By: Natasha Archary
Singles are signing up to multiple online dating apps in 2022 in a bid to broaden their options.
The online dating world can be tricky, especially if you are looking for a serious relationship and not something casual.
With the online dating pool so saturated more singletons are joining multiple dating apps to find their match.
According to Expatica, in 2019 more than 51% of South Africans on dating apps were between the ages of 25 and 34 years.
An age bracket that has changed with a more mature market getting into the swing of online dating since the pandemic.
Johannesburg and Cape Town are the cities with the most success rates at finding a love match.
While some dating apps are free to use, others have a subscription for a premium online dating experience.
This means paying a monthly fee to allow you more options on the app, like being able to view a skipped profile again.
Whether you’re a serial dater or you’re just getting back into the dating game, these Top 5 dating apps may help:
Tinder
Most South Africans are familiar with Tinder. The world’s most popular dating app boasts 55 billion matches to date. Offering a 3-tiered subscription, the app gives users the experience they want so they control their dating life.
The free option is limited and unless you receive or send a “superlike”, you can’t tell if someone likes you unless you match.
Tinder also gets a bad reputation for being perceived to be a “hook up” app because many users are not looking for love or commitment just a bit of fun.
The app doesn’t filter based on race, height, education or religion which broadens the pool.
Hinge
Becoming increasingly popular in South Africa, the app bills itself as the dating app that was “designed to be deleted.”
With an emphasis on making meaningful, long-term connections over superficiality, Hinge’s algorithms are designed to ensure matches are compatible from the start.
The app makes the first connection easy by giving users the option to answer a question on the other person’s profile. It should be smooth sailing from there and from the sound of it a relationship isn’t far off.
Bumble
An app where women in a heterosexual match makes the first move. Women have 24-hours after a match to send that first message before the match expires.
Bumble is changing the power dynamic in dating, encouraging equality from the start.
With a smaller number of users than Tinder, Bumble may make getting into online dating a little less daunting.
HER
This is one of the most popular dating apps for LGBTIQ+ people. The app also gives users information about events and gives one the option for group chats, news and content.
The premium option on HER allows users to use the app in incognito mode if you don’t want your identity exposed.
Grindr
Since launching in 2009, Grindr has become the largest social networking/dating app for homosexual, bi, trans and queer people.
The app caters for a modern LGBTIQ+ community and is simple to use. Grindr For Equality is an initiative that mobilizes, informs and empowers users.
Whether you’re looking to meet like-minded people in the hopes to find your soulmate, or you want to cast your net wide and far to find your catch, these dating apps are a good place to start.


