational and professional circles, potentially limiting broader inclusivity. |
| Tech & App Experience | 8.8 | 10% | 0.88 | Sleek interface and strong functionality appeal to women who value polished digital experiences. |
| Serious Intentions | 8.4 | 10% | 0.84 | Many members are serious about relationships, though some use it primarily for networking or social status. |
| Value & Pricing | 6.5 | 10% | 0.65 | Higher price points and premium tiers often feel expensive, especially for women skeptical of paying for exclusivity. |
| Total | 8.58 |
Best Dating App for Christian Women
IMPORTANT: Spark Networks, the owner of this app, is currently undergoing insolvency hearings in German courts. At this time, we are not sure what the future for the company looks like. We’d highly recommend check out one of our safest dating site recommendations in the meantime, until this is sorted out.
For Women Dating App Success Score: 7.72/10
If you’re a woman who is not only looking for a quality man, but you’re looking for one who holds the same faith and values that you do as a Christian women, then you’ll want to give Christian Mingle a chance. With over 15 million singles, it’s the largest and most prominent single Christian community for dating on the web. What’s great is that by its very nature, this dating app is amazing for Christian women as it naturally weeds out the men who aren’t serious about finding a special and committed relationship.
Testing Results
| Factor | Score (0-10) | Weight | Weighted Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safety & Security | 8.5 | 20% | 1.70 | Decent moderation and scam prevention, though less robust than apps like Bumble or The League. |
| Women’s Control & Empowerment | 7.2 | 20% | 1.44 | Women can block/report and filter matches, but the platform has fewer empowerment features like conversation control or advanced privacy settings. |
| Ownership & Mission Alignment | 7.0 | 15% | 1.05 | Not woman-owned; operated by Spark Networks. Mission focuses on faith-based dating rather than explicitly on women’s experiences. |
| Inclusivity & Diversity | 6.8 | 15% | 1.02 | Focused primarily on heterosexual, Christian relationships, limiting inclusivity for women with different orientations or beliefs. |
| Tech & App Experience | 7.5 | 10% | 0.75 | Functional and user-friendly, but design feels older and less modern than major competitors. |
| Serious Intentions | 9.4 | 10% | 0.94 | Very strong reputation for serious relationships and marriage-minded users, a big plus for women seeking long-term commitments. |
| Value & Pricing | 8.2 | 10% | 0.82 | Fairly priced and often offers affordable plans, especially compared to high-end apps. |
| Total | 7.72 |
Tips to Select the Best Women’s Dating App
If you’re stuck between a few dating app options or feel like you can’t quite decide on the right fit, we want to help. Here are some helpful tips to assist women like you in picking out the absolute best dating app option for you.
- Don’t always go off of anecdotal stories from your gfs. – You should 100% listen to the advice and recommendations of your gfs. However, just because one girl you know had a bad experience on a women’s dating app doesn’t mean it’s automatically terrible. Yes, it’s absolutely worth weighing into your decision. But if a site feels right and you want to go for it, it’s ultimately your decision.
- Trust your women’s intuition. – As women, sometimes our gut just tells us things that we can’t explain. If you get that vibe (positive or negative) about a dating site option (or someone you meet on there), listen to it. There are plenty of options and plenty of singles to choose from.
- Shop around for the right fit. – You wouldn’t buy the first dress you see without trying it on or checking a few other stores. Take the same approach with online dating. Check out a few of the women’s dating apps we’ve recommend. Try them on for size with the free trials and see what you like before you decided to upgrade to a premium membership.
- Take a minute to evaluate if you feel safe. – If you don’t feel safe with a particular app for literally any reason, go to the next one. You don’t owe these apps anything. If you don’t feel right and you can’t even explain why, embrace it and move on. There’s a reason our list has more than one option on it.
- Understand that you still have to do your part with safety. – Even the greatest dating app for women that pours an immense amount of resources into safety and protection can’t do everything. Creeps and scammers will slip through the cracks from time to time. This isn’t mean to scare you off. It’s meant to remind you that at the end of the day, you’re the one responsible for your safety and security. Great dating apps for women will do the best they can, but make sure you do as well.
Besides being run by women, what else makes these great apps?
Want to know why these options made it to the top of our list of the best dating apps for women? We don’t blame you! Here are a few of the reasons we made these particular selections.
An Impeccable Record on Safety and User Protection
No woman likes to feel unsafe in any situation. And this should be especially important when you’re dating and meeting men or women you’ve never met before. The best women’s dating apps are ones with an impeccable record of keeping people safe. Yes, they can’t do everything but they can certainly do a lot.
Processes In Place to Protect Against Inappropriate Content
Sometimes people online are just plain gross. We have nothing against a little flirting and romance, but we do have problems with unsolicited inappropriateness. This can be in the form of text or pictures. The best dating sites for women have safeguards in place to catch this stuff before it gets to you. And if something does get through the cracks, they have easy-to-find ways to report and block the content and the user immediately.
A High Number of Quality Singles Invested in the Process
While both men and women get tired of people playing games, us ladies do seem to have to deal with it a lot more. For that reason, it’s important that any dating site option we use is filled with singles serious about the process. The ways a site can affect that include how they market, who they market to, the messaging they put out, how long it takes to sign up for a membership, and even the price of a membership.
Customer Support Ready to Go
Whether it’s a dating app for women or a dating app for another group, having the help and support you need is important. The top options have friendly, accessible, and helpful customer support teams ready and raring to go. Ideally, you don’t need the help ever. But if you do, it’s good to know that you have access to it.
Affordable and Flexible Premium Plan Options
We are huge proponents of the importance of using a paid dating app instead of a free dating app for women. You get too many security, safety, and feature perks to ever imagine doing anything different. That being said, we aren’t proponents of foolishly spending more money than we have to. You’ll find that the women’s dating apps we’ve recommended do come with limited free trials, but they also have affordable and value-packed premium membership for when you’re ready to dive in.
Advice for Women Trying Out Online Dating
Dating online as a woman can be scary, but adhering to a few tips and tricks can make the process a lot simpler. If you are worried about the environment of online dating or don’t know where to start, we can help you. Here are some of our best tips to utilize while accessing dating apps for women.
Be upfront about what you want.
Being dishonest about your wants and needs doesn’t help anybody during your online dating journey. It especially doesn’t help you. Let your matches know exactly what you are looking for and if they can’t meet your needs, move on. Don’t waste your time by settling for a partner who doesn’t’ work for you.
Don’t be afraid to set boundaries
“No” means “no,” and that’s that. Let your matches know what your boundaries are and expect them to be respected. If a match ever makes you feel uncomfortable, block them, report them, and then forget about them. You deserve better.
Don’t get overwhelmed by talking to too many people.
You will be surprised how many matches you are going to get, but don’t overwhelm yourself with choices. If you are talking to 12 people at once, you are going to have a hard time connecting with any of them. Whittle your list down to a few top contenders and get to know them each better.
Rome wasn’t built in a day.
You may not strike love on your first match, but that’s okay. When you find the right partner for you, you won’t even notice the time that goes into building your relationship. Developing a committed and healthy relationship isn’t meant to be fast, but it is meant to be fun.
It’s okay to take the lead and send the first message.
Studies have found that men overwhelmingly prefer women who take the lead and don’t wait for them to initiate interactions. If you see someone you are interested in, let them know. You might be surprised how much more you get out of dating apps for women when you take the reins.
You don’t need to feel bad about rejecting a match.
Not every match is going to be perfect. The goal of online dating is to find a group of singles that meet a set of base criteria and then attempt to build upon a relationship from there. Sometimes you will be matched with someone you simply don’t find attractive, who is too different in world views, or any other number of things.
It is okay to politely move on from those matches for something better. In fact, it is okay to simply never respond to a match that makes you feel uncomfortable. Your safety and mental health should always come first.