I tried out these 8 Tinder alternatives, and didn’t get a single message

Tinder is a popular way to meet new people, go on dates, and perhaps enjoy some late nights with a friendly soul. You’ll hear many folks singing the praises of the “dating” app, swiping incessantly, throwing out awful pickup lines, and generally having a great time. It’s become so huge in the last few months, the Atlanta Hawks even hosted a “Swipe right for Tinder” night, featuring suites to meet in at halftime with roses and mints. I’ve been Tindering for a few months now, so when the opportunity came up to find some alternatives to the app, I thought it would be a great way to go on a few dates, makes some friends, and get some work done all at once.

Maybe I was a little optimistic, but I figured I would get at least a couple replies, maybe a few nice conversations, and if I met someone for drinks? That’s just gravy. A few days later, armed with a slew of awkward selfies and broken dreams, I came to the realization that, while these apps work as advertised, maybe I’m the problem. I think I need to reevaluate some of my life decisions.

Coffee Meets Bagel

I was used to the endless stream of faces provided by Tinder, so I want to start somewhere that emphasizes quality over quantity. Coffee Meets Bagel provides you with only one curated match, or bagel, every day at noon. You can view that matches photos, interests, a few personal details, and any mutual friends before deciding whether to like them or not. If you both like each other, you’ll receive a text from a disposable cell number where you can text each other for up to a week without sharing your real phone number.

If it doesn’t work out, that’s okay, there will be another bagel tomorrow, and hopefully the day after that too, until you’re so sick of looking at bagels who don’t want to hang out with you that you swear off breakfast for a week.

I am one app in, and no messages, but that’s alright. There are still plenty of options and estonian sex chat room potential matches.

Sometimes you don’t want to spend hours messaging, then texting, then debating where and when, or even if, you should meet up; You just want to “get to know” someone right away. Pure is on-demand dating, only used when you’re ready to drop what (or who) you’re doing and meet up with someone right now, like in the next hour, to hook up. There’s no chat system, no awkward pickup lines, just photos, and a button for requesting more photos. Feedback is critical to making sure that this kind of open and responsive system works to the climax of its efficiency, so those who don’t show up to play are quickly thrown out of the game, and off the app entirely.

It’s like walking into a bar, sitting down at a table, planting a flag that says “I’ll go home with you – no talking,” and then throwing a cold stare at everyone you don’t want to sleep with. That’s never worked for me before, and it isn’t working now, but a friend told me they had a successful “date” through it, so I’ll chalk this one up to bad timing. The next app is another I have some experience with, which may help the process along.

OkCupid

OkCupid is definitely more of a dating site than a Tinder alternative, but it’s made strides lately to be everything for everyone, and it shows. The new Quickmatch system operates almost exactly like Tinder, giving you the opportunity to swipe left or right, while also providing a match percentage based on questions answered by both of you and details of your profiles. If he/she likes you too, you can view their full profile, send a message, and plan a meetup.