The 5 Most Effective Single Mom Dating Apps of 2024 According to Dating Experts

Have you tried a single moms dating app? If so, you probably know that modern dating as a single parent or you’re seeking someone with children has more challenges than other types of dating. It can be extremely difficult to find someone who understands the reality of what raising children on a limited schedule is like, nor do they have the same priorities in life. That’s why finding the right single moms dating app is a game changer.

By design, a single moms dating app provides the best way to vet matches, talk from the convenience of your phone or computer, and eventually set up dates to find real love. In this article, we’ll look at the top single moms dating apps worth using, which considerations you should have in mind when choosing the right app for you, and a couple of useful tips that’ll give you more success. Let’s begin!

The Top Two Single Moms Dating Apps Right Now: Stir and eHarmony

Of all the apps out there that appeal to single moms, the ones that really stood out are Stir and eHarmony. Below is a summary of these two dating apps:

Overall Our team rates each site objectively based on many hours of independent research, the features each site offers, and how it compares with other sites. The ratings are the opinion of our editors and their extensive experience.	7.5	9.5
Quality of Women Our opinion of how attractive the typical woman is that uses this site and how easy they are to connect with compared to other sites.	8	9
Popularity How many people are using this site to actually meet people compared to other sites.	7	9
Usability How easy is this site to use and how quickly can an average person begin meeting people compared to other sites.	9	10
Privacy & Safety Does this site take proper precautions to safeguard its members, their identity, and their data.	9	10
Effectiveness Our opinion of how easily an average person will be able to achieve their dating goals with this site compared to other sites.	6	9
Value Will the time and money spent using this site pay off for an average person based on the opinions and experience of our editors.	7	10

The Other Top Single Mom Dating Sites Worth Considering

Beyond the Top 2 dating apps for dating single mothers listed above, we have three (3) other options that can work for you if you want multiple apps at your disposal. Here are our top picks:

Zoosk

Volume matters for finding the right single mothers. That’s why Zoosk’s large user base (40+ million members in 80 countries) means that you’ll have a greater variety. The only problems with Zoosk is that its paid membership is almost mandatory to get results and that the demographics are skewed towards the under-30 crowd. If you’re older, you may want to look at other apps. 

Coffee Meets Bagel

Do you lead a professional life and have only a limited time to meet single mothers? If so, Coffee Meets Bagel (CMB) is a great choice if you’re into meeting those who juggle a career, and kids, and still have free time for romance. Let CMB automatically suggest women in your area right around noon each day, making setting up a lunch date a cinch. While it is free to use, CMB features a paid feature that may be more expensive than other apps, which is also why it didn’t make our top 2 picks. 

Tinder

Tinder has a reputation for a reason, and that reason is that it’s so easy to find a hookup or a date in short order. Simply upload a few photos and you’re off and running to find single moms. Of course, you’ll want to subscribe for a paid membership to get more features, like more daily Super Likes, Rewind to see missed profiles, and more. 

The Most Important Considerations when Choosing a Good Single Moms Dating App

Using a single moms dating app needs a fair amount of planning and forethought before deciding if it’s the right choice for your time, money, and effort. To help you discern what works for you, look over the five (5) following criteria to make the best choice. 

Consideration #1 – Check out the number of users to make sure the app is worth using.

An app is only as useful as the number of people actively using it. Be sure to verify how many people are actually using the app. A simple way to do this is to look up “[dating app name] current users [current year]” on a search engine. If it seems too low (less than 50,000 users) and you live in an isolated area, it’s most likely not a good choice.

Consideration #2 – Consider dating people who aren’t parents. 

Taking care of children is a full-time job, so trying to line up your schedule with another parent can be a challenge – especially when you’re both working full time and your children are out of school. There are plenty of single people that don’t mind dating someone with a child, so you may want to turn your attention to those types of apps. 

Consideration #3 – Does the app let you protect your privacy by giving you the option to hide your profile?

When it comes to dating apps for single moms, you may not want to let everyone know you’re hunting for a partner. Look for dating apps that enable you to hide your profile until you’ve made the choice to vet a potential match.

Consideration #4 – What type of relationship is the app geared towards?

You’ll need to be clear about which single moms dating app fits the type of relationship you’re actually looking for. If it’s a hookup app/site like Tinder, it’s going to be a challenge to find long-term love; vice versa, eHarmony may not be the best choice for finding a spontaneous hookup.

Consideration #5 – Should you feature pictures with your children?

When you’re dating as a person with children, they are part of the package (even during the first initial dates when they haven’t met yet). Consider blocking out the faces of your children with a photo editing tool or omitting these pictures entirely.

5 Key Tips to Get Great Results Using Single Moms Dating Apps and Meeting Other Parents

The following tips are designed to help you get the best results and avoid the most common hassles when using a single moms dating app – as well as how to game the system in your favor!

Tip #1 – Play the field as much as possible

While you may hit it off with the first person you chat with, understand that there are plenty of single moms to choose from. Even if you get some quick matches that seem legitimate, it’s the sad reality of dating apps for some users to ghost you without warning or simply lose interest. 

Play the field by matching with as many people as possible (easier with paid subscriptions on most apps), whittle down those who meet your dating requirements, and unmatch those who don’t quite match up. Also, keep in mind that users that match with a higher number of users tend to get a boost in the rankings, so you’ll actually get more matches if you swipe right and like profiles more often than not. 

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Tip #2 – Patience is a virtue

It seems counterintuitive, but online dating may actually be slower than meeting someone in-person. Take your time to get to know a person and see if you have things in common – especially true for busy single moms and dads that have several commitments. 

Those who press for a quick date are often poor matches who swipe on every profile, often leading to substandard outcomes. Also, being desperate to meet is always a turn-off, so you’ll want to ride the delicate balance of being interested but not in a rush. 

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Tip #3 – Always pay for a membership/subscription

Single moms dating apps are designed according to business models that turn a profit, so they are incentivized to give better results and features to users who invest in their love life in comparison to those who won’t pay. 

Because you’re paying for exclusive access, membership in a single moms dating app gives you a competitive advantage with better search features, a typical boost in the search results, and serves as a way to sort out the riff-raff. Plus, you’re more invested in positive outcomes when you pay for something.

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Tip #4 – Complete your entire profile

Signed up for a single moms dating app, uploaded only a few pictures, and still have to add more info to your profile? Unfortunately, that’s not enough to make an impact in the highly-competitive online dating world. You’ll want to complete your entire profile, add as many photos as possible, and answer survey questions from time to time to make a better impression on potential matches. 

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Tip #5 – Make sure to engage with the app as often as possible

Use your single moms dating app(s) as frequently as you’re comfortable with. Enable push notifications associated with the app if available and respond immediately (or have your email set up to give you a notification). This active engagement also boosts your ranking in most search algorithms, as user engagement is an important metric for determining who are priority users versus casual users.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Single Moms Dating Apps

HeartInsider has the answers you need for dating success on single moms dating apps. Browse the most frequently asked questions about dating apps that most single dads and single moms want to know before using them. 

What are single moms dating apps?

A dating app for single mothers is exactly as you might suspect: smartphone- and desktop-based applications that put single people with children in contact with each other.

As you read in the five major considerations we listed previously, the dating world for single parents is often difficult because of the various lifestyle accommodations that single parents have to make. Free time is often limited and it can be hard to find someone that empathizes with the stress that comes with being separated, divorced, or handling your family by yourself.

Are single mom dating sites legit?

Yes, most single mom dating apps are 100% legitimate and used by thousands of parents around the world.

However, your mileage will vary when it comes to which apps actually get results. Depending on the design features, user base, and pricing for subscription memberships, each app offers a portal for meeting those who are single moms/dads.

Are single moms dating safe?

In all honesty, there will always be a certain amount of risk when putting your personal information and photos online. Most popular apps have excellent security and privacy options, while you may find that some newer apps may not be able to handle sophisticated criminals and bad actors.

As with dating in general, it helps to properly vet the single parent you intend to meet up with and date beforehand. While it’s second nature to screen for red flags among people that you’ve met in person by using your intuition, online dating for single moms requires more attention, look for problematic texts, strange details on their profile, and any other information they provide you with.

Catfishing has become a nuisance for online dating, so always avoid dangerous situations when meeting up or choosing to give out your personal information unless you’re aware of the risk (at the very least, it can be disappointing to interact with someone that misrepresented who they are). Last, be prepared to block someone or report their behavior if they cross your personal boundaries or seem too good to be true.

What are single moms dating app alternatives?

There are more dating apps for single parents out there than just those geared towards helping single parents meet up. HeartInsider has compiled an extensive list of dating sites and apps that have been proven to provide success. See for yourself just how great your dating life can be!

How do single moms dating apps work?

First, most single moms dating apps help you find a match first by verifying your profile information. Once verified, you’ll swipe or like other users’ profiles based on whether they’re attractive. The visibility of these profiles is based on algorithms that pair you with compatible matches as well as the filters you set in your searches, such as distance, body type, relationship type, and so forth. Once both people match, the conversation starts through texting. If you hit it off via text, you can then set up a date. Easy!

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