LOS ANGELES – As a single mom, it’s easy for dating to get put on the back burner—but remember that you need and deserve love, intimacy, and the excitement that closeness can bring to your life.
Having a healthy relationship also provides you with the support, contentment, and overall improved well-being that helps you become a better parent to your kids, so the health and wellness website MindBodyGreen.com has selected its top nine dating apps for single moms.
eharmony is the 800-pound gorilla in the dating business. It has a reputation as the ultimate way to find real love online and what makes it unique is that it uses an extremely in-depth questionnaire to match you with potential compatible partners. It also takes a lot of the guesswork out of dating—which is great as a busy single moms. “eharmony is definitely worth your time,” said certified sex therapist Aliyah Moore, Ph.D.
You’ll have to pay to access eharmony with prices ranging from $12 per month to $60 per month, depending on your location and the plan you choose, whether it’s six months, a year, or two years), making it rather pricey. But also ensures that everyone on the site is dedicated to looking for love.
Match.com is particularly suited to moms who don’t want to waste time when looking for love. The site, founded in 1995, has a broad user base and a good reputation. Sexologist Suzannah Weiss said that Match.com is definitely a place for finding love rather than hookups or one-night stands, making it ideal for single moms looking for a relationship. And the biggest pro of all is that 59 percent of Match.com users are single parents, according to the company.
Another plus is that Match.com offers a week-long free trial with limited features to get a feel for the site before committing. There are different subscription options with prices ranging from about $16 per month to $27 per month.
OkCupid is also a great site for single moms who are straight, but is also one of the most queer-friendly dating apps out there. You can choose from a range of gender options, and you can link your profile to your partner’s if you’re polyamorous. In order to get the most out of the app, you have to answer questions about your likes and values to see how compatible you are with other users. It’s a great way to weed out people who don’t like children or who are looking for a lifestyle that isn’t your cup of tea.
The basic version is free and works just fine for browsing and messaging. However, you can upgrade and pay $35 on a month-to-month basis or $17 per month if you decide to sign up for six months. One satisfied reviewer noted that she’s been married for nearly three years thanks to the site, adding that she and her partner had a 91 percent compatibility.
SingleParentMeet also comes recommended by Moore, who said that it’s “one part dating site and one part a social discovery site… built especially with single parents in mind.” She added that most of SingleParentMeet’s members are between 35 and 44, so it’s perfect for finding people who are a little more mature and ready to settle down into family life with you. One testimonial read: “I was a single mom of a toddler. Never really thought I’d find someone special, to be honest. We are getting married next month. He is the best father to our son. Meeting him on here is the best thing to happen to me!”
As a member, you’ll have to pay to be able to send messages, but at around $5 per month for a six-month membership, it’s an affordable choice.
Bumble differs from other apps because it requires women who have matched with men to send the first message and If you don’t do so within 24 hours, the match disappears. Women who match with women are not bound by the same rule, but one of them must also send a message within 24 hours or lose the match.
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 and puts all the power in their hands. Since you can start talking much quicker, you can also get to the meeting-up stage a lot quicker as well.
Bumble has a free version that does everything you need and currently boasts a 4.2/5 rating on the App Store, which is based on more than a million reviews. “I completely loved this app…and I would recommend it to anyone looking for something serious,” a reviewer said.
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