The best apps for dating in Shanghai

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Even in a big, busy metropolitan city like Shanghai, it can be hard to meet and connect with people, let alone date. But sometimes you’re looking for love or just a little action, and there’s no shame in that. If you’re not the best at face-to-face interaction, what better wingman than a dating app? Here we’ve rounded up a few to help you find a special someone this cuffing season.

Tinder

Tinder is no different here than any other metropolitan city – open up the app and find yourself a hot date. Tinder’s the main go-to for those entering the online dating world in Shanghai. One downside is you’ll need a VPN to use it. But who minds the hassle if you can get a little action?

Tantan

Basically the Chinese version of Tinder, Tantan uses the same swipe-right-swipe-left feature. One difference is that Tantan shows the number of times you’ve walked past a person nearby, which is either really creepy or really convenient. You can also go to Tantan’s website and see a live stream of all the happy matches made on the app. Oh, and did we mention it’s queer friendly?

Bumble

With Bumble, women make the first move when it comes to sending messages, and matches expire after 24 hours if there’s no response. The setup pushes some women out of their comfort zone and it’s great for shy guys. If you think Bumble is less popular than Tinder, you’d be surprised. And just like Tinder, Bumble is queer friendly.

Momo

Though Tantan is China’s largest dating platform, Momo was actually the first. It started off more or less as a hookup app but now it’s expanding its reach, allowing users to send videos, voice messages, play mini-games and more. While predominantly for straight men and women, this one’s also queer friendly. If you’re looking for a date or casual fling, Momo’s the way to go.

Grindr

Grindr is the OG of gay dating apps, and one of the world’s largest. Grindr can be a lot of things, but tame is rarely one of them. From mild to (very) wild, you’re likely to find a guy into the same. That being said, you may also find guys who are just looking for conversation. Whatever it is, judge no one and have fun.

Blued

Blued is the largest gay dating app in the world, with over 40 million users (mostly in China). The interface is like a mix of Twitter and Facebook, though you don’t need a VPN for this one. Unlike the other apps, Blued allows you to live-stream your matches – a great way to avoid catfishing.