When you’re in the trenches of the online dating world, it can be overwhelming. Whether you choose a big, popular mainstream dating site or a niche dating app, looking for the right person can be like trying to find the proverbial needle in the haystack, and combined with going on so many dates, a lot of singles find themselves wondering if online dating even works.
Fear not! Although there’s no dating service with a 100% success rate, singles all around the world have found success on many different dating platforms, and some of them are so happy with their results that they’re willing to go on the record about it. Here are some success stories from around the internet.
1. Jen and Michael (Match)
Jen and Michael found love in the Covid quarantines through Match. The couple first found each other on the platform in 2019, but neither one was eager to make first contact. According to Jen’s testimonial, “Michael said he wasn’t “ready for a widow” and I actually thought he looked kind of cocky in his photos and wasn’t prepared to take on any egos.” But as more parts of the world locked down to try and stem the spread of Covid-19, the two ended up making contact, going on their first date together in late March of 2020.
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 »
Jen turned to Match after the sudden passing of her first husband, when she was ready to get back into dating, while Michael turned to the platform after a divorce. The two hit it off quickly, and became engaged in August 2020, then married in October of the same year!
Jen said that, although they’d only been together for five months when Michael proposed, the pandemic accelerated their courtship — something that a lot of couples have found. The pair’s story highlights an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to successful online dating, and dating in general: When you spend lots of quality time getting to know a potential partner, the next step quickly becomes obvious.
2. Camille and Nigel (Plenty of Fish)
Camille says in her Plenty of Fish testimonial that she found Nigel because “While my friends were swiping right based on looks, I was on Plenty of Fish reading profiles and learning more in depth about the men.” The pair hit it off, finding great conversation and similar interests, and quickly made their first date: a meal at Five Guys. According to Camille, the date was perfect, and she knew right away that she “wanted him as my forever.”
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 »
Two years later, the pair got engaged and then celebrated their wedding in May 2020. According to Camille, Nigel is her “lover, best friend, and soul mate,” and the pair recommend Plenty of Fish to anyone looking for love. The biggest takeaway from Camille’s story is the importance of looking deeper than just the best, most attractive profile picture when you’re looking for your perfect match. Instead, dig a little deeper, and go for a potential partner who shares your interests and values.
3. Christina and Daniel (Tinder)
Christina and Daniel’s story is a triumph for long-distance romance through dating apps. The pair initially connected on Tinder while both lived in San Diego, California, after Christina’s friend encouraged her to swipe right on Daniel because their mutual friend had previously met Daniel while studying abroad. “My best friend was actually on my Tinder account and was swiping through guys when she came across Daniel,” she explained to Insider.
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 »
After a few months, however, it seemed that the relationship was destined to fizzle out as Daniel moved to Madrid to pursue his Master’s degree in April 2017. But they found themselves continuing to talk, and Christina visited him for her birthday in August and moved to Spain to be with Daniel by December of the same year. As of August 2018, the couple were still going strong, having moved back to San Diego together.
4. Savannah and Micka (OkCupid and Tinder)
When Savannah moved overseas to Rouen, France, at the end of 2016, she immediately updated her online dating settings. Within a month or two of updating her OkCupid details, she received her first message from Micka, a lifelong Rouen resident who found her profile intriguing. But when she didn’t get the notification that Micka had replied to her latest message, Savannah moved on to other prospects.
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 »
Three years later, the two found each other once more, this time on Tinder. After several messages back and forth, Micka came clean: He remembered Savannah from their earlier conversation on OkCupid. Their first date consisted of hot chocolate and board games, and they managed to continue seeing each other even through rolling Covid lockdowns in 2020. The couple bonded over movies, board games, and a mutual love of the city’s green spaces.
Two years later, they decided to get married to make sure they could stay together in the country they both loved. Micka and Savannah married in a basic city hall ceremony with a twist: Because Savannah’s friends and family in the US couldn’t make the trip, she took to Facebook Live to make sure none of her loved ones would miss it. Savannah says, “Without online dating, I never would have met Micka in the first place. If moving to France was the best decision I’ve ever made, swiping right on Micka is a close second.”
5. Luke and Amanda (Bumble)
Luke and Amanda found each other on Bumble and immediately bonded over a mutual love of traveling. Both lived in New York City at the time, but in different boroughs, so their first date involved Luke giving Amanda a guided tour of his favorite spots in the Upper East Side. But the two struggled as Luke’s job took him across the country.
They remained in contact but didn’t take steps to make the relationship serious right away. Amanda explained in the couple’s testimonial, “I tried to keep him at arm’s length because I knew he was leaving.” She didn’t even accept his invitation to visit him in California, because, “I just didn’t want to get my heart hurt.”
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 »
Finally, however, the two found themselves both fully single and both free to travel at the same time and reunited in Portugal while Luke was on a world trip that would take him to multiple destinations. Four months later they met up again in Costa Rica. Eventually, Amanda took the plunge and moved across the country from her home base in NY to Santa Monica, and the pair got married in February 2022 after weathering the pandemic together as essential workers.
6. Mikayla and Kenyel (BLK)
Mikayla and Kenyel found each other on BLK, a Black dating platform in the Match network. Mikayla was going through a difficult time in her life and joined the app as a leap of faith, hoping to meet someone who truly understood where she was coming from and that she “wanted to have a whole bunch of Black babies,” according to the couple’s testimonial.
BLK is a local dating app that offers positive vibes and new romances to people in the Black community. The free version of the app includes real-time swiping and the ability to chat with mutual matches. Custom filters are available as well. With over 1 million downloads to date, BLK is one of the largest and fastest-growing Black dating apps on the market.
- Caters to Black single men and women
- Personalized swiping options
- Profile boosts and rewind options for premium members
- Browse BLK profiles 100% free »
Kenyel joined BLK to pass the time during 24-hour duty while at Ft. Bragg and found much more than just a way to kill time.
The pair hit it off and bonded quickly. Their advice to singles looking to forge successful relationships through online dating is simple: “Be patient, know that your time is coming, and learn yourself before searching for a partner.”
7. Vanessa and Eddy (unknown dating app)
According to Vanessa’s testimonial to Cosmopolitan, she wasn’t quite ready to settle down to a serious relationship and Eddy was ready to give up on the platform they found each other on altogether. She was dating around and didn’t make the invitation for a date with Eddy a priority right away due to how many other first dates she was going on. But the first date went so well that soon Vanessa was smitten.
After three weeks, they made it official, and Vanessa explained in her testimonial that she made a move that often dooms an early relationship. “Around that time also was his birthday and I bought him a plant, another bold move for a new couple. He’s felt obligated to keep it alive ever since. It’s a nice, growing symbol of our relationship.” The plant has proven to be an omen of their success, since as of the publishing of the Cosmopolitan article, the pair were still inseparable.
8. Lexie and Kay (Bumble)
Kay and Lexie got off to a bumpy start when Kay accidentally swiped left instead of right to match with Lexie on Bumble, according to the testimonial the pair shared. After hurriedly signing up for Bumble Premium, Kay Backtracked and connected with Lexie, and the pair immediately hit it off. Their first date started with coffee, but ended up spanning the whole evening, from a Mexican restaurant to the hotel Lexie was temporarily staying in at the time. Covid-19 brought the couple together even more firmly, with Kay eventually moving into Lexie’s childhood home with her.
A whirlwind romance resulted in a proposal from Kay in the fall of the same year the pair met, and the bond and connection the two felt was revealed in a surprising way: Lexie was the first to suggest to Kay that they might not be cisgender.
According to Kay, “I had this internal panic where I was like, this person has just seen straight through me,” after Lexie made an off-hand remark that Kay would be different from men generally, “if you decided that you wanted to be trans.” Kay came out to Lexie first, before embracing their nonbinary identity more broadly. The pair married in a fall 2021 destination wedding in Iceland, and Kay considers the money they spent to get Premium to be one of the best financial choices of their life.
Where Can You Find Your Own Success Story?
Although many dating sites and apps offer the chance for success, our dating experts recommend one platform above all others. Match has been around since the mid-1990s, and there’s a good reason the site and app continue to rank near the top of the most popular dating services online.
Match offers a basic membership that never expires and provides all of the basic tools you need to improve your dating life and successfully find true love. Most Match members are looking for a long-term relationship, but you can also find casual dates through the platform until you’re ready for more. As a basic member, you can set up your profile and browse your potential matches, like and save profiles for future reference, and even send and receive messages from the Top Picks that Match suggests on an unlimited basis.
Our dating experts love Match because the platform offers a user-friendly interface, and a very straightforward experience, with tools that make sense. Another factor is the massive popularity of the platform. With 15 million monthly users from around the world, it’s easy to find someone who’s compatible with you. Filters for interests, beliefs, and other factors make it easy to narrow the field.
Match also goes the extra mile when it comes to helping singles find each other, like hosting real-life events for singles to mingle without the pressure that can come from making first contact online. All in all, Match offers the best combination of value and price, with a large number of singles and the right tools to help you find the perfect match.
Online Dating Love Stories Are Only a Swipe Away!
Although it can sometimes seem like a struggle to find the right match on online dating sites and apps, success stories like these are proof that it’s possible to find love on a variety of platforms. The right match may be someone who lives in your city, who you’ve just never managed to encounter despite sharing interests and hobbies, or it could be someone who lives in another country, who you’d never meet otherwise.
Find the right platform, and you’ll find your happily ever after in no time!
