Which app should a man past 50 use after a divorce, or after a long marriage ends? The main services differ most on two points, the kind of relationship their users want and the effort a profile takes to set up, and a man who knows his own answer to both can narrow the list quickly.
Match
Match launched in 1995, which makes it one of the oldest services still running. It is now part of Match Group, the company that also owns Tinder, Hinge, OurTime and Plenty of Fish, so several apps on this list share an owner.
For a man returning after a long gap, Match has the familiar layout of a traditional profile, with room for a written description and search filters for age and distance. A man who writes a few specific paragraphs about himself has more room to do so here than on the prompt-based apps. For a first profile after decades away, a few plain paragraphs are easier to get right than a set of short prompts, and a friend can read them over before they go live.
eHarmony
eHarmony matches members through a questionnaire about their values and emotional health. Neil Clark Warren, a clinical psychologist, founded it in August 2000 with his son-in-law Greg Forgatch. By 2017 the questionnaire had 150 questions, down from 450.
A 2010 analysis in the Harvard Business Review noted that the length of the questionnaire and the cost of membership put off people interested in casual dating. The result is a membership weighted toward long-term relationships, reached through a setup that takes some time. The questionnaire also makes him think through his own priorities before a single match appears, which is useful after a long marriage.
OurTime
OurTime is aimed at singles over 50. It joined the same group when Match.com bought People Media in 2009, and it runs on the same basic model as the larger services, with profiles and messaging.
On a general app, a man of 60 scrolls past many profiles whose age settings exclude him. On OurTime, nearly everyone he sees is in a similar stage of life, which makes conversations about grown children or retirement plans ordinary from the first message. The service is built for singles over 50, so women much younger than him are rare there.
Hinge
Hinge describes itself as the dating app designed to be deleted, and it asks users to answer written prompts in place of a long biography. It has been wholly owned by the same group since 2019.
Its most useful feature for an older man is the Dating Intentions field, where users can indicate whether they want a long-term relationship, something casual or are still working it out. Men with a narrower aim may find those options too broad, and a faith-based service or a sugar baby website may be more closely focused on a particular kind of relationship.
Tinder
Tinder made the swipe-based design widely known. It was founded in 2012 inside Hatch Labs, a startup incubator run by IAC, and after the launch of Tinder Gold in 2017 it became the highest-grossing non-gaming app in the world.
Tinder’s scale gives a man a very large number of profiles to see, and its speed can work against a man who has not dated in decades. Profiles get a quick glance, so the first decision is often made on photos and the written text may be skipped. The pace can be fast, with short opening messages and little time to make an impression.
Plenty of Fish
Plenty of Fish began in Vancouver in 2003, built by Markus Frind without outside funding. Match Group bought it in 2015 for US$575 million, when it had 90 million registered users.
A service of that size has users with every kind of aim. In an AARP survey of singles over 50 in 2012, 48% of those using online services wanted a serious relationship, 26% wanted friendship or companionship and 14% wanted casual dating. A large general app can have people in all three groups, and a man can settle his own answer after a few conversations. Until he does, a line in his profile saying what he is open to spares both sides some guessing.
Facebook Dating
Facebook Dating is part of the main Facebook app, and at launch it had no premium features or advertising. It arrived in Canada in October 2018, one of its first markets after a test in Colombia.
Fraud is a serious risk for a man new to online dating. Losses to romance scams in Canada passed $54.6 million by early October 2025, across 778 victims, according to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, and CTV News reported the case of a separated Toronto man who met a scammer through social media and lost $80,000. A match who avoids meeting in person, or raises money or investments early, is a reason to stop. Sending money to someone he has not met in person is the line to hold, however real the connection feels.
Bumble
Bumble was built around a rule that in opposite-sex matches the woman sent the first message within 24 hours. Whitney Wolfe Herd founded it in December 2014, and the company relaxed the rule in 2024 by introducing Opening Moves, which allow men to respond to a woman’s chosen conversation prompt.
Elaine Hoan, a University of Toronto researcher who studies singlehood, told The Globe and Mail that the design answers a common complaint from women, who often receive messages from men they are not interested in. For a man who has been out of dating for 20 years, a conversation prompt can make that first exchange easier.
Canadians Living Alone
Radio Canada International reported the number of singles and people living alone after the 2021 Census, when a record 4.4 million Canadians lived alone and single-person households were 29% of the total.
An older man who joins one of these services is joining a relatively small group of people who are actively dating. A Globe and Mail survey conducted by Nanos Research in February 2026 found that 8% of Canadians said they were actively dating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which dating app is easiest for men over 50 to use?
OurTime is a reasonable starting point because it is designed for people over 50. Match is another option for men who prefer traditional profiles and want more room to describe themselves before starting a conversation.
Is online dating worth trying after a long marriage?
It can be, particularly for men who have had few opportunities to meet new people. Starting with one app, being clear about relationship goals and taking time over conversations can make the process easier to manage.
How can older men avoid scams on dating apps?
Be cautious of anyone who quickly asks for money, brings up investments or repeatedly avoids meeting in person. Keep early conversations on the dating platform, arrange first meetings in public places and never send money to someone you have only met online.
Choosing Where to Start
There is no single best dating app for every man over 50. Match and OurTime offer familiar profiles, eHarmony asks more questions at the start, and Hinge, Tinder and Bumble take different approaches to meeting people. The choice depends on what he wants and how comfortable he feels using the service.
Trying one app first is often enough. A clear profile, a few honest conversations and some patience will tell him more about whether it suits him than signing up for several at once.
