One night stand apps for a same-evening meetup

Tinder has the biggest number in the set: 500M+ downloads on Android, and an App Store listing in all 45 storefronts checked. Downloads count installs, which says nothing about who is nearby and awake tonight. The listings describe dating in general terms, and neither store calls Tinder a hookup app or rules that use out.

Chat opens only after a mutual like. In the app's words, "You can only match and chat when both people are interested." For a plan that has to happen today, the timing sits with the other person, and the pages checked give no figure for how fast matches reply. A free account can send Likes, match and chat. Subscriptions add compliments before a match, unlimited Likes, weekly Super Likes, unlimited Rewinds and monthly Boosts. Double Date, where you bring a friend, and Events in selected cities are also listed.

The Google Play listing names Photo Verification and an Incognito Mode. The Terms of Use define Tinder.com as part of the service, so a browser version exists.

Pure starts with an ad. The FAQ says "To see ads from other Pure members, you need to publish your own ad first," and the ad states the experience you want. The feed then follows your preferences, location and filters, including a Turn-ons setting that has its own match switch. Looking for has five options.

Pure describes expiring chats and self-destructing media, and the pages checked give no expiry period. Incognito mode hides your online presence and holds back read receipts. Pure Album is a private album for selfies shared with chat partners. Photo Verification is optional, takes under 30 seconds and asks for no ID. The FAQ calls Pure a place to "make (and break) your own rules", and the safety page talks of "bold adventures and unforgettable nights". The word hookup is missing from the store listings, the FAQ and the safety page.

There is no standard free tier. The terms say "To access and use all PURE features, you must activate a subscription." Limited access for non-subscribers is exceptional and discretionary, and free trials are occasional. Pure is the only pick whose pages confirm that chat itself is paid. The App Store listing is iPhone only, and the Android package shows 10M+ downloads.

HUD states its purpose in the store text. The App Store listing opens with "HUD App is a casual dating app", and the Google Play title reads "HUD Hookup App: Dating & Chat". The listings also speak to people in open relationships, and Google Play says the app supports all orientations and gender identities.

A feed of recommended matches does the sorting, and HUD says an algorithm and machine learning produce it. You can like or comment on parts of a match's profile, and preferences set in the profile show how well two people fit before they match. Video chat starts blurred, live video verification is optional, and Google Play lists a Photo Protection Blur for received media.

A free account is a Basic Membership, which the terms describe as "a minimal level" of the service. Premium, Premium+ and one-off Boosts add more. Whether two Basic members can message each other is not confirmed. Location is coarse in at least one respect: the privacy policy says an approximate location, city and country, comes from an IP address lookup.

Each swipe on DOWN carries a verdict: down for something casual, up for something more, left to pass. A match needs both people to like each other, and the verdicts need not agree, so an up and a down still make a match. Daily Nearby Picks follow your preferences, and the Photo Challenge is a photo swap between matches.

The FAQ gives the firmest verification line of the seven: "Every person on DOWN is photo-verified before they can swipe." The App Store listing invites you to "Like singles nearby". Marketing is written for women. The iOS app is iPhone only, and the Android package shows 1M+ downloads.

The app is free to download and use. A free account can swipe, filter by gender, location and dating preferences, and see the profiles it has liked, while seeing who has swiped on you needs VIP. Free messaging is not confirmed, and neither is a web version: the FAQ points people to iOS or Android.

Grindr is a grid of nearby profiles that you browse and message directly. The App Store listing calls it "the world's #1 free dating app serving the LGBTQ community", and the audience is gay, bi, trans and queer adults. Tags, filters and starred favourites narrow the grid. Neither the store listings nor the homepage use the word hookup. The wider field for this audience is in the Apps for gay, bi and queer users.

Section 4.1 of the terms says the Services use device location to show nearby users and to show you to them. A free account gets nearby users, chat, private photos and albums, tags, basic filters, favourites, block and report, with third-party ads. XTRA shows up to 600 profiles at once and Unlimited shows unlimited profiles. Incognito mode, described as browsing profiles without being seen, is listed under Unlimited.

Verification is the gap. The terms state "We do not verify users." The homepage advertises a web version with "No download required".

SCRUFF pairs nearby browsing with a stack that resets daily. Members browse nearby profiles and chat, while SCRUFF Match shows a new stack each day: swipe right to show interest, left to pass, or choose Ask later to see the profile again tomorrow. Tapping I'm Interested on a profile tells you whether the attraction is mutual, and an Explore feed carries Moments, events and cities. A deferral to tomorrow suits a slower pace than tonight.

The homepage's profile tags include "Random play/NSA", and no official page calls SCRUFF a hookup app or declines the label. Pro adds opening private albums without a limit, up to 1,000 nearby members, stealth mode, anonymous browsing, more search filters and read receipts. Selfie verification with a badge is optional. The Terms of Service call the base level the Standard Service, free for use.

The listing says "View, Woof, and chat with people", but whether free members can message is not confirmed. A web version is not confirmed either.

Bumble calls itself women-first and matches people who like each other. The Google Play listing sets finding "the one" next to dating "for fun", so casual dating is named, and no page positions Bumble as a hookup app or rules that out. Who has to send the first message is not stated in the current listings.

Matches can expire. Premium lists "Extend your matches by 24 hours" and rematching with expired connections. The free list on Google Play includes ID Verification, video chat and picture sharing with matches, sharing meetup details with a trusted person, and Snooze Mode.

Photo Verification gives a grey verified badge and may use facial recognition. Incognito Mode is described as browsing anonymously, "only seen by who you want to see you". The privacy policy ties the profiles shown to device location you allow, and bumble.com has a sign-in link for the web.