Updated on: April 26, 2024
Only 3 Steps (Quick & Easy) to Change Your Location on Tinder in 2024:
- Step 1: Download and install a VPN and a GPS spoofing app. You’ll need both tools to successfully change your location on Tinder.
- Step 2: Change your GPS location using the GPS spoofing app. Make sure you pick a location that’s near a VPN server.
- Step 3: Connect to a VPN server. It has to be the same location that you set your GPS to in the previous step (or very close).
- Step 4: Log into your Tinder account. You’re all set! You can now access Tinder and like, match, and chat with people anywhere you choose.
Tinder only matches you with nearby people unless you sign up for one of its premium plans, which can be a problem if you travel a lot or live in a place without a lot of potential matches. Plus, some countries, like Pakistan and India, have banned Tinder, while the app has removed its service in Russia (so make sure to check if it’s legal to use the app in these places).
Fortunately, you can bypass this restriction with a VPN. When you connect to a VPN server, it hides your IP address (which is one of the ways the app detects your general location) behind an IP address that matches your VPN server’s location. This is typically enough for most services, but for Tinder, you’ll also need to use a GPS spoofing app because the dating app also looks at your phone’s GPS data to determine your location. A VPN also encrypts your internet traffic, which helps keep your chats on Tinder safe and private.
My top VPN for Tinder is ExpressVPN. It works with Tinder and GPS spoofing apps, has a large server network, and provides high-end privacy and security features. That said, the rest of the VPNs on my list also work with Tinder and apps that spoof your location 100% of the time.
Tinder might be limited in your area. Before using the app, I strongly recommend that you check to ensure that it’s permitted in your location and that you’re following local rules and guidelines. Neither I nor anyone at SafetyDetectives.com support using a VPN to circumvent any local laws.
Why You Need a VPN for Tinder
There are 3 main reasons why you want to use a VPN for Tinder:
- Location flexibility. Unless you have a paid Tinder subscription, the app only matches you with people in your vicinity. With a VPN (and a GPS spoofer), you’ll be able to change your Tinder location and get matched with people from other regions and countries. This is especially useful if you live in a place without a lot of potential matches or travel a lot and want to establish connections in a new city or country beforehand. It’ll also help you keep looking for matches in your home location when you travel abroad.
- Overcoming restrictions. Tinder is not available everywhere in the world due to various reasons. However, a good VPN is able to bypass restrictions by changing your IP address and hiding your VPN traffic.
- Data protection and anonymity. A VPN encrypts all of the data you send over the internet, including your Tinder activity, and hides your real IP address. This protects you from hackers and helps maintain your online anonymity.
Best VPNs for Changing Your Location on Tinder in 2024:
Quick summary of the best VPNs for changing your location on Tinder in 2024:
- 1. 🥇ExpressVPN — Best overall VPN for changing your location on Tinder in 2024 (fast and secure).
- 2. 🥈Private Internet Access — Great VPN for users in the US with servers located in all 50 states + customizable apps.
- 3. 🥉CyberGhost VPN — Beginner-friendly VPN for Tinder (with intuitive apps and automation rules).
🥇1. ExpressVPN — Best Overall VPN for Changing Your Location on Tinder in 2024
ExpressVPN is my #1 pick for changing your Tinder location. It’s fast, secure, and has a large server network. It’s also got user-friendly apps and works in restrictive countries.
This provider has servers spread across 105 countries. This is very important, as it gives you many options for where you want your Tinder profile to appear, increasing your chances of finding a good match.
Plus, ExpressVPN works in countries that censor the internet. This is useful if your government or network has blocked the Tinder app. The support reps I spoke to told me that ExpressVPN works in restrictive countries like China, Iran, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia.
ExpressVPN’s plans start at $6.67 / month, which is a little more expensive than most providers. But I think it’s more than worth its price when you consider its simply the best VPN on the market. It also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can test it out risk-free.
Bottom Line:
ExpressVPN is my favorite VPN for changing locations on Tinder. It works with popular GPS spoofers, offers a vast server network to increase your chances of matching with people from any location, and it works in restrictive countries so you can access Tinder from anywhere. All of its plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full ExpressVPN review
🥈2. Private Internet Access — Flexible Tinder VPN for US Users
Private Internet Access (PIA) is particularly great for US-based Tinder users because it’s the only VPN that has a server in every single US state — this allows you to connect to a server closest to you for the fastest speeds. Outside of the US, PIA offers servers in 91 countries, which gives you a lot of options to choose from.
This provider uses the Shadowsocks proxy with servers in over 5 countries for restrictive networks, which means PIA works in China, Iran, and other countries that block the Tinder app and VPNs — but I like how ExpressVPN offers obfuscation on servers in all 105 countries.
Private Internet Access (PIA) offers highly affordable plans ($2.03 / month). Furthermore, it backs all of its plans with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Private Internet Access is a good VPN for Tinder users in the US because it has servers in every single state. It’s one of the cheapest VPNs out there, and it backs all subscriptions with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Private Internet Access review
🥉3. CyberGhost VPN — Beginner-Friendly VPN for Tinder
CyberGhost VPN has incredibly user-friendly apps, which makes it ideal for Tinder users who want to change their Tinder location and are new to VPNs. I like how it lets you automate your connections — for example, you can set it up to automatically launch the Tinder app after connecting to a specific server.
It has servers in 100 countries, giving you a plethora of options for changing your Tinder location.
Its one major downside is CyberGhost’s support reps told me that the VPN isn’t guaranteed to work in countries that block or ban Tinder and/or VPNs. If you want to use Tinder in such a country, I recommend getting ExpressVPN instead (and double-checking if it’s legal to do so).
CyberGhost VPN’s plans start at a low cost of $2.03 / month. Its yearly plans come with a generous 45-day money-back guarantee, giving you ample time to evaluate its performance (monthly plans come with a 14-day money-back guarantee).
Bottom Line:
CyberGhost VPN is an intuitive VPN for Tinder that I recommend for beginners. It has a great server network and backs all subscriptions with a money-back guarantee (up to 45 days).
Read the full CyberGhost VPN review
Comparison of the Best VPNs for Tinder in 2024
How to Choose the Best VPN for Tinder in 2024
- Choose a VPN that works with GPS spoofing apps. You can’t change your Tinder location with a VPN alone because Tinder also checks your geophysical location using your phone’s GPS. All of the VPNs on my list work with popular GPS spoofing apps.
- Get a VPN with a large server network. This ensures you can connect to a diverse range of locations, broadening your Tinder search radius. More server locations mean more potential matches from various regions.
- Pick a fast VPN. All VPNs reduce your connection speeds slightly due to the encryption process. But nobody likes a slow connection on Tinder, so I only picked VPNs that maintain fast speeds on both local and distant servers. This allows you to browse photos or message matches on Tinder without any lag.
- Pick a VPN with strong security features. The VPNs on this list all come with industry-standard VPN security features, such as 256-bit AES encryption, which is used by banks and militaries, a strict no-logs policy, which means the provider doesn’t log your IP address or Tinder activities, and a kill switch, which prevents your IP address from leaking to Tinder when your VPN connection drops.
- Check to see if the VPN works in restrictive countries. Not all VPNs are good at allowing you to connect to a server in a different country to access an app like Tinder. ExpressVPN is the best VPN for working in censor-heavy countries, but I recommend familiarizing yourself with local laws and regulations to make sure using a VPN, accessing Tinder, or both, isn’t illegal in your current location.
- Look for a VPN that offers good value. The VPNs I recommend all have affordable plans, allow multiple simultaneous connections, and come with a money-back guarantee, so you can test them risk-free.
VPN Not Working With Tinder? Try These Troubleshooting Tips
- Make sure the GPS location on your device matches your IP address. If Tinder detects a discrepancy between your GPS location and your IP address, it may give you an error. To fix this problem, get a GPS spoofer and change your GPS location to the location of the VPN server you’re connected to (or as close as possible). If you’re using Surfshark, make sure you’ve toggled the built-in GPS override function on.
- Clear the cookies on your device. It’s possible that the cookies stored on your device are revealing your true IP address or geophysical location, so try clearing the cookies on your browser. The method will differ slightly depending on the browser you use, but you can generally find this option in the settings menu under “history.”
- Update the Tinder and VPN app. Developers regularly release updates to improve functionality and bypass blocks. You can do this by going to the app store on your phone and see if there’s a new version of each app.
- Restart the Tinder/VPN app and device. Sometimes, a simple restart can resolve connection issues. Completely close the Tinder app, disconnect and reconnect the VPN, then restart your device.
- Check the VPN connection. If your Tinder is giving you results in the wrong area or not functioning when you’re connected to the VPN, you’ll need to check if your VPN is leaking your IP address. Not all VPNs offer leak protection, so it might be that your VPN is showing Tinder your actual IP address.
- Make sure you’re using the correct protocol. Only a few good VPNs work in restrictive countries. If you’re in a region that blocks Tinder or VPNs, you’ll have to ensure you’re using the right protocol or have the correct feature turned on to be able to access the app with a VPN. You’ll also need to make sure that doing so isn’t illegal.
- Contact the VPN’s customer support. Many premium VPN providers offer customer support. Reach out to them with your issue — they might have specific solutions or server recommendations for platforms like Tinder.
Can I Use a Free VPN to Change My Location on Tinder?
Yes, but I don’t recommend it. While some free VPNs are able to change your location on Tinder and work with the app and site, there are several trade-offs.
The biggest downside is that most free VPNs offer a limited number of server locations, so you won’t have a lot of flexibility. Free VPNs also impose data limits, have slower speeds, don’t work with GPS spoofers, and I haven’t found any free VPN yet that is able to bypass government or network restrictions that block Tinder.
Using a free VPN usually puts your privacy and security at risk, too. Plus, they usually lack essential privacy and security features, and some of them collect and sell your data to third parties.
A paid VPN saves you a lot of headaches in the long run. All of the VPNs on my list have server networks spread across at least 55+ countries and work with Tinder and GPS spoofers. They also provide unlimited data, fast speeds, and strong privacy and security features. Additionally, I only picked VPNs with reasonably priced plans and money-back guarantees, so you’ll be able to test them without any risk.
Other Ways to Change Your Location on Tinder
Using a VPN is the easiest way to change your location, but here are some alternatives:
- Use the Tinder Passport feature. This is a built-in feature on Tinder that allows you to change your location. But it’s only available to paid Tinder subscribers. To change your location with the feature, tap your profile icon, open Settings, go to Location, and then add a new location.
- Change your location on Facebook. If you signed up for Tinder through Facebook, you can change your Tinder location by changing your Facebook location. Go to your Facebook page, click on Settings, Location, and then Never. This makes it so that Tinder will use your IP address rather than your phone’s GPS data to pinpoint your geophysical location. Note that this method still requires you to use a VPN to change your IP address.
- Use a proxy server. A proxy hides your IP address just like a VPN. But unlike VPNs, proxies don’t encrypt your traffic and they don’t include any privacy and security features.
- Change your IP address manually. If you have another available address on your network, you can change the IP address on your device. The steps required to change your IP address manually are slightly different on every operating system.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- PrivateVPN. PrivateVPN is both easy to use and highly affordable, making it an appealing choice for many Tinder users. But it’s not as fast as the other VPNs on my list and is missing a key security feature like RAM-only servers.
- TunnelBear. TunnelBear is ideal for Tinder users who are VPN beginners thanks to its simple apps and user-friendly interface. It’s very secure and works in restrictive countries. Unfortunately, it offers servers in fewer countries than all of the VPNs on my list, and it doesn’t provide a money-back guarantee.
- IPVanish. IPVanish offers great speeds for Tinder and allows unlimited simultaneous connections so you can use it on all of your devices. But while it does a lot right, it lacks RAM-only servers and full leak protection, doesn’t work in restrictive countries, and has a small server network.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I change my location on Tinder?
The easiest way is with a VPN and a GPS spoofer. A VPN will hide your real IP address, which can be used to detect your approximate geophysical location, and a GPS spoofer will override your device’s GPS function, which Tinder also uses to track your location. There are other methods that you can use instead of a VPN, but they’re not as easy or convenient.
Is it legal to use a VPN for Tinder?
Yes, it’s perfectly legal to use a VPN for Tinder in most countries. And there’s nothing in the app’s terms of service that states that you aren’t allowed to use a VPN, either. If you live in or are traveling to a country where the app is banned or restricted, however, you may get into trouble for accessing censored content. I recommend checking local regulations on VPNs to make sure you aren’t accidentally breaking any laws.
My favorite VPN for using Tinder is ExpressVPN, which has blazing-fast speeds, top-notch security features, and servers in 105 countries — this way, it’s very easy to change your location on Tinder.
Can I change my location on Tinder for free?
Yes, there may be some free VPNs that work with Tinder, but I don’t recommend them. The reason why I don’t like using free VPNs is they often come with significant limitations — they offer fewer server locations, which means you’ll only get access to a limited number of Tinder regions.
Many free VPNs aren’t compatible with GPS spoofing apps either and most of them are very slow. Furthermore, there aren’t many free VPN apps that circumvent government censorship or network restrictions. The most concerning aspect is that a lot of free VPNs don’t care about your privacy — not only do they lack security and privacy features, but they also sell your data.
What’s the best VPN for changing your location on Tinder?
ExpressVPN is my top choice. It reliably accesses Tinder, works with popular GPS spoofing apps, and has a server network spread across 105 countries, so you’ll have plenty of regions to choose from where you want your Tinder profile to appear. ExpressVPN also provides top-tier privacy and security features that hide your Tinder chats and other activities from your ISP as well as potential bad actors.
