Dating sites & Dating apps in Germany

No matter whether you’re looking for a fun time or that special someone to spend your life with, you’ll find a dating site or app in Germany to meet your perfect match. Not only is dating in Germany a great way to meet new people, explore new places and hopefully have fun, it can also be a good opportunity to flex your German language skills. 

Dating apps & Dating sites in Germany

You’ll be pleased to hear that more than a third of single people in the federal republic use online dating services - and half of them have found a relationship that way - so dating sites and apps are definitely a great resource if you’re on the hunt for love, friendship or companionship. 

According to Statista, paid dating sites and apps are actually more popular in Germany than the free ones - presumably because people believe, as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for. 

However, there are still a range of options out there, both paid and free, all with millions of users looking for potential matches. Here are some of the best dating sites and apps for people looking for serious relationships, casual dating, or anything else. 

Best dating apps in Germany

As you might expect, the ease and convenience of being able to swipe for matches while on the go on our mobile phones means that dating apps are probably the most popular way of searching for romance in Germany. Here are some of the best free and paid dating apps. 

Free dating apps

If you’re looking to commit, just not financially, then these are some great free dating apps in Germany. 

Tinder in Germany

With 66 million monthly active users around the world, it should come as no surprise that Tinder is big in Germany as well, offering all the left and right swipes you could wish for. Once you’ve made a match, you can start writing direct messages. 

Lovoo

Founded in Dresden, Lovoo is Tinder’s major competitor in Germany and has 28 million users worldwide. It also works with swipes, but you do get the option of sending messages to potential love interests directly before you make a match, and browsing profiles incognito. 

Badoo

While Lovoo is the most popular dating app in Germany, Badoo is in serious competition with Tinder to take second place. Badoo also utilises swiping functionality and shows you nearby users who share similar interests to you - and even people you might have met in real life.  

OkCupid

Another popular app globally, OkCupid has plenty of active users in Germany and focuses on users “telling stories” about themselves rather than just posting pictures. Women can only view messages from men if they have liked their profile already. 

Bumble

Bumble has made a name for itself worldwide as the app that lets women make the first move: after a match is made, the female user has 24 hours to send a message; men cannot reach out first. They have to reply within 24 hours or the match expires. You can also use Bumble to forge business relationships and search for friends. 

Once

This Swiss dating app is intended for users looking for a serious relationship and has a unique feature: on Once you can’t simply swipe through users, but instead are shown one match each day at noon. You then have 24 hours to decide whether to accept the match. If you both “like” each other, you can start to message. 

Happn

Another dating app with a difference: Happn only shows you people you have crossed paths with on that day, adding to that sense of excitement that your next great love is just around the corner! 

Candidate

A final dating app with a twist! Founded in Austria, Candidate is based on the principle that you should fall for someone’s personality, not their looks. As such, it’s all about “playing games” together. Potential matches will send you questions to answer, and you get to ask your own questions. If you “like” each other’s answers, you get a match and get to see what your crush looks like! 

Feeld

Feeld describes itself as a "dating app for the curious", for open-minded people who want to explore different forms of relationships. You can join solo or with a partner to meet other singles or polyamorous couples. The focus is on exploration, curiosity and pleasure. Feeld also organises talks and community events.

Paid dating apps

While free to download, most of the above apps have premium versions that you can purchase in-app. These come with special features like the ability to see who has liked you, send “super likes” and roses, and match with more people per day. 

German dating apps for people looking for relationships

Of the list above, the apps that are best for people looking for serious relationships are Bumble, OkCupid and Candidate. 

Dating apps for casual relationships

If you’re looking for a casual relationship, the best apps from the above list are Tinder, Candidate, Lovoo, Badoo and Happn. 

Dating sites in Germany

Although most of the options on the below list are available as apps as well, we’ve categorised them as “dating sites” as they involve a more rigorous sign-up process, including ID checks and personality tests, and often incorporate “scientific” algorithms to give partner suggestions. 

Paid dating sites

Most of these dating sites are paid. Paid dating sites are usually more specialised, focusing on specific groups of people - like people with higher education or specific kinds of jobs - and serious relationships. This is a plus, as you can be sure that users are looking for the same thing as you. 

On the flip side, a major drawback of using a dating site as an expat in Germany is that lots of them are only available in German - although you might still see this as a boon if you’re taking a German course. 

Parship

One of the most popular dating sites in Germany, Parship boasts that someone falls in love every 11 minutes on its website. The focus of this website, which was founded in Hamburg, is on finding serious relationships for educated and professional single people, and so signing up involves a comprehensive personality test including 80 questions, which is used to give you a compatibility score for potential matches. Unfortunately, the website and app are only available in German. 

ElitePartner

This is a dating site in Germany for people looking for serious relationships, as it takes quite a time investment to complete the personality quiz and get your profile verified. Around 70 percent of its 3,8 million members graduated from higher education. As well as matching suggestions, ElitePartner offers coaching, seminars and discounted photo shoots to help you find your match. 

LoveScout24

Not content with only offering car sales and housing listings via AutoScout and ImmoScout, digital company Scout24, which is based in Munich, has also branched out into the world of dating with LoveScout24. The focus here is on both flings and serious relationships. There is a significant proportion of gay and bisexual users and a separate portal for people looking for “something a little different”. 

NextLove

NextLove is a niche dating site specifically aimed at single parents and people who have previously divorced. It’s got over 5 million users across Germany and is available in English! 

Free dating sites in Germany

Some of the dating sites listed above do have free versions, but they are often majorly limited. Parship, for example, does not let you view anyone’s photo if you are on the free version. Here are some dating sites that are free forever. 

C-Date 

C-Date - a super popular dating site in Germany - is included here with one major proviso: it’s only free for women who are looking to date men. Subscription fees are payable if you’re a woman looking for a woman or a couple, or a man looking for anyone. C-Date focuses on casual relationships and exploration. 

Finya

Finya is one of the few free dating sites in Germany, as it is financed exclusively via ads. You can complete a personality test to get recommended matches. It has over 1 million users but is only available in German. 

LGBTQ+ dating sites & Apps in Germany

Plenty of these sites and apps, like OkCupid, have a large number of LGBTQ+ users, but here's some that are directly targeted at these audiences. 

Romeo

Apparently home to the world’s biggest community of gay, bisexual and trans men, Romeo is your go-to place for a hookup or a serious relationship. 

Grindr

Grindr advertises itself as the world’s largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans and queer people, so whatever you’re into, you’re sure to find a match. It’s known among gay communities for being a great hookup app. 

Zoe

Zoe is a highly-ranked dating app for lesbian and queer women, with 3,9 million users worldwide. 

Let Cupid work his magic! 

Whether you’re on the hunt for romance, friendship, a fling, or someone to marry, we’re sure you’ll find your match. After all, there’s someone - if not many people - out there who are perfect for you. Happy swiping!