No sponsored rankings Updated June 2026
Best Dating Apps · 2026

Best Dating Apps in Los Angeles

Tested locally — Hinge leads, but the right pick depends on your goal. Here is the full ranked breakdown.

3.9M population 1,500K singles 36 median age 20+ apps tested
Published: Last reviewed: Reviewed by: DateScout Editorial Team
No sponsored rankings Real accounts tested Independent testing Updated monthly
Los Angeles Dating Guide → Where to Meet Singles → Date Ideas →
1,500K
active singles
112:100
single men : women
36
median age
Hinge
top app
20+
apps tested
8
free to start

The short answer for Los Angeles

The best dating app in Los Angeles is Hinge (best for serious + creative crowd). Bumble is the strongest runner-up. Most local daters run one primary app plus one secondary rather than spreading across five.

LA dating is geographically fragmented — Westside, Eastside, downtown, and the Valley are essentially separate scenes. Hinge has the highest engagement rate of any major app here; Bumble is solid; Tinder dominates WeHo and beach communities for under-30. Industry adjacency colors everything ("what do you do" often gets film/TV answers). Outdoor-as-date is the default — hikes, beach walks, brunch beat dinner reservations.

Key Takeaways

  • Hinge ranks #1 in Los Angeles for the best mix of local pool size, match quality, and serious intent.
  • Run two apps, not five: Hinge as your primary plus a secondary like Bumble for extra reach.
  • 1,500,000 active singles locally — set a tight distance filter on the central neighborhoods for sharper matches.
  • Every app below is free to start; paid tiers buy more likes and visibility, not better matches.

Compare nearby cities

San Diego San Jose San Francisco Fresno New York Chicago Houston Phoenix

What dating in Los Angeles is actually like

Dating scene in Los Angeles, CA

LA dating is more fragmented than NYC. Westside (Santa Monica/Venice/West LA) singles rarely cross to Eastside (Silver Lake/Echo Park/Highland Park), and downtown is its own scene. Distance + traffic enforce neighborhood loyalty.

Industry adjacency colors everything. "What do you do?" lands harder here than anywhere else — the assumed answer is something film/TV/music-related, and the assumed unstated answer is "between projects."

Hinge has the highest engagement rate of any major app in LA. Bumble is strong but skews more professional/non-industry. Tinder still dominates volume in West Hollywood and beach areas.

Outdoor-as-date is the LA default. Hikes (Runyon, Griffith), beach walks (Manhattan, Hermosa), Sunday morning coffee + farmer's market routines beat dinner reservations for first dates.

Best months: October-March (mild weather + post-vacation focus). Worst: August (industry hiatus, everyone traveling) and Christmas/New Year (everyone home in NY or Midwest).

Your dating odds in Los Angeles

Never-married adults, US Census ACS 2026.

112 single men per 100 single women
53% men
47% women

Los Angeles skews male in the single-adult pool (797,001 single men vs 709,504 single women). Women generally match faster here; men should invest more in standout photos and a sharp profile to cut through the competition.

See how every US city ranks for dating odds →

The 5 best dating apps in Los Angeles, ranked

#1 Hinge logo

Hinge

Top pick in Los Angeles
Best for serious + creative crowd
4.4/5

Best for non-industry serious daters and the creative-professional belt.

ProPrompt-based profiles drive better conversations

ConSmaller pool than Tinder/Bumble in smaller cities

From $19.99/mo Free tier available
Try Hinge Free ↗ Read review →
#2 Bumble logo

Bumble

Best for women-first filter
4.2/5

Strong on the Westside (Santa Monica, Venice). Less spammy than Tinder.

ProSignificantly less spam for women

ConSlower-paced matches feel sparse vs. Tinder

From $19.99/mo Free tier available
Try Bumble Free ↗ Read review →
#3 Tinder logo

Tinder

Best for volume + WeHo nightlife
4.0/5

Dominant in WeHo and beach communities for under-30.

ProMassive user base — instantly active in any city

ConLow signal-to-noise — many low-effort profiles

From $9.99/mo Free tier available
Try Tinder Free ↗ Read review →
#4 Feeld logo

Feeld

Best for open / kink-curious
4.0/5

LA has the largest Feeld user base in the US — strong for ENM-curious singles and couples.

ProBest app for ENM and kink-curious

ConNiche — smaller pool

From $11.99/mo Free tier available
Try Feeld Free ↗ Read review →
#5 Her logo

Her

Best for queer women
4.3/5

LA queer scene is well-served by Her, especially East-side and West Hollywood.

ProBest-in-class for queer women

ConSmaller pool in non-metro areas

From $14.99/mo Free tier available
Try Her Free ↗ Read review →

Best Los Angeles dating app for each goal

Hinge logo

Serious relationships

Hinge

Highest match-to-date conversion in our testing.

Tinder logo

Casual dating

Tinder

Largest local pool, fastest matching.

eharmony logo

Marriage-minded

eharmony

Compatibility quiz, highest-intent users.

Bumble logo

Women-first

Bumble

Women message first — far less spam.

Plenty of Fish logo

Free option

Plenty of Fish

Free messaging and a deep pool.

Her logo

Queer women

Her

Built by and for LGBTQ+ women.

Which app should you use in Los Angeles?

Answer two quick questions for a personal pick — no signup, no email.

1. What are you looking for?

2. Your age range?

Also worth installing in Los Angeles

Beyond the local top picks, these strong national apps are worth a look depending on your goal.

Los Angeles dating apps at a glance

1 Hinge logo
Hinge
serious + creative crowd · ★ 4.4
Try ↗
2 Bumble logo
Bumble
women-first filter · ★ 4.2
Try ↗
3 Tinder logo
Tinder
volume + WeHo nightlife · ★ 4.0
Try ↗
4 Feeld logo
Feeld
open / kink-curious · ★ 4.0
Try ↗
5 Her logo
Her
queer women · ★ 4.3
Try ↗
6 Match logo
Match
30+ serious · ★ 3.9
Try ↗
7 OkCupid logo
OkCupid
Compatibility-driven · ★ 3.8
Try ↗
8 Plenty of Fish logo
Plenty of Fish
Free-leaning, rural · ★ 3.5
Try ↗

Where to use them in Los Angeles

Set your distance filter around the neighborhoods where singles actually cluster — it lifts match quality more than widening your radius.

#1

Silver Lake

Creative, 28-38
#2

Venice

Beach + tech, 25-35
#3

West Hollywood

Nightlife + LGBTQ+
#4

Echo Park

Indie / lake-walks
#5

Highland Park

Eastside cool, 28-38
→ Best places to meet singles in Los Angeles → Date ideas in Los Angeles

What dating costs in Los Angeles

You can date well in Los Angeles on almost any budget. Here's what the apps and the dates themselves typically run.

Dating app costs

  • Getting startedFree
  • Premium subscriptions$9.99–$27/mo
  • One-off boosts / super-likes$2–8 each

Most Los Angeles daters never pay — fix your photos and bio first; premium mainly buys more likes and who-liked-you.

Typical date costs (US averages)

  • Coffee for two$8–15
  • Drinks for two$25–50
  • Casual dinner for two$60–110
  • Activity date (mini-golf, museum)$20–50

A thoughtful $15 coffee-and-walk beats an expensive transactional dinner — save the big spend for once there's a spark.

See your best matches in Los Angeles tonight

Skip the guesswork — start free with our top-rated pick for Los Angeles singles.

Find Your Match →

Best dating apps in Los Angeles — FAQ

What is the best dating app in Los Angeles?
Hinge ranks #1 in Los Angeles in our testing — it has the best mix of local pool size, match quality, and serious-intent users. Bumble is the strongest runner-up, and Tinder rounds out the top three. Most successful Los Angeles daters run one primary app plus one secondary rather than spreading thin across four or five.
Which dating app is best for serious relationships in Los Angeles?
For relationship-minded daters in Los Angeles, Hinge and Bumble consistently produce the highest match-to-date conversion. Both attract users who fill out detailed profiles and respond to thoughtful openers. Tinder skews more casual locally, so lead with the serious-intent apps if a relationship is the goal.
Are there free dating apps that work in Los Angeles?
Yes — Hinge, Bumble, and Tinder are all free to use in Los Angeles, and plenty of local daters never pay. The free tier gets you unlimited profile browsing and a daily allotment of likes. Paid tiers mainly buy you more daily likes, who-liked-you visibility, and location/boost features that are optional rather than essential.
How many singles are on dating apps in Los Angeles?
Los Angeles has roughly 1,500,000 active unpartnered adults, and a large share are reachable on the major apps. The local pool is concentrated in the central walkable neighborhoods, so setting your distance filter tightly to those areas usually improves match quality more than widening it.
Should I use more than one dating app in Los Angeles?
Two is the sweet spot in Los Angeles — one primary (Hinge or Bumble) for quality and one secondary (Tinder for volume, or a specialty app for your niche). Three or more dilutes your effort and lowers your response rate on each, because a half-finished profile performs worse than one polished app.

Best dating apps in nearby + popular cities

San Diego Best apps → San Jose Best apps → San Francisco Best apps → Fresno Best apps → New York Best apps → Chicago Best apps → Houston Best apps → Phoenix Best apps →

Sources & References

  1. US Census Bureau — American Community Survey 5-year estimates — 2026 · Population + median-age data for Los Angeles, California
  2. CDC — National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) — 2026 · Federal data on marriage, cohabitation, and relationship formation
  3. Rosenfeld et al. (2019), PNAS — How Couples Meet (NIH/PMC) — 2019 · Peer-reviewed: online dating is now the most common way US couples meet
  4. Stanford — How Couples Meet and Stay Together (HCMST) — 2020 · Long-running study on how couples (including LGBTQ+) actually meet
  5. Bowling Green State University — National Center for Family & Marriage Research — 2026 · Academic family-demography research on marriage, divorce, and cohabitation
  6. Pew Research Center — Online Dating in America — 2023 · National dating-app usage and demographic patterns
  7. DateScout in-house testing · Hands-on testing in 4 metros (NYC, LA, Chicago, Austin), 30+ days per app
Find your match in Los Angeles Start Free ↗