Best for: single parents looking for casual or serious relationships
User base: single parents and people interested in dating parents
Number of members: Unknown
Recommended age: 20s-40s
Favorite features: safety guidelines, inclusive signup process, question prompts
Stir has a free membership option. But if you’re serious about using this app to find a relationship, it can get very expensive very fast.
With Premium, you gain the ability to see your instant matches, message before matching, monthly profile boosts, and upgrade your Like to the top of someone’s list of Likes.
Standard members don’t get message-read alerts, monthly boosts, or weekly super likes.
Subscribers receive discounts and features that are usually standard in other dating apps, including
There are also paid features and “power-ups” to receive email read notifications, browse in private mode, and reply for free.
The good news is that you don’t have to pay right away. You can create a profile and immediately search, receive “Top Picks,” and send likes for free. But features are extremely limited without a membership.
Stir’s signup process is fast, easy, and fun. You can complete it on the website or through the app.
The gender choices are extremely inclusive. It’s not just “man” or “woman” — there’s an entire selection to choose from, including transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, two-spirit, and “other” if none of their options match your identity.
After signing up with your email and password, it’s time to personalize your profile. You can upload up to six photos and answer parent- and dating-related question prompts that will end up on your profile, some of which include:
The last page features an option to sign up for a paid membership, which you can do or skip. After this, you enter the matchmaking part of the app.
The homepage is the Discover page where you can “Skip” or “Like” singles.
Profiles show the person’s information, including but not limited to, their:
You can’t actually search through multiple profiles. You browse one person at a time and the results are only based on age, distance, and gender filters.
Stir’s interface is similar to other dating apps, so it’s simple to navigate.
Some of the main features include:
All of them are easy to use, but most if not all require paid upgrades, which is a big disadvantage.
If you like someone on the Discover page and have messaging capabilities, you can get their attention by sending them a message. From there, you can initiate a video chat or phone call. After a while of browsing profiles (as an unpaid member), you might earn a free message. But be careful as it’s only valid during the same session.
Stir is very transparent about how to stay safe while using their service.
They’re open about how they use cookies and process your data. Something we like is that you can choose which cookies you enable (when using the desktop version) and they remind you about their policies before you officially sign up.
When you go to your Matches tab for the first time, there’s a pop-up that says “Let’s commit to staying safe” where you agree to prevent fraud, be respectful, and immediately report inappropriate behavior.
Stir has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to:
They also have a safety tips page with a list of considerations and ways to stay safe in terms of online and offline safety, sexual health and consent, and resources for help, support, or advice.
Stir’s extensive FAQ page is complete with guides and answers to questions about canceling memberships, messaging, the coronavirus, billing, paid features, and more.
To contact the team directly, they’re available via email Monday-Friday between 8 am-5 pm CST.
Their FAQ page is very detailed. If you can’t find the information you’re seeking, you can contact them by clicking the Email Us button on their Contact page and filling out the attached question form.
If you’re a single parent or someone who is open to having children and looking for a relationship, then consider trying Stir. Stir is an online dating app available for Android and desktop made by Match.com with parents in mind. Matchmaking is super simple once you create your profile. Although it’s pricier than other apps, the dating pool is very specific, so your chances of finding love on Stir are higher than they’d be if you were to use another app.
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