Tinder tops the charts, Coffee Meets Bagel dominates Singapore’s serious dating scene: YouGov

From local matchmakers Paktor and Lunch Actually to global dating services like Tinder, Bumble and Coffee Meets Bagel, there’s no shortage of options for Singaporeans looking to leverage online social networks in their search for love.

But which dating apps are most popular? And do the kind of romantic relationships Singaporeans look for—from finding a spouse to hooking up for a casual fling—significantly vary between platforms?

Popularity, barriers and perspectives

Here, we examine the prevalence of dating app use across demographic lines, identifying Singapore’s most popular dating apps, and comparing how users of different dating apps vary in the kinds of relationships they seek.

The latest research from YouGov Surveys reveals that one in four (24%) Singapore residents have used one or more dating apps before, and that proportion is consistent across men and women.

More than one in three (34%) residents from the Malay community say they have used dating apps before, a relatively higher proportion compared to residents of Indian and Chinese ancestry.

Unsurprisingly, Gen Z and millennials are much more likely to have used dating apps than Gen X and Boomers.

Which are the most used dating apps in Singapore?

Among Singapore residents who have used dating apps before, almost three in five (59%) have used Match Group’s Tinder, making it the most popular.

Coffee Meets Bagel, used by slightly under half (46%) of dating app users in Singapore, is the second most popular dating app.

OkCupid (also owned by Match Group) and Bumble, which around a third (34%) of dating app users have been on, jointly take the third spot.

Meanwhile, among homegrown dating apps, about one in seven users have tried Lunch Actually (14%) and Paktor (13%).

What kind of relationships are users on various dating apps looking for?

We also asked dating app users about the kind of relationships they sought to find on each platform they indicated they were ever using.

Among the top three most used dating apps, Coffee Meets Bagel had the largest proportion of “serious daters” who hoped to find an exclusive relationship (68%) or spouse/life partner (58%) on the app. Meanwhile, eHarmony and Lunch Actually had the largest proportion of such users across all apps.

In the case of Hinge and Bumble, while “serious daters” keen on finding an exclusive relationship made up the largest category of users (76% and 63%, respectively), a far smaller portion of them hope to find someone they can tie the knot or couple for life with (48% and 47% respectively).

In contrast, Tinder had the smallest proportion of “serious daters” looking for an exclusive relationship (54%) or spouse/life partner (41%) on the app. Instead, “social daters” simply looking to meet new friends (61%) comprise the largest category of Tinder users overall.

Meanwhile, “casual daters” looking for a dalliance or hookup make up a relatively larger proportion of users on Tinder (39%) and Bumble (37%) than on OkCupid (28%) and Coffee Meets Bagel (26%).

However, among less popular apps, “casual daters” make up a noticeably larger proportion of all users—suggesting that a sizeable proportion of users there seek both serious relationship partners and casual flings.

Swiping left on dating apps: Why are some singles in Singapore hesitant to try out online dating?

The latest research from YouGov Surveys shows that three-quarters (76%) of Singapore residents have never used a dating app before. When asked why, about three in ten (29%) say they are not looking for a relationship at this point—the most common reason.

Among singles who are keen or open to finding a romantic partner, around a quarter cite concerns about being catfished/duped by fake profiles on dating apps (27%) and preferring to meet people (and possibly their significant other) in person (24%) as major reasons why they have not tried dating apps to date.

Close to a fifth point is privacy concerns—such as being unwilling to share with dating apps their personal details and dating preferences (19%) or photos (17%)—while a similar proportion is sceptical that dating apps can help them find a serious relationship (18%) or are not willing to fork out money (17%).

Notably, just a tenth (10%) say having to swipe through dating app profiles puts them off, while only 6% feel uncomfortable about introducing someone they meet on a dating app to their friends and family.

How open are such singles to trying out dating apps in the future?

Among Singapore residents who are single and open to starting a relationship, a tenth (11%) say they are likely to try out dating apps in the future.

On the other hand, three in five (60%) say they are unlikely (not too / not at all likely) to consider using dating apps, while 29% say they would never use one.

What do Singaporeans look out for in a romantic partner—and does this differ across dating apps?

How important are qualities like physical attractiveness, shared hobbies and food choices, common values and spiritual beliefs in a romantic partner to daters in Singapore?

Latest research from YouGov Surveys shows that among attributes that Singapore residents think are important in a romantic relationship, sharing similar values and outlook in life emerged as the most widely prized quality.

Over nine in ten (92%) say they consider this “very important” or “fairly important”, and this proportion was comparable across dating app users and non-users.

Being attracted to each other’s physical appearance (79%) is the next most widely considered quality judged to be important, ahead of sharing similar religious views and similar hobbies and interests (76%), as well as similar food choices (70%).

While a similar proportion of dating app users and non-users felt that physical appearance, similar hobbies/interests and food choices are important qualities, a significantly larger proportion of them held that they were “very important."

Meanwhile, sharing similar religious views or spiritual beliefs is most widely prized among users of Happn (100%), eHarmony (91%) and Hinge (88%), and least widely valued among users of OkCupid (75%), Coffee Meets Bagel (76%) and Tinder (76%).

Do users of different dating apps vary in what they look out for in a romantic partner?

Across all major dating apps, more than nine in ten users say having similar values and outlooks in life is important when looking for a romantic partner. But this is most widely prized among users of eHarmony, Hinge and Lunch Actually. At the same time, Happn, Tinder and Paktor have the relatively smallest proportion of users who think this is important.

Physical appearance and attractiveness are most wanted among users of Hinge (93%), Grindr (92%) and Tinder (90%), and least valued among users of eHarmony (74%), Lunch Actually (81%) and Bumble (82%).

Meanwhile, sharing similar religious views or spiritual beliefs are important to the largest proportion of users on Happn (100%), eHarmony (91%) and Hinge (88%), but the smallest percentage of OkCupid (75%), Coffee Meets Bagel (76%) and Tinder (76%) users.

Having similar hobbies and interests is most desired among users of Happn (92%), Lunch Actually (89%) and Paktor (85%) and least widely prized among users of Bumble (73%) and OkCupid (74%).

Finally, having similar food choices and eating habits are important to the largest proportion of users on Happn (86%), Lunch Actually (84%) and eHarmony (82%), but the smallest percentage of Coffee Meets Bagel (68%), Hinge (73%) and Bumble (74%) users.

Methodology: YouGov Surveys: Serviced provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online in January 2024, with a national sample of 1,034 Singapore residents, using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by age, gender, and ethnicity to be representative of all adults in Singapore (18 years or older) and reflect the latest Singapore Department of Statistics (DOS) estimates.