How many people are actually on it near you?

The biggest app is not always the best one for your district. An app with fewer users but more of them in Kerala can show you more real matches than a global app with a thin local base. Download two, look at your own feed, and judge from that rather than from install counts.

Does a human check the photos?

Automatic checks catch very little. Ask whether photos are reviewed by a person before a profile goes live — it is slower and more expensive to run, and it is the difference between a feed of real faces and a feed of blank outlines and stolen pictures.

Is messaging free, or only matching?

This is the one that catches people out. Plenty of apps let you swipe and match for free, then charge for the first message — so you collect matches you cannot speak to. Check before you install, not after.

What happens to your phone number?

It should never be shown to another user. Also check that a blocked person cannot get back to you, and that reporting someone stops them contacting you straight away.

Who is it actually for?

Some of these are dating apps, some are closer to matrimony, and some are chat apps. Decide which one you want before you install, because they attract different people.

Updated 2026

The best dating apps in Kerala, compared honestly

There are now five or six apps built specifically for Malayalis, plus the global ones. They are not the same thing and they do not suit the same people. Here is what each is for.

Who wrote this: we make Othiri, which is one of the apps below. So read it knowing that. We have kept every claim to what is on each app’s own public listing, and we have not invented numbers for anyone — including ourselves. If you think something here is unfair, tell us and we will correct it.

The apps

In no particular order. “Best” depends entirely on which of these you are trying to solve, so the useful question is not which app is best — it is which one is built for the thing you want.

Othiri

AndroidThis is ours

Built for Malayalis in Kerala and abroad. A person reviews every profile photo before it goes live, and in an opposite-gender match the woman sends the first message.

Suits you if: You want a Malayali-specific app, you care that a human checks photos, and you would rather not pay to send a message.

Arike

Android and iPhone

Describes itself as a vernacular dating app for Malayalis in India and abroad, with cultural preference filters and written 'Notes' as conversation starters. Made by Aisle Network.

Suits you if: You are on an iPhone, or you want the largest Malayali app by installs.

Hridhayam

Android and iPhone

A Malayali dating app with a personality test, super likes and 'love letters'.

Suits you if: You like personality-matching over photo-first browsing.

Mizhi

Android

A Malayali chat-and-meet app focused on finding people nearby who share your language and culture.

Suits you if: You mainly want to chat with Malayalis close to you.

Mallu Singles

Android

A Kerala dating app that advertises messaging without a subscription, and supports both Malayalam and English.

Suits you if: You want something simple and free with no subscription prompts.

Tinder / Bumble

Android and iPhone

The global apps. Very large in Kochi and Trivandrum, thin outside the cities.

Suits you if: You are in a big city and do not mind explaining your background from scratch.

Five questions worth asking before you install any of them

These matter more than star ratings, and you can check all of them in about two minutes.

How many people are actually on it near you?: The biggest app is not always the best one for your district. An app with fewer users but more of them in Kerala can show you more real matches than a global app with a thin local base. Download two, look at your own feed, and judge from that rather than from install counts.
Does a human check the photos?: Automatic checks catch very little. Ask whether photos are reviewed by a person before a profile goes live — it is slower and more expensive to run, and it is the difference between a feed of real faces and a feed of blank outlines and stolen pictures.
Is messaging free, or only matching?: This is the one that catches people out. Plenty of apps let you swipe and match for free, then charge for the first message — so you collect matches you cannot speak to. Check before you install, not after.
What happens to your phone number?: It should never be shown to another user. Also check that a blocked person cannot get back to you, and that reporting someone stops them contacting you straight away.
Who is it actually for?: Some of these are dating apps, some are closer to matrimony, and some are chat apps. Decide which one you want before you install, because they attract different people.

What we would say about our own one

Othiri is smaller than Arike and it is Android only, so if you are on an iPhone this is not your app yet. What it does differently is narrow and deliberate: every profile photo is checked by a person before it appears, your phone number is never shown to anyone, and in an opposite-gender match the woman sends the first message — which removes the queue of identical openers that makes most apps unusable for women.

Matching and messaging are free, with no limit on how many messages you send. The paid tiers add more daily likes, incognito browsing and Travel Mode; they do not unlock talking to people. Here is exactly what is free.

The honest way to decide is to install two of these, look at your own feed for a week, and keep whichever one shows you real people near you. That is the only test that matters, and no article — including this one — can do it for you.

Looking for something more specific? We have written about dating in Kochi, Trivandrum, Kozhikode and for Malayalis in the Gulf. T Grows Pvt. Ltd., Kochi.