Read our full review of Tinder Platinum.
While some women have found relationships on Tinder, that’s usually not why I recommend it. Even as Tinder tries to shed its hookup app reputation, it’s still my go-to choice for casual dating. It has a massive user base, especially among younger people — the SSRS survey found that 73 percent of online daters aged 18-29 have used Tinder.
It’s the app I suggest having in your back pocket if you’re looking for anything more casual than a serious relationship, whether that’s a one-night stand or just an impromptu date while traveling. Just be prepared to do some digging; Tinder’s filtering options max out at age, gender, and proximity to you (based on miles). You’ll have to have the patience to play the swiping and waiting game — and wade through a ton of fish pictures.
I picked Tinder because, love it or hate it, the instant gratification of the swipe is undeniable, and its massive user pool means you’ll find active users almost anywhere. Based on numbers alone — over 75 billion total matches made in the app’s history and 4.2 million GIFs sent between matches per week — Tinder’s ability to put you in touch with a massive pool of people is hard to top.
But in 2026, Tinder is evolving far beyond the simple swipe and giving users more control to find what they’re looking for. On the Explore page, you can now filter for specific relationship goals, from “Short-Term Fun” to a “Long-Term Partner” or even “Non-Monogamy.” The company has also been testing a paid height preference, so you might be able to get your 6-6-6 after all.
Tinder is also changing how people connect. Instead of one endless feed, you can now switch into specific modes like “Double Date Mode” (for a low-pressure group hang) or “College Mode.” According to Tinder, this is all part of an effort to give Gen Z “easier, low-pressure ways to connect” and, more importantly, to help you find “better matches, not just more of them.”
Most importantly, safety has gotten a serious upgrade at Tinder. The app recently began rolling out mandatory “Face Check” verification for new users in key markets, requiring a video selfie to prove you’re real before you can even start swiping. This, combined with the “Share My Date” feature (which lets you send a link with your date’s location and photo to friends), shows that Tinder is finally taking user safety as seriously as its match count.
