Parenting is arguably the most difficult job of them all. Today’s parents navigate tablet-fueled tantrums and teens using AI programs — and everything in between.
For single parents, these responsibilities compound. If you’re a single parent, you’re certainly not alone: There were an estimated 9.8 million one-parent households in the U.S. in 2023, according to the Census Bureau.
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Single parents who want to find love may find themselves dealing with technology totally separate from tablets and ChatGPT: dating apps.
Do single parents use dating apps?
Yes! Given the ease of finding a potential partner on one’s phone, apps may be easier than in-person dating for single parents who don’t have a lot of time to invest in dating. Plus, single parents can look for other parents using filters, or easily express in their bio that they have kids. There are even dating apps specifically for single parents, like Stir, where you can meet someone who shares your experience.
Dating apps specifically for single parents “take the pressure off the ‘should I disclose?’ question,” said sexologist and single parent Kaamna Bhojwani. “You’re also likely to find someone who understands the complexity of dating with kids, which is a huge plus.”
What’s the best dating site for single parents?
“The best dating app for single parents partly depends on the reason for dating,” said Dr. Alissa Beuerlein, a therapist to single parents using dating apps who has been a single parent on dating apps herself. Some parents are looking for more fun, casual connections — while others are looking for something more serious. This will impact what app to choose (and Mashable has roundups for those specific aims, too).
“In order to find what you’re looking for, you want to join the apps that have the largest reach,” Beuerlein continued, “unless you’re looking for someone in a hyper-specific group that you’re not finding on the more popular apps (like Feeld — kink positive, HER — for queer women, etc).”
Major dating apps, like Hinge and OkCupid, will have a large user base and allow for “meeting” (through matching) a range of people.
“Given how many single people these days are parents, many of the most popular dating apps allow you to state whether you have kids, are open to dating a parent, and want kids of your own,” Bhojwani agreed.
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Bhojwani said, however, that single parents should be extremely discerning when deciding which dating apps to get on. “As a single parent myself, I know that time and energy are at a premium and it’s important to realize that all apps aren’t the same in terms of their value propositions and outcomes. You’re better off deciding up front where you are on the casual to serious spectrum and picking your apps accordingly,” she said.
Bhojwani has found like-minded people on more “general” dating apps, where she declares she has kids. Beuerlein also said she and her clients are on general apps as opposed to ones focused on single parents, but there is one on our list that is specifically for single parents.
Neither of them cautioned against any specific app. Mashable, however, has found that users should avoid Zoosk. As Mashable’s Leah Stodart and Bethany Allard found in their Zoosk review, the app is outdated and confusing. That being said, here are the dating apps for single parents we do recommend:
How we tested
We make sure to actually spend time on the dating sites that we recommend. That means creating profiles on every app and site, scrolling through users, and testing out the chat and matchmaking features that promise to help you find your special someone.
Each and every app in this list has been tested by a Mashable staff writer or freelancer with experience writing about relationships and dating. Wherever possible, we’ve linked out to full, in-depth reviews of the dating sites and apps.
Here are the major criteria we considered in the choosing apps for this guide:
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Time-saving: Whether you’re co-parenting or not, single parents can struggle to find the time to devote to dating. With that in mind, we chose apps with specific time-saving features and effective algorithms that won’t just show you every profile under the sun.
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Values sharing: If you’re a single parent, you’ll probably run into complications if you start dating someone who isn’t kid-friendly. That’s why we looked for apps that allow you to filter by people who want or have kids already, so you’re starting on the same page when you match. We also looked for apps that tended to favor serious connection (and hopefully communication), which are both super important when bringing a new person into your life and maybe eventually your family.
We also evaluated, as we do with all our dating testing for parents or not, how active the user base is, the general vibe of the user base, what features you’re getting for the money you’re spending (where applicable), and how gimmicky or useful the stand-out features of each app are.
Finally, to understand what single parents need in a dating app, we also reached out to licensed marriage and family therapists and a divorce and co-parenting coach, who offered their expertise on what struggles single parents face when dating.