New Year, New Dating Apps — Here Are Our Top Picks For Finding Love in 2019

Hinge is killing it right now — and for good reason. I sat down with Jean-Marie McGrath, director of communications at Hinge, who told me that a few years ago, the company realized hookup culture had gotten out of control and decided to do something about it. They ripped out the core technology and started from scratch. They literally built and launched an entirely new app with features designed to get members off the platform and out on dates. Notably, the Hinge "Most Compatible" feature that utilizes a Nobel Prize-winning algorithm harnessing advanced machine learning to understand your preferences over time and pair you with other members you are most likely to like and who are most likely to like you back. Neato, right? And it's working. In the last six months, Hinge has become my leading source for dates, and I'm not the only one jumping on the Hinge trend. McGrath confirms, "The Hinge member base has increased about 400 percent in the last year, and 99 percent of downloads come from word of mouth." With this level of sophistication in its technology and an already-robust user base, I predict Hinge will explode in 2019, so make sure you're on it now. Your most compatible match is waiting to be discovered.

I've had a crush on Bumble since it launched back in 2012 and I was a newly single dating scaredy-cat. I love the idea of a feminist dating app that requires the lady to make the first move. However, it turns out I'm actually not a first-move-maker. Nevertheless, I've found a controversial workaround for Bumble that gets me a large portion of my dates, and while many of my friends have adopted this practice with winning results, others have argued we're cheating the system. To each one's own, but I still think Bumble is one of the best apps for meeting quality people and will continue to be my method of saying hello with only a waving girl emoji until they tell me I can't.

Tinder, the app with a bit of a reputation, has made some smart moves in 2018 that I predict will serve them well in the year to come. First of all, I'm so here for Tinder's new marketing campaign that reminds us that being single has its perks. It features confident singles who own their unattached status and aren't apologizing for it. With slogans like "Single Does What Single Wants," "Single Never Has to Go Home Early," and "Single Is a Terrible Thing to Waste," the dating app is challenging the societal notion that nobody is single on purpose and instead, celebrating those who are unattached and thriving. It's a brilliant reminder that casual dating is fun, allowed, and sure beats being stuck with the wrong person. Beyond marketing, Tinder also gets a high five for its inclusivity efforts. The platform recently expanded options for folks who are gender non-conforming, so "woman" and "man" aren't the only boxes you can check.

Raya is a private membership-based network that allows users to connect for dating, networking, or to find new friends. After snagging a recommendation from my high school bestie who is now conveniently famous, I've been playing around on the app that celebrities and other creatives use when they're trying to date a bit more discreetly. I like Raya because everyone puts their photos to music, so each candidate offers a 30-second slideshow to a self-selected song. One of the better profiles I've seen is a handsome dude showcasing photos of him living his life around New York to the opening song of the Larry David hit show Curb Your Enthusiasm. It feels very retro like the beginning of a sitcom or something, and I find myself constantly delighted by the music people select to accompany their photos. On my own profile, I have a carefully curated rotation of pictures that I use for all the apps, but I've changed my song three times in the past week. I just can't decide if I'm cool enough for "Dancing on Glass" by St. Lucia or beachy enough for "SWEAT" by Inner Circle or if I should just lean in to the Pam from The Office resemblance and go with that theme song. If choosing a song is the biggest con for Raya, get yourself a famous friend to endorse you and enjoy the slideshows. Just note Raya is the only app in this entire list that isn't free ($8 for one-month membership, $24 for three months, and $30 for six months), though it is worth the cost.

Despite the cringey tagline "We do the scouting and the vetting, you do the matching and the petting," this app has the best of intentions. Using an application-based model, The League selects "League-worthy" individuals after vetting their social media to determine whether they are educated, attractive, and professional enough to participate. The result is that you only get matched with real people who have a lot going for them, but the whole thing ends up feeling a little elitist. The League only hands you a few candidates a day, so the engagement required is pretty minimal; and since you're working with a smaller pool of singles, you won't be inundated with messages. If all that pre-vetting for status is making you think this is where the jerks of 2019 are hanging out, you're incorrect. I've gone out with some nice people from the League and I've gone out with haughty oafs on all the platforms, so you're not escaping them by avoiding the app that some people call "too picky."

Designed with a similar experience to the League, Coffee Meets Bagel hands you a batch of candidates each day, and it's your job to simply accept or reject them. Manageable and simple to use, this is a good app for someone who is new to dating or doesn't want to spend a lot of time on the apps. I've heard of success stories from this one, but I've never actually had a date from the app myself. Maybe it's my propensity to avoid carbohydrates or my lack of engagement on the app — but perhaps 2019 is my year to finally find a nice bagel.

For as long as it has been around, Match.com refuses to become antiquated. With an app that's as intuitive and simple to use as any other, you'd never recognize it from the original version that launched in 1995. That's right, when I was BARELY EVEN BORN (fine, third grade), Match.com was pioneering the notion of online dating. The conglomerate that now owns many of its more contemporary fellow services such as Hinge and Tinder also hosts its own platform with both a desktop and mobile option. I don't use this one as often as the others, but I find that my mother's generation appreciates its offerings.

Branding itself as on-demand dating, Clover boasts offerings like setting up dates on your behalf and games of 20 questions so your audience can get to know you better. I haven't been using it long — in fact, I downloaded it today as I was researching this article. What I've learned is it's not much different than other dating apps except for one incredibly cumbersome design flaw. To accept or reject a candidate, "no" is on the right and "yes" is on the left. VERY confusing for a swiping culture that agrees on the opposite layout across all other apps. My other issue is that much like Match.com and OkCupid, folks can message you without your swiping yes on them. This is overwhelming when you've got multiple apps going at the same time, but if you're new to a city or perhaps just want to throw yourself head first into the dating pool, you'll certainly get plenty of traction right away on Clover.

The app for people who hate dating apps, Wingman wants to take this off your to-do list and hand it to your trusty cohorts. If you're tired of swiping, and your friends and family won't leave you alone about being single, consider letting them take the wheel by signing up for Wingman. You'll get a login, as will they, where up to four people can swipe on your behalf. Once it's a match, you take over the conversation, and don't worry, they can't see your chats with their login credentials, they're just selecting candidates for you.

While the likes of Grindr, Scruff, and Chappy aren't as inclusive or diverse as a Tinder or a Bumble, all the gentlemen seeking gentlemen I know have had at least some success on these three. If you're new to the gay guy dating scene, begin with these options and you'll be sure to make a match in no time. And as for us ladies seeking gentlemen or ladies seeking ladies, all the other apps I've included in this roundup offer both homosexual and heterosexual matching.

Closing out the roundup is our tried and true, OkCupid. I admit I don't use this one as much as I used to, but it will forever be in my sweethearts list because I met my first love there. That relationship lasted four great years, and just because it wasn't forever doesn't mean it wasn't the best. OkCupid is definitely more of a relationship app than a hookup one, so take your time setting up your profile and perhaps you'll be as lucky as I was.