Key Points
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Upward is the #1 dating app for Christian singles.
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Upward is the perfect app for dating as a Christian in the digital age that includes all the best features of the most popular dating apps, but only features Christian singles.
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Profiles on Upward allow you to introduce yourself, be clear about what you are looking for, and explain what your faith means to you.
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While the app itself is fantastic, there are not many users on Upward which may limit your options in some regions.
If you are looking for a partner that shares your religious values, Upward is a great app to put yourself out there and find matches that share your love for Jesus. This Upward dating app review will share everything you need to know about the app, how to get started, and what existing users think!
Using Dating Apps as a Christian
Using dating apps to find potential partners is the norm in the 21st century, but they are typically geared towards casual flings or more shallow levels of compatibility. There are now some apps that are designed to match more through personality, but there still are gaps when it comes to values—especially religion.
This may also raise the question: Can Christians use dating apps? The answer is yes. If you are a mature Christian that keeps your values at heart while searching for a partner online, there is no harm in meeting over the internet.
Dating as a Christian can be difficult on dating apps. Weeding through to find somebody that lists themselves as a Christian is difficult enough, but finding someone who is dedicated to their religion is even harder.
Many popular dating apps leave a space to declare your religion, but it is used as freely as declaring a zodiac sign. Since it is an option to choose a religion, countless people include it in their profile even though it's not an important part of their lives.
It’s important to share values with someone you are dating. Especially when dating as a Christian, it is important to find someone that values your religion in the same way. Unless there are some hotties at your local church or you’ve found success in discussing Jesus at the bar, it can be difficult to find a date who dedicates themselves to Christianity.
In 2023, there are several dating apps specifically for Christians, so you can stop wasting time scrolling through tons of profiles hoping for a potential match. On these apps, everyone is already dedicated to the Christian life!
Upward: The Best Christian Dating App
Upward is a dating app designed for Christians by the creators of Tinder, so you can match with singles who share your religion. The app is similar in design to Tinder in that you create a profile to introduce yourself and swipe through singles in your area. Upward requires users to include a religious denomination in their profile. This helps narrow down users to include only Christians – if that is what you’re seeking – as well as help users find compatible matches.
Upward is designed specifically to create meaningful connections between Christians. Therefore, most people that sign up for the platform are looking for a relationship or at least a meaningful connection. This helps to limit the number of spam profiles you have to go through and weeds out the people looking for hookups.
Upward's status as the most popular Christian dating app for the past several years means that it has far more users than other apps of its kind. This gives users more chances to match as the site boasts the biggest pool of Christian singles.
What’s In The Profile
Classic Demographics
Upon first signing up, you enter your basic demographic information such as your name, email, phone number, gender, and what gender you are interested in dating. They cut to the chase and immediately ask what denomination you are a part of. Options include Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Church of Christ, Episcopalian, Evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, non denominational, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Nazarene, “Not sure yet,” and “Other.”
Next, there is a prompt to include some insight into your personality with an “about you” section. You get 500 glorious characters to tell your local Christian singles what you’re about and what you like to do on the weekends. You must include at least one photo in your profile, but you can add up to six photos.
Show Some Personality
A fun feature on Upward is their option to add a sticker to your profile. There are lots of options including Chick-Fil-A lovers, Ready to Marry, Netflix and Chill interested, TikTok celebrities, NFT investors, and more. This is a cool way to highlight a part of your personality or put right into the open what you are looking for on the app without sounding cheesy in your bio.
To show more personality on your profile, there are three opportunities for written prompts. The app provides a question or topic and the user fills out an answer to appear on their profile. This feature is similar to that of the popular dating app Hinge, which is known to showcase the personalities of its users. Upward also provides one voice prompt so users can hear each other talk before deciding if they want to swipe right.
Sharing your personality and values through these prompts helps to prioritize the quality of your matches by getting to know somebody before chatting. In a classic dating profile with a short bio, it is difficult to tell how compatible you are with someone. These matches are therefore made on a much more shallow basis. As Christians strive to date in a more wholesome way, these features help to find matches that are compatible with you rather than just visually attractive.
Prioritize Your Faith
To more thoroughly emphasize your religion through your profile, there is a section to talk about your faith. There are 500 characters for you to freely discuss what you think is most important about your faith. This may include what you expect from your potential partner’s religion, how you personally practice, or anything else you deem important.
This is a good opportunity to set expectations but also decide which parts of your faith can differ from your partners. Keep in mind that some details are better left to discuss over your dinner date or even in a chat.
Top it Off
Complete your profile with personal details from different categories including pets, children, politics, drinking habits, exercise, height, and what type of relationship you are looking for. Upward gives these options: looking for friends, a casual relationship, a full relationship, or marriage. Choose what works best for you, or hide it from your profile completely.
Be very honest throughout your profile to show potential matches exactly who you are. The more information you have filled out, the better someone can gauge how compatible you are with them. If you need help creating a killer profile check out these tips on “How to Make Your Dating App Profile Stand Out.”
Matches on Upward
Upward allows you to set preferences for who you are matched with. You can choose a geographical radius from 20 to 80 miles around you. There is also an age range from 19 to over 100, so Christians of all ages can set a preference for their matches. Just as you can equip your profile with personal details regarding what you are looking for, desire for children, lifestyle habits, denomination, and personal interests, you can also set match preferences for each of these categories. These well-tailored features allow you to have the best chance of finding that perfect partner!
After setting up your profile, you can flip through a stack of profiles to see who you like. After liking a profile, you will match with the person if they also express an interest in you. Then, there is an opportunity to talk to them, get to know them, and maybe even go on a date!
You are only able to see who you match with, but if you pay for an elite membership you can also have access to who likes you. If you prefer not to spend your time going through profiles before knowing if you’ll match, then the elite membership option might be right for you. If you don’t mind flipping through profiles to choose who you like – and perhaps maintain a bit of mystery – then the free membership has all the features you need.
The elite membership also includes all the features of a premium profile. A premium profile does not remove the mystery of who likes you, but it does include a boosted profile once a month, five super likes per week, unlimited rewinds, unlimited likes, and no ads. All these features combined allow for more matches and a smoother time using the app.
If you wish to use the elite membership, there are packages ranging from $11.99-$29.99/month. A premium membership ranges from $5.99-$14.99/ month. If you prefer to have the free version, don’t worry: You can still like local singles and chat for free! It's probably best to try out the free version first before you decide if you want to upgrade to a paid version.
Review of Upward: The Pros and Cons
Like all dating apps, Upward has its pros and cons. Here are two featured ones (one pro and one con) to consider:
More Meaningful Matches
Upward is a perfect app for Christian singles looking to date other Christian singles. The prompts allow each profile to cut straight to the point and let other users know exactly what you are about and what you are looking for. Intentions, values, boundaries, and expectations can be set early on, which is vital for dating in a godly way.
The app is focused on sharing more meaningful information about its users to give Christians a wholesome dating app experience. The app includes all the best features of other popular dating apps, but every user already has something important in common with you: your love for Jesus.
Upward includes very in-depth profiles and match preferences compared to other apps. This may be limiting if there are not enough people within your region, so remember to stay open-minded to differences between personalities. The thorough profiles are an amazing way to see someone’s personality more so than a traditional dating app that sports a few cute photos and a witty bio to attract shallow attention from swipers.
Lack of Users
Users of Upward agree across the board that the app is great. There is finally a place for Christian singles to match on a dating app. The only consistent drawback is the availability of people in your area. Of course, there are not as many available profiles compared to popular sites such as Tinder or Bumble, so the options for people to like are limited.
When you run out of matches within your geographical radius, you may expand it to find more. Keep in mind this may lead to long-distance relationships. If you run out of singles within your area, Upward sends a note that says they are new but growing and advises you to check back later for more Christian singles.
Many users are hoping for a worldwide version that would allow you to change your location within the app. Upward uses your phone's location to show you singles within your specified radius. However, if you live in an area where the app is not popular, you may not have any available profiles at all.
Hopefully, Upward will have a larger pool of users in the future, but unfortunately, this lack of users also causes people to avoid the app. However, there is nothing to lose by trying, and you may even be able to learn a little bit about what you are looking for.
Get Swiping on Upward!
Christians have never had such an amazing and convenient way to meet potential partners and make meaningful connections. Upward is truly the best Christian dating app on the market, and everyone that wants a relationship including Jesus should try it out.
Be patient if you are in an area that doesn’t have a lot of available singles to match with. Maybe you can even spread the word and get more people on the app!
If you are a Christian single interested in dating, give Upward a chance. It is a great opportunity to put yourself out there, see potential matches, and hopefully even meet someone that shares your Christian values.
