Updated on May 3, 2023
The 5 best French dating apps for finding love
Dating in another country and language can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Dating apps are a quick and effective way to meet people, especially if you’ve just arrived in France.
Traditionally, dating in France is a casual affair. It often begins in groups and larger friend circles before progressing to one-on-one time. An exact translation for the word “dating” doesn’t even exist in French — it’s more voir quelqu’un (to see someone).
While Tinder and Bumble are some of the most popular dating apps in France, we wanted to offer you a unique perspective focusing on French-founded dating apps and sites. Here are our top five:
Meetic.fr was founded in France in 2001. In 2009, it acquired the European side of the international dating app Match.com. The slogan for the app is “Serious Dating, Crazy Love,” which shows that this French dating app is definitely for people searching for long-term love. They even offer online and offline singles events in different regions of France, so you can meet people your age while doing activities like cooking classes and apéritifs.
It’s free to create an account, but if you want to chat with somebody, you need to sign up for a subscription starting at €9.99 per month.
The French dating app and website AdopteUnMec has a funny and apt name: “Adopt a man”! It was created by two childhood friends in 2008 as a way of empowering women and making dating more accessible.
The app is completely free for women, while men have to pay. This makes it very popular with young women who want to feel safe in the online dating world. Given its nature, the company has received criticism for its concept, but in today’s day and age where dating apps are rife, there’s room for everyone. Given that it’s free for women, it’s worth signing up and giving it a try!
The dating app Once was actually created in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, but it is very popular in France. It sets itself apart from other dating apps by focusing on slow dating, in which people take their time to get to know each other before deciding if they want to meet in person.
Once does this by offering only one match per day, so that users can assess the match with their full attention. Subscriptions start at €10 per month.
The website for DisonsDemain is actually accessible via the same portal as Meetic, which bought it in 2015. This French dating app is for people aged 50 and over and, like Meetic, it offers singles events such as painting classes, walks and apéritifs.
The company focuses on the fact that finding love after 50 isn’t always easy. To make it slightly easier, DisonsDemain aims to bring together singles in fun, low-pressure situations. It’s free to sign up, while subscriptions start at €19.99.
The French dating app Fruitz uses four different fruits as a way of indicating what type of relationship users are looking for. A cherry represents a serious relationship, a grape is for meeting for a drink, a watermelon is for friends with benefits and a peach is for one-night stands.
In 2022, the app had made such an impression that American dating app Bumble decided to acquire it to target its Gen Z users. The app is free, but in order to unlock access to specific features, you’ll need a subscription. Prices start at €10 per month.
Finding love isn’t easy, but these French dating apps will certainly help you get a head start. They can also be a great way to find French-speaking singles, as dating a French person is definitely a great way to improve your language skills!
