Why we will not give you a ranked list
We make a dating app, so any list we wrote would not be neutral, and putting ourselves at number one would be an advert dressed up as advice. We also cannot check other apps’ member numbers or safety records, and those change from country to country and year to year.
What we can do is tell you what to compare. The questions below work for any app, in any country, and they take about ten minutes per app. For the basics every dater should check, such as verification, privacy, pricing and reporting, read our guide to choosing a dating app after moving abroad. This article covers what is different when you are an expat.
There is no “best” app everywhere
The same app can be busy in one city and nearly empty in the next. Which apps are popular depends on the country, the city, age group and even the neighbourhood. The app you used at home may barely be used where you live now, and the most popular app locally may be one you have never heard of.
So the first question is not which app is best, but which apps people around you use. Ask colleagues, classmates and new friends what they and their friends use. Local expat groups and forums often have recent threads on exactly this. A few honest answers from people where you live are worth more than any global ranking.
Who do you want to meet?
Expats often want different things at different times. Some want to date locals and get to know the country from the inside. Some want someone who shares their language or background. Many want someone who simply understands what it is like to have moved, whatever their nationality. All are reasonable, and they point to different apps.
Large general apps usually have the most people overall, mostly locals. Apps built around a faith, a language or a shared experience are smaller but more focused. Expat community networks and event platforms are not dating apps, but they put you in a room with other newcomers, which is often how relationships start anyway.
Are you staying, or moving again?
Many expats move every few years, or split time between countries. If that is you, check how an app handles location. Can you set where you live now separately from where you are from? Can you say you are open to long distance? Does changing your location cost money, and does it reset your profile?
Be upfront on your profile about how long you expect to stay. It is one of the first things people want to know, and saying it plainly avoids disappointment on both sides. Our article on long-distance relationships across countries helps if things get serious before a move.
Language and culture, without the stereotypes
If you are dating in a second language, look for an app that lets you list the languages you speak and lets others search on them. Translation can help early conversations, but check whether it is free or part of a paid plan, and whether you can always see the original message.
Look at how an app describes culture. Home country and languages say a lot about whether two people will understand each other. Ethnicity filters do not, and we would be wary of any app that offers them. An app also has no reason to ask about your visa or residency, and you should never have to share it.
Safety when you are new
When you are new somewhere, you have fewer people to ask about someone, and you may not know which areas are busy at night. That makes an app’s safety tools matter more, not less. Check what its verification actually involves, whether you can talk and call without sharing your phone number, and how quickly a person reads a report.
Romance scammers also look for people who are new somewhere, assuming they are lonely or have savings. Our article on romance scams that target newcomers explains the patterns, and our first date safety tips cover the first meeting.
A simple two-week test
Rather than reading more reviews, try two or three apps for two weeks each and keep notes. It costs nothing if you stay on the free plans, and it tells you far more about your own city than any list can.
- Write one good profile and use it everywhere, so you are comparing the apps, not your photos.
- Stay on the free plan for the first two weeks; decide about paying only once you have had real conversations.
- Note how many people you see who match what you are looking for, not just how many people you see.
- Note how many conversations get past the first few messages.
- Note anything that feels wrong: pressure to pay, fake-looking profiles, people pushing to move to another messaging app.
- Keep the app or two that led to real conversations, and delete the rest along with your data.
Where ImmigrantsDating fits
ImmigrantsDating is an expat dating app for people who have built, or are building, a life somewhere new, and for anyone dating across cultures, wherever they live. Here is what is true today. A person checks every profile, comparing a selfie with the photos, before anyone can see it. You say where you are from, where you live now and which languages you speak, and matches are ranked on what you share, with distance only breaking a tie. Others see your city, never your exact location.
Seeing who liked you is free, and so is translation in chat. You can call a match inside the app without sharing your phone number, and answer profile questions with your voice. Reporting someone blocks them at once, and a person reads every report. We are new, so a large general app may have more people near you today. Put us through the same two-week test. If what we are building suits you, create a profile or get notified at launch.
Questions people ask
What is the best dating app for expats?
It depends on where you live and who you want to meet. Ask people locally which apps they use, then try two or three for a couple of weeks each and keep the ones that lead to real conversations.
Should expats use local dating apps or international ones?
Often both. Popular local apps usually have more people nearby, while apps built for people who have moved put you in front of people who understand that experience. Apply the same safety checks to each.
Is it worth paying for a dating app as an expat?
Only once you know an app works where you live. Use the free plan first, read what a subscription includes and how it renews, and be wary of any app that pushes you to pay before you have had a conversation.