Casual dating apps
Is There a Good Dating App for Casual Dating in the UK?
Six services, one dated table and an honest note on who each one suits.
Yes. Forget Dinner, Tinder, Feeld, Pure, Hinge and Plenty of Fish all work for casual dating in the UK, in different ways. Forget Dinner is a casual dating site, Pure and Feeld are open-minded apps, Tinder is the most visited UK service according to Ofcom, and Hinge leans towards something serious.
The test
What makes an app good for casual dating
Checked 16 October 2026
The six side by side
Each row comes from the service’s own pages or its UK app-store listing. Prices change and differ by country, so the table says how each one charges rather than how much.
| Service | What it is | Best for | How it charges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forget Dinner | An adults-only UK casual dating site, online since 2008 | Casual intent as the default, with people near you | Everyone starts on Classic, where messaging is limited; VIP and VIP Plus are paid and renew until cancelled |
| Tinder | A swipe app that Ofcom’s 2025 report names the most visited UK dating service | The largest audience and every kind of intent | A basic app to swipe and chat, with paid plans that renew automatically |
| Feeld | An app for the curious, open to solo members and couples | Open-minded dating beyond the usual script | A basic app with chat after a mutual Like, plus a paid Majestic membership |
| Pure | A personal-ad app where chats expire after 24 hours unless both people agree otherwise | Spontaneous, no-pressure meetings | An app that needs a subscription to use it fully, says its UK App Store text |
| Hinge | An app that calls itself “designed to be deleted”, with a dating intentions field | Dating that may turn into something serious | A basic app, with Hinge+ and HingeX as paid upgrades |
| Plenty of Fish | A general dating service founded in 2003 | A mixed audience and every intent | A basic membership with chat between matches, plus paid upgrades |
The honest part
Who each one suits
- Forget Dinner
- Suits you if you want to say “casual” once and be understood, with daily matches built around your distance. Read what members get.
- Tinder
- Suits you if you want the widest choice and are happy to filter. See Forget Dinner vs Tinder.
- Feeld
- Suits you if you are curious, open to couples, or comfortable with a more detailed vocabulary. See Forget Dinner vs Feeld.
- Pure
- Suits you if you like the idea of a message that disappears and a plan made quickly. See Forget Dinner vs Pure.
- Hinge
- Suits you if casual might turn into something longer and you enjoy prompts and slower conversation. See Forget Dinner vs Hinge.
- Plenty of Fish
- Suits you if you want a long-established general service and do not mind a mixed crowd. See Forget Dinner vs Plenty of Fish.
The comparisons hub goes deeper on each pairing, and shows how we check every fact.
On any app
Staying safe on any of them
No service can promise that every profile is genuine, and Forget Dinner, Tinder, Hinge, Pure and Plenty of Fish each say in their terms that they do not run criminal background checks on members. So the habits matter more than the app.
Never send money, however good the story, and be wary of anyone who wants to move to another messaging app straight away. Our guide to dating scams shows the pattern.
Meet in public, tell a friend, and make your own way home. Date ideas help you pick somewhere easy, and the safety page lists what Forget Dinner builds in.
Casual dating apps: straight answers
Is there a good dating app for casual dating in the UK?
Yes. Forget Dinner, Pure and Feeld are built around open, casual dating, and Tinder, Hinge and Plenty of Fish let you state what you want on a profile. The right one depends on how clearly you want intent stated and how large an audience you want.
What is the best dating app for casual dating?
No single app is best for everyone. Pick the one where saying you want something casual feels natural, where people near you are active and where the charging model is clear. Trying a profile on two or three is a reasonable way to find out.
Which dating apps are made for casual dating?
Forget Dinner describes itself as a casual dating site, and Pure and Feeld describe themselves as open-minded, with Feeld also open to couples. Tinder, Hinge and Plenty of Fish are general services where a profile field says what you are after.
What do casual dating apps charge for?
Tinder, Feeld, Hinge and Plenty of Fish each offer a basic app or membership, then charge for upgrades, say their own pages. Pure’s UK App Store text says you need a subscription. Forget Dinner starts everyone on Classic, with messaging limited until you upgrade.
Are casual dating apps safe to use?
They can be, with sensible habits: keep early chat on the platform, never send money, use any verification badge on offer and meet in public first. Every service has tools to block and report, and all of them rely on members using them.
How do I choose between them?
Decide what you want to say up front, how near the people need to be and how much you are willing to pay. Then read the comparison for the two services that fit best, and give each a week before you commit to a paid plan.
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