7 Best Dating Apps For Single Parents, Tested By Single Moms & Dads

Navigating the online dating world is no easy feat, and doing so as a single parent comes with another layer of concerns. Should you only use dating sites specifically designed for single parents? Should you disclose that you have kids on your profile? How will you find time to date with familial obligations?

Research shows nearly 25% of U.S. children live in a single parent household—and we spoke with over a dozen single parents who expressed similar frustrations with online dating: other users not taking dating seriously, inconsistent communication from matches, not enough options in their location, safety concerns, and limited time and availability.

Based on our testers' feedback and key insights from dating experts, our biggest priorities when selecting the best dating apps for single parents were a large dating pool, safety features, detailed profiles, the ability to filter by distance, and free or low-cost features.

Eharmony is a behemoth in the dating business. It's been going for years and has a reputation as the ultimate way to find real love online. What makes the app unique is that it uses an extremely in-depth questionnaire to match you with potential compatible partners, and it, therefore, takes a lot of the guesswork out of dating—which is great as a busy single mom with only so many hours to spare.

"Eharmony is definitely worth your time," says certified sex therapist Aliyah Moore, Ph.D. The only downside, really, is the cost—and that's a big downside for single parents who, as one of our testers says, "don't tend to have money growing on trees."

You won't be able to do much of anything on eharmony without paying. You'll have to pay to get access to just about all the features on eharmony with prices ranging from $12/month to $60/month depending on your location and the plan you choose (six months, a year, or two years).

Still, if you do have the money to spend on a dating app and you're looking for a serious relationship, this is the one you'll want to use. The silver lining is that the price ensures most users on the site are dedicated to looking for love.

Open the box below for tester feedback or read our full eharmony review here.

Read our full Match review, here.

Match is a great option for single parents looking for a serious relationship. It's a long-running site founded in 1995 (!) with a broad user base and a good reputation—and, according to the company, 59% of Match.com users are single parents.

Sexologist and love coach Suzannah Weiss confirms that Match is definitely a place for finding love rather than hookups and one-night stands, which makes it ideal for moms looking for someone to become a part of their family.

Similar to eharmony, you'll have to pay to get anything worthwhile out of Match.com. There are various subscription options (detailed below) with prices ranging from about $16/month to $27/month.

We previously left Hinge off our list, but after speaking with over a dozen single moms and dads we decided Hinge is truly one of the best dating apps for single parents. Every one of our testers was already an active user on Hinge, and most noted it as their favorite of all the options.

Not to mention half of our editorial staff has met their partners on Hinge. We're not single parents, but we appreciate many of the same features our testers do: creative prompts, large user base, profile verification, and free features.

We love that Hinge has a place on the profile to show not only if you have kids, but whether you want children in the future. This feature is extremely helpful for single parents looking to meet someone who will fit into their life.

What's more, Hinge does a great job of inspiring users to really show their personality through prompts and photos, and the app is constantly adding new features such as voice prompts and video dating.

Read our tester feedback below or check out our full Hinge review here.

SingleParentMeet also comes recommended by Moore, who notes that it's "one part dating site and one part a social discovery site...built especially with single parents in mind."

According to Moore, most of SingleParentMeet's members are between 35 and 44 years of age, so it's perfect for finding people who are a little more mature and ready to settle down into family life with you. 

You'll have to pay to be able to send messages, but at around $5/month for a six-month membership, it's one of the most affordable choices out there.

Bumble sets itself apart from other apps because it requires women who have matched with men to send the first message. If you don't do so within 24 hours, the match disappears. Women who match with women are obviously not bound by the same rule, but one of them must also send a message within 24 hours or else lose the match.

Because of this, Bumble is great for single moms who don't have time to sit around waiting to see if their match will message them or not—it puts all the power in their hands. Since you get talking quicker, you can also get to the meeting-up stage quicker, so you won't end up wasting time on matches that aren't going anywhere.

You can pay to unlock more features on Bumble, but the free version does everything you need.

Expand the text below for our tester's feedback, or read our full Bumble review here.

If you're a mom raising your kids in the Christian faith, it might be extra important for you that your potential partner also shares your worldview and religion. That's where Christian Mingle comes in. The app boasts over 15 million singles who are looking for a relationship where Christian values are central.

One downside? In order to message people you're interested in on the site, you must pay for a subscription. These range in price from around $42/month down to $20/month if you commit for half a year. 

While our testers have not tried Christian Mingle, we feel confident recommending it as the best app for single Christian parents seeking other Christian daters. Reviews note that Christian Mingle is by far the most popular site for Christians looking for love, and that it attracts people who are serious about finding a proper relationship (of of the most important factors for our testers).

Stir is a newer dating app from the same people as Match.com. Since it's new to the scene, our testers have yet to try this one out—but we love that it was created specifically for single parents.

This app even has a handy feature called Stir Time, which allows parents to input the days they're most available. Knowing time and availability are two of our tester's biggest obstacles, we appreciate that this feature gives busy parents the ability to match with someone whose schedule aligns with theirs.

Of course, being in its infancy means Stir has fewer active users (especially in less populated areas). It also has a pricey subscription model ($90 for three months), which could deter some users.

However, with Match as its parent company, we're confident in recommending Stir as an option for single parents to connect with other single parents.

We never recommend a product or app that hasn't been fully vetted by our team. To find the best dating apps for single parents, we considered key criteria (outlined below) based on dozens of conversations with dating experts and real single parents active in the online dating world.

“Since people are communicating online, they may take more liberties or cross limits more quickly than they do in person, making it feel uncomfortable or threatening for users, especially women,” clinical psychologist, Harpreet Kaur Chattha, previously told mindbodygreen.

Unsurprisingly, most of our testers named safety as one of their primary concerns when dating online. That's why we prioritized apps with profile vetting and additional safety precautions.

When connecting with people on dating apps, be sure to avoid anyone who asks you for money or personal financial information, refuses to meet in person, or is overly affectionate too soon.

At mindbodygreen, we're passionate about sharing ways to improve your longevity—and dating plays a larger role than you might think. In fact, research shows social isolation increases all-cause mortality by about 33%1, and loneliness is linked to lower health literacy and other health concerns2. 

When used with intention, dating apps can be a great way to bring connection into your life, thereby enhancing your well-being and improving your longevity.

What's more, experts say dating as a single parent can have benefits for your children as well. "They can see love shared between two people, shared decision making, and even what healthy conflict looks like," says couples' therapist Kyle Zrenchik, Ph.D., LMFT, ACS.

Like we said, online dating can be frustrating in itself. If you're not using them intentionally, dating apps can feel like a frustrating waste of time; and being a single parent brings additional factors into the equation.

Every single parent we spoke to expressed frustrations over a lack of time, inconsistency from the people they matched with, and not enough options in their area. Many complained that some apps have no real compatibility algorithm and profiles without a lot of detail, which makes weeding through the options especially difficult.

But if you’re using the right dating apps with the right mindset, they can be a huge asset. In fact, research suggests dating apps are now the most common way for couples to meet.

"Somehow, many single parents have gotten the idea that having kids is a flaw they need to apologize for or make excuses for. You do not have to be sorry or make excuses for being a parent," says Moore.

For your first date, you want to see if this person meets your expectations, if there's any vibe, and whether you might want another date. So keep them easy, and don't make them too complex.

"You can opt for a cup of coffee (or tea or a smoothie). Find a cafe close to work or home, and use that for all your first dates. That way, you never have to think about where you're going," suggests Moore.

"If someone seems perfect very quickly after meeting them, either they likely have some issues or you do," warns Zrenchik. Of course, the goal is to foster connection and fall in love, but this takes time and experience and cannot be rushed.

You might face some judgment as a single parent on the apps, whether from your matches or from your friends and family around you. But as Moore explains, "Judgment doesn't deserve even the slightest acknowledgment.

If someone announces their judgmental opinion to you, just change the subject. Do that every time they bring it up, and eventually, they'll get the hint."

When looking for love online, single parents have their own set of obstacles to consider. After speaking with experts and real single parents in the dating scene, we'd recommend eharmony, Hinge, or Match as the best dating apps for single parents looking for serious relationships. If you specifically want to meet other single parents, we suggest either SingleParentMeet or Stir.