EliteSingles is Back — And Someone Else Is Calling the Shots

Update: On Sept. 3, EliteSingles launched Elite Select, a $499 one-month membership with priority access, increased profile visibility and a human concierge.

The new tier also includes an Elite Select badge and shareable membership card, putting it well above the $64.99 one-month plan available when DatingNews first reported on the relaunch.

When we first covered the relaunch, EliteSingles had only recently returned after Spark Networks announced its closure. Nearly three months later, the dating site was back online under a new owner and getting a fresh coat of paint.

Has Elite Singles’ Mission Changed?

Not really. I was struck by the similar product messaging, which mirrors the old EliteSingles’ mission to bring mature, ambitious, goal-oriented people together.

“85% of EliteSingles members are highly educated,” according to the site; it’s unclear if this stat is carried over from the former EliteSingles, or if it was generated for the new site. 

In some ways, the new EliteSingles feels like a love child of the former EliteSingles and MillionaireMatch: a glossy site decorated with stock photos and promises of “curated connections … designed for the driven.” 

But spend a little more time exploring, and the differences become clearer. 

Does The New EliteSingles Also Have New Features?

Yep! The new EliteSingles boasts innovative safety and matching features. Daily match selections, voice introductions, and profile verification are far more visible features than they used to be on EliteSingles. It seems to me like EliteSingles is appeasing the new “I want a date, and I want it now” generation of daters.

Sound familiar? It should. We’ve seen countless dating platforms undergo similar transformations in recent years in an effort to appeal to more safety-oriented daters who crave IRL connections.

EliteSingles is focused on evolving for the future, something the old EliteSingles, it’s fair to say, neglected to do.

After all, in my previous coverage of EliteSingles’ shutdown, I theorized that Spark Networks’ inability to evolve for the Now is what made it a has-been.

Still, some of the more beloved aspects of the old EliteSingles remain, including a comprehensive personality questionnaire and a general emphasis on long-term relationships.

Does EliteSingles Still Cost Money?

Silly reader! Of course EliteSingles still costs money. And it seems that the new EliteSingles is trading accessibility for affluence — or, at least, for determined daters with money to burn.

Unlike the old EliteSingles, the new version only offers a premium membership package called Elite Select, which is priced at $499 for one month or $999 for three months. The eye-popping price reflects the added services: Elite Select members can reap the benefits of a human concierge and one-on-one events.

Users can even display their “elite status” on their EliteSingles profile with an Elite Select badge. This is an interesting feature, considering how Elite Select is actually the only membership model offered at EliteSingles, at least for now.

Judging by Elite Select’s sky-high prices, EliteSingles clearly intends to emphasize the “elite” part of its name going forward.

So, Who is SuccessfulMatch, Anyway?

Speaking of SuccessfulMatch, the company describes itself as handling “online dating platform operations, consulting, IT solutions, and domain name management. ” As surprising as this take-over might be, it seems to be a natural fit.

The site’s new About page makes it clear just how the old site and the new site differ, and what new users should expect.

“The current EliteSingles is built on a fresh foundation with an independent member database,” it says. It’s “focused on serving ambitious singles with a simple, comfortable, and trusted online dating experience.”

In other words, the EliteSingles brand may be back, but its previous user base may not come with it. And why would they, if they want a more traditional, Match.com-like matchmaking process?

This brings a bigger question to mind: Can a familiar dating brand successfully start over from scratch?

Well, Can It?

For now, this fresh coat of paint is SuccessfulMatch’s effort to repackage the brand as a more modern and more tech-forward version of what worked in the past. You can’t deny that educated and ambitious singles will always want to connect on some kind of highly selective platform.

As EliteSingles rebuilds under new ownership, the future of its former owner, Spark Networks, is more vague. I can’t find any clear updates on it, although its fan-favorite site ChristianMingle is still chugging along.

Whether Spark Networks will recover after its 2026 insolvency remains to be seen. I’m even more curious to see whether the new EliteSingles will manage to blow the old EliteSingles out the water.