It’s natural to be a little nervous about joining a dating site at first — especially if you’re more accustomed to starting relationships the old-fashioned way. Back in the day, it was all about meeting someone special at a bar or restaurant or perhaps being set up by mutual friends. But these days, more people connect digitally. Even if you’re no stranger to dating, it’s possible that this type of technology is somewhat intimidating.
But have no fear — online dating is easier to navigate than you may think. Singles of all ages are using websites to connect with their life partners, and many sites offer a user-friendly experience that makes it simple to set up a profile and browse for local senior singles. Here are our picks of the best older dating sites and apps worth checking out.
1. Match
Match.com is a quality-driven dating site that has been around the block a few times. Since 1995, Match has invited mature men and women to build friendships and relationships online. Its simple and straightforward matching process has helped widowed, divorced, and never-married singles put themselves out there in a safe environment.
- Match has more over-50 members than any other dating site
- Automatically filter potential matches by age, background, and keyword
- Date Check Ins help singles feel comfortable planning a first date
- Browse Match profiles 100% free »
You likely have heard of Match before. The website launched back in 1995, and has made countless love connections ever since. According to Match statistics, about 80% of users have a college degree (or, attended college for some period of time).
Match appeals to single adults who are looking for a forever type of love. You may be surprised to know that the 50 and older crowd is one of the site’s fastest-growing demographics. Only around 25% of Match users are under the age of 30.
It’s free to sign up to Match and explore the dating site or app in search of local dates. That said, certain advanced features, including unlimited messaging, do require extra money. The paid plan is not necessarily a bad thing, as the extra cost can eliminate profiles that aren’t quite as serious about making a long-lasting connection.
SilverSingles offers a secure dating experience for singles of a certain age. Anyone over 50 is welcome to join the network and browse for dates by using the simple search filters and match recommendations. Every month, over 800,000 senior singles join the dating site and start their journey toward love.
- Global membership base of exclusively single seniors
- Free members can browse matches, send smiles, and favorite profiles
- 24/7 online customer service
- Browse SilverSingles profiles 100% free »
This next dating site has a clever name that emphasizes its dedication to late-in-life love. Silver Singles has plenty of success stories to prove that it’s a great spot for older people to match up. Silver Singles helps daters who are 50 and older and uses a personality test to help you find the perfect partner.
The online dating site even takes the work out of finding matches by emailing you compatible new singles daily, until you let them know you’ve found the one. If meeting a potential new life partner with the same values and goals you have is important, this is a solid site.
3. eharmony
Since 2000, eharmony has developed a matchmaking formula that uses rigorous psychological research to pair singles in long-term relationships. The dating website’s trademarked matching system has led to countless marriages around the globe, and it has a three-month guarantee on its dating services. If you’re looking for a mature relationship, eharmony can point you in the right direction.
- Mature membership base in the U.S., the U.K., Canada, and Australia
- Free members can browse and favorite profiles
- Compatibility ratings on intellect, altruism, romance, social values, etc.
- Browse eharmony profiles 100% free »
eharmony is another popular site that’s been around for quite some time. In 2000 when eharmony launched, it immediately struck a chord and achieved great success. According to user feedback, 71% of women and 69% of men who joined the site said they found their spouses after being members for just a year.
Over the years, the eharmony team has continually achieved impressive stats that speak to the effectiveness of its compatibility ratings and matchmaking system. It’s apparent that eharmony is serious about making lifelong love connections. The online dating site and app work especially well for older daters who are ready to settle down and start the rest of their lives.
Elite Singles is the dating website of choice for highly educated senior men and women who know exactly what they want. Singles over 50 can use this international network to find dates in their desired age range. The dating site uses an advanced Fraud Detection System to make sure everyone is who they say they are.
- Fraud Detection System keeps seniors safe
- Detailed personality questionnaire to pinpoint compatibility
- Manual profile verification builds trust online
- Browse Elite Singles profiles 100% free »
Elite Singles boasts that it has over 381,000 new sign-ups every month, which means that it’s a great site to find a variety of personalities. The online dating site makes it a point to safeguard users by actively quality-checking user profiles to ensure that all matches are legit.
After all, there’s nothing worse than forming a connection with a fake profile or a catfisher who’s not being honest about who they are in person. Over 90% of the users on Elite Singles are over the age of 30, which means they’re more likely to be in the life stage where they’re looking for a steady, meaningful relationship.
Ashley Madison supports a safe space where seniors can browse, flirt, and feel young again. This extremely popular casual dating site and app can get people out of their romantic ruts by giving them the chance to meet attractive and discreet dates who may never have crossed their paths otherwise.
- Open to affairs, poly relationships, and sugar dating
- Responsible for 1.4 million connections a month
- Mark yourself as “Traveling” to mix business with pleasure
- Browse Ashley Madison profiles 100% free »
Is Ashley Madison the right avenue toward serious dating? Well, that’s up to you and the rules you’ve created for your own relationships. Ashley Madison was created for potential affairs and hookups and has a reputation for welcoming extramarital activities. That said, it’s full of people with prior relationship experience. You’ll likely find a few singles who are simply looking to date discreetly, without being seen on a more populated site.
Regardless, the site does have an active user base, and you may end up finding someone who you didn’t expect. Ashley Madison starts with a free membership, but the platform requires paid add-ons to enhance your user experience. The married dating site has more free features for women than it does for men, likely in an attempt to create a wider dating pool.
6. SeniorMatch
SeniorMatch is one of the most trusted names in the senior dating scene. Since 2003, the over-50 dating site has catered to divorcees, widows, and other singles seeking a second shot at love. It’s free to create an account on SeniorMatch, and you can browse profiles, discover matches, send messages to paid members without needing to upgrade or subscribe.
- Exclusively for men and women over 45
- Add a profile to your Hotlist to save it for later
- Seniors shares dating advice in members-only forums
- Browse SeniorMatch profiles 100% free »
SeniorMatch prides itself on having a large database of potential singles who are 50 and up — over 1 million, in fact, with 6,000 of them logging in daily. It offers a free membership, which is a wonderful way for newbies to dip their toes into the dating pool. If it seems to be a site that you enjoy perusing, you can purchase a premium membership to unlock new features.
SeniorMatch is a trusted dating platform for older adults, and it boasts over 36,000 success stories from users who met their match via the app or site.
7. OurTime
OurTime gives singles over 50 a confidence boost by introducing them to age-appropriate dates online. The dating site offers multiple ways to connect and discover commonality, and it has led to thousands of success stories in the last few years. Whether you’re looking for a pen pal, a friend, or a relationship, OurTime has got it covered.
- Thousands of success stories from all over the world
- Find senior dates using advanced search filters and match suggestions
- The Help Center offers quick tips and guidance
- Browse OurTime profiles 100% free »
One of the unique features of OurTime is that it only allows users between the ages of 45 and 65. The dating platform helps safeguard users by making sure that profiles don’t include any derogatory or abusive information, and it doesn’t allow users to mention their membership status.
The OurTime profile provides space to write about yourself in your own words, which means potential matches can get to know you for you. This is a niche site to make connections with like-minded individuals in a safe way before taking a budding relationship offline. While a subscription is required to message members, it’s free to browse.
As part of the Friends Date Network, SeniorFriendsDate is a trustworthy name in the online dating scene. Thousands of singles over 50 have joined this dating site and enjoyed free, unlimited communication. Seniors can send a quick message, give a wink, or make a MeetMe request to catch someone’s attention here.
- Zero cost to join and request dates
- All profiles must include at least 3 genuine photos
- Browse single seniors by country and age
- Browse SeniorFriendsDate profiles 100% free »
SeniorFriendsDate is great for romantic connections and long-lasting friendships. One of the main benefits of SeniorFriendsDate is the fact that it’s completely free because it’s supported solely by ads. As its website claims, there will never be fees to join up, so you’ll never have to worry about costly add-on features. That said, the site doesn’t do any background checks on the people who sign up and create a profile, so you may want to schedule a video chat with your potential partner before going to meet them in person, just as an extra safety measure.
FAQs: Is Online Dating Safe for Senior Singles?
Speaking of safety measures, there are a few you’ll want to be aware of prior to booking that dinner reservation with someone new.
Yes, online dating is safe for senior singles, but you’ll need to watch for some common red flags, just in case. While it’s never a good feeling to be fooled by a fake profile, many times an individual may tweak a few details to appear more dateable, or because they’re afraid of revealing too much about themselves on the internet. While there’s no shame in online dating, some seniors still feel like there’s a stigma behind it. They may worry that their reputations are at risk if their profile is found by a close family member or loved one. So it’s important to fully screen profiles before scheduling a time for an in-person date. If anything seems off, trust your gut.
Never meet someone at their home address. It’s best to meet in a public place, like at a restaurant or at the mall. It’s also a good idea to let a trusted loved one know where you are, and when you plan to return — this is a measure many people in the dating world take, regardless of age. Secondly, you may want to take note if their profile image is very different from their in-person appearance. While some people may stick with old pictures they feel are more flattering, it is deceiving, and that’s not a character trait that leads to a successful relationship.
Does Tinder Work for Senior Dating or Age-Gap Dating?
While Tinder is geared toward a younger crowd, usually under the age of 35, so single seniors on Tinder don’t have the easiest time finding a match. An older person has a better chance at success if they’re open to a relationship with an age gap. But you should know that there will be plenty of competition, and it may be harder to form a real connection.
Tinder began as a young people thing, but it has since expanded in the senior dating community. Now singles of any age can reap the same benefits online. The dating app specializes in helping singles find viable date prospects in their area, and it uses demographic information to suggest ideal matches.
- Verified profiles created by genuine seniors
- Only mutual matches can send messages on the app
- Community Guidelines ensure everyone behaves appropriately
- Browse Tinder profiles 100% free »
Tinder has been downloaded over 530 million times and facilitated over 75 billion matches. So in terms of quantity, it’s unbeatable in the dating scene. However, we don’t recommend it as a top choice for senior dating because so many of its active users are younger singles.
The online dating app may be too fast-paced for users unfamiliar with the digital dating scene, and it may seem too impersonal and superficial for seniors looking to love again after the death of a spouse or a late-in-life divorce.
What’s the Best Dating Site for Jewish Singles?
If you’re specifically looking for Jewish singles to date, the two best websites to check out are JDate and JWed. Let’s talk about JDate first; founded in 1997, the Jewish dating site focuses on making successful matches for singles in the Jewish community. The site has grown in popularity mostly by word of mouth. One big plus is that the website can be accessed in Hebrew, unlike many other dating sites.
JWed was created with Jewish marriage as the end goal. The online dating site has a membership that spans all ages, locations, and even Jewish outlooks. All matches are exclusively Jewish, and everyone who signs up has the same objective — making it down the aisle.
How Is Dating Different for Older Adults?
In a way, dating is easier for older adults. Seniors have a good sense of who they are and what they’re looking for in a partnership. As a senior, you already know that a relationship only strengthens based on trust and good communication. Unlike dating sites and apps that are geared more toward younger adults, most senior-based sites also happen to have a higher ratio of women to men, which can be a plus.
That said, senior dating has its challenges as well. For one, there’s a good chance your date already has a family that may not be mentally prepared for a new addition. If there’s a tough situation to navigate, the website Stir may be a good place to meet people in a similar situation and who can understand complications ahead.
The subject of money can also be a tough one for senior daters to navigate down the line. Conversations regarding spending habits and retirement plans can be hard because older singles may already have established their individual finances.
If you’re a senior who recently lost a spouse, the idea of moving on can be painful. Only you know when the time is right to move forward. If you’re ready now, a good website to check out is WidowsorWidowers, which matches singles who have lost a first substantial love. That said, all of the websites listed can also be a good way to find companions and build friendships that can help during your period of grief.
Senior Citizens Needn’t Retire from the Dating Scene
Seniors should know that they have a right to date. Whether they are looking for a second chance at love or trying to find a committed partner after a lifetime of unsuccessful meet-ups, always remember that there’s still plenty of life left to live. It is possible for senior people to form serious relationships and friendships in their golden years, and it’s vital for seniors to stay connected to their communities and have a social life that keeps their hearts and minds active.
While seniors may feel nervous creating a profile that showcases them in the best light, they should know that there’s nothing to fear. Not only are plenty of seniors joining the dating scene, but they’ve become very successful in landing partners. Like with everything in life, practice makes perfect, and dating profiles can always be tweaked.
Even if senior online daters don’t find love immediately, signing up for senior dating sites can be a wonderful way to get out on the town and form more social bonds. By putting yourself out there, you’ll get a lot in return. Plus, you never know where each new connection may lead in the future.
