Hinge was overall great except for this person who is dead to me forever:
Did I have success? I went on several enjoyable dates and saw someone on and off for a couple of months. Also had some great orgasms, so yeah. Success.
3. Raya
What’s this app’s deal? God. Where do we begin? Raya is an exclusive dating app that requires a membership and also costs $7.99 a month. You cannot just JOIN Raya, you must know someone already using the app and be invited. This is already annoying, but I also saw it as a potentially good thing because n app meant that people would take it more seriously. (I was wrong. Moving on.) The thing that sets this app apart from others is the reputation it has for celebrities using it (kind of true, in my experience) and the fact that screenshots are strictly forbidden. If you screenshot, you will get a warning and if you screenshot again, you will get kicked off.
Did I like using it? At first. yes. After two days? No. First of all, you only get to see a few matches a day, and a lot of them aren’t even in the same city as you. Raya will show you people all over the world. I matched (and had great conversation!) with someone in Montreal, South Africa, and London. I understand the reasoning for just a few matches a day, but I don’t like it. Second of all, the app’s layout is wonky as hell. It glitches out so often, erases messages, and isn’t particularly useful. You can’t send links, pictures, or anything else in chat but you can send songs from iTunes, which like. OK? Thanks, I guess? I never sent anyone any music, nor did I ever receive any, and I was fine with that. Third, you have to choose a profile song. Sounds cool, right? Reminds you of MySpace? Yeah, until you have to actually CHOOSE the song. I went with «Boy» by Odesza for the record because WHAT THE FUCK ELSE DO YOU CHOOSE? I DON’T KNOW.
The thing I noticed most about Raya is that I got the feeling that most people were on the app just to say they were on it. I’d say about 5% of the people I matched with actually wanted to meet up, and the rest would match and then not respond to any messages and then you would just sit there forever. It’s a weird place.
4. Tinder
What’s this app’s deal? Listen, Tinder is like one of the OG dating apps. If you don’t know, here we go: you can swipe right or left on people based on the five pictures they choose to upload and a small description. It’s pretty straightforward which is both good and bad.
Did I like using it? I was on Tinder back in 2014, got into a long-term relationship, and now I’m back. I didn’t enjoy Tinder then, and I can’t say that much has changed. The app itself is mostly fine, easy to use, easy to understand. But it just. isn’t fun. It’s really hard to make a connection with someone based on a few pictures and sentences. And I know this could be said of literally every dating app ever, but Tinder has always been a bit of a letdown for me. This may be because I’m not actively looking for hookups, or just swiping right on the wrong people, but it’s not the app for me!
Did I like using it? YES. I love Hinge, honestly. It’s my favorite dating app that I’ve used thus far. And I’ve had the most successful connections/dates from it, too. I think the fact that people can answer questions, but not get too in depth, makes it the ideal dating app for someone who is open to whatever comes their way. I also feel like, in general, the people on Hinge are a little more serious and less likely to send you dick pics. This isn’t researched, that has been my experience, though!