11 Best Dating Sites & Apps For Single Parents
Why should kids cramp your love life?
DisobeyArt/shutterstock Online dating is scary, especially as a single parent. But when you’re ready to put yourself back out there, single parent dating sites and apps will help you find romance once again.
Navigating the dating scene as a single mom or dad is no easy task. Some people run at the first mention of children as if it’s a major burden for them. Others get way too invested and try to become a second parent to your kids who were doing just fine without them.
You have to worry about the right time to tell your date about your kids, or the right time to tell your kids about your date. And that’s all assuming you even find the time to go on date worth pursuing.
Most of the time, you’re canceling last minute because you can’t get a sitter or your phone is too jam-packed with kids games to even store a dating app.
Luckily, these 11 single parent dating sites and apps offer something for every single mom or dad trying to find love online.
When dating as a single parent, you need it to be as efficient and worthwhile as possible.
You don’t have time for mind games and time-wasters. Whether you want a few casual dates or a life-long connection, you need a site that will connect you with matches who will add something to your life, and accept you and your kids for who you are.
1. Match.com
Match.com boasts the world’s largest online dating pool, so when they say “there’s plenty of fish in the sea,” this is the sea they’re referring to.
You can try out their free plan to get a taste of what the site offers or opt for one of their premium plans. The matching criteria allows you to be super specific, so the site will weed out only the best matches for you.
When you’re raising kids you don’t have time for endless swiping, so the site’s zen mode makes it so only people who match your criteria will be able to message you.
Sign up for Match.com
2. eHarmony
All of the potential mates on Match.com can get a little overwhelming, but eHarmony offers an equally specific matching service without the same volume intensity.
Your profile questions will allow you to reveal as much or as little about your family life as you wish, so you can bypass the awkwardness of having to reveal your kids down the line. The site is often associated with matching "forever partners," or at least creating serious relationships, so if casual dating isn’t your thing, this is the site for you.
It’s free to make an account and start matching, but you’ll need to sign up for an upgraded plan to access all the options. Plans range from $20 to $60 a month.
Sign up for eHarmony
3. Single Parent Meet
No one knows the struggle of dating as a single parent better than another single parent.
On this site, you immediately have something in common with every user in that you both have kids, though no actual background check is done. This is perfect because you never have to worry about someone seeing your life as “baggage,” and you develop a level of understanding with your matches off the bat.
The site is free to join but you’ll have to upgrade to the $14.99 per month premium plan to anything worthwhile on the platform.
Sign up for Single Parent Meet
4. Zoosk
Dating as a single parent doesn’t have to be a quest for love! When your kids give you all the love you need in your life, sometimes all you want from the dating scene is a fun time and good conversation.
Zoosk users are a sociable bunch, exchanging over 3 million messages on the app per day. It’s quick to make a profile and the app is entirely free, so you can flirt without spending a cent.
There is some level of matchmaking criteria, so you’re not going to find the same meaningless connections as you might on Tinder — unless that's you're looking for, in which case you definitely can.
But without the pressure to fall in love right away, it’s great for single parents looking to get back out there in a fun, carefree way.
Sign up for Zoosk
5. OkCupid
Make sure the kids are occupied when you’re creating your OkCupid profile because this one could take you quite a while.
As time-consuming as the questions are, it does save you energy. Think of all the dates you’ve been on with dud personalities that could have been prevented if you had lengthy OkCupid profiles to examine beforehand.
Getting to know someone through a screen is made a lot more personal when you have a bunch of talking points already laid out for you.
The site is free to use with options to upgrade pricing from $10 to $35 dollars a month.
Sign up for OkCupid
6. Plenty of Fish
Plenty of Fish is one of the OG dating sites and has been responsible for millions of online couplings since its 2003 launch. With extensive questions and matching criteria, it will take a lot more than good selfie skills to link you with other singles.
While the site isn’t specifically made for single parents, a 2015 study did find that single moms find love on the site 10 percent faster than other users.
Accounts are free to make and premium options range from $6 to $10 a month. These are worth splashing out for because premium accounts come with more dating questionnaires to match you better with other singles.
Sign up for Plenty of Fish
7. Just Single Parents
Like Single Parents Meet, this site allows you to find other parents who are trying their luck on the dating scene.
You can filter by location to find singles in your area (or outside of it if you don’t want someone close to home). The main downside is there’s no option for LGBTQ parents when signing up, so it can only be used for heterosexual pairings.
It’s not the most popular site, but it's completely free, so what it lacks in users it makes up by protecting your wallet.
Sign up for Just Single Parents
8. Hinge
Hinge is the perfect mix of casual and serious, so you can find meaningful connections without pressure or expectation. It's an app-only online dating service, meaning there's no website, so it's all from the convenience of your phone.
Free to use, the app features customizable profiles framed by optional prompts about desert island necessities, dealbreakers, and favorite movies. You also get to filter by political beliefs, religions, and sexual orientation, making it a safe space for LGBTQ parents.
Sign up for Hinge
9. EliteSingles
If you’re rolling in dough or looking for a highly educated new lover, EliteSingles will help you meet people of a particular, umm... class.
Profiles on the site are a little bit like LinkedIn for relationship networking, with plenty of opportunities to showcase your educational and career accomplishments. This way, you never have to fear wasting your own time or your kids’ by dating someone who has nothing to offer your family.
Elitism doesn’t come cheap, so be prepared to fork out anything from $42 to $57 a month for a membership. It's available as an app and a site, so you can keep up with your matches wherever you are.
Sign up for EliteSingles
10. Silver Singles
Single parents over the age of 50 need to try out this site. With an easy-to-use interface and straight-forward application process, it’s modern dating made simple.
Safety is paramount when dating online. This site features a strict verification process so everyone on the app is exactly who they say they are.
You can fill your profile with your hobbies, interests, and values. With prompts like, “What my partner should know about me,” “How I like to spend my free time,” and “How I describe myself,” you have plenty of opportunity to talk about your children and share details of how parenthood shapes your life.
Sign up for Silver Singles
11. HER
HER is an app by LGBTQ women, for LGBTQ women, that has amassed almost 5 million users since 2015.
While the app isn’t necessarily designed for single moms, the detailed questions about gender orientation, relationship preferences, hobbies, zodiac signs, dietary habits, and much more give you plenty of space to be open about your personality and family.
This is all in an effort to help you find a more worthwhile match that will last beyond a couple of casual dates.
Sign up for HER
Alice Kelly is a writer and storyteller with a passion for lifestyle, entertainment, and trending topics. When she’s not creating content for YourTango, you can catch her working on creative fiction and vintage shopping.