A guide to dating apps | Stylish London Living

I am excited to introduce my newest contributor, Miss Matchmaker, who will be sharing her dating trials and tribulations so you can learn from her experiences! —

Dating in London can be a minefield, the online dating industry has boomed in the past 3 years, millions of Londoners are going online and with an estimated 40% – 50% of people now meeting their partners this way, the trend is set to continue.

Simply Googling ‘Bedfordshire Dating Site‘ or your location will bring up many options, so if you’re single and want to make more of an effort to meet new people or have just have come out of a long term relationship and this is all new to you, here is my *handy guide to online dating.

Site/App	Pros	Cons	Target Audience	Cost?	My Rating
My Single Friend	Friends describe and pimp out their friends so usually most people come across normal, interesting and fun The user,doesn’t have to write their profile or even pick their own photos and friends,can help match make	Everyone says nice things about their friends so profiles can get very samey You have to do a lot of reading and sifting	Usually <28, not as many 30+ on there	Yes	7/10
Match.com	Large user base Good filtering criteria	Lots of searching required More apps out there that offer similar capabilities	Those looking for relationships, tend to be 25+	Yes	6/10
eHarmony	No searching, you are already matched Often easier to chat and go on dates with matches as you’ll usually have lots in common and similar values	Takes ages to complete the questionnaire More expensive than most other sites Chemistry with matches is never a guarantee, you have to wait till you match with someone you might actually be attracted to	Those,looking for very serious relationships who don’t mind doing any hard work to search. Tend to be 30+	Yes	6/10
Lovestruck	Great searching system for meeting people nearby Most users are authenticated so you know they are half decent and say who they say they are	Focused on ‘busy professionals’ so attracts a certain London crowd, doesn’t have such a wide variety of people as it is very job based	Busy London professionals who don’t have much time to search and date Tend to be 28+	Yes	7/10
Ok Cupid	Loads of users Fun questions asked so you can see who is,your highest match Wider variety of users from all walks of life	Lots of fake profiles and spam emails No user validation so attracts some genuine people but lots of people wanting casual,fun too. Ok if you have time to filter	Seems a younger crowd <25 Better for short term relationships or fun dates	No	5/10
Tinder	Large user base More game like and less stress, can swipe right if you like someone and left if you don’t Filtering system for age and location, job and education have also been added ‘Super like’ functionality available so even if you don’t match the other person know you are a favourite	Lots of swiping required to generate your own matches Even if you match no guarantee you’ll chat	Initially it was a casual app for the younger crowd but it is now very mainstream	No	8/10
Happn	Large user base Feels more romantic as you cross paths with people who are very nearby, then same swiping principles apply Has a ‘charm’ system which also acts like a superlike More user info available such as job, education, and most users write more about,themselves, feels less casual than tinder You can see the same people who you cross paths with near where you live, work or socialise for common interests and dating	The location will keep updating wherever you go so you might miss out on matches Need to check the app more frequently	Wide user base like Tinder but feels more focused on dating and new connections	No	9/10
Bumble	From the female co-founder of Tinder, the woman is in charge Same principles apply as Tinder and Happn but when you match the woman has to make the first move within 24 hours or the guy expires! Seems to be mostly eligible guys who all like strong woman (most of the time)	No,‘superlike’ or ‘charm’ system so you still have to swipe a lot Women have to put in a lot of work to chat up the guys	Strong women who don’t mind chasing the guys Guys who,don’t mind being chased!	No	9/10
Double	Dating in pairs with friends and going on group dates, makes it really fun and less awkward than dating solo Group chat system is hilarious with high banter levels	A fairly new app so smaller user base No filtering system so some guys too young/old and too far away Lots of effort required to maintain the group chat system and arrange a group date for 4 people! Have to agree with your mate who fancies who or it might be a bit weird on the date unless you just treat it as a fun night out	Great for new daters and those looking to have fun with their friends, a fun night out Probably harder to establish a relationship from it unless a pair hit it off on the group date	No	7/10
Once	A,certified human matchmaker will personally match you with one new person each,day based on your initial criteria Good to have the personal touch No effort needed from your side and less spam	Fairly new app so fewer members Crown system is quite complex, some bits are free and some not If you don’t fancy the person you have to wait a whole day to get matched with someone else Always a feeling ‘what if tomorrow is a better match?’ FOMO hits harder when using this app!	Busy people Those who like the personal touch	No	6/10

So there you have it! Now go forth love birds and try some of these out, everyone is doing it now and there is nothing to be afraid of. I have personally encouraged a whole bunch of my guy and girl mates and many are in very happy relationships now.

My top tips: Just be ready to have a thick skin, be rejected, do some rejecting yourself but as long as you are honest about what you want, know what you are looking for and have a bit of a plan so you don’t get ‘dated out’ you will have a great time overall with nothing to lose!

Whatever happens think of all the stories you can tell your grandchildren! I have collected so many now. So don’t put it off and get dating London!

*This is based purely on my personal experience of 2.5 years of online dating where the overall goal was to find a relationship rather than something casual. To date I have met ~80 different guys, had 150+ dates and 4 relationships.