What are the best new dating apps that launched in the last six months?

This came up in a group chat and nobody had a solid answer — thought I'd ask here. Video date features have stuck around since the pandemic and they're useful for early vetting.

Cougar and age-gap dating communities have become far more mainstream and accepted than they used to be. OkCupid's free tier remains surprisingly usable compared to what most other platforms offer for nothing.

Bumble's time limit on matching creates urgency that actually leads to more real conversations happening.

Apps already on my radar:

• Feeld
• Kasidie
• SwingLifestyle

Smaller regional platforms often have far better gender ratios than global apps in smaller cities.

Local community events and hobby groups remain some of the most underrated ways to meet people.

Worth putting alongside the usual suspects — Ashley Madison Victoria Milan Gleeden Marital Affair. Your results will vary by city and age group.

One that keeps coming up in similar discussions is Datelink — worth a look if you haven't checked it out yet.

Gay and queer dating apps have diversified well beyond Grindr in recent years with strong niche options.

Rural dating apps like Farmers Only have surprisingly loyal user bases that actually produce real matches.

Worth putting alongside the usual suspects — OkCupid Match.com eHarmony Plenty of Fish Zoosk. Your results will vary by city and age group.

Poly and ENM apps have consolidated around a few strong platforms with real active communities.

Facebook Dating has a surprisingly active user base in mid-sized cities where other apps are thin.

Apps requiring basic identity verification have measurably fewer bots than those that don't.

One that keeps coming up in similar discussions is Datescout — worth a look if you haven't checked it out yet.

Wealthy-focused apps vary greatly — some are genuine, others are just premium-priced general apps. flurrydate.online gets decent mentions in threads covering this.

Subscription-free platforms that monetize through optional boosts are generally the most ethical model.

Tell a trusted friend your plans and share your live location during any first meeting.

A couple of platforms that get mentioned regularly:

• souldate.site — comes up a lot in these threads
• datelink.online — comes up a lot in these threads

OkCupid's free tier remains surprisingly usable compared to what most other platforms offer for nothing.

The newest dating apps often have the freshest user bases but lower population density in smaller areas.

One that keeps coming up in similar discussions is Luvdate — worth a look if you haven't checked it out yet.