If you’re looking for the best online dating apps and sites in Thailand for foreigners, what works best can depend on what you’re looking for. Given the diverse user base of some popular Thai and global apps, that could be anything from a meaningful, lasting relationship to a short-term holiday girlfriend.
If you’re in a hurry, here is a brief summary of the three best dating apps for foreigners in Thailand according to a long-running poll on this page:
- ThaiFriendly is free to join, good for both serious and casual dating, and popular with foreign men who vacation in Thailand.
- Tinder is popular with both foreigners and Thais. With a predominantly Thai user base, it’s the most widely used dating app in Thailand.
- ThaiCupid leans more towards serious dating; it’s free to join, but you’ll need to upgrade to send or read messages.
There are many reasons using dating apps is a popular way for foreign men to meet singles in Thailand, including the low cost, convenience, and reach. And often enough, it’s not for dating in the usual sense.
A big advantage is that you can reach a vast pool of Thai singles beyond your usual social circles and overcome obstacles such as the language barrier.
So there are no surprises….
You’ll come across a relatively large number of freelance Thai girls (call girls) online, mainly on Thai dating apps popular in nightlife hotspots like Pattaya and Bangkok and often used as a cheap alternative to the nightlife or to find a holiday girlfriend.
Only a few make it obvious they’re freelancers. Raunchy photos (see below), a wide age preference, and snippets in their profile are often a giveaway. Unless a girl makes it clear what she’s looking for, it’s always best to politely ask.
ASIDE – If you join ANY dating site, you should protect your privacy from the start. Avoid using your real name, never share personal details like your address, workplace, or financial info, and be aware of potential scammers and fake profiles.
Thai Dating Apps vs Tinder in Thailand
Where Thai dating apps and sites like ThaiFriendly and ThaiCupid differ from mainstream dating apps like Tinder is that they are more specifically geared towards connecting Thai singles with foreigners.
Predominantly used by Thais, Tinder is by far the most popular dating and sex hookup app in Thailand.
However, popular Thai dating apps do have some advantages over Tinder, including:
- Instead of swiping through one profile at a time, you can browse multiple profiles on the same page and click or tap to view any you like.
- You can message anyone you like without waiting for a mutual match.
- You can be almost certain that all the singles on Thai dating apps are only interested in foreigners.
- You can search for Thai singles by location, including specific cities and areas of Thailand.
Which is The Best Thai Dating App?
There’s a whole bunch of Thai dating apps and sites to choose from. Some have a decent number of members, assuming they’re all current members.
The two most popular Thai dating apps are significantly bigger than the rest. Although they are both free to join, only one is actually free to use.
Here are the 5 best Thai dating apps ranked by size, popularity, and effectiveness:
1. ThaiFriendly: The best dating app and site for foreigners to meet singles in Thailand for dating and casual fun for free. It typically has between 1 and 2 million members and up to 20,000 users online at any given time.
Despite the limit of one message every 10 minutes with a free account, the numbers are such that you could probably meet more Thai singles for free right now than on all other Thai dating apps combined.
It’s a dating app that’s especially popular in Pattaya, where it leans towards casual dating, but there are plenty of women looking for something serious too, making it a good option for finding a genuine Thai girlfriend in Pattaya.
The best dating app to meet Thai ladyboys in Thailand: There are oodles of ladyboys online seeking foreigners for dating and fun, especially in nightlife hotspots like Pattaya and Bangkok. Unlike other dating apps where it’s a guessing game, ThaiFriendly gives you the option to include them in your search, or not.
2. ThaiCupid: A website and app with 3 million members and the most recommended Thai dating app for foreign men to meet Thai women for serious dating.
You can search, like, and message other members as usual, but ThaiCupid also uses a matchmaking algorithm to suggest compatible profiles based on your preferences, which means you can potentially get a match much faster.
One thing to note about ThaiCupid and, similarly, some other Thai dating apps is that although it’s free to join, you need to pay to send or read messages, or even see who has liked you.
3. ThaiKisses: Female members can contact male members for free. If you’re a guy, you need to pay. Currently has over 700,000 members.
4. ThaiLoveLines: A website and app with over 380,000 members. It’s free to join and you can show interest/send likes for free, but you’ll need a premium membership to send messages.
5. TrulyThai: A website and app with 170,000 members. With a free membership, you can send a message every 10 minutes.
Dating Apps Popular With Thais
Results of a study published by Nation Thailand show that the following dating apps were the most popular among Thais on social media:
- Tinder: 77% of mentions
- Coffee Meets Bagel: 12% of mentions
- Her: 8% of mentions
- Bumble: 2% of mentions
- Omi: 1% of mentions
Source: Nation newspaper article on dating apps.
Best Dating App Poll
When it comes down to it, whether Thai dating apps like ThaiFriendly or Tinder are the best for foreigners in Thailand can just be a matter of user preference or what you’re looking for.
What do you think? Have a vote and view the results of the poll.
TIP
Join ThaiFriendly and start for free. Download the LINE messaging app to take your chat offsite using text, voice, or video calls and get around the 1-message-every-10-minutes limit. It’s the messaging app of choice in Thailand, and importantly, you can keep your phone number and real name hidden.