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Apps like Tinder and Bumble are technically for all orientations, but they'll be damned if they don't sneak some male profiles into your feed even if you've specified the opposite. Given the existence of Grindr, the need for an online dating platform specifically for queer women was clear — thus, HER. Founders of the award-winning app are committed to cultivating a space that’s “so ragingly queer" that frustrated women can delete apps that don't feel like home.

As its user base of more than 15 million grows, HER could widen your dating pool beyond the queer women you already know. The traditional text bio is where you can flex your sense of humor or describe what kind of relationship you're seeking. Joining niche groups like "newly out" or "travelers" can also connect you with people using the app for similar reasons.

"HER is built specifically and uniquely for the sapphic community," the CEO and founder of HER, Robyn Exton, tells Mashable. "There are parts of lesbian, bisexual, and queer identities that are so important to express on profiles and connect through that mainstream heteronormative apps will never provide for LGBTQ+ users."

One of those features is HER's unique Pride Pins, which let you show off important aspects of your identity (think femme, masc, stud, etc.) and even filter for other users based on those pins — all for free. No other app does that, folks.

Exton also tells us that HER's commitment to the queer community goes beyond virtual connections. "Beyond that, we're also integrated with the LGBTQ+ community IRL — listing events for our users to attend together and ways to discover new ways of meeting sapphics in their area outside of the app."

Just a heads-up that in 2025, Match Group (owner of Tinder, Hinge, and plenty of other apps) acquired HER, which some Reddit users were unhappy about at the time.

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Read our full review of OkCupid.

OkCupid's slogan is "Dating deserves better," and they're damn right — especially for queer and non-binary people. The nearly 20-year-old dating site has shed the heteronormative skin that still somewhat plagues eharmony and Match. It's hip and well-informed while maintaining a more serious atmosphere than Tinder.

OkCupid consistently leads the charge of inclusivity in online dating. Back in 2014, long before other dating sites caught on, OkCupid was already offering 22 gender and 13 orientation choices. Fast-forward to the present day, when all users can choose their pronouns.

The app's 2017 redesign goes past enlisting a clearly-millennial graphic designer. For young, left-leaning singles, personal politics aren't just a "well if we agree, it's great" thing when looking for a partner. Users can weed out people they'd hate by answering deal-breakers about things like keeping a gun in the house or requiring children to be vaccinated.

OkCupid's connections are strengthened by an algorithm that picks matches based on how similarly both parties answered questions during sign-up (yes, there are questions about communication and sappy relationship things as well as political views.) A compatibility score plus details on where you disagreed are helpful padding when it comes to evaluating what differences are dealbreakers.

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Read our full Tinder Platinum review.

It's still a lawless land, but the huge LGBTQ user base and added pronouns make it a viable option for gay gals. If you're looking for a place to go where you are guaranteed to find a well-populated user base, Tinder is your app. Tinder is often bashed for its high number of creepy users/messages — and rightfully so. But given its sheer number of active users (including queer ones), you know we couldn't leave it off the list. 

There's a strong chance you know at least one couple that got their start on Tinder. Countless success stories are told on Reddit when someone asks about where to meet other lesbians. You know the drill: Add pictures, set an age range, and fill out a bio as seriously and extensively (or not) as you want. While the matching isn't exactly strategic, it's definitely the app that'll help most with scoping out the most lesbians in the vicinity.

"If you’re looking for a casual hookup with a wide user base, Tinder is usually an easy place to start," Kiana Reeves, Somatic Sex Educator, Intimacy Coach, and Chief Education Officer at Foria, tells Mashable. "The app allows you to filter potential matches based on gender, location, and age preferences and will certainly give you a broad sense of what the dating scene is like in your area across a wide range of interests and ages."

Though your feed will likely be packed with way more lesbians than other apps, it'll see more appearances by men, too. Tinder has a tendency to ignore filters here and there, though men obviously can't talk to anyone who doesn't swipe right. Who can message you, though, are the girls you swipe right for who, surprise, aren't on Tinder to meet women romantically. Some are looking for friends; some are recruiting a third for a threesome with their boyfriend — either way, you'll have to do some wedding.

Thankfully, Tinder has made some changes within the last few years to improve its safety features, including verified profiles and the "Does This Bother You?" feature, which flags potentially inappropriate messages and asks the receiver if they'd like to report them. You can also block other users for shitty behavior, which is nice.

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Read our full review of Hinge.

Young people looking to at least go on a few dates with the same person instead of beelining for a friends-with-benefits situation was a blind spot for swiping apps — until Hinge blew up. The premise and user base might be in the Tinder and Bumble realm, but these three aren't interchangeable.

Hinge's unique profile criteria and algorithm based on that criteria set matches up for real-life potential. Some 90 percent say the first date was great and 72 percent are down for a second date.

Hinge seems to actually care about LGBTQ users and how they might date differently than hetero users, as evidenced by their annual D.A.T.E. (Data, Advice, Trends, and Expertise) Report. The app also explores how younger adults date differently than older ones, especially Gen Z, many of whom came of age during lockdown. For example, Gen Z daters are 36 percent more hesitant than their millennial counterparts to initiate a deep conversation on the first date, according to the 2025 D.A.T.E. report. New feature releases seem to align with Hinge's findings, like AI Convo Starters released in Dec. 2025.

On the LGBTQ front, specifically, Hinge is pretty thoughtful with new feature releases. Last year, they also launched Match Note, a feature to share private details with matches. Don't want to share on your profile that you're bisexual or gay — but don't really want to start the convo with that topic, either? Match Note makes it easier to share a bit about who you are seamlessly.

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If you’re ready to get off of TikTok but aren’t totally ready to get on a traditional dating app, Fem is a pretty good in-between. The platform is video-driven like TikTok but focused on connecting queer women. That said, if your future dream girl has an iPhone, you won't find her here, as it's an Android-only app.

As we’ve mentioned, TikTok has been the place where women have realized that there’s more to their sexuality than they thought. (If you're not on lesbian TikTok, you're missing out, truly.) But, while the TikTok algorithm is great at giving you *more like this*, it’s not really designed to find your person (though we know people who've had some luck with it).

Fem is basically the dating app version of the queer TikTok experience. It’s video-driven, with a feed that shows you people making quick vlog-style introductions. You can also chat (unlimited messages) for free right within the app. You can “heart” videos and match them with the people you vibe with.

If you’d rather not talk one-on-one with a random match right away, Fem has public group chats, so you can join group conversations to get a feel for the community first. The downside is that this app is only available for Android users, but it does have 1M+ downloads, according to the Play Store, so the community is growing.

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Check out our full review of Pure.

Women should freely be able to express their sexuality online without the experience being soiled by male entitlement. Whether you're not comfortable with putting "sex only" in your Tinder bio for the locals to see or if you're simply a practicer of non-attachment with the people you bang, Pure is a safer, hip solution. It's also free for female users; only men are required to pay subscription fees.

Note: If you live in a small town, you might have a harder time finding matches nearby.

App rules urge you to "pretend like you're strangers afterward," making no-strings-attached the only name of the game here. This app is a sex-positive, 18+ safe space that features some pretty cool art — the blueprint of the truly modern hookup app.

Your selfies, bio, conversations, matches, and likes self-destruct every 24 hours, promoting spur-of-the-moment, borderline anonymous hookups. No nudity is allowed and any photos sent in messages can't be saved. (As the dry-humored comics on their website state, "Don't talk about your problems. Problems are for therapists. Pure is for fun.") The app will ask for your phone number, but that's just to make sure you're a real person. The app uses your geolocation and sends out the sex version of an Uber request, though the sparse user base might have your searches suggesting the same few people.

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Read our review of Bumble.

Bumble is for every queer woman or non-binary person who's tired of wading through endless profiles only to find "straight but curious" chicks or couples seeking a third. Bumble gets it — you want a space where you call the shots. This app puts the power in your hands, letting you make the first move.

And if the other person doesn't message back within 24 hours? Poof, match gone. This punchy (albeit a bit jarring) approach could be refreshing for people who are tired of staring at a list of Tinder matches from six months ago. If nothing else, it's a comfort zone pusher — and a confidence booster when those first messages start coming in.

In an attempt to correct one of the common complaints of dating apps — that women get spammed with tons of creepy messages — women famously make the first move with Bumble. That method obviously doesn't apply to woman-woman matches, but that hasn't hampered the queer user base much.

In April 2024, the app revamped its "First Move" feature to include "Opening Moves," which gives people who are uncomfortable sending the first message the option to set a question (or create one) so that matches can initiate a conversation. Bumble also added additional options to its "Dating Intentions" badges, including "life partner" and "fun, casual dates," so you're more likely to be matched with someone who's on the same page. (Bumble quietly removed this option in Mexico and Australia in Feb. 2026.)

In 2026, Bumble announced it was killing the swipe, a decision that turned out to be controversial. It's leaning into AI more and more, but what exactly "Bumble 2.0" will look like remains to be seen.

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Lex is like a 2025 version of Craigslist personals (RIP) for the LGBTQ community. 

Lex originally started as an Instagram account called Personals, meant for sapphic people to find each other. It was inspired by personal ads in On Our Backs, a women-run lesbian erotica magazine that ran from the 1980s to the early 2000s.

Over time, it evolved into a community app for LGBTQ people. On Lex, you can find a date — or someone to go to an art show with, or a pet sitter, or a new potential friend.

"Apps like Lex often fly under the radar, but I adore its old-school Craigslist vibe," LMFT relationship therapist and writer at sugar daddy site Private Sugar Club Hannah Reeves told Mashable. "There's no endless swiping, just raw, unfiltered 'this is who I am, take it or leave it' energy. It's like meeting someone at a coffee shop instead of a nightclub, refreshing and a little nostalgic."

Lex is a great option if you're, say, someone new to queer dating and want to dip your toe into it. You can even find your queer "people" first — maybe someone to go out to the local lesbian bar with. Lex also alleviates the pressure of dating apps that require several photos of you. 

Lex is also free to use unless you want to check out posts in other places. To do this, you must pay for "Lexplore," but the options are pretty affordable ($3.99 for one week or $5.99 for one month).

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