Dating as a single parent is hard in 2024. These dating apps make it a little easier.
Overview
The app dedicated to single parents
Stir
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Best popular dating app
Hinge
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Best for finding a serious partner
Match
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Table of Contents
Dating is, famously, not easy. Single parenting, is also, famously, not easy. Put them together, and dating as a single parent feels damn near impossible.
The good news is, you’re certainly not alone. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly a quarter of children in the United States live in single-parent households. That means there are tons of people out there just like you — single parents who are devoted to their family and wouldn’t mind some romance in their lives. On top of that, the best dating apps for single parents can also connect you with men and women who aren’t parents themselves but also aren’t afraid to date someone with a family.
To help make online dating feel less impossible, we’ve vetted the best dating apps and sites for you. We know — dating apps don’t always have the best rep, but there are actually apps made just for parents these days, and some features on more well-known apps like Hinge can help the dating process along.
Why it’s so hard to date as a single parentSometimes, the most obvious answer is also the most accurate one, and for single parents, free time can be a huge constraint on their dating life. We know you don’t have time to swipe through Bumble and send out dozens of messages that might lead to a date.
“If someone is full-time responsible for parenting their child(ren), time is the most difficult/delicate issue,” said Karen Bonnell, a co-parent, stepfamily coach, and author of The Stepfamily Handbook, in an email to Mashable. “Even when the children move back and forth in a two-home family, dating time is often modified to reflect that schedule and can feel compressed and/or a bit like a whipsaw from ‘independent adult dating’ and ‘responsible parent parenting.'”
Even though dating apps take some effort and time, using the right ones can help streamline the process of meeting someone new. That’s why we think they’re a solid option for single parents looking for love, fun, and friendship. An algorithm that actually shows you people you’re compatible with, rather than anyone with a pulse in a 10-mile radius, is a major bonus.
Bonnell also told us it’s important to be upfront about your time constraints and responsibilities.
“Dedicating time for communication (‘after the kids are down’) or setting the children up in an activity while letting them know ‘Mom/Dad’s going to do a little computer work now,’ or ‘taking a call’ can work, but it’s not easy,” Bonnell wrote. “The ability to openly talk about these barriers and to come to reasonable agreements will predict the long-term durability of the relationship with a parent.”
Popular dating sites are the best places to find a wide array of users, but when you’re dating as a single parent, curation can be key.
The dating app market also includes apps specifically designed for parents. In 2020, single parents and family-minded folks alike could start looking for love on heybaby (sadly, this dating site for single parents is no longer active). In 2022, Match Group launched Stir, a platform made specifically for single parents (though anyone can join).
Keep reading to find the best parent-centered dating apps, plus our favorite mainstream dating apps for parents.
Stir
The app dedicated to single parents
Who’s it for: If you want to date someone who understands single parenthood from the jump, then Stir is the answer. Not only is the platform specifically designed for single parents (although others can join), you can also limit your matches exclusively to other parents, if that’s what you’re looking for.
Why we chose this: Stir was designed specifically for single parents, and it shows. Beyond having a user base made up primarily of single parents or folks who are open to dating parents, profiles include features that tackle the problem of limited availability. For instance, if you choose to share your “StirTime” on your profile (aka the times you’re usually available), you can see other users’ StirTimes — the app even highlights your mutual availability.
Like most other dating apps, there’s a section to share your relationship goals, ranging from casual to more serious. Unlike other apps, there’s also a section to say if you’re open to phone or video dates before actually meeting up, essential for parents short on time. Speaking of time, the simple interface means you can check on matches quickly without checking a thousand different tabs and notifications.
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Hinge
Best popular dating app
Who it’s for: Niche dating apps can be great for finding your people, but if you’re in a small town or simply like casting a wider net, choosing a popular app may be the move. Folks who don’t have the time (or funds) to build out a profile on Match or eharmony should consider Hinge. Plus, if the more laidback, swipe-based approach appeals to you, then you’ll enjoy using Hinge. This app is famous for its focus on relationships — it’s the app “designed to be deleted,” after all — and most users are genuinely there to make a real, lasting connection.
Why we chose this: Hinge feels casual enough to pick up only when you have the time, but serious enough that you actually match with people who are interested in making a connection. Free users are limited to eight likes per day, so you won’t get stuck endlessly scrolling through profiles — or feeling like someone matched with you because they’re liking every profile they come across.
While it’s not specifically designed for parents, that time-saving feature does come in handy, as does the spot on your profile where you can indicate if you have kids, and if you’d like more kids in the future. Hinge is also known for its prompts to show off your personality, which make for a useful vetting tool. In the same vein, the app’s integrated voice and video chat make it easy to go on a virtual date without a) giving out your personal info and b) using your precious limited time (and babysitting resources) to meet up with someone you might not click with.
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Who’s it for: OkCupid was one of the first dating apps to actually acknowledge that queer people exist, giving users the option between 22 gender identities and 12 sexual orientations. For parents who might find other dating spaces a bit on the cis and heteronormative side, OkCupid has got you covered.
Why we chose this: In addition to being a queer-friendly space, OkCupid has a ton of profile customization, including a field for you to indicate if you have kids and if you want more. Not only is this a great way for you to get that info out there, but it’s also useful for other users to filter you in or out, depending on how they feel about being with someone who has kids. OkCupid’s filters aren’t 100% strict though, unless you set a preference as a “dealbreaker,” which does require you to pay money.
Unlike other OG dating sites like Match and eharmony, OkCupid is still pretty functional for free users. Without paying a dime, you can match with people, message your matches, and see your daily curated set of compatible matches, which could be a real time save if you only have a few minutes in the day to check a dating app.
Check out our full review of OkCupid.
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Match
Best for finding a serious partner
Who’s it for: You don’t really casually date on Match. That’s largely due to the fact it costs you a pretty penny to use — at least $34.99 to be exact. While it requires some investment, it does mean that people on there are usually looking for something serious and committed.
Match has been around since 1993, and its user base tends to skew on the older side compared to the Tinders and Bumbles of the dating app scene.
Why we chose this: You’ll definitely invest time in building out your profile and money in actually using it, but Match’s formula is designed to give you results for doing both. There’s a huge user base on the site, and a search feature that lets you filter to users who want or already have kids (of course, this is something you can indicate on your own profile).
There are time-saving ways to use the site. Under the “Meet” tab on the app, you can opt in to seeing certain users for 72 hours and 72 hours only, with the idea that you’ll actually plan to meet up. If that time constraint feels a bit intense for your lifestyle, no need to worry. Match also allows users to meet and talk at their own pace, and the site’s focus on lasting relationships sparks more confidence that you’re not wasting your time. Like Hinge, Match also has integrated video calls via the Vibe Check feature.
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Who’s it for:If you’re dying to sink your time into a dating app that’s not likely to yield you much success, Zoosk is your best bet.
Why we don’t like it: You’ve likely heard of Zoosk because it’s a dating app OG — it was one of Facebook’s first apps in 2007. According to Zoosk, the website has 40 million users, but according to our experience testing the site, spam accounts seem to make up a sizable number of active users.
Beyond the user base, the site is needlessly confusing to get around, and nearly every feature — messaging included — requires payment, and plans start at $34.99 per month. Even for the best dating sites out there, that’s a steep price. Zoosk also has features to send out mass greeting messages, and even automate responses for greetings you receive, which is great if you’re goal is to message as many people as possible, but not so great if you’re actually trying to make a meaningful connection. Being a parent can be overwhelming enough, so trust us, you don’t need to let this spammy, confusing, and overpriced site anywhere near your dating life.
Check out our full review of Zoosk.
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We make sure to actually spend time on the dating sites that we recommend. That means creating profiles on every app and site, scrolling through users, and testing out the chat and matchmaking features that promise to help you find your special someone.
Each and every app in this list has been tested by a Mashable staff writer or freelancer with experience writing about relationships and dating. Wherever possible, we’ve linked out to full, in-depth reviews of the dating sites and apps.
Here are the major criteria we considered in the choosing apps for this guide:
Time-saving: Whether you’re co-parenting or not, single parents can struggle to find the time to devote to dating. With that in mind, we chose apps with specific time-saving features and effective algorithms that won’t just show you every profile under the sun.
Values sharing: If you’re a single parent, you’ll probably run into complications if you start dating someone who isn’t kid-friendly. That’s why we looked for apps that allow you to filter by people who want or have kids already, so you’re starting on the same page when you match. We also looked for apps that tended to favor serious connection (and hopefully communication), which are both super important when bringing a new person into your life and maybe eventually your family.
We also evaluated, as we do with all our dating testing for parents or not, how active the user base is, the general vibe of the user base, what features you’re getting for the money you’re spending (where applicable), and how gimmicky or useful the stand-out features of each app are.
Finally, to understand what single parents need in a dating app, we also reached out to licensed marriage and family therapists and a divorce and co-parenting coach, who offered their expertise on what struggles single parents face when dating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, creating and using Stir is free. Like many dating apps and sites, paid versions are available. A paid subscription unlocks special features, which in the case of Stir allows you to send unlimited messages and see read receipts.
heybaby was one of the first dating apps for single parents. It let parents connect with users who were open to dating someone with kids. Unfortunately, as of 2024, heybaby is no longer available. A notice on the app’s website states, “It is with great regret that as of May 22, 2024, the heybaby app will no longer operate. Your heybaby account and all personal data will be deleted within 30 days of shut-down. It will be permanent and unrecoverable.”
As an alternative, we recommend trying Stir or Hinge instead.
Bethany Allard is a Los Angeles-based shopping reporter at Mashable covering beauty tech, dating, sex and relationships, and headphones. That basically means she puts her hair through a lot, scrolls through a lot of dating apps, and rotates through a lot of different headphones. In addition to testing out and rounding up the best products, she also covers deals for Mashable, paying an especially obsessive amount of attention to Apple deals and prices. That knowledge comes in handy when she’s covering shopping holidays like Prime Day and Black Friday, which she’s now done for three years at Mashable.
She graduated from New York University with a B.A. in Journalism and English Literature. You can follow her on X @betallard and reach her by email at [email protected]. In her free time, you’ll find her playing her Switch, hanging with her cat Mila, or cooking something new in her kitchen.
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