Gone are the days when people balk at you if you say you met your partner online. Dating apps have irrevocably changed the way we date — much as social media platforms have changed how we interact with each other. With so many apps, from Bumble to eharmony, it can be challenging to determine which ones to invest in, especially if you’re looking for that special someone.

According to 2023 findings from the Pew Research Center, one in ten partnered adults (married, living with a partner, or in a committed relationship) met their partner on a dating app or site. If you’re a younger adult and/or LGBTQ, you’re more likely to have met your significant other online: one in five adults under 30 and nearly one in four for LGBTQ adults.

The same study found that almost half (44 percent) of dating app users said a major reason for using them was to meet a long-term partner. So, if that’s you, you’re certainly not alone, despite what you might see people lament on TikTok. 

The discourse on dating app culture can be unrelenting. In 2025, singles told Mashable they’d rather meet a potential partner in person, but they’re begrudgingly on the apps. Some, like Tinder, have seen their revenue decrease in recent quarters, while Hinge is growing. Even then, though, daters bemoan even the most popular of apps. A Kinsey scientist even recently told Mashable where daters are going wrong; he said to use dating apps as a tool, not to let them run the show — and stop self-optimizing, already.

Despite the frustration over The Apps™, it’s undeniable that if you want to date from the comfort and safety of your home, they’re the way to do it. If you’re, say, introverted or have difficulty approaching someone in person, an app does have its uses.

What is the #1 best dating app?

Considering the variation in experiences on all the dating apps, it’s difficult to quantify which ones are the “best.” Some people find their spouses on Tinder, while others are disappointed that their matches are only looking for hookups. 

That being said, if you’re looking for something serious, your best bet is likely an app with a large user base, options for you to indicate what you’re looking for in your bio, and filters to weed out who you really want to partner with. There are also apps whose branding is geared towards finding one’s ultimate match — like eharmony and Match, both decades-old sites with reputations for helping users find their spouse. Hinge, Bumble, and Coffee Meets Bagel also have a reputation for more “serious” connections.

Depending on the type of relationship you’re seeking, you may also benefit from a more niche app. Take one app on our list, SilverSingles, for people over 50. Sure, there are older adults on apps like Tinder and Bumble as well, but you may have more luck finding someone age-appropriate if you’re in a space meant just for you.

Which dating site is best for serious relationships?

Mashable has researched to pick out a few from the plethora of dating sites (and apps) out there. These options are available for both Android and Apple users, so the type of phone you have won’t determine your options. In terms of monetary investment, you can use some of these for free (like Tinder and Bumble), while others are more pay-to-play. We’ve also included some “niche” options, like the aforementioned SilverSingles and Elite Singles, so you have more than the standard buffet of dating apps.

Here are the best dating apps for serious relationships:

A couple years ago, I invited a few friends over for Galentine’s Day…

I set out a cheese plate and asked everyone to bring a sweet treat to share, since, as Julia Child said, “a party without cake is just a meeting.”

We also got a giant container of Spanish potato chips because life is short, you guys!!!

Then we sat at my dining table and made heart-shaped notes for people we adored, including friends, parents, partners, children, each other, and ourselves. We had a spread of construction paper, scissors, glue sticks, stickers, more stickers, beads, ribbon, letters, more letters, and glitter pom poms. We laughed and told embarrassing stories, and afterward, I got a dozen texts from friends saying, “That was so NEEDED.” I felt the same.

As Emily Rapp Black wrote years ago: “Here’s the truth: Friendships between women are often the deepest and most profound love stories, but they are often discussed as if they are ancillary, ‘bonus’ relationships to the truly important ones. Women’s friendships outlast jobs, parents, husbands, boyfriends, lovers, and sometimes children.”

Thoughts? Would you throw a Galentine’s gathering? What other activities or snacks would you suggest? I’d love to hear! My friend Susan once had ladies over on Galentine’s Day to watch Clueless, which made for a fun evening. Maybe this year I’ll play PEN15 on mute in the background.

Side note: When I was flipping through my phone for these photos, I came across a snapshot of a page from Lindy West’s book of movie recaps. Still makes me laugh.

P.P.S. The secret to female friendship, and the love story I never thought to tell.

OpenAI released a new coding model today, GPT-5.3-Codex. The company said the new model has improved “reasoning and professional knowledge capabilities” and will operate 25 percent faster than its predecessor.

Anthropic, one of OpenAI’s chief rivals, also released a new coding model today, Claude Opus 4.6. Earlier this week, OpenAI also launched the Codex app for macOS, a new app interface for managing multiple AI agents at once.

Crucially, OpenAI says that the new GPT-5.3-Codex model is its “first model that was instrumental in creating itself.” Anthropic said something similar about Clade Cowork recently, and engineers at OpenAI and Anthropic say almost all their coding is now done by AI.

In a blog post announcing GPT-5.3-Codex, OpenAI wrote, “The Codex team used early versions to debug its own training, manage its own deployment, and diagnose test results and evaluations — our team was blown away by how much Codex was able to accelerate its own development.”

Why does it matter if an AI model helped create itself?

People who believe in the technological singularity, or “the singularity,” talk about a tipping point at which technology becomes self-improving, leading to an uncontrolled explosion of technological advancement. And now we have some real-world examples of AI improving itself. (At least, according to the AI companies behind the announcements.)

We don’t know exactly how much GPT-5.3-Codex was involved in its own development, but the news does reveal just how advanced frontier AI models have become, particularly in writing code.

“With GPT‑5.3-Codex, Codex goes from an agent that can write and review code to an agent that can do nearly anything developers and professionals can do on a computer,” the OpenAI blog post reads.

GPT-5.3-Codex is available now in the Codex app.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.