I tried out a load of lesbian dating apps and here are the best ones, ranked

Nothing can prepare you for Scissr

3 years ago | UPDATED 9 months ago

It’s no secret that dating apps are painfully heterosexual. They’re not made with LGBTQ+ people in mind and it sucks. If you’re a lesbian, queer woman or non-binary person, whether you’ve been out for 10 years or a month – finding dating apps that actually work for you can be a challenge.

I decided to do some scientific research into the best queer woman and non-binary person dating apps. So if you’re lesbian, bisexual, queer, trans, non-binary, pansexual or any LGBTQ+ person – here are the best dating apps available for you.

Here are the best lesbian dating apps, ranked:

5. Scissr

Right so, let’s just get this one out of the way. I am in Brighton which is like the gayest city in the UK, right? Well apparently not because the nearest queer woman to me was miles away.

Scissr is the lesbian version of Grindr, so if that’s what you’re looking for then I’d reccommend downloading and giving it a go. It’s free to use and the name is quite iconic.

Also when you download Scissr, you have to state what you’re looking for which is fair enough. But I think this is the campest set of options I’ve seen:

Yes, I am going to match with HorseGirlButch99 to “have a cuppa.” Oh, but on second thought what if I want a “HOOKUP”? I love how “hookup” was capitalised as though it’s really scandalous and like no women ever hook up with each other.

Oh also, word of warning, you also have to come up with a username. I didn’t know that until I completed my account under my full name and was met with about twenty WelshLesbian87’s. Not a vibe. Prepare yourself for it. I deleted my account immediately and probably won’t re-download this one.

Rating: 2/5

4. Bumble

My experience with Bumble as a queer woman was one big ol’ yikes. I matched with several women (this makes me sound like a dick, I don’t get matched often I promise) and one of them told me she was straight after we spoke for around 48 hours. I’m not saying you’re all going to have this experience, but matching with someone and being told they “only matched with you to see what it was like” can be quite annoying. Definitely put me off using Bumble in the future.

via Twitter

The whole thing about Bumble is that women have to message first, so if you’re an LGBTQ+ woman wanting to meet other women then this feature is kind of pointless. But, the app is free and it’s quite popular so you’re likely to get a few matches.

Rating: 2.5/5

3. Tinder

Ah yes, the most heterosexual app known to mankind. For some reason, I still had men popping up every now and then as I swiped. This was a bit annoying but it was good to confirm that I am still 100 per cent gay.

Anyway, putting the rogue men aside, Tinder is super popular which is why it’s got a better rating than Scissr. You can get loads of matches because of how many people use the app. However, it did take me back to the trauma of what it was like dating men but if you’re comfortable using Tinder then I’d stick with it.

Rating: 3/5

2. Hinge

I love Hinge, I always have and I always will. It’s an inclusive app in terms of how you register your gender. But what let’s it down is your sexuality options: “interested in men”, “interested in women”, “interested in everyone” – so in that sense it’s like a carbon copy of Tinder or Bumble.

What I like about Hinge for queer women is how often other women will interact with your bio rather than pictures. It’s like they’ll pick up on something specific and encourage a conversation. Having to answer three questions encouraged conversation more than other apps do.

Rating 4/5

1. HER

HER is the best lesbian dating app for LGBTQ+ women for a reason. It’s provides the most wholesome safe space for a community of queer, lesbian and bisexual women. It’s also open to transgender and non-binary people and it’s so inclusive.

What I liked most about HER is that you can automatically see who liked you and who’s not liked you. Plus, you have an option to friend someone rather than match with them – which I think is a very cute touch. You can also add in your gender and sexual identity, pronouns and a bio.

You might think this is similar to other apps like Tinder or Bumble, but with HER you can also go on incognito mode which basically means you can swipe through people without your profile being seen. This is good if you want to be lowkey or if you’re not out yet and just want to get a feel for how the app works.

Rating: 5/5