The best dating apps for bisexual people

There are no great bisexual-focused dating apps (yet), but these are your best options.
By Leah Stodart and Joseph Green  on 
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Overview

Best For Serious Relationships

Hinge

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PROMOTED
Best For Hooking Up

AdultFriendFinder

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Best For Finding Queer Women

HER

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Best For If You're Just Coming Out

Tinder

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Best For Finding Queer Men

Grindr

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Best For Tinder Alternative

Bumble

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See 1 More

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

The bisexual community has an inside joke that describes what it's like to date as a bi person: People think it means double the options or double the fun, but it really just means double the rejection.

Self-deprecating jokes like this one are at the core of the Single People Club regardless of sexuality, but bisexual people do face extra roadblocks in the dating world.

Yes, online dating sucks for everyone. Horny jerks disguise themselves as relationship seekers, your DMs are constantly filled with bad pickup lines and overly persistent creeps, and many times, the site's algorithm ignores the filters that you've set. But the fact that there are no dating sites that cater specifically to bi people means that they're frequently swiping on people who don't take bisexuality seriously.

The "B" in LGBTQ+ makes up 50 percent of the queer community, but it's one of the least-acknowledged letters in the acronym. There are dating sites for lesbians and dating sites for gay men, but nothing specifically for those who identify as bisexual. What makes the bi dating landscape — especially the online one — so tricky to manoeuvre?

What is unicorn hunting?

One of the most antiquated stereotypes about bisexual people is that they're always down to get physical and down for polyamory. "Unicorn" is a term used to describe a bisexual person (usually a woman) who sleeps with heterosexual couples. In online dating, unicorn hunting is when a straight, taken female user toggles that she's "looking for women" — not genuinely looking for a girl to get to know romantically, but rather for a girl interested in a threesome with her and her boyfriend or husband or whoever. Of course, they don't mention this until later.

No one is saying that threesomes are bad. Reddit users who have experienced this mention that they don't have a problem with "ethical non-monogamy." They have a problem with being tricked into it.

Are bisexuals welcome on heteronormative apps?

Another frequent bisexual experience is one that all women face online, now heightened by the mere mention of "bi" in a dating app bio: men being creepy. Too many straight men have yet to grasp the concept that bisexuality is not a green light to ask a stranger how many girls they've been with or if she likes men or women better.

Catfishing is also an issue. Some men have such a rabid obsession with queer women that they'll sign up for a dating site as a woman just to see an all-women swiping field. It's a total privacy breach at the least, and certainly doesn't boost your willingness to meet up with someone in real life. Many dating sites are working to increase transparency about first name and age by requiring Facebook verification during sign-up.

Are queer dating apps inviting to bisexual users?

Does "gold star lesbian" ring a bell? The delineation is given to lesbians who have never slept with a man. Countless bisexual women have reported being ghosted after disclosing that they have been with a guy before, and profiles with "gold stars only" in the bio have popped up, too.

This crowd of Reddit users explain the ways they've experienced biphobia on gay or lesbian dating sites. They've been told that they're not "actually bisexual" if they haven't been with anyone of the same gender before or that they're "basically straight" if their most recent relationship was a heterosexual one. Summed up: if you're not monosexually gay, it's a cop-out. Invalidating someone's sexual experiences is the opposite of the supportive sex-positivity that you'd expect from inside the queer community, and it contributes to many bisexual folks' struggles of not feeling queer enough.

Should you put "bi" in your dating app bio?

Adding those two simple letters to your bio will draw some unwanted attention, and it's going to be a pain in the ass. But in the long run, it'll also act like a filter to weed out people who try to put sexual orientation into a box.

The idea that being bisexual is just a pit stop to being "fully-blown gay" — or that it means that you're attracted to everyone you see — probably aren't thoughts you'd prefer a partner to have. They're especially not opinions you'd like to hear about months down the road from someone you thought you knew well. The easiest way to ensure that you won't be left heartbroken over someone not accepting your sexuality? Let them know from the jump.

"Coming out" over and over again is unfair. But doing so right off the bat also acts as an early screening for people who identify as bi but say they wouldn't date another bi person — something that a lot of bi men experience from bi women.

Can you actually find a relationship online?

Do bisexual people get dealt a tough hand on dating apps? Yes. Does that mean meeting someone special online is impossible? Absolutely not. A 2017 study cited in the MIT Technology Review found that people who meet online are more likely to be compatible and have a higher chance of a healthy marriage if they decide to get hitched. Further, a 2019 study done at Stanford found that nearly two-thirds of modern same-sex couples meet online.

It sucks that there's no legit dating app specifically devoted to bi individuals and other singles who respect what it means to be bi — yet. However, this also means that a good portion of other single bi folks are probably on those popular dating apps that you've considered. At least you know the user base is there.

What is the best dating app for bisexual people?

There are a lot of dating apps out there, each offering a different set of features that will suit some daters better than others. To help you find something that suits you and your lifestyle, we have lined up a selection of standout options that should suit just about everyone.

These are the best dating apps for bisexual people in 2024.

Hinge logo

Hinge

Best For Serious Relationships

Young people looking to at least go on a few dates with the same person instead of everything turning into a friends with benefits situation was a major blind spot for dating sites — until Hinge blew up. The premise and user base might be in the Tinder and Bumble realm, but Hinge's unique profile criteria and algorithm based on that criteria set the scene for matches with real-life potential. Some 90 percent said the first date was great and 72 percent said they'd be down for a second date.

Despite the fact that we're actively seeking out new dating apps and feel a rush every time a cute contender swipes right back, no one looking for something serious wants to be on these. That's the whole idea behind Hinge's 2019 rebrand to "the dating app designed to be deleted." Instead of cheesy questionnaires and spam emails about the 50 winks you were sent, Hinge uses ice breakers, religion, education, and more to help you find matches you'll actually get along with. Though there's a mix of serious and casual users, Hinge's latest updates allows you to select your "Dating Intentions," so you can be clear about exactly what you're looking for.

Instead of swiping, connections are made by liking or commenting on another person's prompt answers or photos. Prompts range from "Two truths and a lie" to "I'll pick the topic, you start the conversation." You can send eight likes per day with the free version of Hinge, but there isn't a limit to how many people can like you per day. Conversations are hidden after 14 days of inactivity to keep you focused on potential boos who are taking meeting seriously. Paying for Hinge Preferred also lets you filter by political views and other factors.

The focus on personality and interests is a nice change of pace from Tinder, where most of the focus is on selfies and whether you're DTF on the first date. Thoughtful responses are probably too much effort for most people who could simply use Tinder to scout threesome contenders or send nasty messages.

Buying Options

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HER logo

HER

Best For Finding Queer Women

Between creepy men pretending to be women and straight girls looking for another girl to have a threesome with her and her boyfriend, most heteronormative dating sites don't give bi women a great shot at finding a relationship. HER, an award-winning app made for queer women by queer women, is the perfect place to go if you're tired of the only queer woman you know being your ex girlfriend. 

The app that wants to "introduce you to every lesbian you've ever wanted to meet" is growing rapidly: HER has grown to 4.5 million users since its rebrand in 2015, and according to Statista, that's pretty damn close to what Bumble is working with — and they're all women. If you tried HER a few years ago and were discouraged by swiping through the same people, your experience will be much different this time around.

In summer 2019, HER revamped its minimalistic profiles to let users get more creative in categories like gender, sexuality, pronouns, diet preferences, and star signs, as well as a "What does this mean?" field in the sex, gender, and pronoun categories to create more well-rounded understanding of identity. There's also a space for a text bio where you can showcase your sense of humour and describe what type of relationship you're looking for. 

The app has groups like "newly out," "in a relationship/finding friends," and "travelers" to help you find your people. Plus, during the pandemic, HER has hosted online and virtual events.

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Tinder logo

Tinder

Best For If You're Just Coming Out

A hot mess and a nightmare — both things our interviewees used to describe being bisexual on Tinder. Every bi woman we talked to immediately brought up being scouted by other female users (who were, of course, straight and in a relationship) just looking to find a third for a threesome, the real kicker being that most of them conveniently don't mention their motive right away. And because Tinder doesn't require a Facebook account to sign up, there's essentially no stopping a man from pretending to be a girl.

Tinder does help people come out as bisexual or learn to navigate same-sex flirting for the first time. The now-ubiquitous swiping function gets shit for being shallow, but The Cut spoke to two people who said that the low-stakes vibe (less pressure than hitting up your first gay bar) made it easy to explore what they'd been thinking about after years of one gender exclusively: setting preferences to both men and women.

A partnership with GLAAD is making finding the right people much easier. In June 2019, Tinder expanded its orientation options to include bisexual, asexual, pansexual, and six more. Users can decide whether or not that's made public and can also opt to be shown people of the same orientation first. Problematic daters can still work around this if they're that devoted, but it's an appreciated step toward making Tinder a safer space for LGBTQ users. Users who pay for Tinder Gold can also undo a left swipe or see which users have liked their profile.

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Grindr logo

Grindr

Best For Finding Queer Men

With Chappy shutting down in Feb. 2019, there aren't many apps specifically for gay or bisexual men that aren't some iteration of Grindr's ab pic and dick pic-filled feed. But even after a decade of the same horny agenda, Grindr remains a go-to for instantaneous location-based hookups for gay and bi men.

Going into it, bisexual men probably have an idea of what's coming on Grindr: nudity, pushy messages asking for nudity, and though it says it's an app for all queer people, probably not many women. But finding and meeting up with men on Tinder isn't always quick, especially if you're in a small town with a meager queer community. Whether it's your first time with a guy and you want someone experienced or you're the experienced once simply looking for a quick hookup with a man, it's nice to have Grindr in your back pocket. 

That's not to say it's not for relationships, but on a surface level, it's ideal for quick, casual encounters. However, the Grindr for Equality campaign takes the app past being a simple hookup facilitator by advocating for sexual health and the safety of LGBTQ people in unsafe countries.

The main complaint from bisexual people about Grindr isn't that it's aggressively horny or 99 percent men. It's the biphobia. This entire thread of Reddit users have experienced it in some way, describing the disappointment they feel from not being supported by their LGBTQ community and getting messages like "vaginas are gross" at the first mention of being bisexual or anything that's not strictly gay. Grindr is technically advertised toward LGBTQ women as well, but because of the atmosphere on the app, they're few and far between.

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Bumble logo

Bumble

Best For Tinder Alternative

Bumble made a name for itself with it's "women send the first message" model, which though a tad on the heteronormative side (either person can chat first with same-sex matches), can kind of help deter any creepy dudes away from bi women.

Without the chat feature applying to same-sex couples, Bumble does become a pretty similar experience to Tinder, minus a thing or two. Matches also go dead after 24-hours of no first messages — that means if you don't send a first message or your match fails to respond to your first message within 24 hours, the time for talk is over. You can extend that time with Premium features, but for those trying to actually a conversation, and even a meeting going, this certainly helps keep your match queue streamlined.

In terms of the specific Bumble bi experience, it is easy to look at people of all genders at the same time. However, profiles don't come with a tag to signify your own sexual orientation, so if you want people to know your bi, you'll have to throw it in your bio or through one of the prompts. Still, Bumble is one of the most popular dating apps in the game, so the chances you'll find someone are decently high. And if you're looking for queer pals, Bumble BFF isn't a bad place to go either.

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Leah Stodart
Leah Stodart
Senior Shopping Reporter

Leah Stodart is a Philadelphia-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable where she covers essential home tech like vacuums and TVs as well as sustainable swaps and travel. Her ever-growing experience in these categories comes in clutch when making recommendations on how to spend your money during shopping holidays like Black Friday, which Leah has been covering for Mashable since 2017.

Leah graduated from Penn State University in 2016 with dual degrees in Sociology and Media Studies. When she's not writing about shopping (or shopping online for herself), she's almost definitely watching a horror movie, "RuPaul's Drag Race," or "The Office." You can follow her on X at @notleah or email her at [email protected].

Photo of Joseph Green
Joseph Green
Shopping Editor

Joseph joined Mashable as the UK Shopping Editor in 2018. He worked for a number of print publications before making the switch to the glittery world of digital media, and now writes about everything from coffee machines to VPNs.


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