The 5 Best Dating Apps For Trans People

Cosmopolitan

2 days ago

Welcome to Love Transcends, a special project by Cosmopolitan that celebrates the resilience, wisdom, hope, and joy of the trans community as its members navigate romantic love. Through in-depth interviews and personal essays, trans people share what it's like to date, hook up, break up, and fall in and hold onto love in the midst of sweeping anti-trans legislation and attacks on personal safeties and freedoms of expression. Click here to see the entire collection.
Whether you've been swiping since the dawn of Tinder or you're brand-new to the apps, success for anyone requires knowing what you want out of the experience, picking the right platform, and, for transgender people in particular, considering a few other unique needs.
'Trans people face the challenge of being misunderstood, objectified, or harassed on dating apps,' says trans dating and relationship coach Kara Chang, adding that daters may also grapple with 'decision fatigue around when and how to disclose our trans identity.'
Plus, there's the fact that, as Chang notes, many dating apps simply weren't built with trans people in mind. That makes choosing the right ones all the more important. First, look for platforms that prioritize inclusivity and safety. 'A good dating app protects you as a user, gives you the freedom to express your gender identity authentically, and has a culture that values respect and an equal user experience for all,' says Chang.
Of course, as queer love coach Nathan Serrato, founder of Queer Conscious, adds, the trans dating experience is unique to each individual. What works for one dater may not work for another. But this curated selection of dating apps—recommended for trans and nonbinary users by LGBTQIA+ dating experts—is a good place to start.
Grindr is best known as a dating/hookup app for gay men, but it's so much more than that. Zachary Zane, Grindr's sex and relationship expert, says the platform is inclusive of queer, trans, and nonbinary folks as well. 'On Grindr,' explains Zane, 'bisexual men are looking to date trans women. There are gay and bi trans men looking for other men. Nonbinary folks are looking for love and there are plenty of queer people on the app looking to date a trans or nonbinary person.'
Plus, as one of the first and largest online dating platforms for queer users, Grindr has a long history of providing a space designed specifically with LGBTQIA+ daters in mind. That ethos extends beyond the app itself. Launched in 2015, Grindr for Equality, the brand's social impact initiative, partners with public health authorities and other activist organizations to advance LGBTQIA+ health and human rights.
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One of the earliest online dating platforms, OkCupid has long been a pioneer of inclusivity. Back in 2014, the app became the first in the biz to expand gender and sexual orientation options for users, and daters can now choose from over 60 labels. In 2022, OkCupid also added definitions for these labels to help better educate all users. Plus, 'the algorithm actually uses your questionnaire responses to match you with people who are genuinely compatible,' says Chang. This can lead to less mindless swiping and more meaningful connections with like-minded people who know (and love!) what you're all about.
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If Grindr is known as an app for gay men, HER is the most prominent app for lesbian women. But, like Grindr, HER is an inclusive platform that welcomes queer sapphics of all kinds, including nonbinary and trans people. HER also boasts a Trust and Safety team, a verification process designed to weed out fakes and scammers, and moderators to ensure all users enjoy a respectful experience. Plus, HER's website specifically mentions keeping the app transphobe-free—a helpful indicator that the platform is serious about the needs and safety of its trans users.
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'Translr is one of the rare apps built for the trans community. It's a space dedicated to trans people and the people who want to date us,' says Chang. 'There is a mutual understanding among users—no need to explain our existence, just vibes and love.' The app also boasts a rigorous verification process to protect users and block fetishizers and catfish, as well as a zero-tolerance policy for harassment.
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While apps that are designed specifically for queer and/or trans users may provide a safer and more inclusive experience, they also tend to come with the downside of smaller dating pools. Unfortunately, 'more users can also mean more exposure to transphobia,' says Serrato. Enter: Hinge, a popular dating app that welcomes daters of all genders and sexual orientations and actively works to provide a safe and supportive experience for queer and trans users.
'As trans people, we often feel like our identities are being flattened, with people focusing primarily on our trans identity instead of our full selves,' says Moe Ari Brown, Hinge's love and connection expert. Per Brown, Hinge 'understands that trans people are more than their identities and that meaningful connections happen when everyone feels safe showing up as their full self.' The app includes more than 50 gender options and users can write in their own or not share a gender identity in their profile at all. 'This allows people to express who they are without forcing anyone to disclose any information they don't want to,' says Brown. In February, as a result of conversations with Hinge's community partner TransTech Social, the app launched Match Note, a feature designed to help users—particularly those from underrepresented groups—share important information about themselves with matches only. In testing, Brown says queer daters used Match Notes to highlight key aspects of their gender identity, lifestyle, and relationship preferences, adding that 83 percent of trans people said the feature 'improved their ability to show up as their authentic self on Hinge.'
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For an expanded list of resources specific to the trans community, click here.