Whether you’re looking for a one-night stand or a long-term relationship, knowing the dating sites with the highest success rates makes it easier to choose the right platform for your needs. Tons of online dating apps exist, and while they all cater to specific types of daters, they’re not all equally effective.
We delved into the research, and the dating platforms we’ve listed here boast the highest success rates around. Each one is tailored to different types of daters, helping you find the perfect platform for your online dating journey.
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 »
It’s no secret that our dating experts love Match, and one reason is the dating platform’s high success rate. Although Match stopped publishing success stories to respect member privacy, the online dating site continues to bring singles together for lasting relationships.
Estimates vary, but researchers have previously given ballpark estimates of over 100,000 marriages, more than 500,000 relationships, and approximately 1 million babies born as a result of compatible people finding each other on Match. The dating site is the crown jewel of the Match Group, a network that includes a variety of platforms for people seeking love. The Match Group network even includes Stir, a dating site aimed at single parents.
It’s easy to understand what contributes to Match’s ongoing success: the platform keeps it straightforward with a free basic membership that takes just minutes to set up. By answering questions about yourself and what you’re looking for, the Match algorithm gets to work finding your best matches.
As you browse your suggested matches, the algorithm takes your responses into account, helping you discover better fits. As a basic user, you can even message your Top Picks without paying a fee or signing up for a paid account. If you’re looking for more freedom to connect, a premium membership offers additional perks, including unlimited messaging, a profile audit, and other useful tools and services to help you find the right person.
2. 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 »
With more than 2 million success stories to its name, eharmony has become the go-to place for daters looking for long-term love. Although the dating platform has something of a checkered past when it comes to LGBTQ+ singles, eharmony began pairing same-sex couples in 2009 with the launch of the Compatible Partners website, and by 2019 eharmony had fully incorporated same-sex matchmaking into the platform. This move toward inclusivity continues to improve eharmony’s already-impressive record.
The major drivers for success on eharmony come down to a few key features. First, eharmony matches singles based on innate compatibility, as determined by the in-depth personality test. The test digs deep into personal values goals, interests, and lifestyle to make sensible matches.
Another significant factor is the variety of communication methods that eharmony provides. A free member can take icebreaker quizzes and send the results to interest a potential match, or they can send a direct message or like to get things going.
Of course, not all of these features are available to everyone on the platform. Basic members have limited communication options, but premium eharmony members can communicate. The team behind eharmony says that the membership fee encourages serious users, and discourages romance scammers.
Ashley Madison is a breath of fresh air for single or attached folks experiencing a sex slump. This exciting dating site and app offer tons of opportunities to mingle, match, flirt, and hook up discreetly. Over 91 million profiles await you on Ashley Madison, and it’s free to create an anonymous account.
- Discreetly arranges one-night stands
- More than 91 million profiles worldwide
- Travel-friendly features for seeking matches in other cities
- Browse Ashley Madison profiles 100% free »
Given all of the controversy surrounding Ashley Madison, it may come as a surprise that the affair dating site and app maintains a high level of membership. It has more than 80 million members worldwide and sees 5.7 million views per month across the platform.
According to the team, Ashley Madison attracts about 15,000 new users daily. Such global popularity is thanks to the site’s welcoming, judgment-free space where singles and married people alike can explore discreet connections.
Ashley Madison’s unique features are what make the platform such a success. Its dating site and app do everything possible to help members keep their interactions on the down low. Photo blurring tools and private, password-protected photo albums keep identities a secret. Meanwhile, automatic browser history clearing and discreet billing codes prevent suspicious or nosy people from discovering your account.
Finally, the panic button navigates you instantly away from the platform, so even if someone peeks over your shoulder or walks into the room, you can avoid being caught. Ashley Madison even offers flexible payment methods for buying credits to access features like messaging and video chat.
4. Hinge
Hinge is widely known as the dating app that was “designed to be deleted.” That means everything from the in-depth profile to the matchmaking formula works overtime to connect singles to that perfect match. The goal isn’t to get single people in as many chats and on as many first dates as possible. The goal is to streamline the process of finding a relationship and then retiring your Hinge profile forever.
- Profiles require multiple photos and responses to prompts
- Users can send a message with their match request
- The app collects post-date feedback to improve its system
- Browse Hinge profiles 100% free »
Many online dating platforms encourage users to go on their first date quickly, but Hinge is one of few that follows up to make sure it happens. Hinge keeps track of real-world success metrics, as opposed to just how many matches or messages users receive. That means Hinge can prove its success rates.
About 90% of Hinge users who shared data via the We Met feature reported positive first dates, and 72% of those who had first dates thanks to Hinge were keen to set up second dates. I count myself among the 90%—I met my husband on Hinge in 2019.
Hinge’s success rate reflects on the philosophy of the founder Justin McCleod. The platform is “designed to be deleted” due to a successful match. The reason for Hinge’s success comes down to the way the dating platform operates. Instead of just swiping left or right or sending a bland “hey” to start a conversation, Hinge profiles include several pictures and prompts to comment on.
With Hinge, users are encouraged to comment on something specific in a profile, which means each person spends at least a little time reviewing a potential partner’s details before starting a conversation.
5. 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 »
Launched in 2004, OkCupid started showing the value of its methods long before Match Group bought the dating service. The core tenets of OkCupid continue today: embrace algorithms and keep all core services free.
That approach has led to some pretty impressive success statistics: 91 million connections made every year, 50,000 dates made every week, and more mentions in the New York Times wedding announcements than any other dating app or site.
There are a few reasons why OkCupid succeeds where other free dating sites struggle. Its free membership is a core principle, yet it still uses a comprehensive personality test to determine compatibility between members. This test, crafted by Harvard-trained math experts alongside sociologists and psychologists, effectively pinpoints what truly makes a person tick.
Once you’ve completed the personality test, you can take your time answering more questions, which enhances your match accuracy and guides the algorithm toward more suitable partners. You can do everything you need on OkCupid for free, but there are perks for A-List users, like visibility boosts and seeing who likes your profile.
FAQs: What’s The Most Downloaded Dating App?
The most downloaded dating app is still Tinder. The reigning champion for years, the popular app has 630 million downloads since its launch in 2012. The rest of the frontrunners aren’t even close, although Bumble, Happn, and Badoo all boast well over 100 million downloads each.
Tinder remains the one to beat when it comes to popularity. But keep in mind that just because so many people are on the dating platform doesn’t mean it gives you the best odds for success. Your ideal choice for a dating app or site depends on what you’re looking for, where you live, and many other factors.
Which Dating App Is Best for Serious Relationships?
I’ll admit I’m completely biased on this one — I firmly believe the best dating app for relationships is Hinge. I say that because this wonderful swiping app introduced me to the love of my life. I matched with him in 2019, and we’re now happily married and raising a son.
Hinge appealed to me because its detailed dating profiles have a good number of photos (it’s currently six plus an Instagram reel option) and also have plenty of unique prompts (three are required) to provide greater insight into a person.
Like many apps following the Tinder playbook, Hinge uses the swiping method to spark matches, but it goes beyond the superficial by asking users to like or comment on a specific part of the dating profile. This encourages being specific about what attracts you.
I have to give full credit to Match and eharmony for being the pioneers of online dating, offering many personal compatibility features that definitely inspire real connections. However, their features just didn’t resonate with me. Hinge did. The app was designed to be deleted, and that marketing line actually rang true for my love life. I’d encourage you to give it a try and see what it can do for you.
What’s the Most Successful Sex Dating Site?
When it comes to finding hookups, Adult Friend Finder remains an industry giant for good reason. The casual dating site launched in the 1990s and made a name for itself in the early days of the internet.
AFF doesn’t shy away from adult content on the platform, playing host to tons of explicit photos, videos, and plenty of spicy chat room conversations. The open atmosphere and adult themes on the site are big reasons for the platform’s success, since users feel comfortable talking about their desires without shame.
Adult Friend Finder is among the longest-running and the largest sex communities in existence with tens of millions of profiles to its name. The hookup site has over 93 million members, many of whom are actively searching for flings, threesomes, and other sexual experiences. AFF members can feel free to discuss their desires, fetishes, and sexual preferences in the live chat rooms and dating forums.
- A global community of single women and swinger couples
- More than 25 million monthly users
- Free unlimited browsing of hot profiles
- Browse Adult Friend Finder profiles 100% free »
AFF welcomes anyone over the age of 18, whether you’re single, a couple, straight, or part of the LGBTQ+ community. That’s another attractive aspect of Adult Friend Finder: everyone on the platform can be who they are without worrying about harassment or bullying. From couples looking for other couples to swing with to bisexual singles looking for unicorn hunters, everyone is welcome on the platform, accounting for its high success rate.
Does Facebook Dating Really Work?
Technically, yes. Facebook Dating is a fully operational online dating app, where you can sign up, find matches, and contact them. However, it’s not my favorite dating app out there for a few reasons.
One reason is that, while the app launched in 2018, it still doesn’t have a very large user base. Depending on where you live, your matches on Facebook Dating may be limited and not as compatible. Part of this has to do with the way that Facebook Dating suggests matches. The app uses your extended network to suggest matches based on friends of friends. So if you don’t have a lot of friends, or you live in a rural area, you’re unlikely to find a lot of matches.
Also, because the platform is completely free, Facebook Dating tends to run into the same problem other free online dating apps contend with: lots of fake profiles and scammers. Every Facebook Dating profile is attached to a standard Facebook profile, but making a fake Facebook profile isn’t very difficult.
All in all, while it’s a free option for online daters looking for love and sex, and it is a functional dating app, Facebook Dating isn’t one I’d recommend.
How Do I Avoid Fake Profiles on Dating Sites & Apps?
Unfortunately, fake profiles are impossible to avoid on dating sites and apps. Romance scams and other methods of defrauding people are just too popular and lucrative. But some platforms do a better job than others when it comes to preventing fakes.
Bumble has a strong reputation for its strict community guidelines and enforcement consistency, which goes a long way toward making the platform unappealing for scammers and catfishers.
Traditional dating website eharmony also inspires trust in its members because the platform works hard to prevent fakes from joining (through verification) and to root out and remove any scammers who slip through. The team behind eharmony says that the membership fee plays a big role, too. Having to spend money to send unlimited messages to other users makes the platform less desirable for scammers.
Sure, online dating sites and apps sometimes encounter fake profiles, as scammers are always on the lookout for ways to profit. But don’t let a few fake profiles spoil your experience.
Know the warning signs of a phony profile and keep an eye out for red flags. Report any suspicious accounts you find, and try to stick with platforms that offer additional identity verification. Those dating sites and dating apps also tend to let you filter out potential matches who haven’t taken that step.
Success Is In Your Hands in the Online Dating Scene
Nothing in life is certain, but by joining a dating site with the highest success rate, you can give yourself an edge in improving your love life. You’ll still have to do work to seek out the right partner, but it definitely helps to choose a dating app or site that has a proven track record of bringing like-minded people together.
Take your destiny into your own hands and select a dating platform that will help steer you to success!
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