The latest Trends: HER - The Sapphic Dating App

In a world where dating apps often prioritize endless swiping over meaningful relationships, HER has taken a different approach. Built specifically for queer women, nonbinary people, and sapphics, the platform was created to address a gap that founder and CEO Robyn Exton experienced firsthand—a lack of online spaces designed with LGBTQ+ women and gender-diverse communities in mind.

“When I started building HER (well, Dattch) over a decade ago, it was out of a deep desire to create something that didn’t exist yet: a space where sapphics could connect, feel seen, and build relationships on our own terms,” Exton has shared publicly. “At the time, there was nothing like it.”

That vision has grown into what is now one of the world’s largest platforms for sapphic connection, serving millions of users across more than 100 countries. While HER began as a dating app, its purpose has expanded well beyond helping people find romantic partners. Today, it functions as a community platform where members can build friendships, join interest-based groups, discover local events, and connect through shared identities and experiences.

One of the conversations HER has helped bring into the spotlight is what it calls the “Sapphic Social Recession”—the growing sense of loneliness many queer women and sapphics report feeling despite being more digitally connected than ever.

For Exton, technology alone isn’t the answer. Instead, she believes digital platforms should make it easier for people to transition into authentic, real-world relationships. HER was intentionally designed to foster genuine community rather than simply facilitate matches, recognizing that queer connection often extends beyond traditional dating.

Unlike many mainstream dating apps, HER acknowledges that friendship, chosen family, romance, and community frequently overlap within LGBTQ+ spaces. That understanding has shaped the platform’s evolution, creating opportunities for members to engage through community groups, conversations, and shared interests—not just profile photos and quick swipes.

A defining feature of HER is its emphasis on identity and self-expression. Members are encouraged to share not only who they’re interested in dating, but also who they are—their communities, interests, gender identities, and personal experiences.

That philosophy reflects a simple idea: meaningful relationships begin when people feel seen for their authentic selves.

Rather than asking users to fit into rigid categories, HER was built around the understanding that queer identities and relationships don’t always follow conventional timelines or expectations. The platform embraces that complexity, allowing members to connect in ways that feel natural to them.

While many dating apps emphasize speed and instant matches, HER has focused on creating opportunities for deeper engagement. The app’s community spaces, discussion groups, and event listings encourage conversations that extend beyond dating, helping users find friendships, support networks, and local LGBTQ+ communities. The company has also expanded its commitment to in-person experiences, hosting events that bring members together offline and strengthen connections that begin online.

As queer gathering spaces continue to disappear in many communities, Exton has consistently emphasized the importance of creating places where LGBTQ+ people can safely meet, connect, and simply exist together. HER’s digital communities were developed not to replace those spaces, but to help preserve and strengthen them.

Perhaps the biggest misconception about HER is that it’s solely for dating.

While many users find romantic relationships through the platform, others come looking for friendship, local community, support, or simply a place where they don’t have to explain who they are. That broader sense of belonging has become central to HER’s mission and continues to shape its future.

​In an era when loneliness has become a growing public conversation, HER is demonstrating that meaningful connection isn’t created through algorithms alone. It’s built through community, shared experiences, and spaces where people feel welcomed exactly as they are.
To learn more about HER, visit weareher.com.