These Are the Best Dating Apps for Marriage, According to Data

Today, dating apps are the most common ways couples meet. In fact, according to The Knot 2022 Jewelry and Engagement Study—which surveyed over 5,000 couples who got engaged or married within the last year—over one in four couples met online. Plus, recent insights indicate that marriages formed from dating apps may be less likely to end in divorce as members use the sites to date intentionally. Of course, these aren't new revelations. (And if you've ever tried your hand at the apps, you're well aware of just how popular they are.) But with so many matchmaking services out there, it can be hard to determine the best dating apps for marriage.

Although not everyone downloads a dating app with a wedding in mind, many users turn to digital services to find long-lasting relationships. Intentional dating is one of the biggest dating trends of the moment, and most apps are designed to help people find genuine, authentic connections. To help you determine the best dating apps for marriage, we compiled our own internal data and spoke to real couples from the most popular dating apps to see which services are most likely to lead to a successful partnership. Below, read their stories and find out the compelling results.

Hinge

Given its tagline "Designed to Be Deleted," there's no surprise that Hinge is one of the top dating apps for marriage. But in 2022, it took the number one spot for the first time, overcoming Tinder. According to The Knot 2022 Engagement and Jewelry Study, Hinge is officially the best dating app, as it was responsible for pairing 30% of couples who met online—a 9% increase from 2021. This particular dating app has seen tremendous growth over the years. In fact, it jumped a whopping 27% since 2019, when it paired just 3% of couples who met online.

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Hinge relies on a unique algorithm that pulls user preferences to introduce profiles most likely to match. Daters have the ability to like or comment on multiple profile prompts and photos, increasing the likelihood of a match. And, with additional features like a weekly "rose" for a standout profile, a daily "Most Compatible" match and limited likes, users are able to date intentionally. In January 2022, it also launched voice prompts, allowing users to customize their profiles with personalized sound bites. With so many features geared toward thoughtful swiping, the app facilitates more chances to find a compatible partner for a long-term relationship.

"We lose around 25% of potential users during the sign-up process because we require people to think deeply about who they are and what they want, but that's on purpose," says Logan Ury, Hinge's Director of Relationship Science. "We want our community to focus on their connection with someone instead of collecting matches, so our design helps initiate thoughtful conversations right from the beginning."

Tinder

Despite its reputation as being for casual relationships, our insights indicate that Tinder is one of the best dating apps for marriage. According to The Knot 2022 Jewelry and Engagement Study, Tinder was responsible for pairing 27% of newlyweds who met online. 2022 marks the first year Tinder was not the most popular dating app, based on our data. While it has reigned supreme since 2019, it was replaced by Hinge as the best dating app for marriage.

With over 75 million monthly active users worldwide, Tinder facilitates millions of matches every day—and it boasts over 55 billion matches made since its launch in 2012. And in the brand's 2022 recap, "The Year in Swipe," internal data shows that daters (especially Gen Z) care more about finding a long-lasting connection. To do so, users customize their profiles to find matches that share similar political and social beliefs. In fact, the app found that 75% of singles were looking for a match who is respectful of or invested in social issues. Their insights also illustrate a shift toward more creative dates, one of our top dating trends outlined for 2023. "Mentions of 'Picnics' (43%), 'Mini Golf' (56%) and 'Drive-Ins' (34%) in Tinder bios all increased this year, suggesting that singles are meeting up for more than just dinner and drinks these days," read the brand's 2022 recap statement. "They're opting for less traditional, more authentic and sometimes sober ways to get to know one another."

While the majority of Gen Z users might not be ready for marriage just yet (the average age of marriage is now 34), our data indicates that Tinder is already proficient at making connections for all ages. While our data indicates it's the second-most popular dating app overall, it is the most popular among 18-24-year-olds, rightfully earning its spot as one of the best dating apps for marriage.

Bumble

Launched in 2014, Bumble was the first app to only allow females to make the first move in a heterosexual match. (For same-sex couples, both users have the opportunity to send the first message.) The brand has since become one of the most popular dating apps to date, as it recorded over 85 million registered users in over 150 countries. And according to surveys collected by The Knot, it's one of the best dating apps for marriage. In 2022, our study found that it was the third-most-popular dating website, responsible for matching 22% of couples who met online. Thanks to features like personality badges and profile prompts, the app allows users to make informed swipes—but it's the emphasis on women making the first move that sets Bumble apart from other online dating services.

Two Bumble employees, Cecily Gold-Moore and Kate Urquiola, met their respective spouses long before joining the company. While their stories are different, the opportunity to make the first move was instrumental in finding a lasting connection. "I was definitely looking for a relationship," Kate tells The Knot of her decision to join the app. "Back when [my husband, Iker and I] matched in October 2015, Bumble was well-known as an app where most people were typically looking to make intentional connections—like a serious relationship. That's a strong reason why I was drawn to it."

She adds, "I wasn't on any other apps, which is kind of surprising given that it's so common for people to switch back and forth between a handful of apps nowadays! When we matched, there were really only two apps that my friends were using. While definitely oversimplified, one was known for hookups and the other one—Bumble—was known for those who were looking for something a bit more committed. I had been in longer-term relationships before I was on Bumble, so this was my first (and only) experience on a dating app."

While Kate found Iker's photos attractive, she might not have reached out if it weren't for the 24-hour time limit. "Candidly, if it wasn't my responsibility to make the first move, I most likely would've anxiously waited for Iker to talk to me first," she explains. "However, I've learned a lot about the impact of pushing myself out of my comfort zone since then. It's been a recurring theme throughout the progression of our relationship, from discussing the idea of moving in together, to openly talking about marriage, and more."

Ultimately, it took the couple six months to meet in person. But after their first date in April 2016, the relationship progressed naturally. They got engaged in September 2018, and by October 2019, they married in Mexico.

Ann Mark Photo

"When I first got on Bumble, I had just gotten out of a long-term relationship," Kate says. "It seemed insurmountable for me to go out and meet someone at a bar. With Bumble, I was in control and could meet people from the comfort of my own home on my own time." She adds that Bumble allowed her to learn more about her future husband's personality, which set their relationship up for success. "We were both intentional about showing our interests and hobbies throughout our profiles, so it was easy to start a conversation over something we had in common. I mentioned his cute mini schnauzer from one of his profile photos and we started talking about how Poofy was originally his grandfather's. We eventually started discussing our family and heritage—he's proudly Basque. It was easy to start talking in real life because he gave me clues to his personality through his Bumble profile."

For Cecily, dating as a single mom wasn't top of mind. But when she learned that Bumble would allow her to control the conversations, she was willing to give it a try. "I was familiar with other dating apps, but at the time I was content with being single for the rest of my life, so I wasn't actively on any," she tells us. "However, my friend positioned Bumble as a dating app that was cooler than other dating apps. He said that all of his friends were on it and that women had to make the first move and start the conversation, which really intrigued me… Having the power to make the first move was a really great way for me to dip my toe into the dating scene without making a huge commitment."

She matched with her now-husband, Brendan, in January 2016, and credits his photos for sparking her interest. "It seems basic, but a lot of the other profiles I saw only had one photo or a picture that didn't clearly show their face," she explains. "Brendan had good-quality photos and he was shown doing a variety of things. For example, he had a photo of himself surfing and then another one that looked professional. He also had several photos of himself and his Goldendoodle, which instantly attracted me to his profile! His bio was also short and sweet: 'My best friend is my GoldenDoodle named Riggins.' I found that one line adorable and was instantly hooked."

Ultimately, Cecily credits the "Extend" feature that allows users to add an additional 24 hours to the match before it expires for her connection with her future husband. "As a busy mom, my connections often expired before I could make the first move, but it always made a big impression when a match would use their daily extend to give me more time to say 'Hi,'" she says. "Brendan used his daily extension on me—without that, we may have never started talking." Two weeks later, the couple went on their first date. They got engaged in December 2018, and by October 2019 they were married.

Map + Compass

"Bumble allows you to put yourself out there with confidence and allows you to get to know someone's intention before deciding to meet them in person," she says of why this service is one of the best dating apps for marriage. "Making the first move for women gives you the ability to invest your time in the connections that you feel comfortable with, which can lead to more intentional dates and relationships."

OkCupid

According to The Knot 2022 Jewelry and Engagement Study, OkCupid was the fourth-most popular service to match future spouses, coming in behind Bumble. The survey results indicate that the site, which launched in 2004, was responsible for setting up 4% of engaged couples who met online. (Coincidentally, this is tied with Match.com.) The service's unique algorithm uses extensive questioning to complete user profiles, which helps facilitate deeper, more meaningful connections (in turn making it a marriage-minded app). The site claims to orchestrate 50,000 dates per week, while over 91 million connections are made every year.

For Laura Moffat and Kelly Sanders Moffat, the founders of the menswear-inspired fashion brand Kirrin Finch, a service that encouraged meaningful connections was of the utmost importance. "We were both committed to finding someone who wanted to be in a serious relationship, and OkCupid felt like the right choice for that path," Kelly tells The Knot. "Even though we met several years ago, OkCupid still feels like the right choice for folks who want to find someone who wants to get married and settle down."

After making a connection on the app, poor weather almost derailed the couple's first date. "There was a massive snowstorm and we both thought about canceling," Kelly explains. "But we threw on some hiking boots, and trudged out to meet each other. The rest is history."

The couple's love story blossomed after their first date. Laura proposed to Kelly in Grand Cayman in 2012, and the moment featured a sentimental nod to their digital beginning. "For years, we couldn't remember if we met in 2011 or 2012, but luckily Laura saved our initial messages on OKCupid and when she asked me to marry her, she created this adorable book with pictures of our various adventures and it opened with the first messages we sent to each other." After being engaged for two years, the former Division I athletes got married in Vermont in 2014.

Courtesy of Kelly Sanders Moffat and Laura Moffat

"It was only fitting that on the morning of the wedding, we divided the wedding attendees up and had a soccer match," says Kelly. "Later that afternoon, we cleaned ourselves up and gathered together under a tree in the field to have Lauren, our best friend, marry us. We wanted the ceremony to be a reflection of us as a couple, so we selected the parts of traditional ceremonies that we liked and adapted the parts that didn't work for us. For example, we had a ring bearer…but she was Kelly's 25-year-old sister."

"Laura grew up in Scotland, so it was only fitting that we walked down the aisle after saying our vows to Kelly's uncle playing the bagpipes, we had readings, but they were from Dr. Seuss, and we walked down the aisle to an acoustic version of Safe and Sound by Capital Cities," she adds.

Today, the entrepreneurs have OkCupid to thank for bringing them together—and they continue to recommend it as one of the best dating apps that lead to marriage. "At times, dating can be a lot of fun, but it can also feel really demoralizing and like a full-time job," Kelly says. "[OkCupid] is the only brand out there that matches our values, and seems geared to people looking for a long-term relationship."