Sex & Relationships

Which dating app is right for you?

Match.com has met its match — or, rather, matches. A new wave of free dating apps is making old-fashioned dating sites look downright matronly — but it can be difficult to know which you’ll like best. Take a look at our guide to some of the younger, hotter apps out there — and who knows? Maybe you’ll find The One.

Tinder

Tinder

Best for: Anyone who wishes they could just talk to people they find attractive in a bar — but, you know, without actually having to go to a bar.

How it works: Tinder originated as a hook-up app but has since morphed into a proper dating tool. Tinder shows you pictures of other users in the same age range and location as you. If you like someone’s Tinder profile pic, you swipe right. If you don’t, you swipe left, and a picture of a different single appears. If both people “like” one another (swipe right) they go into a private chat room where they can get to know each other better.

Wyldfire

Wyldfirewyldfireapp.com

Best for: Any woman who has been turned off by online dating, thanks to one too many explicit messages or “erotic” pictures sent from a total stranger.

How it works: Similar to Tinder, the app alerts you to singles in your area and your age range, and you swipe left or right depending on whether you like the look of someone. The difference? Men must be invited by a female friend to join — which hopefully means less creepy messages. At the very least, you can be sure you won’t find Anthony Weiner on this one.

Dattch

Dattch

Best for: Lesbians or bisexual women, especially Pinterest lovers.

How it works: Grindr, the location-based dating app for gay men, has been around since 2009. Now there’s an equivalent for lesbians and bisexual women. The profiles are verified — by logging in via Facebook — so users know there are no dudes lurking in the mix. In addition to matching women — which you can do by playing low-pressure games like “Would you rather” — Dattch also has a Pinterest-like feature that allows you to fill your profile with pictures of your favorite hobbies, foods and travel spots.

Hinge

HingeHinge.co

Best for: Users who like to begin dates by saying, “So, how do you know so-and-so?”

How it works: With the motto “because there are only so many house parties, dinners and weddings,” Hinge sets you up with people who are already in your extended social circle. The app only presents users with potential partners with whom they have Facebook friends in common, and gives users a finite number — a dozen — swipes per day, which is intended to make you consider potential matches more seriously. All profiles are Facebook-verified, too, so you know everyone is who they say they are. You can also see a list of who your mutual friends are, so you’ll have immediate first-date conversation fodder.

Lulu

Lulu

Best for: Women seeking a Yelp-like dating site.

How it works: The app is targeted to women with the slogan “date smarter.” The FAQ promises: “Lulu tells you the stuff you want to know: Is he a heartbreaker or your future husband?” Guys have to sign up for LuLu to be rated. Then, Lulu automatically aggregates photos from their Facebook profile pictures. Women who have gone out with them take a quiz that rates guys on a scale of one to ten, and allows women to hashtag them with tags ranging from #SweetToMom to “#NapoleonComplex. The app allows women to boost their great male friends as well warn women away from other suitors who prove less than desirable. The idea is that the good guys will get positive reviews from women, while the bad guys will have to change their wicked ways.