Online dating has become significantly more popular in more recent years, following the rise of technology and the Internet all over the world and our growing reliance on technology to navigate our daily lives. Online dating has become less stigmatized, and a popular tool used to meet people, especially in Russia.

According to eMarketer, Russia was ranked number one for dating app share of total app downloads. .39% of Russian app downloads are dating app related. Following closely behind Russia is Brazil, with .38% of dating app shares. China comes in third place, followed by the United States in fourth place. Other countries in the top 10 included Turkey, Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, India, and Japan.

The popularity of online dating in Russia is interesting due to the value of serious relationships many Russians have. Russian dating is seen as much more serious, compared to Western culture, especially regarding online dating. Traditionally, it is common for many Russians to get married in their early twenties. While Western use of dating apps is usually for more casual relationships. According to Pew Research Center, only one third of Americans who have used online dating have never actually even gone on a date with someone they met on these sites. Apps like Tinder are not seen as casual dating apps in Russia. Many use Tinder to find serious relationships, and even for networking opportunities. Tinder also did not make the top 5 Russian online dating sites, and this is most likely because there are more local sites that cater more to Russian needs when it comes to online dating.

Top Dating Apps in Russia

As of recent AppAnnie statistics, Google Play app charts show the top dating apps Russians are using. The number one app Russians use for online dating is Пообщаемся. The app is used for both serious relationships or to find friends.The second most popular Russian dating app is Galaxy. The app includes hundreds of chat rooms, including the option to create your own. There is also a private messaging option, and an option for random chats to meet new people. LovePlanet is the third most popular Russian dating app. LovePlanet is an international dating app that allows users to play “yes, no, maybe” to find a match. It also has the option to secret chat, which is recommended for shy users.

ParkFace comes in fourth place as Russia’s most popular dating app. ParkFace is a social network dating app that is popular for users who live outside of Russian cities. Find Real Love, a premium dating app is the fifth most popular dating app Russians use. It is popular among users who are interested in finding serious relationships.

Top Websites for Dating in Russia

While a good portion of dating apps don’t have a desktop option for users, some dating apps are married to websites that were originally built before the rise of mobile. To compare the app rankings, we looked at research by SimilarWeb on Russia’s most popular sites for relationships and dating. The most popular Russian online dating site is love.mail.ru. Similar to love.mail.ru, the second most popular online dating site is mamba.ru, which is also an online network of independent dating sites. Badoo is the third most popular dating site, and is more of a dating focused social network, rather than a network of independent sites. Badoo is not exclusive to Russia, but one of the world’s biggest dating sites. It is available in 190 countries, and has 47 different language options.

Tabor.ru is the fourth most popular dating site in Russia. Loveplanet is the fifth most popular online dating site, which is also and app and is popular for its chat rooms.

The local Russian websites and Badoo have long dominated this market but there has been a lot of space for new apps and options for Russian users to capitalize on the Russian interest in online dating.