Online dating: It's not embarrassing and many people are doing it these days. Maybe your soul mate is on there? Here are 5 dating apps that I tested for you. Good luck!

With our fast-paced lives and daily obligations, who has enough time to go out a few times a week to meet new people? That's why online apps have been on a huge rise the last years. Instead of getting off your tired bum, making yourself pretty and going out to meet a new partner, you can click through thousands of profiles online, in the comfort of your own home, in your favorite pajamas! The best thing is, it's not embarrassing anymore, because almost everyone is doing this now. So if you're curious about online dating and want to give it a try, I have tested out a few options and came up with a summary for you.

Tinder. This is the most popular dating app in the last year. Everyone seems to be on Tinder, even grandfathers of friends I know! It's a high-speed app, like eating a burger at a fast food place - quick and dirty. However, there are those rare diamonds hiding amongst the pervs and one-night-standers. If you have enough patience to click through and choose a few good matches to get to know better, then you might get lucky and find that diamond. Be aware that once you click the red “X”, you cannot find that profile anymore. It's gone forever. So click slowly. It's quite basic, you can either click the "X" or "♥" on a profile suggested to you. If both you and the other person pressed the "♥", then you have a match and you can chat. This app is free of charge.

LOVOO. Similar to Tinder, but with many more enhanced features. Here you have a live radar that lets you see who is currently around your area. It's fun if you're out with your friends a want to see who is close to you. Another thing I really liked, because I prefer tall men, is that you can see more info about the person - like their height and weight, job, education, what they are looking for, their interests, smokers or drinkers, etc. You need some credits to send people kisses, but you get free credits at the beginning, so it's enough for a while. You see who “liked” and “looked” at your profile, and even if you press "X", you can still find these people again within the system. I found many more users and options on LOVOO than on Tinder. There are also a few strange people here. One guy offered to be my slave. He said he would clean every inch of my floor with a small toothbrush, lick my toilet and polish all my shoes. And like a good slave, he would sleep outside in front of my house. In the cold. Naked. Why pay for a cleaning lady when you can have your own young male slave? For this he wanted to get punished, but I couldn't beat a man, so of course I had to refuse! ;-) But seriously, don't let that scare you away. From all the hundred messages that I got, he was the only creepy one. I also talked to a nice sales executive, doctor, lawyer, engineer and other normal, nice people there, and it's free to use. It is definitely worth taking a look at.

Parship. To be honest, I found this site a bit boring. I didn't like many of the profiles, and most were hidden because at the beginning I was not a paying member. I wrote the administration and they gave me a 3-day trial for writing my article. The people didn't answer so quickly, and there was a general stiff feeling to it. I didn’t find enough profiles there that really impressed me. I'm sure that many of you ladies don't want to pay that fee to meet men. The costs are 25 - 50 euro a month, depending on the length of the membership.

POF. Short for "Plenty of Fish". This app is similar to LOVOO, however I found that the quality of the users was quite low here. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking for a long-term relationship. Many people sign up there for fast sex and one-night stands (ons). I didn't find anyone serious and interesting to talk to. This app is free of charge.

SeekingArrangement. This is a very different kind website. It's for sugar daddies seeking a sugar baby or sometimes even a normal relationship with a girl that he can spoil. (Or for a sugar mama seeking a toyboy). The men show their income and net worth on their profiles. There are men on there that have anywhere from half a million to over 80 million dollars net worth. Crazy. Many of them are very handsome and offer the women trips around the world, allowances, presents and a nice easy life, in return for their company. A man offered me an allowance of 8000 dollars a month to be his sugar baby. When I read this I almost fell on the floor! I didn't accept it, but it was nice to know that I could still compete with the young hot 20 year olds on there ;-) I was curious to see how these men are, so I chatted with a few, and even skyped with one. They seemed quite normal to me - just men with lots of money, looking for an intelligent and attractive woman to spend time with. They explicitly said that they don't want professional escorts and prostitutes - just normal girls that want a fun life and need financial support. So girls, if you want to have fun and travel the world with a hot rich man, and don’t mind getting financial support and gifts for your company, then that's your website. The men have to pay, and the women don't pay to use this website.

The one common thing in online dating is that you have to be really patient. Have enough time to browse through hundreds of profiles and chat with many people. I have to admit that there are some strange and crazy people on these apps, but in between the freaks, you will be able to find some wonderful and beautiful diamonds. It's possible to pick out the crème de la crème people that you like best, meet a few and see what happens. You have to ask them the questions that are important to you. Like if they are looking for something for serious, if they are single (there are some cheaters there!) what hobbies they have, jobs, dreams, goals, past dating experiences, etc. Don't be afraid to ask what matters to you.

What often happens is that you will have many chats and your concentration will scatter to many people. Therefore, pick out your few favorites and get to know them better. Otherwise, you are lost in online dating oblivion, have 50 chats and end up not meeting anyone.

It's not embarrassing and many people are dating online these days. Maybe your soul mate is on there? So why not check it out for a few days and see what the hype is all about? Good luck!