Dating after the age of 40 can be intimidating. Unlike your 20s or 30s, you can’t assume everyone your age is single and looking. While meeting people organically in public still happens, dating sites and apps take a lot of the guesswork (and nerves) out of the equation.
Read on to discover 40+ singles’ dating sites, as well as tips for getting back in the dating game.
The first step is to recognize that you are in a position to reopen your heart. This means being fair to yourself about your relationships beyond and any emotional baggage you may bring (which we all have to some degree).
How do you know if you’re ready? If the thought of getting coffee or drinks with someone new gives you nothing but anxiety, it may be a sign that you’re not quite ready to start dating again. But if you feel hopeful, excited, and, dare we say, giddy, then it’s probably safe to say that you’re ready to put yourself out there.
Once you’ve touched on your emotions, do the same with your dating profile. Are you interested in a serious relationship, a casual encounter, or a friendship that could evolve into something more?Either way, be sincere. You don’t have to fall in love with someone just to realize that they’re not looking for the same thing.
The most productive dating app depends on what you are looking for. There are many features available, so it’s vital to take the time to discover which ones are compatible with your dating goals and preferences. Match and eharmony use complicated algorithms to connect you with compatible singles for love and commitment.
Tinder, Hinge, and Bumble are more for affectionate encounters and potential sparks. OkCupid is a commitment and caters to liberal and LGBTQ communities, offering a space to be your most original self without judgment.
Pro tip: Based on our detailed reviews, we suggest avoiding Zoosk and Our Time for singles over 40 (all the main points about our testing method in the “How We Test” section!)
Continue reading for detailed research of our top picks for dating sites for people over 40.
We highlight points such as affordability, accessibility (including user-friendly interfaces and availability on Google Play and the App Store), and the overall good luck rate to help users find meaningful connections.
If you’re 40 or older and in a position to commit, really, eharmony is where you need to be. It is known for matching other people for life and has a reputation forged by its thorough matchmaking process.
Most eharmony users are between the ages of 30 and 44 and are looking for serious dating or marriages; That’s precisely why we’ve ranked it as the number one dating app for other people over 40 who are involved in marriage (it’s also our most sensible app). choose to locate dates, period).
Founded in 2000, eharmony has a forged reputation, especially for its in-depth compatibility comparison system (it was the first dating app to introduce the concept of proof of compatibility).
Instead of relying on algorithms that think a shared love of cat memes is the key to compatibility, eharmony takes a more scientific approach. You’ll fill out a comprehensive compatibility quiz about your values, interests, and personality quirks — think of it like a Myers-Briggs test for your love life. It might take you 20 minutes to get through the quiz, but trust us; it’s worth it to filter out the potential dating disasters and find someone who actually gets you.
Although eharmony is traditionally known for catering to heterosexual couples, the company has made headlines for its efforts to be more inclusive and welcoming to the LGBTQ community. However, not everyone is happy with this change.
Some teams have criticized eharmony for its resolve to allow same-sex matches and criticized the platform for deviating from its classic values. A not-so-easy petition is circulating online for eharmony to remove its LGBTQ ads.
Christian Mingle may be a better fit if you’re looking for a more religious or Christian dating site. Other religious dating sites include JDate for Jewish singles and Muslima for Muslim singles.
Read our full eharmony review.
Read our full AdultFriendFinder review.
Match is a reliable dating site (with receipts) for singles of all ages, with a large user base that includes a significant number of people in their 40s and 50s. According to Match’s website, 48.6 percent of Match members are between 30 and 49, and 26.5 percent are 50 and up.
Whether you’re divorced, widowed, or haven’t married yet, Match is a smart choice for those who need to start dating.
The game is simply about taking a selfie and hoping for the best. It’s about creating a profile that showcases your unique personality, interests, and passions. You can share up to 26 images (including your profile photo), create a bio that generates intrigue. and answer questions to help potential partners get to know you.
Match also takes the guesswork out of compatibility by asking you to specify the qualities you’re looking for in your spouse and rank how important they are to you. This ensures that your inbox won’t be flooded with incompatible profiles, but will be flooded with incompatible profiles. potential matches that really interest you.
Read our full review of the match.
SilverSingles is a senior dating site for singles over 50. Thanks to its minimum age requirement, SilverSingles is the best position to connect with other mature singles looking for love and companionship.
If you are fifty, sixty, or older and in a position to find love, SilverSingles could be the dating site for you.
Mashable recently identified SilverSingles as the most productive dating site for seniors, and for good reason. SilverSingles (a sister site of EliteSingles) is one of the most productive dating sites for people over 50 because of its compatibility and smart fortune rate.
But don’t just take our word for it: one of our reviewers surprised his mother with a subscription to SilverSingles and now, thankfully, he’s teaming up with someone he met on the platform.
Unlike superficial swipes, SilverSingles takes the time to perceive you through a full personality test. It may take a little longer, but it’s worth it for other really compatible people who are also looking for a meaningful relationship. Then you’ll get 3-7 matches every day.
A note on inclusivity: While you can specify your preference for same-sex matches, lately the app doesn’t offer the ability to get matches of both genders.
OkCupid is a dating platform that embraces diversity and inclusion, making it a solid choice for singles in the LGBTQ community. It’s like the modern edition of Facebook Dating, but with a more liberal user base and stimulating conversations.
OkCupid’s set of rules helps you find your fit on basic topics (like your perspectives on feminism and other vital social issues) and connects you with singles who share those key values.
Owned by Match Group, OkCupid is a popular dating website that’s credited with making 91 million connections annually. It’s also highly inclusive, offering profile options for 22 different gender identities and 12 different sexual orientations.
While swiping is still part of the OkCupid experience, it’s not the main event. OkCupid takes matchmaking to the next point by inviting users to answer thought-provoking questions. This allows you to connect with potential components at a deeper point, leading to meaningful conversations beyond superficial banter.
Read our full OkCupid review.
Hinge is a popular dating app known for focusing on meaningful connections. While the app is popular among Gen Z and young professionals, it is also suitable for older singles who are looking for a compatible spouse and prefer to avoid the casual hookup culture of other apps.
Hinge’s detailed profiles and verbal exchange initiation activations make it less difficult to meet potential matches before meeting in person. And thanks to its loose club option, you can start exploring without obligation.
Hinge’s “designed to be eliminated” philosophy means that the app aims for users to find love and eventually get rid of the app for good (but you can also use it for casual dating).
Unlike Tinder and other swiping dating apps, Hinge includes laughter triggers and personal information to help users get to know each other better. Hinge also frequently learns your personal tastes and keeps track of your dating reports to offer better recommendations in the future. .
With a premium membership, you can send out as many likes as you want and get full visibility into who’s liked your profile. You can also purchase “roses” to send to other users to stand out and show interest (Bachelor vibes).
But you don’t want to pay to use the app if you want to browse and connect with potential matches. Once you match, you can chat and meet other people through the app’s messaging feature (for free).
If you’re feeling like “a 40-year-old,” check out Hinge.
EliteSingles (a sister site of SilverSingles) caters to those who enjoy their professional interests and want to make a meaningful connection with potential partners who are also motivated and successful.
With a maturity and sophistication, EliteSingles appeals to a more difficult and established audience. More than 90% of users are 30 years old or older, and most have complex titles. EliteSingles is a network of intellectually curious Americans who value the personal, financial, and pro-development.
We chose Elite Singles because it’s a dating site specially designed for singles for a serious date with someone who is knowledgeable and successful (which can mean other things to other people, and that’s what’s great about it).
First, take a personality test and get 3 to seven matches daily based on your effects and preferences. You can even advance your career if that’s vital to you. EliteSingles offers other tactics for finding a potential spouse (especially for premium members). so you’re sure to locate someone you’re actually clicking with.
Read our full EliteSingles review.
With its female-centric philosophy, Bumble empowers women and non-binary Americans to take initiative and start conversations. This female-centric philosophy creates an area that is less complex and navigable than Tinder.
If you are a woman or non-binary user over the age of 40 and are tired of receiving unsolicited messages, Bumble is the app for you. This reduces unwanted advances, allows other extroverts to take advantage of your dating experience. And it’s also a very clever way for shy men to meet women.
Bumble’s laid-back setting is its main draw. Profiles include witty, personalized bios that you write yourself (here are some tips to help your profile stand out), eliminating the need for lengthy compatibility questionnaires to get started.
The app works with a swiping formula similar to Tinder. If the two Americans swipe right, it’s a coincidence, and in direct pairs, it’s up to the woman or non-binary individual to initiate the conversation. With a 24-hour service after the expiration date of matches, Bumble encourages active and active participation to users so that they make a meaningful connection before the opportunity disappears. The only problem is that you might find a lot of other people on Tinder and Bumble.
Read our full Bumble vs Tinder review.
If you’ve tried other dating apps and haven’t been able to pick it up, you may need to consider Plenty of Fish (POF). The site has over 150 million members worldwide, so you will most likely find a compatible one. phosphorus.
That said, POF also hosts its share of shady accounts, adding bots and catfish. It is imperative to cast a wide net and beware of impostors. If you come across a suspicious company, be sure to report it.
POF offers a vast sea of potential matches of over 40, ensuring you have plenty of features to explore. It also provides a variety of communication functions to keep verbal exchanges flowing.
Whether you prefer video chat, personal messaging, chat rooms, or even voice calls, POF has you covered. The app’s commitment to providing attachment tactics makes it less difficult to stay informed about potential matches, if you can avoid fake bot accounts.
The Stir is a dating app designed for single parents who are looking to get back out there and find their special someone without worrying whether or not their kids’ soccer practice conflicts with their date night.
Single parents deserve to have fun, too. And as Busy Philips says in its December “Milf on a Shelf” campaign to sell The Stir, “As a single parent, you feel exhausted and you don’t want to forget that it’s okay to flirt and meet someone for drinks and reconnect with the part of yourself that exists outside of being a parent.
This app is particularly for single parents who have been out of the dating scene for a while and are in a position to start over in a non-judgmental and supportive environment with other parents who have just figured it out.
Finding love after 40 requires the right tools, and we did the legwork to ensure you have them! We went beyond surface-level reviews by signing up, creating profiles, and actively using each app to assess:
User experience: Is it easy to go from registration to matching?
Quality of matches: Are the connections for compatibility or just superficial factors?
Authenticity of the profile: Can you accept it as true with the users you interact with?
Safety and Security: Are your knowledge and privacy protected?
Inclusivity: Does the platform welcome everyone, regardless of identity?
Unfortunately, OurTime is one of the dating sites that we propose to avoid. Although it’s aimed at seniors and promises an undeniable setup process, several points led us to include it in the “sites to avoid” section.
OurTime lacks complex matchmaking features and painstakingly calculated algorithms to locate meaningful connections. This means that the site relies heavily on superficial criteria without delving into compatibility factors. Inactive accounts and annoying bots are also a persistent challenge on OurTime. It can be daunting and frustrating to encounter those obstacles when looking for authentic relationships.
Zoosk, stuck in its glory days of 2007, offers “matchmaking” based on. . . Hold on. . . Your winks and your center (yes, really). Do you want a genuine conversation? Its free edition is necessarily a glorified photo album, leaving you stranded with no chance to chat. It possibly would have once been a smart place to meet people, but when it comes to online dating, there are bigger and more complicated features.
Read our full Zoosk review.
Miller Kern is a New York City-based Deputy Reviews Editor at Mashable, where she writes and edits reviews of tech products including headphones, skincare devices, laptops, sex toys, e-readers, robot vacuums, and more. She has five years of experience writing buying guides, gift guides, and deals, and covering shopping holidays like Prime Day and Black Friday. Miller can tell you which products are actually worth your money. She also explores trends in the shopping sphere, such as dupes and viral TikTok moments.
Tabitha Britt is a freelance writer, copywriter, search engine optimizer, and content strategist. In addition to writing for Mashable, Tabitha is also the founding editor-in-chief of DO YOU ENDO, an online magazine written through other people with endometriosis, for others. people with endometriosis. She holds a Master’s degree in Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism from the New School of Social Research and is a graduate of the Sextech School. You can find more of his paintings in online publications, adding National Geographic, Insider, Kinkly, and others.