Whether you are holidaying in Bali or working in Jakarta, online dating is by far your best chance at finding someone special in Indonesia.

It is now very common for Indonesians of any age or background to use dating apps, and the most popular ones have tens of thousands of members. Among my friends living in the country, the majority of them have met their partners online and it is no longer something to feel shameful about. To quote a famous pick-up line: No, you no longer need to pretend you've "met at the zoo" when you introduce your boyfriend or girlfriend to your parents.

As dating apps became mainstream, the quality and the diversity of the profiles have improved as well. Gone are the days when dating apps were full of creeps and freaks. Nowadays, you can definitely find a potential wife or husband, someone attractive, smart, with a good job or career with whom you can build a serious relationship.

That said, if you are a newcomer to the online dating scene in Indonesia, you may be a bit confused about how and where to start. You may also be wondering if there are things you should be cautious about in order to be 100% safe (scams, fake profiles).

I wrote this article to answer those questions. More than a ranking, it is a comprehensive guide to online dating in Indonesia which, I hope, will help you find the right person for you. Please don't hesitate to leave a comment to share about your personal experience!

Updated May 2021: After trying again all the dating apps listed below, I readjusted my ranking and changed some of my descriptions. I also removed the apps/websites that I don't find interesting anymore (Happn, Skout, Setipe, WeChat, BeeTalk, or Paktor).
These are the best online dating apps and websites in Indonesia now (Tinder is way down, scroll down to understand why I hate this app):

Bumble: For high-quality matches
Bumble has been called the "feminist" dating app because girls have to message guys first (They have 24 hours to do so).

It is currently my favorite app in Jakarta because, even though it doesn't have thousands of profiles like Tinder, most girls using it are educated and they have jobs. There are also many foreign girls using it, especially in Bali.

Another thing I like about Bumble is that they have an excellent moderation team. There are much fewer scammers than on other apps as they will remove anyone who is trying to sell you something. They will also delete those who are just advertising their social media without actually replying to any messages.

Pros:
➝ Smart and educated girls
➝ High proportion of foreign girls (especially in Bali)
➝ No need to message the girls first (a great feature for those who hate having to make the first move)
➝ There is a video call feature within the app

Cons:
➝ You can't chat with a girl if you don't match with her
➝  Impossible to know which girls are online or not

IndonesianCupid.com: Best for those who don't live in Indonesia

You are living abroad but you would like to meet an Indonesian girl? IndonesiaCupid is probably the best app for you.

Unlike Bumble, it is a more traditional dating website that is part of a large network. Its sister websites include FilipinoCupid, Muslima (for dating Muslim girls), Thai Cupid, Vietnam Cupid, etc.

Most Indonesian girls on IndonesianCupid are looking to meet foreigners, hoping for a serious relationship. Because of this, they won't turn you down if you say you are currently in the US, in Europe, or in Australia. As a result, many are also willing to have a long-distance relationship.

Girls on IndonesianCupid are mostly from the middle class. Typically, you'll chat with employees, teachers, nurses, etc.

Since it is a website and not a mobile phone app, I find it much easier to write messages or browse profiles compared to Bumble. Another advantage is that you can see which girls are online among those you've chatted with before. This enables you to keep in touch with someone even if you don't chat regularly with her.

You can register here: Sign-Up to Indonesian Cupid for Free. I recommend you to update to the premium version though (only 25$ per month) as it will allow you to send an unlimited number of messages. It will also give you the edge compared to the other guys in terms of visibility.

Pros:
➝ The best dating site in Indonesia if you are a tourist. Ideal for arranging dates prior to visiting the country. Girls won't mind if you are not living in Indonesia and if you are older than them.
➝ Between 500-1000 Indonesian girls online at any time, but thousands more who were active in the past week or month (you have filters to do that).
➝ Possibility to look for girls in other countries (Thailand, Philippines, etc)
➝ Good website interface, easy to use, and fast.
➝ Fast chatting application
➝ Mostly serious girls who are interested in relationships
➝ Detailed profiles

Cons:
➝ The free version is too restricted (not a problem if you can afford 25$)
➝ No mobile app

OkCupid is a crossover between a traditional matchmaking site like IndonesiaCupid and a dating app like Bumble. It is one of my favorites to use in Indonesia though it isn't always perfect.

The advantage of OkCupid is that you can add a huge amount of information about yourself, from your political ideas to your eating habits or sexual preferences. This can really help you find someone very specific, for instance, someone who is a vegan or someone who likes bungee jumping. You can also check your "match percentage" with any member to evaluate your compatibility with that person.

Match percentage on OkCupid is based on the questions you answer about your personality

Another feature is that you can change your location for free in the settings. This can both be useful (if you are traveling) or annoying as you may match with users who aren't where they say they are.

Pros:
➝ Mostly free
➝ Both an app and a website
➝ Possibility to be very detailed in your description
➝ Excellent search function, ideal for people with specific taste
➝ You can predict your compatibility with someone using the "match percentage"

Cons:
➝ You can only swipe a limited number of profiles per day in the free version
➝ Quite many useless profiles (fakes, prostitutes, scams, or simply girls who never reply to messages)

Sugarbook.com: Famous Sugar Dating Site
This dating site is quite unique and controversial. All girls there are "sugar babies" who are willing to go on a date in exchange for gifts, money, travels, or dinners. All guys are "sugar daddies" (not necessarily old) who are willing to sponsor the girls.

Surprisingly, Sugarbook.com is a hit in Indonesia and you can find thousands of very attractive profiles on the site. Lots of girls are not only gorgeous but they are also educated, smart and fun to be with. It seems that for many Indonesian girls, securing a rich husband or boyfriend is a sign of success more than something to be ashamed of.

Guys who use this website are a diverse bunch. You have many married men who are looking for a mistress, some executives on business trips, or some expats who want to date a young girl. I know quite a few friends who found their girlfriend through this site and they are now in happy relationships. The advantage of Sugarbook.com compared to other dating sites is that things are more straightforward and that, as a man, you will get much more replies from girls.

Pros:
➝ Much more girls than guys so you are guaranteed to meet someone
➝ Many gorgeous, upper-class, and classy girls
➝ Girls are easy to talk to, friendly, and they will often accept going on a date
➝ Straight-forward
➝ International website: You can use it to meet people in Indonesia but also anywhere else in the world.

Cons:
➝ Expensive (but it's free to register and to browse the girl's profiles)
➝ There are some real sugar babies looking for chemistry, but also some prostitutes
➝ The website is blocked in some countries (if you can't access it, you will need to use a VPN)


Tinder: For younger guys living in Jakarta
Tinder used to be the best dating app in Indonesia, but this is no longer the case. There are so many things I hate about it now that I wouldn't know where to start.

The biggest misconception about Tinder is that it is a free app. While this is technically true, in fact, its whole business model revolves around making you pay as much as possible. A male user who doesn't pay for Tinder will probably struggle to get any matches unless his profile is really attractive.

One way for guys to get more matches is to use the"Boost" feature:
A "boost" allows you to be the top profile in an area for 30 minutes
A boost costs around US$4 and it can be addictive. You will get more matches at first, but as soon as you stop, you will get nothing. So you'll keep boosting your profile, again and again, matching with girls who are often not really interested to chat.

Another way to be more successful on Tinder is to subscribe to either Tinder +, Tinder Gold, or Tinder Platinum. These cost between US$5 per month and US$25 per month. They will allow you to see who liked you, to swipe right an unlimited amount of time, or to message someone you didn't match with yes.

I've tried these subscriptions, but one problem remained, even after getting plenty of matches: The overall quality of Tinder users is low. From a guy's perspective, at least half the profiles are useless: Between girls selling something (cryptocurrencies, forex, property, insurances, etc), the scammers, the prostitutes, the ones who don't reply, and those advertising their Instagram account, it is actually rare to match with an interesting person who is willing to chat or meet in real life.

Pros:
➝ You can "like" (swipe right) up to 50 profiles per day for free
➝ Thousands of Indonesian girls are using it

Cons:
➝ Low quality of users
➝ You cannot see which girls are online
➝ Very limited possibilities with the free account

Read my article: 10 Reasons You Are Failing at Tinder

Instagram: For guys who have an interesting life
Yes, Instagram can be considered a dating app in Indonesia. I know some guys who've met dozens of girls using it. What's great with this app is that you can just try your luck with anyone in the world.

Of course, this will only work if your Instagram profile is interesting enough for a random girl/guy to accept your follow request and to answer your chat. If you are a traveler, or if you have a good eye for photography, you should be able to do that easily, though.

Pros:
➝ Free
➝ There are more girls on Instagram than on any other dating websites (probably 90% of Indonesians?)
➝ It is easy to find a topic to start a conversation (just comment on a photo)

Cons:
➝ You need to create and maintain an interesting Instagram account
➝ Many girls are not single or not actively looking for a boyfriend
➝ Time-consuming

Badoo: For guys who can speak Indonesian
Badoo used to be a decent dating website/app for Indonesia but it is clearly not as good as it used to be. By being mostly free (or cheap at least), it has become popular mostly among the Indonesian low-to-middle class. For a foreigner, this means fewer people who can speak English and a wider culture gap with them.

Most chats in Badoo are very superficial, limited to boring phrases like "sudah makan", "lagi apa", or "asli mana". Furthermore, online prostitution on the app is a problem. Many of the most attractive members are using fake profiles to advertise sexual services. After a while, you learn to spot them easily but it is still annoying.

Pros:
➝ Lots of girls online
➝ Fun, colorful website interface with large photos (but also slower to load)
➝ Both a website and an app with geo-localization
➝ Cheaper than other websites

Cons:
➝ Privacy concern (they sent advertising emails to all my contact on my behalf saying I was inviting them to join Badoo)
➝ Many, many prostitutes, and fake accounts
➝ Many girls can't speak English well
➝ Because it is cheaper, there are more guys on Badoo. This means it is harder to get girls' attention and your messages may be ignored. You can get seen/read before other guys but you need to pay extra money (even if you are already a premium user).

Adult Friend Finder
This is a paying hook-up website popular with swingers and those looking for one-night stands. I never used it but a friend of mine did and he met several open-minded couples. He also managed to meet a few single girls but it is rarer.

Note that the website is currently blocked by the government so you'll need to download a VPN to access it. I've written an article here Best VPN in Indonesia to help you with it.

Pros:
➝ If you are not looking for dating but for sex, this is the best website to use
➝ Number 1 hooking website in the World

Cons:
➝ 90% guys and 10% girls so you need to make a really neat profile to succeed. Being handsome would help.
➝ You won't get very far with the Free Version so you'll need to buy a premium membership
➝ Blocked in Indonesia: You must use a VPN to access it freely.

What's Your Best Dating App in Indonesia?
These are some of the best dating apps and websites in Indonesia. Did I miss any? Is there one that you would recommend? Please leave a comment below if you do.

41 comments to '' Best Online Dating Apps In Indonesia (Updated 2022) "

ADD COMMENT
  1. Hello Thibaud, some of your points are right and spot on. If i may add some inputs from my experience with those application. I'm a young Indonesian careerwoman with expat partner.

    1. Tinder
    The it application in my social circle. The facebook of online dating. I started playing after introduced by a friend and eventually met my expat partner. This application attract crowds from middle class to wealthy Indonesian, attractive looks, have a good education = able to speak English, have a stable income.
    If you are looking for an Indonesian girl for sex, relationship or having fun together, you can find It here. I know of many expat/indo couple met from this app, as for sex, my partner friends always have at least one new girl a week. But, for relationship, this is your best bet to find someone who is not interested in your skin (bule!) and money (provided you select them carefully)

    2. Badoo & Skout
    For me, It’s too much scam(I quit after the 5th scam) and some that are genuine already have Tinder. So what's the point?
    On the other hand, I know of several expats that got one night stands from this app and one who progress to friends with benefits. For stable relationship, I only know of Indonesian couple.

    3. OkCupid
    The Myspace of Online dating. This was the most popular online dating before the era of Mobile dating app. A friend of mine told me about her "Bule Hunter" friends, who utilized this site to hunt expats in Jakarta and were quite successful. Now they moved on to the apps.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So, I'm going to Indonesia for some fun. Without the wife knowing that is. How can I use this app best? Fictive account or?

      Delete
    2. Make a fictive account on IndonesianCupid only... Don't use Tinder or Badoo as they connect to your Facebook...

      Delete
  2. I think OKCupid is the best dating site. We can check the potential background and personality thingy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. i'm not educated and yet i'm on tinder. omg, something's wrong with me :O

    ReplyDelete
  4. ocupid has shit of algorithm, users cannot accept the message

    ReplyDelete
  5. Date in asia. Free.

    ReplyDelete
  6. My rankings for best dating apps in Indonesia:
    Tinder: No1 for intelligent, free-spirited, independent women
    SKOUT and Badoo: Many prostitutes or girls who "don't like stingy guys". Still interesting but you'll probably need to pay to get some extra features.
    We Chat: Prostitutes and ladyboys
    Beetalk: Most underrated dating app: Free, lots of normal girls from all walks of life. To work you just need to add as many girls as possible in your vicinity. I get about 10% acceptance rate. Then chat. Big problem is that many girls cannot speak good english on Beetalk.
    The other dating sites: scams.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm surprised no mention of tagged... it's working quite well... also I like Skout... Badoo is the best dating app in Indonesia but only if you can pay for special features ...

    ReplyDelete
  8. Don't try Setipe.com, it's a scam. First you have to pay, and then you discover you can only get terrible matches. Useless.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anyone has tried the Indonesian app AkuJomblo?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Online dating in Indonesia is ruined by all the prostitution. Now on Badoo you have at least 50% of the girls who are looking for money. The rest is either ugly, fat or they wear jilbab.

    No more dating apps for me, I just go meet girls in malls, nothing easier you just need to smile and say hi. Most girls are very friendly and will give their numbers easily.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Interesting. Me, a Norwegian Viking with blond hair and blue eyes, was looking for a girl in Indonesia, and no scammer. You feel free to write me an email: trucccer@yahoo. com (yes, 3 times c )

    ReplyDelete
  12. Badoo is not a dating site, it is a prostitution site!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I just intalled Badoo to my phone, prostitutes are ok, if price tag is not too high and girl is SYT.

      Delete
  13. Tinder and Badoo/Blendr has the best results and the app doesn't fuck around.
    Example, Paktor, after some initial success, suddenly made all the girls who like me only unlockable if I pay to see them. I know this after realizing it for some time. And non paying users are put very rarely for someone think view.

    Back to Badoo/Tinder, both r great especially with Tinder's superlike and accurate location filter(which makes it more focused but it means a finite selection) while Badoo's people nearby is really far reaching and the 'star' helps you keep track of great profiles with updates if they add photos and every 2 days you get a 'featured' freebie which gets you easily 10-25 views in 10mins. It also notifies you that someone likes you with a blurred photo while tinder doesn't.

    I personally use badoo more, partially do I don't have to on my GPS/data/wifiscanner which tinder insists it has to be on n I have to disable it again thereafter

    If you decide to pay, both apps are great.

    Zav.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I tried SweetRing recently, its a Taiwan based dating apps. Its quite good to be honest,you have to pay of course to get several features but i think it worth the price.
    Many girl used it because its free, but as a man you have to pay. its quite cheap so i dont mind to try it, i used it for a month and i met 3 girls already, so you know everything have a price.
    Girls like this apps because they think you are serious (because you have to pay to chat with them of course lol)
    so if you want to pay to get a match, this apps is pretty good.

    Good luck guys!

    EL

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dateinasia.com

    I met my wife here. She is gorgeous! Intelligent, well educated, good cook, fluently in English and Spanish. She came from lower class but she made her self beyond compare. We r moved to England now and she is getting accepted in to Cambridge for her masters degree.

    Try it and it is free.

    ReplyDelete
  16. new site from a guy i know, just online works through google maps: https://www.temandancinta.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. If you're in Jakarta for more than a month then you don't need online dating. It's one of the easiest cities in the world for an expat to get a local girlfriend, provided you look half-decent.

    Indos tend to be very friendly and sociable folk, and provided you're polite and poses halfway decent chat, you can meet girls easy in malls, cafes, bars even supermarkets.

    Just be aware local girlfriends tend to require you to have deep pockets. They'll expect to be wined and dined every weekend and I've yet to hear of one prepared to put her hand in her pocket for anything. You may get the odd local trinket, but you'll be expected to return that x100.

    Suggesting a quiet night in watching movies on a weekend probably won't cut it either. She'll suddenly be busy and off out to one of the usual haunts looking to trade you up for a more sociable model.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The girls you meet in nightclubs and the girls you meet online are very different. Many girls you meet in nightclubs have an expensive lifestyle and they might expect to be "wined and dined" as you say... On dating sites, 80% of the girls are down-to-earth Indonesians who have jobs/occupations and are only looking for a boyfriend.

      Delete
    2. I have met few girls online yes they were all money oriented but all had a BF for sure .. they come to you only for that extra money which their BF's done provide .. if you are thinking about a real girl who is trust worthy in jakarta according to me it is the hardest as I met one who was married to a person for 16 years and 16th year both separated and she got married or is in a live in with another and she is pregnant with him with in a year .. man that was crazy and she has a 16 year old daughter :) .. I realized .. getting trust worthy girl in jakarta is hardest, but the girls are cute for 1 night stands

      Delete
    3. Maybe you should broaden your horizon....From what I see, you haven't met a lot of nice girls yet....

      Delete
  18. hi, I just install paktor in my phone,and I receive alot of messages from girls,but I need to pay about 250k a month to replied that messages, does those messages really from a girl or computer bot?
    is 250k a month really worth?

    thanks
    fero

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry I only tried the free version so I can't tell you... I think some of the messages you receive are sent by Paktor to encourage you to subscribe .. If the girl is sending you long, enthusiastic sentences, you can assume it's a bot and not a real girl... 99% of the time, Indonesian girls will only say "hi" or "how are you". If you decide to pay the Rp250,000, please come leave a feedback here bout whether it's worth it or not...

      Delete
  19. Hi, I'm looking for a fuck buddy or one night stand, preferably 'bule', no string attached, no personal info sharing, no drama, and no money involved. Just sex! for the sake of my curiosity ^_^
    I'm a healthy 35yo woman. Should you a healthy 'bule' interested, do contact me at letswearnothing@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi there, You've done a fantastic job. I will certainly digg it and personally suggest to
    my friends. I am sure they'll be benefited from this website.

    ReplyDelete
  21. But do you actually assume your girlfriend goes to be happy
    with JUST that?

    ReplyDelete
  22. She's lucky
    I hope i can find the real love someday��

    ReplyDelete
  23. There seems to be an invasion of young "Pick Up Artists", aka Affective Tourists in the past 5 years. I've had several girls asking me directly "Are you a sex tourist?" THen I had to pretend I'm here for work...

    In China also, they start to rebel against the sexpat crowd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjW374SuOho

    ReplyDelete
  24. Tried to get a woman in Jakarta for a short term relationship, not exactly for one night or sex only. Used DateInAsia. Used it 2 years ago successfully in Philippines for finding a sexing travel mate. Today it became a real pain in the ass. They block you for anything suspicious, e.g. I sent a link to my photo in external page twice (because of their annoying photo acceptance policy) and I got banned. Then they have sophisticated bots to detect any new account so you need to have other IP, other photo, other SIM card etc. Then I tried to get the girls email address and using the word "email" in 2 different conversation got me banned again :) Their rules say that you cannot ask for contact information of persons that you don't know. As it is a dating site, this is rather funny. Even if I talk to them for a longer time who knows what the policy is if you ask for more than 1 girls contacts. They also have in their rules that you cannot look for girls for flirting so who knows what the administrator will think. When they ban you all work is gone. Even when it is virtually free it costs you too much effort.
    I found cca. 10 usable girls in Jakarta on DIA so it makes no more sense to go there in my opinion.
    From what I read above I am going to try the IndonesianCupid as I need to get the girl before I travel to Jakarta. So Tinder is not the way to go for me probably. If anyone has any tips for me or wants to exchange experience, let me know at jedenkluk@gmail.com.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Never had problems with DIA (DateInAsia). And I am quite happy, that crooked people do have problems there. I don't want to meet fakes, scammers, etc. Why do you need multiple accounts there?

      Delete
  25. Firstly, I am an Asian lady who had an European man.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Because of sex tourist sites like this, the scene is getting more ruined every year.
    Now many women just write stuff like this: "If your intention is only looking for hook up, temporary travel companion when u visit asia, temporary s** buddy and s** cam or s** chat , forget me, Im not that kinda gal.Im not here for that. Dont waste your and my time."

    They are all woke up on the sex tourist, "party" thing of the frustrated french losers coming here for sex and feel bigger than what they are. Because of a few guys who want to be a smartass with his website, the whole scene gets destroyed.
    Think about when you will be 50 and want to sexpat in Asia, it wont be there anymore because you contributed spilled the beans as a 30 y old just to make a few affiliate links...

    Also, sites like that attract masses of arabs, pakis, turks etc who are even more desperate for sex than the french and italians and contribute to ruin the place. Jakarta sex scene now is already a shadow of what it was 15 years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  27. errmmmm Beetalk has switched of the people nearby function a year ago or so already

    ReplyDelete
  28. I am aged Asian man..interested young female travel partner as guide and advisor to visit Jakarta,Surabaya,Bali and other famous tourist spots,should know English(small skill no problem)and age should be 25 +-.I bear all travel cost and also fee give her..if any one interest mail me direct(trvl_drnkmr@yahoo.com). Waiting for a sweet reply.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Tinder is pretty bad in Jakarta now. You get tons of matches but none of them reply. If they do end up replying they do so every 3 hours or end up ghosting on WhatsApp.

    In addition the pretty girls are picky so you are left with waria,,massage girls, overweight women or hijab girls lol.why do you guys like this place so much???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Girls just make accounts on Tinder to get more Instagram followers... Sad but true...

      If you have money, use SeekingArrangement as you'll meet the best girls... you don't need to spend that much money, most girls will be happy if they get just free dinner or free trips to Bali...

      Delete
  30. Just got scammed by a girl from Tinder!

    Here's the story: I matched with this girl who was really pretty. I'm 43 and she was 21, way above the kind of girls I normally match with. I was expecting her to start asking for money or something, but she didn't say anything of the sort. After a few minutes chatting, I told her that we should meet and she agreed. I asked her if she would come to my place and she said yes without hesitation.

    I was a bit suspicious at that point so I asked her for a videocall. She was real and I was thinking this was like a miracle.

    I offered to order GrabGar for her, but she said she wanted to order Go-Car by herself. After a couple of minutes, she texted me with a screenshot of the taxi ride. The price was 160,000rp and she said: "so expensive, my GoPay only IDR20,000!". I replied no worries and i sent her IDR160,000 so it would pay for the toll as well.

    And of course, as soon as I sent the money, she blocked me and disappeared :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those types of girls are usually from Tangerang I think. I almost got scammed by one of those idiots but I ended up blocking her instead.

      So many flakes and ghosting from these girls in Jakarta and most of them are ugly and fat. And plenty of them are undercover hookers or 'taxi girls'.

      To punish them I invite them over, fuck them, and then kick them out with no money.

      They'll learn not to flake or treat foreigners like shit. Lol.

      Delete