Best dating apps for relationships: genuine dating in the UK

The best dating apps for relationships have one thing in common: they make it easy to see what someone wants before you invest time in them. That might be a compatibility quiz, a detailed profile or a clear “looking for” field. Plenty of people find partners on swipe apps too, but if serious dating is your goal, it helps to start where most members share it. This page compares the services best suited to long-term relationships and explains how to tell genuine dating sites in the UK from the rest.

What makes an app good for relationships?

• Detailed profiles. Values, lifestyle and intentions are visible before you write.
• Some effort at sign-up. A questionnaire or longer profile filters out people who are only browsing.
• Moderation and safety tools. Profiles are checked, and you can block and report.
• Clear intentions. You can say, and filter for, what you are looking for.

The best dating apps for relationships

1. eharmony

eharmony is built entirely around long-term matching. You start with a compatibility quiz which, according to eharmony’s UK site, looks at your personality, interests and communication style. The service then suggests people it considers compatible. The Basic Membership is free and lets you view profiles, send likes and first messages and see who visited your profile. Premium adds all photos, your full personality profile and search settings. Read our eharmony review.

2. Match

Match is our overall number one. Profiles are detailed, and the UK App Store listing mentions moderated profiles and dedicated safety tools. You search yourself and decide who to contact. Creating a profile is free, and a membership unlocks full messaging. Match suits you if you want a relationship but prefer to choose rather than be matched. Read our Match review.

3. Ourtime

For singles over 50, Ourtime brings together people at a similar stage of life, most of whom are looking for companionship or a partner. Registration is free. Read our Ourtime review.

4. Hinge

Hinge describes itself as “designed to be deleted”. It is free to use, and profiles are built around prompts, so conversations start on something concrete. According to the App Store listing you can filter by dating intentions and relationship type. It is the best free option for serious dating. Read our Hinge review.

Serious dating apps compared

• eharmony: compatibility quiz, suggested matches, free Basic Membership. Best for: people who want to be matched.
• Match: detailed profiles, search, free to join, membership for full messaging. Best for: people who want to choose.
• Ourtime: over 50s only, free registration. Best for: a relationship later in life.
• Hinge: free, prompts and intention filters. Best for: serious dating without paying.
• Bumble: free, women message first in man–woman matches. Best for: a mix of intentions, with some control.

How to recognise genuine dating sites in the UK

Searches for “genuine dating sites UK” usually come from people who have had a bad experience. A genuine service:

1. names the company that runs it and has terms, a privacy policy and a way to contact support,
2. moderates profiles and photos or offers verification,
3. shows prices and cancellation terms clearly before you pay,
4. lets you block and report members, and acts on reports,
5. does not send you messages from “members” the moment you sign up, before you have even added a photo.

If a site fails several of these, leave it. Our page on the best dating sites in the UK lists the services we rank.

What you can do yourself

The app is only half of it. These habits make serious dating work better:

• Say what you want. A line like “looking for a relationship” saves both sides time.
• Write a real first message. Pick up on something in their profile. See our guide to the first message on a dating app.
• Move to a call or a date fairly soon. Weeks of messaging often build a picture that does not match the real person.
• Use one or two services well rather than five half-heartedly.
• Be patient. A few quiet weeks are normal and say nothing about you.

Free or paid for serious dating?

You can find a serious relationship on a free app, and many people do. What a paid service changes is mostly the setting: on Match and eharmony, members who pay for a membership have usually made a deliberate choice to look for something real, and you get fuller profiles and filters. A sensible approach is to start with the free version, see who is near you and only pay once you know there are people you would like to meet. Our page on free dating apps shows what each service lets you do without paying.

Red flags in the first few weeks

Most people on dating apps are exactly who they say they are. A few signs suggest caution:

• strong declarations of love after a few days of messages,
• repeated reasons why a video call or meeting is impossible,
• pressure to move quickly to another messaging app,
• stories of sudden emergencies, investments or travel problems that end in a request for money.

If you see these, slow down, do not send money and report the profile. You can report fraud to Report Fraud (Police Scotland on 101 if you are in Scotland). More in our dating app safety guide.

Which app suits you for serious dating?

You want to be matched, not search

eharmony suggests people based on its compatibility quiz. Free tip: complete the quiz in one go when you have time, not on the bus.

You want to choose for yourself

Match gives you detailed profiles and search filters. Free tip: read the whole profile before writing, and mention one detail.

You do not want to pay yet

Hinge is free and relationship-focused. Free tip: set your dating intentions so people know what you want.

You are over 50

Ourtime, with eharmony as a second option. Free tip: suggest a phone call after a few messages, it builds trust quickly.

You have been burned by fake profiles

Match or eharmony, which both describe moderation and safety tools. Free tip: ask for a short video call before you meet.