Ranking
Safest Dating Apps 2026
Every dating app we cover, plus Tea, an app where women check and review men they date. Each score weighs how much personal data the app collects and shares, its security and breaches, user control, how well it handles fake profiles, scams and abuse, and its record with privacy and consumer regulators. The biggest risk on any of them is still the person on the other side of the chat.
Updated · Scores update with each page
The ranking
Hinge
Unlike Tinder and Bumble, Hinge's App Store label lists no data for third-party advertising, and it has no major fine or breach on record. Its weak spot is what happens after a user is reported. A 2025 investigation and a lawsuit by six women allege that a man reported to Hinge for rape kept using its apps for years.
Score 54, grade DMatch
Match is one of the less data-hungry dating apps for advertising, and we found no breach of its user data. Its weak points are scams and its record with the FTC, which sued in 2019 over messages from likely fake accounts and over billing, and settled with Match Group for $14 million in 2025.
Score 51, grade DBumble
Bumble has some of the better safety tools among dating apps, including optional ID verification, automatic blurring of nude photos and AI that hunts fake accounts. Its privacy is weak, though. Its own App Store label lists location, contact details and sensitive info used for tracking or third-party advertising.
Score 50, grade DTinder
Tinder has become safer to use since Face Check video selfies became mandatory for new users in many countries, but it collects sensitive data, shares identifiers for ad tracking, and faces a proposed Irish GDPR fine. The biggest risk is still the person on the other side of the chat.
Score 50, grade DBadoo
Badoo shares Bumble's safety tools, such as photo verification and nude blurring. Its privacy is weak. The App Store label lists location and contact details used to track you, and its record includes a $40 million biometric settlement and a large unverified 2013 leak.
Score 46, grade DOkCupid
OkCupid asks more personal questions than almost any dating app, and its record on keeping those answers private is poor. The FTC says it handed nearly three million user photos plus location data to an outside company and then denied it. The 2026 settlement bars misleading privacy claims but carries no fine.
Score 44, grade DGrindr
Grindr holds very sensitive data, from sexual orientation to HIV status and live location, and its record with it is poor. Norway's NOK 65 million fine for sharing data with advertisers was upheld in court, and Grindr settled a UK group claim for £26 million in 2026.
Score 41, grade DTea
Tea promises women a safer way to check out dates, but in July 2025 it left verification photos, ID images and about a million private messages exposed. Apple removed it from the App Store in October 2025. It is still on Google Play, and a class settlement over the leaks is being finalised.
Score 32, grade F
Which apps are on this list
The rule is purpose. An app is here when it exists to help people meet a partner or date safely: the matching apps Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, Grindr, OkCupid, Match and Badoo, and Tea, which women use to check men they date. Social networks and messengers where people also flirt are scored on their own pages and left out. Four of these apps, Tinder, Hinge, OkCupid and Match, belong to the same company, Match Group.
How the order is built
Each app is scored on five factors. Privacy and security count for 30% each: what the app collects and shares with advertisers, and how well it protects accounts and stored data. Transparency and control count for 15%, scams and harmful content for 15%, and the regulatory record for 10%. Full rubrics are on how we score apps.
The list is those scores sorted from the highest down. When we update a page, its place here changes, so this text does not quote scores.
What separates the apps
Dating apps collect more sensitive data than most apps: photos, location, sexual orientation and, on some, health details. Most of the gap between them comes from what they do with it. Apps whose privacy labels list little or no data for third-party advertising, and that have no major breach or fine, sit higher. Apps with a record of sharing data, such as Grindr with its Norwegian fine or OkCupid, which the FTC says handed nearly three million user photos and location data to an outside company, sit lower.
Safety tools matter too. Tinder's mandatory video selfies and Bumble's automatic blurring of nude photos make some kinds of abuse harder. But how an app responds after someone is reported counts as well: a 2025 investigation and a lawsuit by six women allege that a man reported to Hinge for rape kept using its apps for years.
Tea sits apart. It was built to make dating safer, but its 2025 leaks exposed the very ID photos and private messages its users trusted it with.
How to date more safely on any app
Search a match's name and photos before you meet. Keep the chat inside the app until you have met, meet first in a busy public place, tell a friend where you will be, and arrange your own way home. Never send money, gift cards or crypto to someone you have not met, however long you have been talking.
Questions
What is the safest dating app?
The app at the top of this list has the highest score we give a dating app right now, but no dating app scores well on every factor. Apps that share less data with advertisers and have no major fine or breach do best. Each page shows where the app is strong and where it is weak.
Which dating apps verify users?
Tinder now requires Face Check video selfies for new users in many countries. Bumble offers optional ID verification and uses AI to hunt fake accounts, and Badoo shares Bumble's photo verification. A verified badge makes a fake profile less likely, but it does not tell you anything about the person's intentions.
How do I avoid romance scams on dating apps?
Be wary of matches who quickly ask to move to WhatsApp, avoid video calls, or bring up crypto investing or a sudden emergency. Never send money to someone you have not met. The FTC says Americans reported $1.3 billion lost to romance scams in 2022, and 19% of those who lost money said it started on a dating site or app.
Is Grindr safe to use?
Grindr holds very sensitive data, from sexual orientation to HIV status and live location, and its privacy record is poor. Norway fined it NOK 65 million for sharing data with advertisers, and the fine was upheld on appeal. If you use it, share as little as you can in your profile and consider what your location reveals.
Why is Tea on this list?
Tea is built around dating. Women use it to look up and warn each other about men they meet. In July 2025 it left verification photos, ID images and about a million private messages exposed, and Apple removed it from the App Store in October 2025. It is still on Google Play.
Do dating apps sell your data?
Several share it for advertising. Bumble's and Badoo's App Store labels list location and contact details used to track you, and Tinder shares identifiers for ad tracking. Hinge's label lists no data for third-party advertising, and Match lists only identifiers. Check the app's privacy label before you sign up.