We Tested The 7 Best Dating Apps For Seniors To Build Meaningful Relationships

While, yes, the profile set up does take about 20 minutes, our 64-year-old tester says it's totally worth the extra time. The best part? It definitely weeds out people who are less serious about dating.

The personality tests do seem to help eharmony provide more compatible matches, too.

Our tester says when she went out on dates with men from eharmony, she felt more confident knowing they had similar interests, preferences, and dating intentions—plus, she didn't get caught in the "pen pal" stage trying to learn if they would be compatible.

We do find the interface to be slightly dated, but eharmony is incredibly easy to use. The whole process feels intuitive and intentional.

There are a lot of safety features built in, such as the option to require a video chat before further communication and a responsive team that deletes any suspicious profiles.

Free basic profile; Premium membership starts at $12 per month with a 2-year subscription and increases up to $60/month with a 6-month subscription. While one of the more expensive options on this list, this price ensures that everyone on the site is dedicated to looking for love.

Setting up a profile on Silver Singles is surprisingly fun! Our tester says the questions were refreshingly unique, prompting you to share information about both yourself and the type of person you are hoping to meet. She appreciated the fact that the questions were clearly geared toward senior daters, but still lighthearted.

We love that Silver Singles considers what you want in a relationship overall, not just the type of partner you want. When creating her account, our tester was asked about topics such as how she resolves conflict, the amount of time she prefers to spend with a partner, and how likely she is to initiate a kiss.

As with eharmony, it was clear when testing Silver Singles that the algorithm really does prioritize compatibility. Our tester's daily matches are almost always closely aligned with her preferences and interests—and most users are very responsive and eager to set up dates.

Instead of endlessly swiping for connections, SilverSingles sends you a curated selection of potential matches based on an intense algorithm—which includes a personality test.

$300 for 12 months; $210 for six months; $135 for three months

We tested OurTime to date and we were impressed by its easy interface and quick profile setup.

While it was nice to be able to get up and running on the app in less than five minutes, our tester notes that she wishes the app put a bit more into its intake process to make the matches more compatible.

Our favorite part of using OurTime is that it’s exclusively designed for senior daters—meaning no one under 50 can join. We also love the focus on dating app safety and security.

We tested the free version of OurTime, which was enough to search for potential matches and message back and forth. While there haven't been any events in our tester's area, there are a fair amount of in-person meeting opportunities in larger cities.

A fun perk of OurTime is that the app arranges events and mixers, such as cookery classes for singles in bigger cities, so you can go and meet a few people at once to see if the spark is there. The platform is also easy to use and guides you through the setup process.

Free basic profile; $30/ month with no contract; $12/month with 6-month membership

You will need to pay for a subscription in order to message other users, so it's not really viable to stick to the free version.

If you sign up for six months, it's only $12/month, which works out as one of the cheapest options out there—so it's actually well suited to anyone on a budget.

After using Match on and off for decades, our 64-year-old tester says it's one of her tried and true favorites—and but the setup takes less than 10 minutes (about half as long as eharmony).

The match recommendations are a little hit or miss in terms of compatibility, but our tester appreciates that there seems to be a large pool of daters over 50 and that the profiles are detailed enough to learn quickly if the person could be a fit.

Our tester has found a handful of serious relationships on Match.com and says it's a great option for seniors who want to date with intention.

Free basic membership; Standard plan costs $19 with a 12-month subscription or $46 when paid monthly

One of our 50+ testers says she's had more success on OkCupid than any other app. After trying the free versions of Bumble, Hinge, and OkCupid, she says OkCupid's is the most comprehensive of the three.

With other apps, our tester felt the need to chat back and forth a lot before she was comfortable enough to set up a date.

With OkCupid, it was much easier to identify whether someone was a good match, given the focus on shared interests and values.

While the over-50 pool does feel slightly smaller than apps designed specifically for seniors, our tester uses OkCupid in a major city and hasn't run out of matches yet.

OkCupid has been going for a long time and boasts a large number of users. It is also known for being queer and poly-friendly, which is great for those 50+ singles who might just be coming out or getting back into the scene.

The basic version is free and works just fine for browsing and messaging. If you'd like to unlock extra super-likes (a way of communicating interest to others), see who likes you, and other premium features, you can subscribe for $35 on a month-to-month basis or $17/month if you sign up for six months.

The app also boasts a 4.1 rating on the Apple App Store, which is pretty damn good! One reviewer praises it for its "user-friendly" design and the fact that it's "easy to use and navigate through," which makes it a good fit for older daters who didn't grow up online.

Free basic membership; $17/month with a 6-month subscription; $35/monthly sans contract

Our tester tried dating on Tinder specifically due to its larger user base. She says that while, yes, there are more options than on other apps, the vast majority of them are not looking for anything serious.

Since our tester is looking for a serious relationship, Tinder doesn't quite land on the top of her list—but she does recommend it for those who are just hoping to have fun and meet new people.

With Tinder, you simply upload a couple of photos, write a sentence or two about yourself, and start swiping through others' profiles until you see someone you like.

If you both express an interest in each other, you can match and start chatting. It's simple, it's effective, and it's free.

You can pay for an upgraded version to unlock extra features, but it's not necessary by any means.

The upgraded versions cost between $10 and $40 on a month-by-month basis, or less if you commit to a longer time frame.

Tinder suits someone who just wants to explore what's out there without necessarily committing to anything or anyone.

However, I personally know several long-term couples who met on Tinder, and even a couple who have gotten married after meeting on the app. As Weiss puts it, Tinder is what you make of it.

Free basic membership; Tinder Plus costs $9.99/month with no contract, Tinder Gold costs $24.99/month with no contract; Tinder Premium costs $29.99/month with no contract.

A lot of our team has tested Hinge—including an over-50 tester, who says she's been on "many" dates from this app.

She notes that living in Westchester County, most of her matches are in long Island and New York City, which does bring down the convenience factor, as the senior dating pool is much less vast in smaller cities.

As is the case with most swipe-based apps, the profiles are less in-depth than your eharmony, Match.com, or Silver Singles—but our 50+ tester touted this as a "pro" for the app, adding that it's easy to tell who's serious or not based on how unique their profile is (in other words: Make your profile unique if you want people to know you're serious!).

We think Hinge has some of the best profile prompts out of all the less-extensive options. When used correctly, they really allow you to showcase your personality in a brief, concise way.

Our tester has also used Hinge to date while traveling and likes that you can easily change your location to check out the options in a new area even before you're there.

Another good thing about Hinge for older daters is that its tagline is that it's "Made to be deleted." That is, most people on Hinge are there looking for something serious and are less likely to only want sex.

A fun feature with Hinge is that you can record and listen to voice notes from other users, and this might appeal to old souls who appreciate a human touch.

Free basic membership, $34.99/month with no contract

This includes your bank account, social security number, home address, work address, or phone number. Although we often like to assume the best in people, scammers can be especially manipulative toward those seeking a romantic connection, so stay on your guard.

Look, we love love! But if someone is showering you with affection way too early in the conversation, it should raise an eyebrow or two about their motives, especially if you haven't yet met in person.

Read more about how to spot love bombing.

Always plan to have your first meeting at a public place. Pick a busy spot where you know you won't be alone and always let a friend or family member know where you'll be and who you're seeing.

If someone's giving you the "ick," trust it. You might not be able to put your finger on why you feel uneasy, but if you get the feeling that a prospective date has ulterior motives, you can typically report them to the dating platform who will take the investigation into their own hands.

"Online dating is different from the type of dating you may be used to," says Paul. "So if you find yourself struggling to understand online dating norms, go easy on yourself. You're learning how to navigate a completely new terrain." If you find it hard at first, don't give up immediately. There's a learning curve, but sticking it out could really pay off.

People expect you to be decisive and direct. So when others ask you "What are you looking for?" be honest. Whether you're looking for a serious relationship, casual companionship, just looking for friends, or just sex—say it, recommends Paul.

“The more upfront you are about exactly what you're looking for, the more success you'll have finding matches who appreciate and accept you as you are," Weiss adds.

After matching and messaging with someone you're interested in, it might be tempting to head straight to meeting up. However, it's best to organize a video chat first so you can make sure that the person matches the pictures. If the app you're using has a video chat feature built in, then make use of that, as it's the most secure and easy way to connect.

Get a trusted friend to help you select the photos you use on the app/site, and ask them to scan your profile to see if it's a good reflection of you. An outside perspective can help your profile to really pop, and they can also be a good gut check to make sure anyone you're chatting with seems safe to meet up with.

Be wary of anyone who doesn't want to meet in person but who asks you lots of personal questions. Similarly, you should absolutely never send money to anyone you've connected with through a dating app. Scammers will reel you in by appealing to your best nature and heaping you with flattery. If someone starts to ask you for money, block them and report them to the app or site you're using. They all have different mechanisms for doing this, which are usually well signposted.