You’ve heard it before — dating app fatigue is real. If we get one more “how was your weekend?” opener, we might just end it all. Now that our summer flings are distant memories, we’re getting serious about cuffing season. While we’re huge supporters of meeting IRL (fall is the best time to meet people in NYC), a little swiping action to maximize your visibility never hurt nobody. But no, we’re not talking about Hinge.
These are the dating apps that are the current talk of the town — each promising to be more intentional, less brain-numbing and way more aligned with how people actually want to connect… and the types of people they want to connect with.
Because as much as your soul wants to hit Jac’s on Bond, sometimes your body simply can’t leave the couch.
Raya
Raya—the OG of “if you know, you know” dating apps. Definitely far from a new cultural phenomenon, but it’s having its comeuppance once again. More velvet rope than swipe fest, Raya still runs on its aura of exclusivity and provides the clientele to match. Your application might sit for months, but once you’re in, you’re tapping into a curated feed of founders, creatives, (models) and the occasional celeb. Welcome to your “we met on Raya” era.
Cerca
Hyper-local, hyper-intentional. Cerca leans into dating, quite literally, in your scene. An app that matches you to your mutuals based on your phone’s contacts (they’re not notified when you join the app), Cerca relies on real-life vibes. Basically, your key to the friends of friends you’ve always wanted an intro to IRL. Not to mention, all the cool people are on it.
Marble
For anyone tired of endless chats that fizzle out (all of us), Marble flips the script: meet first, message later. Members post real reservations — whether it’s at a cocktail lounge or a buzzy new restaurant —and you decide who you’d like to join (or browse their plans and snag a seat). It’s less about small talk in-app and more about showing up IRL for an actual experience. Plus, you already have their basic stats and photos for reference. Yes please??
Tenr
Video dates made non-awkward. Tenr plays matchmaker by curating introductions based on your answers to a series of highly-personalized questionnaires. If you match, you’re set up on a “tenr,” i.e. a 10-min video call that you schedule in-app. If it’s a mutual success, you get each other’s numbers and take it from there. Ideal for the elite movers and shakers who don’t have time to waste—think Ivy Leaguers, bankers and tech bros.
Breeze
The literal antithesis to small talk. Breeze kills the chat entirely — if you match, you go straight to scheduling a date at an app-partnered venue (the bartenders have your back so no stranger danger). It’s as close as an app can get to the IRL meet-cute. And similar to other more curated dating app contenders, limited daily profile batches force you to be selective.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.png)
COMMENTS