You’ve probably already heard the names of some of the best dating sites and apps. Big names like Tinder, Match, Plenty of Fish, OkCupid, and eharmony stand out in the online dating industry, but that doesn’t mean singles know what they are and how they work. That’s where our online dating reviewers come in.
We’ve spent countless hours searching for the best of the best in the online dating world, and our dating site reviews and lists can provide a good starting point for any singles wondering how to meet new people and build a long-term relationship.
Our rankings include the best dating sites, niche networks, senior dating sites,dating personals websites, and online dating apps, and every platform has been vetted and approved by a member of our team.
If you want to dive into the numbers, take a look at the online dating sites articles listed below, and you’ll get a sense of just how diverse and widespread the online dating world truly is.
Reader, we must ask you to do the unthinkable: Close your eyes and imagine you’re 15 again. The angst! The awkwardness! The acne! The only cure for these teenaged maladies was in your family’s desktop computer. AOL Chat, Omegle, and Yahoo Chat were just a few of the chat rooms you could pour your feelings into, hopefully without your parents…
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The best first dates sparkle with promise. And when you and your date hit it off, the honeymoon phase that follows is equally thrilling. But as a self-proclaimed realist, I tend to focus on the what-ifs. When something is going too well, I can't help but ask myself, “What if this all goes wrong?” I think about the honeymoon phase…
The early days of a new relationship are nothing short of thrilling — and terrifying, if your dating skills are a little rusty. That’s where a dating app comes in handy. But not the typical dating app, where you match with potential partners and can text and flirt to your heart’s content. We all need a little help in the…
Whether you’re new to online dating or an experienced dater, you’ve almost certainly encountered eharmony. It’s a well-established option for online dating, and even people who have never used it likely know at least a little bit about the platform. But how does work? Compared to many other dating apps and websites, it’s a surprisingly involved process that incorporates dozens…
The top online dating apps provide local searching, instant chatting, and smart matchmaking features to help singles move forward with a potential match and make connections based on their likes, interests, and priorities. Browsing on OkCupid, Tinder, and other popular dating sites much more streamlined than chatting someone up at the bar because each dating profile provides a summary of who that person is and what he or she is looking for.
Many of the most popular dating apps offer completely free registration and private messaging for potential matches. That can open the door to romance and lead to casual dates or a long-term relationship — 22% of newlyweds even say they met their spouse on a dating platform or app.
Online dating is still a relatively new phenomenon in the social scene, so some elite singles are still getting used to it. We’ve seen a lot of confusion about how online dating works, how much it costs, and which internet dating sites or apps are most successful or popular. The following FAQs list answers all of those questions and more.
Online dating has actually been around longer than you’d think. It just looked a little different when it was first getting started. In 1959, two Stanford students used a punch card questionnaire and an IBM 650 mainframe computer to match their male and female classmates based on a compatibility algorithm. This school project yielded 49 matches, none of which resulted in a real relationship.
Just six years later, a pair of Harvard grads used a similar system to match men and women with similar likes and dislikes. They called it Operation Match and paired over 1 million singles. This was the first computerized dating service, and it paved the way for future innovations in the dating pool.
Our online dating timeline recognizes Match.com as the original dating service that pioneered online dating as we know it today. In 1995, Match launched to offer singles a smart way to browse for available dates and receive potential match suggestions based on similarities in the member’s profile. Over 25 years later, Match.com is still going strong, and our dating site reviews consistently rank it among the most popular dating sites available.
Mobile dating took a little while to build up steam. Although Proxidating and Lavalife offered mobile dating services as early as 2003, it really wasn’t until the first iPhone came on the market in 2007 that dating apps became more of a mainstream thing.
The invention of the smartphone totally changed the way people connect.
In 2012, mobile app dating blew up with Tinder, Hinge, and Coffee Meets Bagel launching within months of each other. OkCupid also launched its app during this period. The invention of swiping totally changed the online dating game, and it brought new life to virtual flirting and chatting. Since then, Tinder alone has been responsible for creating over 43 billion matches around the world.
Many top dating apps and long-running dating websites have some pretty impressive statistics to back their online dating services. In addition to its ludicrous number of love matches, Tinder boasts inspiring over 1.5 million dates per week. And it has over 340 million dating profiles. You can learn more about how Tinder works by reading our full review.
While Hinge may not have as big a name or user base, it arguably has a higher success rate when it comes to turning a first date into a long term relationship. This quality-driven app collects post-date feedback from singles who exchange contact information, and it has found that approximately 72% of Hinge first dates lead to a second date. You can also link your Instagram account to your dating profile.
Success is in the eye of the beholder, but we’d say Match.com is among the most successful dating websites because it has led to more relationships and marriages than any of its competitors. The free Match membership includes a personality test and chatting with your top matches, and it’s possible to land an in-person date without subscribing to a premium membership.
Legitimate dating websites stand out because they offer fast-working tools and real dating profiles, so you don’t have to worry so much about running into an unsavory person.
We’d say eharmony has one of the most trustworthy, genuine, and active membership bases in the online dating ecosystem.
The eharmony dating site focuses on building long-term relationships.
Since its launch in 2000, eharmony has looked out for the needs of elite singles and used psychology to find the perfect match. Originally, eharmony was for straight men and women only, but now it’s open to the LGBTQ community as well.
Our eharmony review goes into greater detail about the dating platform’s many charms, but suffice it to say it has already brought over 2 million couples in the U.S. together, and it creates a new love connection every 14 minutes. That’s enough to make it one of the top online dating sites in our book.
Dating is a numbers game, so it makes sense to seek out the dating site or app with the largest user base. Tinder has been downloaded over 340 million times, and it remains the go-to dating app for many single men and women.
Bumble also belongs on the list of the most popular dating apps for singles because it has over 80 million users mingling in a female-forward dating pool.
Adult Friend Finder is actually one of the most popular dating websites for singles and swingers. Since 1996, it has attracted over 100 million users, all of whom are looking for straight-up sex.
That’s easy. EliteSingles is definitely one of the most elite dating sites around. Its premier membership is the site’s main claim to fame. We consider EliteSingles to be the best dating site for professionals because over 80% of its members have graduated from college, and over 90% say they are ready for a real relationship.
Whether you’re a doctor, lawyer, engineer, or executive, you can browse EliteSingles for free to find dates on your level. If you spot someone worth getting to know, you can upgrade your membership on this premier site and app by enrolling in a monthly subscription. EliteSingles is free to join, but only premium members can view photos, see their likes, and send private messages here.
Relationships are about more than superficial looks and lighthearted chats, so swipe-based apps aren’t always helpful to serious relationship seekers. It takes a values-driven platform to provide more quality matches to the steady daters of the world.
Christian Mingle can offer a deeper dating experience by making shared faith the foundation of every love connection.
Christian Mingle is a faith-driven dating network for singles.
Since 2001, Christian Mingle has helped Christian singles follow their hearts and find partners who share similar core values, belief systems, and family traditions.
Our Christian Mingle review highlights the positive qualities of this Christian dating site, but the short version is that it has led to more Christian marriages than any other dating service.
Fast-paced dating sites and apps can help thirsty singles find sex and enjoy no-strings-attached hookups easier than ever before. You’ve just got to pick the right casual dating platform. BeNaughty is one of our favorite hookup sites because it provides free chatting to all users, and its advanced online search tools put you in the driver’s seat from when seeking a potential match.
If you prefer swiping on your iPhone or Android device, then you can always download a flirty app. DOWN is a great option for kinky singles and swingers in the mood for sex. You can identify yourself as down to hook up with a stranger right away and start your matches off with a bang.
Dating websites and apps like Tinder provide legit support and instant access to a world of flirtatious men and women, so don’t be shy about creating an online account and playing the field.
Pretty much all dating sites and apps offer some free online services. You can usually sign up for free and browse user profiles for free. Sometimes you can send likes and view your matches for free. But all that is meaningless if online communication isn’t free as well. After all, you can’t arrange a date with someone without talking first.
Totally free dating sites and apps like OkCupid and Plenty of Fish have the benefit of unlimited chatting, but it can be a double-edged sword because such cost-free features often attract spammers, scammers, creepers, fake profiles, and flakes who waste people’s time.
Zoosk is a free dating site and app with all the bells and whistles you’d expect.
Zoosk offers free features with security measures and premium perks (including Zoosk Coins), so online daters don’t have to put in a lot of effort to get into some entertaining and interesting conversations with potential matches. We’ve positively reviewed Zoosk as one of the top free dating sites around and recommend giving it a try if you’re on a budget and seeking a local date or long-term relationship.
This is really situational. A broke college student who can meet people in class or at sporting events for free would probably say that a paid online dating service is absolutely not worth it. But for a busy professional who’s tired of playing games and doesn’t have as many opportunities to meet new men and women their age — yeah, it could be well worth the price of admission.
Some mature singles think of a paid senior dating site as an investment in the future. Many seniors choose to pay for the premium version of SilverSingles (learn more about its features and costs here) because they’re serious about reaching out to potential matches. Senior dating sites like that one can actually benefit relationship seekers by upping the caliber of age-appropriate singles in their inbox.
Of course, you don’t always have to pay to play in the online dating world. A free eharmony membership could be a good middle ground for online daters who want to test things out, maybe take the personality test, and send a few messages to see how responsive and engaging men and women are online.
Meeting someone online is always going to contain an inherent risk, but you should be fine if you use common sense, trust your instincts, and vet your potential matches and love interests before giving your heart away. Some safe dating websites can help singles build trust online by offering verification tools, privacy features, and security settings designed to put people’s minds at ease.
When it comes to online safety, Match.com is the #1 choice for singles of any age. Since 1995, this dating site has protected the interest of serious daters and supported a quality online dating experience from start to finish.
Match has a zero-tolerance policy on harassment, cyberbullying, and hate speech, and it takes all reports about such behavior seriously. The online dating service encourages members to block and report anyone behaving suspiciously or inappropriately, and the moderators will take action to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
The online dating industry has seen a lot of innovators trying to create the Next Big Thing and change the way singles meet one another online. It makes for an exciting and ever-changing atmosphere for elite singles. If you’re looking for a shiny new alternative to Tinder, then we’d recommend downloading the beta version of a new dating app and see how far it takes you.
Certain up-and-coming dating services can bring out romantic feelings and excitement.
Wandure is a newly unveiled dating app that plans and arranges first dates for the Canadian singles who match on the app. Over the last year, the dating service has been responsible for more than 200 dates in Montreal and Ottawa.
Another new innovation came from Facebook in 2019. Facebook Dating is a new online dating service for singles seeking potential partners. It links to your Facebook account so there’s no need to take a lengthy personality test to find the perfect match.
There is a big difference between the best dating sites and the worst online dating sites.
The worst dating sites and apps have more fake profiles than real users. They charge high prices for the ability to read and send messages, and they don’t have a refund policy or customer support team to help online daters who have difficulties.
You can usually tell that a dating app is awful because it’ll get a flood of bad reviews from users who say they haven’t met anybody and they’re constantly frustrated by scam-like policies. We’re not going to call out any names here, but you can bet the world’s worst dating apps will never show up in our rankings and dating site reviews because we only support sites and apps that work.
