I reviewed every major dating app from a guy's perspective - here's what they were like

Since Tinder was released in 2012, dating apps have become an undeniable part of our popular culture.

Even if you don't use them, you've probably heard about friends meeting girlfriends or boyfriends on apps like Tinder, Hinge, or OkCupid. And the fact that they would even admit that says something.

But what are these dating apps actually like to use?

My colleague Maya Kosoff reviewed many of the most popular dating apps a few month ago, but when talking about them, we noticed there were some big differences in our experiences. And many of them boiled down to gender. Maya had to deal with things I never did, like being bombarded with gross messages from guys. I had my own set of challenges.

To get a snapshot of what the dating app scene is like for guys, I compared the free tiers of six popular dating apps: Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, OkCupid, The League, and Coffee Meets Bagel.

Here is what I found: