The Best Dating Apps for Marriage in 2024, According to Real Data

We're huge advocates for striving for the relationship you want–not necessarily the one society typically dictates. Happiness and a loving respect between partners should be the ultimate goal, IMO. That being said, if you desire marriage and its meaningful commitment, we found the best dating apps for marriage so you may date more intentionally in 2024. (And we have the data to back it up!)

To help 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, see the compelling results. And then, well…Go directly to the App Store. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

In this article:

• The Knot's Most Popular Dating App for Marriage
• Hinge: Designed to be Deleted
• Tinder: Swipe Right
• Bumble: Make the First Move
• OkCupid: Dating for Every Single Person
• More Great Dating Apps for Marriage

The Knot's Most Popular Dating App for Marriage

Today, dating apps are the most common way couples meet. In fact, according to The Knot 2023 Jewelry and Engagement Study, which surveyed over 5,000 couples who got engaged over the past year, one in four couples met online in 2023. And guess what? That's a trend that we've seen over the past few years. Last year's 2022 Jewelry and Engagement Study revealed the same stats. And that's no surprise, right? We're betting you know a couple or two who met by swiping right (if you don't already count yourself amongst them). Recent insights also indicate that marriages formed from dating apps may be less likely to end in divorce. BRB, hitting download now.

But if there's one—and only one—dating app you plan to use in 2024, let it be (drumroll, please…) Hinge! According to The Knot 2023 Jewelry and Engagement Study, Hinge is now the best dating app for marriage with 35% of virtual-meet-cutes occurring on the digital download.

To learn more about what makes Hinge ideal for genuine, authentic connections—as well as the other best dating apps for marriage that made our list—scroll on.

FEATURED VIDEO FROM THE KNOT

Hinge: Designed to be Deleted

Given its tagline "Designed to Be Deleted," there's no surprise that Hinge is one of the best dating sites for marriage. In fact, it officially took the top spot in The Knot 2023 Engagement and Jewelry Study, with the app even growing in popularity over the previous year. (We saw a 5% jump since 2022.)

"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."

Hinge relies on a unique algorithm that pulls user preferences to introduce profiles most likely to match. Daters can 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 can date intentionally with each swipe.

Since its initial release in 2012, new, fun features have continually been rolled out (including voice prompts, video prompts and polls), each designed to better showcase your personality and help you find your ideal partnership.

Tinder: Swipe Right

Despite its reputation as being for casual relationships, our insights indicate that Tinder is actually a top marriage dating app according to those surveyed. The Knot 2023 Jewelry and Engagement Study uncovered that Tinder was responsible for pairing 25% of engaged and newly married couples who met online.

Another fun fact: Tinder routinely snagged the title of best dating site for marriage before 2022. That was the first year Hinge reigned supreme, according to previous iterations of of The Knot Jewelry and Engagement Study. Nonetheless, it's still right up there as one of the most popular places to find love.

With over 55 billion matches to date, Tinder facilitates millions of matches every day. Moreover, the brand's 2023 recap, "The Year in Swipe," showed that users have been taking the pressure off relationships as of late, favoring the process of getting to know someone instead of rushing towards certain goals or outcomes. (Is that the secret to these daters' success?)

"This year in particular marked a major shift where the journey is more important than the outcome," Melissa Hobley, Chief Marketing Officer at Tinder, said in a press report. "This new generation of daters is showing us what it means to date for the possibilities, freeing themselves from traditional expectations, allowing them to write their own, worthwhile stories."

Bumble: Make the First Move

Setting out to challenge old-school dating norms, Bumble was the first app to allow only females to make the first move in a heterosexual match when it launched in 2014. (For same-sex and LGBTQIA+ couples, both users have the opportunity to send the first message.) Since then, the brand has become one of the most well-known dating apps out there with over 85 million registered users in over 150 countries. Additionally, our study found that it was the third-most-popular dating website, responsible for matching 20% of engaged or newly married 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. Bumble employee Kate Urquiola met her spouse and found the opportunity to make the first move 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."

Ann Mark Photo

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.

"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."

OkCupid: Dating for Every Single Person

According to The Knot 2023 Jewelry and Engagement Study, OkCupid was another popular service to match future spouses. 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).

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."

Courtesy of Kelly Sanders Moffat and Laura Moffat

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.

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."

More Great Dating Apps for Marriage

Of course, those aren't the only places to meet potential partners. Additional dating sites we found to be popular for long-term relationships included:

• Facebook (4% of engaged and newly married couples met here, according to our survey.)
• Match (3%)
• Plenty of Fish (2%)
• Coffee Meets Bagel (2%)
• eHarmony (1)

If none of the dating apps above meet your specific needs, that's A-OK. There are a ton more out there, including dating apps dedicated to the lesbian and WLW and gay communities. And you can find success and healthy partnerships on all of them by intentionally going after and communicating your needs—and meeting your partner's in return.

Contributions by Sarah Hanlon