Meeting girls IRL can be difficult to do for a few reasons. First of all, who has the time? With your busy schedule, it can be hard to make dating a priority. With work, spending time with family, vacationing and hanging out with friends this summer, dating can seem like another time commitment that’s not exactly worth the investment. Besides, where are you supposed to meet girls to date, anyway?
Connecting with other women via dating apps might just be your ticket to that summer romance you were hoping for. By using dating apps, you might be able to spare yourself some time and anxiety and meet girls you wouldn’t normally otherwise.
Luckily for you, there are several queer-girl dating apps out there that you can get your hands on. Check them out and see which is best for you!
1. Brenda
How to get it: Free on Google Play and the App Store
How it works: Brenda is for all girls over the age of 18 who like girls. The app is dedicated to creating a safe space for those looking to meet women. This app allows you to see ladies nearby you and is loaded with fun features. You can upload up to 10 photos, but Brenda also lets you send private photos to users you’re interested in. Not to mention the app tracks which girls have viewed your profile to see who’s checking you out, too.
2. OkCupid Dating
How to get it: Free on Google Play and the App Store
How it works: OkCupid Dating might not be exclusively for queer girls, but no worries – you can choose not to appear to straight people. Not only will you save yourself from those too-common straight-girl crushes you get IRL, but you also won’t have to worry about straight guys bothering you either. To get started, all you have to do is submit your email and create a username, then you’re on your way!
Unlike photo-based dating apps, OkCupid lets you get pretty specific about what kind of partner you’re looking for. You can take a number of quizzes to help determine your compatibility with other users and browse users by their location, age, religion, smoking, drinking, drug use, height, etc. There’s also a tool that allows you to broadcast your profile to women in your area so they can tell where you are and if you’re interested even more easily.
Savannah*, a student from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, says that OkCupid was a success for her and her girlfriend, whom she has been dating for five months.
Savannah says she and her girlfriend would have never met if it weren’t for OkCupid. Both she and her girlfriend were relatively shy about dating apps before trying OkCupid, but taking the plunge worked for them.
“I am so glad that I met Brianna and tried OkCupid,” Savannah says. “Sometimes it just takes a little self-nudging to be out there and get close to someone. Sometimes dating apps really do work!”
3. Pink Lesbian Dating & Chat
How to get it: Free on Google Play
How it works: Pink Lesbian Dating & Chat is a new app on Google Play. This app is targeted at lesbian, bisexual and bi-curious women from around the world, though you can search for users according to location if you’re looking for a non-long-distance relationship.
You can also search for users on Pink Lesbian Dating & Chat by age and interests. This app allows you to send a limited number of emails to fellow users and send and receive “winks” – similar to “poking” on Facebook. You can also communicate privately with members who are matches, according to the information you put on your profile.
4. Plenty Of Fish
How to get it: Free on Google Play and the App Store
How it works: Plenty Of Fish is also open to all sexual orientations, but you can make it clear as to what you’re looking for. With Plenty Of Fish, you can give yourself a headline that describes you, upload pictures of yourself and send and receive messages on the go.
Plenty of Fish also has a Meet Me feature that allows you to flirt with local users, giving you the kick in the pants you need to meet IRL. Other key features include viewing profile matches and a discovery feature that allows you to see who has viewed your profile.
Ysamar, a student at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Wisconsin, says her friends have used Plenty Of Fish and have gotten results.
“As for my best friend and her girlfriend, they met on Plenty Of Fish and have been together for two years,” Ysamar says.
It might take some adventuring to discover what dating app is right for you. There are different strokes for different folks, or, in this case, different apps for different ladies.
Whatever app you decide to try, we hope that it makes it easier to find your summer fling or a new relationship. Date app-happily, collegiettes!
*Names have been changed.