Best Alternative Dating Sites & Apps in 2024

Single people may come from different backgrounds and have varying interests. Not everyone is compatible in of style and culture, but thankfully there are options for anyone. If you are interested in exploring your identity, alternative dating options can help you find someone to connect with intimately.

Published: June 18, 2021
Updated: August 17, 2023
alternative hippie girl smiling mysteriously

Everyone deserves to be happy and find that unique person who understands them for who they are. Alternative dating is one of the many platforms that allow singles to meet others with similar interests and styles without judgment. Read on for more details about alternative dating in your local area.

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Alternative dating recommendations

These are our top picks for alternative dating sites and apps. Check them out!

Most Popular Choice
Best Alternative Dating Sites & Apps in [year]
9.8
  • Casual & easy-going
  • Great for exciting adventures
  • Like-minded people
Best Alternative Dating Sites & Apps in [year]
9.6
  • Large database of verified & attractive Asian and European singles
  • Efficient communication and instant messaging 
  • Top-level safety and professional support
 
Best Alternative Dating Sites & Apps in [year]
9.3
  • Meet real asian, european, and latino singles
  • Real-time communication with efficient tools
  • Professional dating services
Best Alternative Dating Sites & Apps in [year]
9.0
Christian Filipina is perfect for people who are looking for a serious relationship.
  • 24 hrs customer service
  • One on one Romance Consultations.
  • 100% real users.
Best Alternative Dating Sites & Apps in [year]
8.7
Meet and hook-up with neighbors. Search and view specific profiles in your area. Male profiles needed.
  • Free and easy registration.
  • Largest verified database in the US.
  • Thousands sign up every day.
  • Male profiles needed.
  • Guaranteed matches.
Best Alternative Dating Sites & Apps in [year]
8.3
Dating.com believes that dating isn’t about data, algorithms, how many friends you have in common, or whether you want a boy or a girl or no kids at all. Dating.com believes that dating is a chance — a chance to meet someone new, a chance for them to introduce you to people, places and things that you never knew that you’d love.  
  • 100 million active users
  • 100% verified accounts
  • Right now 60% of sales for Monthly plan
  • Easy start with the "Let's Mingle" feature
 
Best Alternative Dating Sites & Apps in [year]
8.0
  • Covers the entire United States, offering a vast pool of singles from diverse backgrounds and regions.
  • User-friendly interface that simplifies the process of finding matches and sending messages.
  • Sophisticated algorithms to ensure users are matched with those who share similar interests and values.
Best Alternative Dating Sites & Apps in [year]
7.7
Meet Kinksters is an open-minded dating app where you can match based on romance and compatibility in the bedroom. Join our community of like-minded singles who know what they need, both in and out of the bedroom.
  • Match based on both taste and romantic compatibility
  • Stop wasting time on vanilla dating sites
  • No swiping here: Find who and what you're looking for
  • Show your face only when you're ready
  • Be yourself with dozens of genders and kink identities
Best Alternative Dating Sites & Apps in [year]
7.1
  • Receive curated matches in just 15 minutes
  • Send and receive pictures in private chats
  • A high-security chat with two-factor authentication
Best Alternative Dating Sites & Apps in [year]
6.7
  • Global Community, Local Flavor: Connect with a diverse community of singles in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand for a rich and varied dating experience.
  • Advanced Matching Algorithms: Benefit from cutting-edge algorithms that analyze your preferences, ensuring more accurate and compatible matches.
  • Security and Privacy Assurance: Your privacy is our priority. Seeking employs robust security measures to create a safe environment for genuine connections.

Are you tired of the same old dating scene that Tinder, Zoosk, Plenty of Fish, and other sites and apps have to offer? Maybe there’s something special that you are interested in, or a lifestyle that is attractive to you that you would like your potential partner to also have. 

If you just want something new, then Alternative Dating is exactly the best place you need to be. Whether you want an online dating site to find the love of your life with or dating apps with chat rooms where you can enjoy niche hookups, Alternative dating has it for you. 

What is Alternative Dating?

Simply put, this is a category of dating that offers niche dating services for people who may find traditional sites and apps to be a bit lackluster. Here you can meet people that want to fall in love with other like-minded people. 

This means that alternative people who are looking for an alternative partner can find that special someone they’ve always been looking for. Whether your potential matches are punkers, emo, furries, dwarfs, or even metalheads and people from all walks of life. 

You can find alternative dating apps and websites for any age here, ranging from the free to paid services. Explore what interests you the most and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there!

Alternative Lifestyles

This ranges from people who choose to enjoy a lifestyle that is non-normative, such as vegans, hippies, furries, nudists, gamers, and goths, to name a few. For example, this kind of dating is perfect for someone who is looking to find a service that caters to goth dating.

This isn’t to say that someone who enjoys living a furry lifestyle or who is an avid gamer would not find love on a dating website that is more traditional and generic. 

However, these kind of alternative dating sites give people with something that really interests them a range of benefits.

For someone that is intensely interested in a particular lifestyle, a dating site that emphasizes your hobbies and lifestyle offers security for you in the sense that you can rest assured knowing that you will be matching and meeting with people who share your lifestyle.

happy hippie girl with weird hair in zen like pose

Alternative dating apps and websites

Alternative dating not only gives singles with unique lifestyles a chance to search for, meet and match with other likeminded individuals, but it also had taken dating into a new direction lately. 

These kind of dating services also offer platforms for singles with physical impairment as well. Not only can you find a trendy new emo dating site, you can also find an app for iOS or android that helps you match up with people who have disabilities.

For people who are deaf or have a similar sensory impairment of some kind but want to date just like anyone else online, then these new platforms offer the single best way to meet the new love of your life. 

For example, if you are looking for a different dating site for dwarfs, there are several respected services where you can enjoy messaging and swiping with dwarf singles or people looking to date a dwarf. 

Any time there is something different that you might be looking for in your new dating service, whether it is at home or while you are on the go, rest easy knowing that there are others who share your situation and interests and would love to meet you.

Online dating that isn’t just for alternative people

These services are a popular niche for many people, and these dating sites which cater to groups with special interests also attract people who would like to date within these communities, even if they aren’t living a unique lifestyle or have a physical impairment.  

Rest assured that these sites are entirely for people with said special interests or disabilities. However, you can also meet someone who is not disabled on a site for dating the physically impaired that would be interested in dating you. 

It’s more common in this day and age than you might think! After all, the best alternative services encourage newcomers to the altscene, and want you to know that this is an inclusive, respectful, and safe place for you to search for and find someone to love. 

And unlike something as basic as Facebook dating, you’re going to find active communities of people who have come together and will support you not only in your search for relationships, but also in your own day-to-day challenges. 

The bottom line is that these are safe spaces. You can share your life with someone special that loves you for who you are and has an interest in your lifestyle, and most likely will share in what makes you special.

No matter your age, alternative dating can make it easy to email and contact the single of your dreams no matter your interests! You can search, match, and meet with singles for free to take home the best person for you.

Make the most out of who you are and embrace your identity! Try out these different dating sites for free and find the one that will make you truly happy before signing up. It is free to make a profile on these sites, so why not take the leap today and make your own happiness?

Alternative dating FAQ

We get that you are a member of a user base which prides itself on going out there and embracing the things in life that matter most to you. You may also be someone who finds that alternative dating is better suited for them from traditional ways of finding a soulmate. 

In either case, you undoubtedly have some questions. That’s why we’ve gathered some of the most frequently asked questions and have provided some answers to help get you started with dating. 

What kind of alternative dating services are there?

When it comes to falling in love outside the norm, there’s a whole world of dating that you can find yourself enjoying. Anything from services which focus on interests like Punk Dating to meet single punks and emo dating sites or goth dating. 
There are also services which focus on physical impairments or conditions that stand out, such as services for deaf, blind, or mute dating. There are also sites for dwarfs, amputees, people in wheelchairs, and those who are otherwise physically or mentally disabled. 

What other kinds of services do these sites offer?

Thanks to the nature of these websites, they also tend to function as a social network for communities who share similar lifestyles. This means that not only will people go there to find love, but they’ll enjoy real time social media as they chat and make new friends to boot. 
That’s why you see larger chat rooms, forums, and more messaging services that what you would just need for basic matchmaking. 
On top of this they often offer lifestyle information and guides for people who may be unfamiliar with a particular niche or community. These help to make the places safe spaces for education and growth as they welcome new and interested members. 

Do generic dating services offer ways to find alternative lifestyle dating partners?

Yes, believe it or not. Thanks to how the average algorithm works on a generic dating site like OkCupid or eHarmony, it is possible to match with other like-minded alternative thinkers. However, this depends on how you set up your profile and filter your matches. 
You will still end up matching with a lot of people who may not quite fit the community you wanted to touch base with and find a soulmate in. 

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