Kinder deserves real credit: it's the app that turned "swipe on baby names with your partner" into a category, and a decade on it's still what many people mean when they say "the Tinder for baby names." It's simple, it's on both iOS and Android, and it works.
So why look for an alternative? The wishes that come up most in community threads are consistent: a deeper or more international name pool, more ways to filter what you see, richer detail about each name, and newer features like AI suggestions. If any of those are your wishes too, here are five apps to consider — including ours, clearly labeled.
The five at a glance
| App | Platforms | Price | Pick it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearfect Name | iPhone & iPad | Free · $19.99 lifetime premium | Filters, style-tagged names, AI picks |
| Baby Name Together | iOS, Android & web | Free | Free everywhere, browser included |
| BabyName | iOS & Android | Free · paid add-ons | Biggest catalog on both platforms |
| NameHatch | Web only | Freemium | No install, AI suggestions |
| Baby Name Genius | iOS | Free · premium | Deep name meanings & popularity data |
1. Pearfect Name — the most control over what you swipe
Pearfect Name (ours) is the pick if your Kinder wish was "show me the rightnames, not all the names." Every one of its 11,600+ names is tagged with origins and style categories, onboarding learns your taste from sample swipes, and Name Patterns let you boost or ban spellings outright. Swiping is four-way (like / dislike / super-like / hard-no), and premium adds AI recommendations plus Pare Squared, which narrows your deck to names your partner already liked. Free core, one-time $19.99 lifetime for everything — but iPhone/iPad only, so mixed-platform couples should look at the next two instead.
2. Baby Name Together — free on everything
Baby Name Togetheris the closest like-for-like Kinder replacement: simple partner pairing and mutual-like matching, except it also runs in the browser and the entire app is free. The experience is plainer than the others here, but "free, everywhere, no catch" is a strong offer.
3. BabyName — the biggest catalog
BabyNameanswers the "I ran out of names" complaint with a 30,000+ name catalog on both platforms. It has the longest press pedigree in the category after Kinder itself. Expect a fair number of spelling variants in the deck — the flip side of catalog size.
4. NameHatch — skip the install entirely
NameHatchis a web app: share a link, swipe in the browser, done. It layers AI suggestions on a large catalog, with a limited free tier before payment. If Kinder's app-ness was never the draw, this is the frictionless option.
5. Baby Name Genius — for the researchers
Baby Name Geniuskeeps the couple-matching mechanic but invests in name detail — meanings, origins, popularity trends. It suits couples whose short-list conversations start with "okay, but what does it mean?"
The bottom line
Kinder is still a fine app, and if it's working for you there's no reason to switch. But the category has matured around it: more filtering (Pearfect Name), more platforms for free (Baby Name Together), more names (BabyName), less friction (NameHatch), and more depth (Baby Name Genius). Match the alternative to the specific thing you wished Kinder did — and if you want to window-shop names before committing to any app, our free browsable catalog of 11,600+ names with origins and styles is open to everyone.
