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Sex, Dating & Relationships

All the best dating apps for lesbians and gay women

Find something serious or casual. The choice is all yours.
Joseph GreenLeah Stodart
By Joseph Green, Leah Stodart 
All the best dating apps for lesbians and gay women Credit: Pexels
AdultFriendFinder
Best For Sex Positive Vibes
Find a sexting partner fast, no small talk or long website registration required.
Pros & Cons
The Good
It doesn’t take long to dive right into chatting with someone Uses your sexual preferences to find compatible matches Extremely sex-positive community
The Bad
Might be too explicit for some It basically looks like a porn site Security and privacy features are questionable
The Bottomline
Looking for a sex-positive space to explore your fantasies? Check your inhibitions at the door — because AdultFriendFinder is packed with active users ready to get their sext on.
HER
Best For Queer Women
Avoid creeps and fetishization on this queer women-only app that aims to be a safe space and a matchmaker.
Pros & Cons
The Good
App for queer women without shadow of highly-sexualized male fantasies Social media-like feed for local LGBTQ+ community involvement Niche corners like "newly out," "in a relationship," and "travelers" Minimalistic aesthetics are very on-brand for a young crowd
The Bad
Full of users complaining about being single User base can't compare to Tinder Too many unverified profiles and catfishes
The Bottomline
HER is a rapidly-growing space for queer women to make real connections while avoiding unicorn hunters.
Tinder
Best For A Casual Relationship
The original swiping app, Tinder helps you find potential relationships or casual hookups.
Pros & Cons
The Good
Not just for hookups (but also good if you're looking for a hookup) Large user base Easy to use
The Bad
Might get unsolicited, vulgar messages No real matchmaking algorithm Paid plans more expensive for users over 30
The Bottomline
Tinder is more known for being a hookup app, but you can also find meaningful relationships through it.
Bumble
Best For Outgoing Women Or Shy Men
Women have to make the first move on Bumble and only have 24 hours to message a match.
Pros & Cons
The Good
Women make the first move Matches expire to encourage quick responses Backtrack feature for accidental swipes Plenty of subscription tiers
The Bad
No real compatibility algorithm 24-hour time limit could be a negative
The Bottomline
Bumble's setup is conducive to getting conversations started instead of letting matches sit idle for weeks.
> Sex, Dating & Relationships

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

Online dating as a lesbian, for the most part, still involves having your space invaded by straight people.

The heteronormative weirdness got so alienating that lesbians began turning to TikTok as a means of meeting other single lesbians — turns out, it's a pretty good matchmaker.

But it's unrealistic to expect a social media app to work like a dating app for everyone. It's hard for some of us to comprehend, but not everyone spends every free minute on TikTok. Lesbians who have exhausted their local romantic options are still going to want to see who else is out there in time for cuffing season.

Is online dating difficult for lesbians?

For much of current history, some people have acted as though lesbians didn't exist outside of porn and Ellen DeGeneres, while jokes swirled about how girls only turned to dating women if they had a bad experience with a man. Even in 2023, these tone-deaf assumptions still find a way to rain on the lesbian online dating experience. If it's not a man appearing in your feed when you specifically marked that you're searching for women, it's matching with a woman just to be hit with the classic "My boyfriend and I are looking for a threesome."

There's one big problem: The apps targeted toward the straights are still where most of the queer users are, too. Though women-only apps like HER are gaining traction fast, they can still be a bit of a ghost town...or a scammer's paradise. You just have to decide whether you'd rather deal with the quirks of Tinder and have more options to swipe through or be fine with coming across the same profile three times as long as it's not a man.

What is the best dating app for lesbians?

A decent number of dating sites and apps specifically for lesbians do exist, but most are plagued with the same issues: Either their sole purpose is to sexualise lesbians and aren't really meant for genuine connection at all, or their lax security protocols make it way too easy for ill-intentioned men to sign up pretending to be women. If you're wondering why we left most of those so-called female-only apps out, that's why.

With that in mind, we have lined up a selection of strong options to suit lesbians and gay women. Hopefully, there is something for everyone in this roundup.

These are the best dating apps for lesbians in 2024.

AdultFriendFinder

Best For Sex Positive Vibes

The good
It doesn’t take long to dive right into chatting with someone Uses your sexual preferences to find compatible matches Extremely sex-positive community
The Bad
Might be too explicit for some It basically looks like a porn site Security and privacy features are questionable
The Bottomline
Looking for a sex-positive space to explore your fantasies? Check your inhibitions at the door — because AdultFriendFinder is packed with active users ready to get their sext on.
Specs
  • 12 month Gold subscription: $179.40
  • 12 months: $239.40
  • 12 months of Gold: $179.40 ($14.95 per month)
  • Basic membership: Free
  • Basic version: Free
  • Free version: Yes
  • Monthly: £25.30/month
  • One month: $39.95
  • One month Gold subscription: $27.95
  • One month of Gold: $27.95
  • One months of Gold: $27.95
  • One year: $239.40 ($19.95 per month)
  • One year of Gold: $179.40 ($14.95 per month)
  • One-year plan: £11.37/month
  • Three month Gold subscription: $62.85
  • Three months: $80.85 ($26.95 per month)
  • Three months of Gold: $62.85 ($20.95 per month)
  • Three-month plan: £16.85/month

Read our full review of AdultFriendFinder.

HER

Best For Queer Women

The good
App for queer women without shadow of highly-sexualized male fantasies Social media-like feed for local LGBTQ+ community involvement Niche corners like "newly out," "in a relationship," and "travelers" Minimalistic aesthetics are very on-brand for a young crowd
The Bad
Full of users complaining about being single User base can't compare to Tinder Too many unverified profiles and catfishes
The Bottomline
HER is a rapidly-growing space for queer women to make real connections while avoiding unicorn hunters.
Specs
  • 10 Thirst Traps : $24.99
  • 12 months of HER Gold: $179.99 ($15 per month)
  • 12 months of HER Platinum: $239 ($20 per month)
  • 12 months of HER Premium: $89.99 ($7.49 per month)
  • Five Thirst Traps: $14.99
  • Free version: Yes
  • Monthly: £13.99/month
  • One month of HER Gold : $24.99
  • One month of HER Platinum: $34.99
  • One month of HER Premium: $24.99
  • One month of Premium: $14.99
  • One Thirst Trap: $5.99
  • One year of HER Gold: $89.99 ($7.50 per month)
  • One year of HER Platinum : $149.99 ($12.50 per month)
  • One year of HER Premium: $89.99 ($7.50 per month)
  • One year of Premium: $89.88 ($7.49 per month)
  • One-year plan: £7.33/month
  • Paid perks: None, because it's completely free
  • Six months of HER Gold : $129.99 ($21.67 per month)
  • Six months of HER Platinum: $149.99 ($25 per month)
  • Six months of HER Premium: $69.99 ($11.67 per month)
  • Six months of Premium: $59.94 ($9.99 per month)
  • Six-month plan: £11.67/month
  • Ten thirst traps: $24.99
  • Unlimited matching on free account: Yes
  • Unlimited messaging on free account: Yes
Between creepy men pretending to be women and straight girls looking for another girl to have a threesome with their boyfriends, most heteronormative dating sites don't give lesbians or bi women a great shot at finding a relationship. Her, an award-winning app made for queer women by queer women, is the perfect place to go if you're tired of the only lesbian you know being your ex girlfriend.  The app that wants to "introduce you to every lesbian you've ever wanted to meet" is growing rapidly: Her has grown to 4.5 million users since its rebrand in 2015, and according to Statista, that's pretty damn close to what Bumble is working with — and they're all women. If you tried Her a few years ago and were discouraged by swiping through the same people, your experience will be much different this time around. In 2019, Her revamped its minimalistic profiles to let users get more creative in categories like gender, sexuality pronouns, diet preferences, and star signs, as well as a "What does this mean?" field in the sex, gender, and pronoun categories to create more well-rounded understanding of identity. There's also a space for a text bio where you can showcase your sense of humor describe what type of relationship you're looking for.  The lack of any real science behind the matches past age and location is a bummer, but unlike Tinder, this doesn't mean you'll be suffocated with a hookup vibe.

Tinder

Best For A Casual Relationship

The good
Not just for hookups (but also good if you're looking for a hookup) Large user base Easy to use
The Bad
Might get unsolicited, vulgar messages No real matchmaking algorithm Paid plans more expensive for users over 30
The Bottomline
Tinder is more known for being a hookup app, but you can also find meaningful relationships through it.
Specs
  • 12 months of Tinder Gold: $99.99 ($8.33 per month)
  • 12 months of Tinder Platinum: $119.99 ($10 per month)
  • 12 months of Tinder Plus: $31.99 ($2.67 per month)
  • Basic account: Free
  • Free version: Yes
  • Monthly: £7.94/month
  • One month of Gold: £4.99/month
  • One month of Tinder Gold: $36
  • One month of Tinder Platinum: $45
  • One month of Tinder Plus: $22.48
  • One month of Tinder+: $22.48
  • One months of Tinder Platinum: $45
  • One week of Tinder Gold: $18.99
  • One week of Tinder Platinum: $24.99
  • One week of Tinder Plus: $12.99
  • One week of Tinder+: $12.99
  • One year of Gold: £1.92/month
  • One year of Tinder Gold: $90 ($7.50 per month)
  • One year of Tinder Platinum: $108 ($9 per month)
  • One year of Tinder Plus: $31.99 ($2.67 per month)
  • One year of Tinder+: $54 ($4.50 per month)
  • One-year plan: £3.64/month
  • Six months of Gold: £2.50/month
  • Six months of Tinder Gold: $126 ($21 per month)
  • Six months of Tinder Platinum: $162 ($27 per month)
  • Six months of Tinder Plus: $90 ($15 per month)
  • Six months of Tinder+: $90 ($15 per month)
  • Six-month plan: £4.64/month
  • Tinder Gold: $29.99 per month
  • Tinder Platinum: $39.99 per month
  • Tinder Plus: $9.99 per month

Check out our full review of Tinder Platinum.

Tinder might seem like the last place to find a date if you're over 40. It's known for being a hookup app for younger people. But when I asked my Facebook friends about their favorite apps for dating in your 40s+, I had multiple people tell me they or their family members had success with Tinder and enjoyed using it. So, it is not hopeless as you might think!

Tinder is responsible for more than 43 billion matches in its lifetime. It's the OG swiping app, showing you profiles that you can either swipe right to like or left to pass. If you and another user both swipe right on each other, it's a match and you're free to message each other.

Profiles are pretty basic with just some photos and a bio, so it's easy to see why Tinder isn't immediately recognized as a serious relationship matchmaker. That said, it's definitely still possible to find people who aren't just looking to hook up. But it's also pretty easy to find someone who is looking to hook up if that's what you're looking for. Do what you want! Live your life!

The app has three paid tiers: Tinder Plus, Tinder Gold, and Tinder Platinum. Plus gives you unlimited likes, five super likes a day, one boost a month, removes ads, and lets you backtrack on your last swipe if you accidentally swiped left on someone you were interested in. Tinder Gold has all of these features plus you can see who likes you before you have to swipe on them and you get top picks every day aka your most swipe-worthy potential matches. Tinder Platinum adds on the Gold features, plus gives you priority likes.

The shitty thing about Tinder is that these paid features can cost more for users over 30. Pricing varies by location, so be sure to check in the app for the most accurate prices.

Bumble

Best For Outgoing Women Or Shy Men

The good
Women make the first move Matches expire to encourage quick responses Backtrack feature for accidental swipes Plenty of subscription tiers
The Bad
No real compatibility algorithm 24-hour time limit could be a negative
The Bottomline
Bumble's setup is conducive to getting conversations started instead of letting matches sit idle for weeks.
Specs
  • Bumble Boost: 1 week at $19.99, 1 month at $39.99, 3 months at $76.99, Lifetime for $229.99
  • Bumble Premium: 1 week at $8.99, 1 month at $16.99, 3 months at 33.99, 6 months at $54.99
  • Free version: Yes
  • Lifetime Boost: £86.28
  • Lifetime of Premium: $199.99
  • Monthly: £20.99/month
  • One month of Boost: $17.99
  • One month of Bumble Boost: $24.99
  • One month of Premium: $39.99
  • One week of Boost: $9.99
  • One week of Premium: $21.99
  • One-week plan: £7.99/week
  • Six months of Boost: £9.59/month
  • Six months of Bumble Boost: $84.99 ($14.16 per month)
  • Six months of Premium: $119.99 ($19.93 per month)
  • Six-month plan: £9.59/month
  • Three months of Boost: £11.98/month
  • Three months of Bumble Boost: $49.99 ($16.66 per month)
  • Three months of Premium: $79.99 ($26.66 per month)
  • Three-month plan: £11.98/month
In an attempt to correct one of the common complaints of dating apps — that women get spammed with tons of creepy messages — women are required to message first with Bumble. That method obviously doesn't apply to woman-woman matches, but that hasn't hampered the queer user base much. Someone literally has to message within 24 hours, or the match goes away. This punchy (albeit a bit jarring) approach could be refreshing for people who are tired of staring at a list of Tinder matches from six months ago. If nothing else, it's a comfort zone pusher — and a confidence booster when those first messages start coming in. Bumble also allows you to "backtrack" and bring back and accidentally left swipe up to three times per day. You'll see pictures and short bios of potential matches in your area and can swipe depending on whether you're interested. It's a pretty close mock of Tinder, except for the fact that Bumble relieves the anxiety of accidentally swiping left on a hottie by letting you backtrack. Bumble also offers a BFF feature (great for making local, queer friends) and a Linkedin-ish networking feature called Bizz in attempts to remind everyone that it's not just a hookup app.
Topics: Microsoft, Hinge, Airpods, Sex, Dating & Relationships, Life, Bumble, Tinder, HER, AdultFriendFinder

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