Dating again as a widow is complicated, to say the least. Sometimes your head tells you it’s time to move forward, but your heart is stuck in the past. Sometimes you want to meet someone new, but you’re afraid to get hurt again.
Widows and widowers have to overcome grief, loneliness, and insecurities on their journey from loss to love, and it’s not always easy to meet people after spending a significant period of time in a relationship. That where widow dating sites come in.
Maybe it’s been years or decades since you’ve been single, and you have a lot of questions about how to date in the 21st century. Navigating today’s swipe-happy dating scene can seem intimidating at first, but the right platforms can help you feel comfortable mixing and mingling. Here’s a breakdown of the best dating sites for widows looking for a new start.
Best Overall Dating Sites for a Widow or Widower
As a widow or widower, you may not want to find a full-blown relationship right away. You may just want to talk, find companionship, and stretch your date muscles. Fortunately, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to meet a good person on a popular dating platform. You can dip your toe in the online dating world by trying the following top-rated dating sites and apps.
1. Match
Match.com has come a long way since it launched in April 1995. This well-reputed dating site has honed its match algorithm to identify long-term compatibility and facilitate countless first dates, serious relationships, and successful marriages. Match's esteemed dating experts go to great lengths to guide singles to a seriously good match.
- Match is the world's longest running dating site
- The Discover section has search filters by interests, looks, lifestyle, and more
- Match is available in 50 countries and 15 languages
- Browse Match profiles 100% free »
Match has spent decades supporting single widowers, divorcees, and other newly single folks. Since 1995, Match has distinguished itself as a quality-driven online dating site for more mature daters.
About 75% of Match users are over 30, and about 44% say they have children from a previous relationship. Safe to say you’ll find a lot of maturity in this dating pool.
Unlike a lot of other dating sites, Match gives singles the option to identify themselves as a widow/widower in the About Me section of their dating profiles. Widowed singles can also use the advanced search filters to find widows and widowers who live in the area, and that can be a great comfort for any person feeling isolated by their grief.
EliteSingles.com maintains a sophisticated network of young professionals seeking a relationship. Over 80% of its members hold a bachelor's, master's, or doctorate degree, and over 90% are over the age of 30. Elite Singles uses an intelligent matchmaking system to introduce daters to someone on their level.
- Over 2 million monthly users
- Premium members receive 20 wildcard matches a day
- Search features include age, height, education, ethnicity, and lifestyle habits
- Browse Elite Singles profiles 100% free »
Elite Singles is a top-tier dating website known for attracting well-educated and successful singles in the dating pool. More than 90% of its members are 30 or older, and 82% of them have graduated from college and pursued professional careers.
As a premium dating site, Elite Singles can offer enhanced security measures and messaging filters. Only paid subscribers can view your photos and get in touch with you, so you don’t have to worry about running into creeps, cybercriminals, fake profiles, or other unsavory characters here.
The Customer Care team can offer 24/7 support on your dating journey, and you can customize your profile’s dating preferences to make sure your daily matches meet your standards.
3. Zoosk
Zoosk is a socially savvy dating site known for its diverse membership base and behavioral matchmaking system. Over 40 million singles in 80 countries have joined the network so far, and it's growing larger every day. The platform offers many different ways to communicate and express interest in members, so it's easy to form a fast connection here.
- Send messages to premium members for free
- Over 3 million messages sent a day
- Premium perks include photo verification and sending virtual gifts
- Browse Zoosk profiles 100% free »
Zoosk is a global dating site with over 40 million members of all ages, orientations, and backgrounds. You don’t have to fit inside a certain mold to join Zoosk — this chatty, friendly space is for everyone.
Online communication is one of Zoosk’s biggest strengths. The online dating site and app offer a lot of engaging chat tools, many of which are free, so new users can break the ice by sending a flirt or a virtual gift to their online crushes.
Zoosk has also pioneered behavioral matchmaking, which means the match algorithm learns what you like based on your online activity. The more you send messages and like profiles, the more accurate its match suggestions will become.
4. eharmony
Since its launch in 2000, eharmony has endeavored to find the formula for love. Its 32-dimension personality test uses psychological truths to identify areas of compatibility between two individuals. The dating site's mission is to foster relationships that last, and every potential match has a reason behind it.
- Over 2 million people have found love here
- Users can filter their match recommendations by age or city
- Compatibility Quiz identifies common interests, lifestyles, and goals
- Browse eharmony profiles 100% free »
In 2000, eharmony became one of the most trusted names in the online dating community by promoting a serious relationship over short-term dating.
The eharmony team has used psychology principles to create a personality test that can measure long-term compatibility between two users. The quiz gets to the heart of who you are and what you want with questions like “What are your main reasons for wanting a relationship?” and “What do you want your partner to like about you?”
It’s free to create an eharmony profile, take the compatibility quiz, and browse matches, and a free member can even send free messages to certain users. By catering to commitment-minded singles, eharmony has inspired a supportive and effective online dating experience. Over 2 million couples have fallen in love thanks to eharmony, and it creates a new match every 14 minutes.
Christian Mingle is a faith-based dating website for singles who want a relationship grounded in Christian values. People of all religions and backgrounds turn to this site in hopes of meeting a good Christian man or a good Christian woman. Christian Mingle's claim to fame is that it has the highest percentage of Christian members of any dating site or app in the world.
- For singles interested in God-centered relationships
- Over 3.5 million monthly users around the world
- Available as an app on Google Play and the App Store
- Browse Christian Mingle profiles 100% free »
Christian Mingle has the largest concentration of Christian singles of any other dating site, so it’s perfect for faith-driven singles seeking friendship, romance, and love.
Christian Mingle can give solace to widows and widowers battling uncertainty, loneliness, and grief. This friendly site offers a God-centered journey to a happy relationship, and it doesn’t cost anything to take the first step with a free profile.
Many Christian Mingle couples have built relationships that strengthen their faith and values. After years of introspection and prayer, a widow named Cris found a loving husband and a father for her daughters on Christian Mingle. “No earthly medium is perfect,” Cris said, “but our match was made perfect by His handiwork on the website.”
Since its launch in 2002, BlackPeopleMeet has created an African American singles network that stretches across North America. This niche dating site has 1.5 million members who are attracted to Black and biracial people. It takes less than two minutes to create a full profile and start browsing through profiles sorted by age, location, and orientation.
- One of the largest Black singles networks in existence
- Straightforward search and matching features
- Use Tokens to appear higher in search results
- Browse BlackPeopleMeet profiles 100% free »
BlackPeopleMeet has connected Black and biracial singles in an online community like no other. The dating site has thousands of active members in the U.S. and Canada, and it welcomes people of all racial backgrounds.
With a basic membership, BlackPeopleMeet singles can view profiles, search for matches, and send flirts, faves, and likes at their discretion. However, only paid members can read and reply to messages in their inbox.
Singles can disclose their widowed status in their profile and let potential dates know where they’re coming from, or they can keep their personal information private and only fill in the required fields (age, gender, orientation) to set up a BlackPeopleMeet account.
7. OkCupid
In 2004, OkCupid's founders decided to create a fool-proof formula for love, and they launched a free dating site to delve into what personal attributes made relationships work. OkCupid members can send unlimited messages for free. It's easy to discover mutual interests and compatibility on the platform's information-rich dating profiles.
- Free, unlimited communication for everyone
- Singles can swipe or search for a compatible date
- Over 91 million connections every year
- Browse OkCupid profiles 100% free »
OkCupid operates under the motto “Dating deserves better.” Since 2004, this free dating platform has made the dating experience better by giving singles the freedom to be themselves and follow their hearts.
As a personality-driven dating site and app, OkCupid lets people show off who they are by answering prompts like “What I’m doing with my life” and “Six things I could never do without.” Although OkCupid does not have “widowed” as an option for your relationship status, you can tell your story in your own words in your dating profile.
OkCupid also gives singles the option to answer up to 5,000 personal questions about their habits, opinions, values, experiences, and lifestyles.
The OkCupid algorithm uses all this personal information to calculate a compatibility rating and recommend profiles that have a lot in common.
Plenty of Fish prides itself on being one of the best dating sites for conversations. It supports 100% free and unlimited messaging for over 120 million monthly users in 20 countries. Since its launch in 2003, Plenty of Fish has developed a science-based matching system that has proven successful.
- Free registration, searches, and messaging
- The Chemistry Test creates a compatibility framework
- Over 1 billion messages sent per month
- Browse Plenty of Fish profiles 100% free »
Plenty of Fish is a completely free dating site and app with over 150 million members to its name.
Every day, over 4 million singles visit the POF community in search of a love connection, and members exchange over 3 million messages in total. It’s free to contact anyone you want on Plenty of Fish, and you can also read and respond to the greetings in your inbox.
POF has one of the largest dating pools around, and it offers a world of opportunity for widows interested in starting conversations and building a new relationship online and offline.
9. Tinder
In 2012, Tinder pioneered a swiping-based match system that empowered singles to connect with dates who liked them back. Tinder users can message their mutual matches for free on this fast-paced dating app. Since its launch, Tinder has created over 97 billion matches worldwide.
- Supports active daters in 190+ countries
- The swiping system creates over 12 million matches per day
- Tinder Plus members have unlimited likes and 5 Super Likes
- Browse Tinder profiles 100% free »
A list of the best dating sites for widows just wouldn’t seem complete without Tinder. This groundbreaking app invented swipe-right matching in 2012 and has become undeniably popular among singles.
Tinder has created over 97 billion matches in 190 countries, and it claims responsibility for inspiring over 1.5 million dates in an average week.
Tinder isn’t exactly the classiest dating platform around — it’s a well-known hookup app — but it is free and full of people who are willing to chat and go on dates. You don’t have to make a big commitment here. Many a Tinder user has said they are active on the dating app simply to boost their confidence and kill time by flirting with local hotties.
10. Bumble
Since its launch in 2014, Bumble has positioned itself as one of the queens of the online dating world. The dating app turns gender stereotype on its head by empowering women to make the first move in a conversation with a man. Once you've made that mutual match, you have up to 48 hours to respond and make a connection.
- A feminist dating app puts singles on equal footing
- 60% of Bumble matches turn into dates
- Bumble Bizz and Bumble BFF spark non-romantic connections
- Browse Bumble profiles 100% free »
Since 2014, Bumble has positioned itself as the female-friendly alternative to superficial dating apps. On Bumble, women set the tone and lead the way by sending the first message in conversations with men.
Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd left an executive position at Tinder to create a dating app that put women first, and the rest is history. Now Bumble has over 100 million users seeking all types of networking and relationships on the online dating app.
Young widows can stay in their comfort zone and meet respectful and kind dates thanks to Bumble’s female-friendly matching system.
Best Senior Dating Sites for Widows
Widows who are in their 50s, 60s, or 70s often have trouble meeting single people in their age bracket, and that’s why online dating has been growing more popular in the senior community. We’ve picked out a few of our favorite senior dating sites to help single widowers and widows of a certain age expand their social circles and meet a potential partner.
11. SilverSingles
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 »
Silver Singles has cultivated an exclusive over-50 dating network for retirees and senior professionals looking for a new relationship or companionship.
Singles can create free profiles and fill out their date preferences to get started, and the match algorithm then selects up to seven daily match recommendations. On the senior dating website and app, you can specify if you’re looking for a person within a certain age range, mile radius, ethnicity, or religion to further narrow the results.
Over 800,000 singles visit Silver Singles in the average month, and a good number of them are widows or widowers looking for a new person who shares a similar life experience.
12. DateMyAge
Mature dating site DateMyAge invites older singles to switch to a more age-appropriate dating pool. The global service has successfully connected senior singles in over 30 countries, including the U.S. Safety is a top priority for the platform. All new dating profiles are vetted and verified by the team for authenticity, and a watchful anti-scam system flags and removes suspicious accounts.
- Local and international profile browsing
- Let’s Mingle icebreakers & Live Chat tools
- Advanced video chat, livestreaming, and personal clips
- Browse DateMyAge profiles 100% free »
Older people can start fresh on the DateMyAge platform. This mature dating pool is full of widows and widowers who understand what it means to have loved and lost — and they’re ready to find love again. A free membership could be the beginning of something new and exciting.
DateMyAge launched in 1993 as a service for senior dating prospects. Today, the website has expanded all over the world with a presence in 30 countries and still growing.
One of the features that set DateMyAge apart is the credit system. Instead of locking users into a monthly or annual payment plan, the dating website has pay-as-you-go features that use credits to ensure you’re getting your money’s worth and only paying for features you want and will use.
13. 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 »
OurTime is a leading senior dating site designed to inspire close relationships between men and women over 50.
As a People Media site, OurTime has access to an extensive singles database in English-speaking countries, and it grows by about 20,000 new members each week.
OurTime gives singles a chance to date on their terms and seek people who meet their standards for age, location, education, religion, appearance, zodiac sign, or even relationship status (single, widowed, or divorced). OurTime users can use the advanced search tools to get their bearings in the dating scene and find a new friend or even a dream date.
14. 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 »
Since its launch in 2003, SeniorMatch in a senior dating app that has inspired millions of senior singles with the simple message: You are not alone. It can offer meaningful support for a widow and widower dating someone new.
Older people can use this dating service to put an end to their loneliness by meeting single men and women who share similar life experiences. It’s easy to see how a happy relationship could spring from a free membership on SeniorMatch.
This premier senior dating site supports over 1.6 million conversations a month, and it has over 36,600 success stories to its name.
“We met online and have been together six years now,” said a SeniorMatch member. “I would advise anyone to go to [SeniorMatch]. I have never been so happy and content.”
Best LGBT Dating Sites for Widows
Online dating has greatly benefited the LGBTQ+ community because it gives them direct access to dates of all sexual orientations and gender identities. By joining a gay-friendly dating site, single men and women can unite under the rainbow flag and meet people who embrace queerness in all shapes and forms.
15. MenNation
MenNation boasts having one of the world's largest men-only hookup community, and it has 93 million dating profiles to back up its claim. Since 1997, this gay dating site has made inroads in the LGBTQ community and supported sexually active singles and couples who want to find a partner for the night.
- Free registration and unlimited profile browsing
- Add online crushes to the Hotlist or My Network
- Enjoy private conversations in the Message Center
- Browse MenNation profiles 100% free »
MenNation is a popular hookup site for sexually active men seeking men. This man-friendly dating coach encourages adults to anonymously explore the online dating world.
Whether you’re gay, bisexual, or just curious, you can create a gay personals ad on MenNation and start chatting with single men who enjoy no-strings-attached sex.
Some single widowers aren’t ready to open their hearts to a new man or change their relationship status from single to taken, but they still have human needs and desires, and MenNation can offer a release without mixing emotions with pleasure.
16. LesbianPersonals
LesbianPersonals is one of the most popular hookup sites for women because of its fun-loving and sexually empowering atmosphere. Women don't have to play it coy or act like a lady here. They can outright state that they're looking for no-strings-attached sex and find partners who want the same things.
- Open to single women, couples, and groups interested in sex
- Private text and video chats accessible 24/7
- Women add over 25,000 photos and videos each week
- Browse LesbianPersonals profiles 100% free »
LesbianPersonals invites single women to “find love, lust, and more” by using its personals section to meet attractive ladies and swinging couples.
This discreet lesbian hookup site has millions of accounts in its database, and it is constantly adding names to its local hot list.
Single widows can keep things light and solicit sex in the LesbianPersonals chat room without leaving home. The online dating site offers live chat rooms and video chatting to spark connections, and active members can also exchange photos in the private forum.
17. HER
A lesbian named Robyn Exton founded HER because she recognized that not all dating sites and apps look out for the unique needs and interests of LGBTQ+ womxn. The HER community does a great job of connecting its users in a fun-loving and active community. Its easy social networking tools are great whether you're fully out of the closet or just starting to question your sexuality.
- Free private messaging to all mutual matches
- Post comments or send likes to connect with local lesbians
- A safe, friendly, and one-of-a-kind dating app
- Browse HER profiles 100% free »
The HER dating app has over 10 million active profiles, and all of them have been verified as genuine LGBTQ+ women seeking female companionship. A widowed woman can seek a fresh start and new love with women who are genuine and open-minded.
HER maintains a strict no-boys, no-bullies, and no-bigotry zone. The Community Guidelines urge members to treat every single person with respect and dignity, and the moderators will remove anyone causing trouble or exhibiting toxic behavior on the app.
Everyone joins HER for different reasons — some women want to make friends in the LGBTQ+ community, while others are looking for a serious relationship — but they share a common kindness and joyfulness that defines the lesbian dating app’s culture.
18. Grindr
Grindr is one of the top dogs in the gay dating scene. It's the name everyone recognizes, and many gay men choose it as their go-to dating app. The location-based matching system satisfies the desires of guys who want to hook up on the fly.
- Among the most popular gay social networks in the world
- Men connect via private and group chats
- View nearby profiles using real-time GPS data
- Browse Grindr profiles 100% free »
With over 27 million users, Grindr is one of the most popular gay dating apps in the world, and it can help single guys meet local dates within a few swipes.
Grindr made a big splash in 2009 when it pioneered location-based matching. Suddenly, men didn’t have to rely on their gaydar to spot their next dance partner or romantic interest — they could open the dating app and have gay singles come to them.
Although many people think the Grindr dating service is only good for casual hookups, it has actually led to a lot of relationships as well. In fact, dozens of Grindr users have shared their success stories and said they’d fallen in love with a person they met on the app.
FAQs: How Long After a Spouse Dies is It OK to Date?
It’s always OK to date. Everyone grieves differently, heals differently, and loves differently, and it’s not right for outsiders to judge your decisions about your love life.
Some widowed singles spend years on their own before dipping their toe in the dating pool and looking for a new relationship. Some older people know they don’t have time to waste, so they join a dating website within months of losing a loved one. It varies from individual to individual.
“How long should a widow sit in isolation before YOU are comfortable enough to release them from their solitary confinement,” wrote a blogger named Erica Roman in response to people who said comedian Patton Oswalt got engaged and remarried too soon after his late wife’s passing.
As a newly single person, only you can know when your heart has healed enough to be ready to date again. There is no standard waiting period or society-approved timeline when it comes to grief and recovery from losing a partner. Bereavement could be a month, or it could be a year, or it could be longer than that. You have to look into your own heart and decide what you want in this next chapter in life.
If you’re reading this article, then maybe you’re already in the right head space and heart space to reenter the dating world, meet a new romantic interest, and find joy where you can. Maybe true love and marriage is your top priority, or maybe mingling with folks on chat rooms or messaging an old friend on social media is the right dating experience for you.
At the end of the day, different things are right for different people. It’s OK to date again whenever you feel comfortable, and only you can know when that is.
How Long are You Considered a Widow?
In terms of tax filer status, American women are considered widows and receive marital benefits for two years after a spouse’s passing. However, identifying as a widow means more than simply checking a box on your tax returns. It can become part of your identity — or not — as you see fit.
Most people will consider you a widow until you’ve met someone new and remarried. However, such a label doesn’t have to define you, your life, your dating experience, or your relationships.
What is the Average Age a Woman Becomes a Widow?
The answer to this FAQ may surprise you. In the U.S., the average age of a widow is only 55 years old. The stereotypical widow is an elderly woman living alone in retirement, but that’s not the case for everyone who loses a spouse.
Sometimes women experience a sudden loss in their 30s or 40s and have to deal with navigating a career, raising children, and reentering the dating pool on their own. We never know what life has in store for us, and widows range widely in age and background.
Is a Widow Still Called a Mrs?
Traditionally, widows keep the Mrs. title even after a spouse’s death. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, though. It’s up to the discretion of the widow. Some widows choose to keep their late husband’s name, but others revert back to their maiden name and prefer to be called Ms. or Miss. Neither way is wrong. Again, it’s up to a woman to decide how she wants to move forward and what she feels is right for her situation.
Widows Can Find a New Beginning Online
The online dating scene can help widowed singles recover their independence, heal their broken hearts, and meet a potential partner who can make them feel loved and happy.
As a newly single person or single parent, it’s natural to feel apprehensive, intimidated, or even fearful about embarking on a dating journey, especially after a long hiatus, but it can also be exciting. Single widows can put themselves out there, build a serious relationship, and rediscover romance or perhaps even love. The free dating sites and apps on this list can introduce you to a potential match and give you the confidence and resources you need to pursue the love life you want.
Whether you’re looking for a short-term date or a long-term marriage, you can use the best dating sites for widows to make something happen and keep moving forward. Take care!
