Key Points
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Since its launch there, Tinder is India’s most widely used dating app.
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Dating apps for Indian and South Asian users continue to see more popularity, suggesting that the best Indian dating app is explicitly tailored to Indian culture.
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Many homegrown Indian and international dating apps allow users to display a photo, introduce themselves, and be clear about the romance they are seeking.
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With so many options, the best Indian dating app depends on your needs.
Nothing quite says true love like scouring the internet for your soulmate. Many people have a mental checklist for the type of person their soulmate is, which is often at the forefront of people's minds as they sign up for a dating app. Just like there are dating apps for straight people to find other straight people, or people of certain age brackets or religious beliefs to find those with similar preferences, there are also apps for those from certain ethnic backgrounds to find others with the same heritage. While dating apps are extremely popular in America, many online dating sites and apps are also taking off in India. Which is the best Indian dating app?
While Tinder has enjoyed widespread growth in India after it started its first international office there, could a better app for Indian singles exist? Is the best Indian dating app an internationally known one, like Tinder? Or is it one made exclusively for Indians? If you identify as Indian or South Asian, and you’re looking for love, the features that separate a good dating app from the best make a world of difference.
With so many mobile options available, it takes time to determine which dating app is the right fit. Plus, the sheer amount of people using these apps often causes it to feel like the right person for you stays one more swipe away.
Is your soulmate going to be the person you match with immediately? How many swipes before they appear on your feed?
Connecting to the Web to Connect With Others
In an era where multitudes of people access potential lovers through the push of a button or the swipe of a finger on a mobile app, plenty of folks are still visiting web pages in internet browsers to meet other singles, with several web options proving to be attractive to Indian singles.
Trust that dating websites are not obsolete – even if people may assume they aren’t as efficient or convenient as mobile apps. Which dating site is best for Indians?
Shaadi
Shaadi.com is an Indian dating site that has been around since 1997. This website hosts millions of singles, demonstrating its position as a premier online matchmaking service for Indians.
The site offers free registration and paid memberships starting at under $25 per month. One cool feature is that you can narrow your search by country of origin, religion, and language to ensure you meet other singles who fit exactly what you are looking for.
This website is an excellent platform for individuals to explore and learn if their potential lover also shares their views on marriage, family, and society. You can connect with the people who best suit everything you’re looking for in a relationship and share similar dreams for a romantic future.
The site also includes those who already have some love history. This makes Shaadi.com the best dating site for Indian widows, widowers, and divorcees in India, the United States, and other locations worldwide to connect with other Indian singles and non-resident Indian citizens looking for love and happiness.
The Number One Dating App in India
Since Tinder launched in India, giving resident Indians the chance to experience the swiping concept that other dating apps adopted after it, it’s been the most commonly used dating app in India.
Tinder initially had a lot of adults signing up and joining out of sheer curiosity, with downloads increasing among female and male participants who wanted to try a less traditional, more Western approach to dating. Tinder's free version allows users to add a picture and a bio for their profile that is visible to other users. Building a profile is integral to swiping right to indicate interest in another user or swiping left to pass.
Users can subscribe to premium versions of Tinder that offer additional features such as unlimited likes and super likes. When users swipe right on each other, Tinder alerts them that they made a mutual match and allows them to use the free chat feature to get to know each other better.
This popular, efficient avenue of meeting prospective short-term or long-term loves continues to experience growth, inspiring the use of other dating apps like Bumble, OkCupid, Hinge, Happn, and more.
Is There a Specific Dating App for Indians?
In a word, yes!
Tinder may take the crown among dating apps, but it isn’t having an uncontested reign. If anything, it’s not only inspired the launches of other trendy dating apps, but it’s motivated the creation of dating apps designed specifically with Indians in mind.
Mobile apps created by Indians and South Asians for Indians and South Asians have advantages when it comes to online mingling. Chopika and Johnson published a 2021 study in the Journal of Research in Personality that concluded "people are attracted to and tend to assort with same race partners; people of color may face barriers to dating in mobile dating contexts." Essentially, even though people tend to be more drawn to those of their same race, people of color face barriers, such as receiving less attention than white individuals, when using dating apps.
Indian app developers and data scientists have leveraged their knowledge of Indian culture — specifically Indian dating culture — and India’s social norms to make dating apps that speak directly to Indian romances and ensure the visibility of Indian singles. These apps do so in a way that makes them a unique, welcomed alternative to their non-Indian counterparts.
Apps Deliberately Designed for Desi Dating
For many single people, the experience of using a dating site or a dating app feels like an endless scroll that never leads them to the one – especially if you're outside of the mainstream group of people typically on dating apps.
Dating apps are worthwhile if you know your interests and what you want in romantic interactions and relationships. Have no fear, and keep reading to explore the best Indian dating app for your wants and needs.
QuackQuack
QuackQuack has been in the online dating scene since 2010. CEO Ravi Mittal built the app in response to gaps in the Indian, South Asian, and Desi dating niches. Not only is QuackQuack now a top-rated site in the country, but the mobile app is a winner, too.
Why is this app one of the best Desi dating apps? It focuses on quality over quantity. It’s not an app that encourages continuous swiping, but rather enables users to form deeper connections with other Indians they identify with culturally.
This app completes all the matching for users, putting them together based on their location, education, profession, and habits. When creating and suggesting matches, it considers personal details users input, like turn-ons, turn-offs, and absolute deal-breakers. Desi singles may feel more comfortable mingling and allowing connections to blossom into lasting relationships when using this free service.
Essentially, QuackQuack plays matchmaker for you!
Dil Mil
If you’re not necessarily seeking a serious relationship or life partner, the Indian dating app Dil Mil is the best dating app for you.
Maybe you’ve searched social media for individuals interested in meeting and dating online but are not necessarily searching for anything more. Perhaps you’ve scoured Instagram and Twitter posts with hashtags or phrases like “Desi dating" or sought no-strings-attached partners on subreddits dedicated to Desi singles but couldn’t find anything worthwhile or legit.
Dil Mil is a dating app designed with individuals who identify as South Asian in mind. The app makes it easier to find other South Asians worldwide, allowing connections with users in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and many other locations.
Dil Mil users have found their soulmates even from halfway across the world. Plenty of users have started solid, meaningful relationships through Dil Mil. As some cultures and societies become more sex-positive and embrace consensual, casual safe sex, some users may not try online dating to find the love of their life. Some may be looking to have hookups or fun at that moment with someone who shares their culture and understands their background.
Dil Mil makes it easier to navigate less committed relationships on Indian dating apps by not being as focused on marriage as other apps and sites. Of course, the app encourages users to explore and meet that special person and start relationships that quickly get serious and lead to settling down.
The inclusion of people seeking casual romances makes it the best Indian dating app for those open to having a good time and playing things by ear with fellow South Asians.
Which App Is Better Than Tinder In India?
For some people, the best dating app introduced to Indian singles — and the one that outperforms Tinder — is the one not designed to be its competition: Aisle.
When creating the app, the CEO of Aisle, Able Joseph, and his team of developers and scientists didn’t view popular, international dating apps as the competition. While many dating apps are for coordinating casual dates or flings that could lead to something more, Aisle is for Indian singles who are future-focused and are intentional about seeking something more meaningful.
Aisle gives Indian singles an alternative to casual dating and marriages arranged by parents and matchmakers. This homegrown Indian app helps users meet other singles and develop meaningful relationships in a way that straddles the fence between traditional Indian culture and the ever-evolving dating landscape. It combines conventional Indian matchmaking services with modern mobile dating services to encourage users to break casual dating patterns.
Developers created Aisle keeping in mind that while many online love seekers are interested in playing around, keeping their options open, and doing a little soulmate shopping first, others solely look forward to getting serious and settling down.
Aisle is the best Indian dating app for users who know what they’re looking for when they create their profiles. This app is for users who know their romantic goals and want to experience dating more purposefully. These individuals have an interest in meeting people differently from how their parents want them to and how most of their older family members probably met each other.
Some people may start with a casual dating app like Tinder or Bumble that gets them used to socializing, flirting, and building connections online. Aisle is the right app for them when they want to get specific in initiating romance and want their online dating experience to have a basis in their cultural nuances.
In addition to these advantages, Aisle has beneficial features, such as:
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A list of topics to discuss with matches to break the ice
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Pick-up lines for flirting if you need them
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The ability to block users who harass you or seem troublesome in other ways
Initiate Remote Indian Romances On the App That Works Best for You
A dating app is only the best if it brings you to the person or people who embody everything you want and need in a partner.
Your remote quest for love and happiness may not produce a match every time or right away, but when you use the app that best suits your dating style and relationship dynamics, allow yourself to have fun and feel safe and at ease – no matter how many tries it takes.
With so many dating app options, there’s plenty of room for single people in India and Indian singles living abroad to have flings, take things slow, make connections, and meet the love of their life.
It’s okay if you have to try several dating apps before you finally get what you want — you’ll know which app works best for you, just as you’ll know when you meet the person who’s just right for you.
