How to choose which dating app is best for an Indian?

User base size

If you’re here that means that the moment you type dating apps in your region (India specifically in this case) you’re flooded with Playstore links and lists of all the apps in your region.

Most of them are sponsored and cater to hundreds and thousands of users.

But isn’t that great? Doesn’t more users mean more options to choose from? Not really. Let’s start this topic with a red pill.

What does it mean to have too many users on a dating app?

Too many users mean your profile is less likely to be sufficiently ranked to be shown to the first hundred users swiping on the app.

How?

Imagine if there are ten thousand users on the app and these profiles need to be ranked in a way that every profile is shown to everyone.

Obviously, some profiles will be shown before others. Isn’t it?

So what happens when you have 1000 men competing with the algorithm to be shown first?

Your profile will hardly even see the light of the day.

And even if your profile has been given a fair chance, it becomes important that someone likes you for the algorithm to push you forward.

That will require your pictures to be foolproof, to say the least.

You will have to appear good-looking, high-status, funny, wealthy, highly intelligent, or all of them to be the algorithm’s favorite.

Does that mean you should look at apps with fewer users?

Not really. The app mustn’t have too many or too few users so the number of choices becomes overwhelming or underwhelming.

But it’s more important the app uses the right metrics to judge a personality and show you authentic profiles.

Among all dating apps, Tinder has probably the largest user base, followed by Bumble, Aisle, OkCupid, and Hinge.

Privacy and security

This brings us to the topic of making sure that the app feels safe for you to share your private data.

For example, if the onboarding is very shallow and anybody with a simple picture and a Gmail account can get in, it could be low-security and prone to fraudulent activities.

If the app developers use low-security measures or have an in-house authentication, they may be prone to cybercrimes. If the app doesn’t have a paid version, then it can be flagged as concerning because a free tier will have people flock in great numbers, and that can compromise the quality of credible and serious lookers.

Some apps allow users to verify themselves through selfies, or KYC to add an extra layer of protection to their product suite.

Here an app like Bumble might encourage Selfie verification for its paid users (also showing verified profiles in return), and Dahlia ventures into Aadhar KYC verification for all its members planning to meet in person.

Interface and usability

It’s important to see which app feels good to use. This is not to say that it has to be simple. It has to be intuitive while also uncompromising with finding the right connections.

Most apps by default are swipe-based and for that reason feel the same as Tinder with a couple of UI differences.

That, if anything makes people want to not trust them. Hinge, for example, was one of the first apps to set its tone apart in both user interface and usability.

Even when people complained about its hectic profile creation, they liked the fact that it meant only serious people came on board and saw a more detailed profile moving away from the swipe-based approach.

Similarly, Dahlia came up with quizzes that helped people break the ice toward more intimate conversations.

Special features

Similarly, while Dahlia offers in its premium plan to set the date for you, Hinge allows users to like and comment on specific parts of profiles, cultivating curiosity and leading to higher engagement.