Best Dating Sites & Apps for Over 50s UK: Which One Is Right for You?

If you haven't dated for 10, 20 or even 30 years, the idea of downloading a dating app can feel slightly ridiculous.

The last time you were single, meeting someone might have involved a pub, a friend's party, work, a nightclub or catching someone's eye across a crowded room.

Now apparently you're expected to choose six photographs of yourself, write something witty about your personality and decide whether to swipe left or right on a complete stranger.

Welcome to dating after 50. 😂

If you're only just finding your feet again, you might want to start with - How to Start Dating Again After 50. But if you're ready to give online dating a try, the next question is: where on earth do you start?

The good news is that online dating can introduce you to people you would probably never meet in everyday life.

The less-good news?

There are a lot of dating sites and apps, and they're not all trying to do the same thing.

So rather than telling you there's one magical “best dating app for over 50s”, I've looked at some of the better-known options available in the UK and, more importantly, who they might actually suit.

Because the best dating site isn't necessarily the one everybody else is using.

It's the one that feels right for you.

At a Glance:

Which Dating Site Might Suit You?

Before we look at each one in more detail, here's the quick version:

OurTime - if you'd prefer a dating site specifically for people over 50.

Match - if you'd like a larger, established dating site with a broader age range.

eHarmony - if compatibility and finding a meaningful relationship are important to you.

Hinge - if you want a modern dating app with more emphasis on personality and conversation.

Bumble - if you like the idea of a modern app with different ways to start conversations and useful safety features.

There's nothing to stop you trying more than one. In fact, you may find the atmosphere and people you encounter feel completely different from one platform to another.

But don't join six at once.

Dating is supposed to add something to your life, not become your new full-time administrative position.

OurTime

Best for: People who specifically want to meet other singles over 50

The biggest difference with OurTime is right there in the name of its audience: it's designed specifically for singles over 50.

That can be reassuring if you're nervous about joining a mainstream dating app and wondering whether everyone on it is 27.

OurTime lets you create a profile and search according to things such as interests, location and your preferences. It also offers online chat, video conversations and personalised profile suggestions.

Interestingly, OurTime isn't entirely confined to the OurTime pool. It says users can choose to have their profile visible to over-50s using its wider dating services, potentially widening the number of people they can meet.

What I like about it

The obvious advantage is shared life stage.

Being over 50 doesn't mean everybody wants the same relationship — far from it — but you're less likely to feel as though you've wandered into an app designed for your youngsters.

OurTime also says it moderates profile photographs and descriptions, and users can report or block profiles. It has Customer Care support and offers video conversations, which can be useful before deciding whether you actually want to meet somebody.

It also promotes activities where members can meet in person, which I particularly like because not everybody wants their entire dating life to happen through a screen.

Something to consider

Don't assume that because everyone is over 50, everyone will automatically be looking for the same thing as you.

One person might want marriage.

Another might want companionship.

Someone else might want weekends away but absolutely no intention of ever sharing a bathroom again.

Age is only one part of compatibility.

OurTime may suit you if: you'd feel more comfortable starting somewhere specifically designed around dating after 50.

Match

Best for: People who want a broader dating pool

Match is different from OurTime because it isn't specifically an over-50 dating site.

That could actually be a positive if you don't particularly want to restrict yourself to an exclusively 50+ platform.

Profiles on Match are relatively detailed, and users can search and browse according to their criteria. Match also allows eligible users, with consent, to make their profile visible across some of its other dating services.

What I like about it

There's more emphasis on actually finding out something about somebody than simply looking at one photograph and making a two-second decision.

Match also has some useful control and safety features.

It says profile photographs and descriptions are moderated, users can block or report someone, and verified profiles can display a badge. There are also privacy/control options such as Incognito Mode and Zen Mode, which can limit your visibility or who is able to contact you.

That might be particularly appealing if you're dipping your toe into online dating and don't fancy feeling as though you've put yourself in the window of a very large shop.

Something to consider

A wider dating pool means exactly that: wider.

You're going to encounter people at different ages and stages of life, and with different intentions.

That isn't necessarily a disadvantage. It just means your own filters — both the ones on the site and the ones in your head — become more important.

And before you make those filters too rigid, it might be worth asking whether it's time to date outside your usual type. Sometimes the person who suits us isn't necessarily the person we would have chosen on paper.

Match may suit you if: you want an established mainstream dating site and don't want to limit yourself to an exclusively over-50 community.

eHarmony

Best for: People who like the idea of compatibility rather than endless browsing

eHarmony takes a noticeably different approach.

New members complete a Compatibility Quiz, which looks at areas including personality, interests, communication style, values and what you're looking for in a relationship. Those answers are then used as part of its matching system.

If the thought of making snap decisions based largely on photographs makes you want to throw your phone out of the window, this approach might appeal.

What I like about it

There's an element of slow down and think about who might actually suit you.

You can start with a free Basic membership, complete the Compatibility Quiz, browse profiles and use some initial interaction features. More extensive communication, search and profile features sit within Premium membership.

eHarmony also says it uses technology and human review to combat fraudulent profiles, offers SMS verification, has reporting tools and allows communication to stay within the app rather than immediately giving somebody your personal contact details.

Something to consider

Not everybody enjoys questionnaires and compatibility systems.

Some people love them.

Other people get to question 37 and think, I only wanted a coffee with someone.

And no compatibility score can tell you whether you'll actually fancy somebody, laugh together or discover that they chew with their mouth open.

Think of matching as a useful starting point - not a guarantee.

eHarmony may suit you if: you're looking for a meaningful relationship and like a more structured, compatibility-led approach.

Hinge

Best for: People who want a modern dating app but still want something relationship-focused

Hinge describes itself as “the dating app designed to be deleted.”

In other words, its stated aim is to get people away from endlessly collecting matches and towards actually meeting someone.

Profiles use prompts and personal information to give you more to respond to than simply a photograph, and a match starts when somebody likes or comments on a particular part of a profile.

What I like about it

Those prompts can make starting a conversation considerably easier.

Instead of:

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

“How are you?”

“Fine thanks. You?”

...until one of you loses the will to live, you actually have something from their profile to talk about.

Hinge also has verification features, including video-selfie based verification, although Hinge itself sensibly points out that a verification badge should never be treated as a guarantee that someone is safe.

Something to consider

Hinge isn't an over-50 app.

That doesn't mean you shouldn't use it after 50. It simply means your experience may depend considerably on your age, preferences and where you live.

If you enjoy the feel of a modern app but want more personality than endless swiping, it's certainly one worth considering.

Hinge may suit you if: you're comfortable using apps, want conversations to develop from people's profiles and are looking for something more relationship-oriented.

Bumble

Best for: People who like a modern app and want more control over how conversations begin

Bumble became known for changing the traditional rules around who messages first, although its system has evolved.

Its Opening Moves feature now allows someone to place a question or conversation starter on their profile that a match can respond to, taking some of the awkwardness out of that first message.

What I like about it

Bumble has clearly put thought into both communication and safety.

It offers photo and ID verification, in-app voice/video communication and Share Date, which allows you to share details of a planned date with someone you trust.

That last feature gets a particular thumbs-up from me.

Whatever your age, somebody knowing where you're going and who you're meeting is simply sensible when meeting an online stranger for the first time.

Something to consider

Like Hinge, Bumble isn't specifically designed for people over 50.

Some people will love the app-style experience. Others may prefer the more traditional search/profile approach of something like OurTime or Match.

Neither is right or wrong.

Bumble may suit you if: you like a modern app experience, want interactive ways to start conversations and value built-in safety tools.

So Which Dating Site Is Best for Over 50s?

I'm going to give you the slightly annoying answer:

It depends on you.

If being surrounded by other over-50s would make you feel more comfortable, start with OurTime.

If you'd prefer a broader pool and detailed profiles, look at Match.

If understanding compatibility appeals to you, investigate eHarmony.

If you like modern apps but want something geared towards conversations and relationships, Hinge may appeal.

If you want an interactive app with useful safety and communication features, consider Bumble.

And if the whole concept of online dating leaves you cold, perhaps don't force yourself to do it at all.

Online dating is only one way to meet someone. If apps aren't really your thing, have a look at 100 Ways to Date Over 50 for plenty of other ideas -some obvious, some you might not have thought of.

There are plenty of other ways to meet people. Singles socials, activity events, speed dating, coffee mornings and organised days out can all put you in a room with other single people — without a swipe in sight.

Find Singles Events Near You →

The important thing is not to choose the dating site everybody tells you is “the best”.

Choose the environment in which you are most likely to show up as yourself.

Because you're not trying to attract the most people.

You're trying to meet the right ones.

Before You Join Any Dating Site

Whichever platform you choose, a few rules don't change.

Use recent photographs. Tell the truth about your age. Don't give strangers too much personal information too quickly. Keep early conversations on the platform where possible. Never send somebody money because of an emergency, no matter how convincing their story sounds.

And when you meet, choose somewhere public and tell somebody where you're going.

No dating site can remove every dishonest person from the internet. Your own judgement still matters.

And please...

Gentlemen, we need to have a separate conversation about the fish photographs.

That's coming.

Not Sure Whether You're Ready to Date Yet?

Choosing an app might not actually be your first question.

You might still be wondering whether you want another relationship, whether you're ready to date again or whether you're perfectly happy being single for now.

That's why I created the What Type of Single Are You? quiz.

It isn't about putting you in a box. It's simply a way of looking at where you are right now - and what your next step might be.

Take the What Type of Single Are You? Quiz →

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