Remember when you were first crushing on that special someone? Dating used to entail a lengthy process just to get that first date in the books. Not anymore! Digital technology is the foundation of communication these days, so it’s no surprise that online dating is a prevalent way of finding love. Like any online presence, it can be tricky locating the best dating site to meet your preferences, so we have done the work for you. Read on to learn more about the top 10 dating sites. Who knows? You might even find your soulmate just in time for Valentine’s Day!
1. Okcupid (OKC)
This is the top dating site as rated by SJ members. One reason is that it is free for anyone to use. The other reason is the open-minded personal questions that are involved in making OKC work for you. OKC will ask questions ranging from BDSM habits to your political views. But the questions are more sexual in nature than many other sites. Even people seeking polyamorous relationships are common on OKC. You can tell how much you match with someone by a percentile ranking.
Penny P. writes, “As a 2x divorced woman that met her second husband on OKC and had a horrible 4-year marriage, I never thought that going on a dating site after the divorce would have changed my life forever. My fiancé and I met and connected with a 95% match! This is the man I have waited all my life for. We live together and every day it is refreshing and beautiful even after almost 8 months, and now we are “one,” and very soon to be married.”
2. Match.com
With its launch in 1995, Match.com pioneered the Internet dating industry. Though it isn’t a free dating service, Match.com has the typical online dating pricing. The monthly fee enables you to search through tens of millions potential love matches worldwide and connect through Match’s private messaging system.
Troy L. says, “I MET MY WIFE ON MATCH.COM! MATCH.COM WORKS! But, just as in real life, don’t expect a homerun your first time at bat. Be realistic about the process, give it time, don’t be in a rush, and don’t make bad decisions. This is a golden opportunity for people, if they use it wisely.”
3. ZOOSK
Zoosk has become one of the more popular online dating sites due to its integration with social networks and smartphones. With its behavioral matchmaking technology, Zoosk claims to provide suitable matches in real time. Your basic member search includes generated results based on location and age, while your advanced search allows for further customization. Zoosk has an interesting feature where you can “verify” your photos by taking selfies with your own smartphone, helping eliminate fake profiles while ensuring that people are not using photos from 10 years ago.
Renee J. states, “I love that pictures and social media are confirmed….so you know who you’re chatting with is really who they say they are. I met a really honest, sweet guy and am already in a committed relationship. I really recommend that you both take things slow…. stay chatting on the app for a while before you move to exchange phone numbers…. build a rapport first and the rest will fall into place.”
4. eHarmony
Founded by clinical psychologist Dr. Neil Clark Warren, eHarmony operates on the premise that fulfilling relationships are based on compatibility, and that specific characteristics can determine compatibility. Once users complete one of the more comprehensive personality tests you’ll find on an online dating site, eHarmony does the searching for you, finding singles for you based on your compatibility. Registration does take about an hour to complete, but it’s well worth it because eHarmony processes your information quickly to provide you with the best match suggestions. They claim that an average of 542 members marry every single day in the U.S. due to being matched on eHarmony.
Kim C. says, “I signed up half-heartedly at a friend’s request, and to my complete surprise, ‘met’ someone who is incredibly compatible the very next day. Even if it doesn’t work out in the end with him, at least I know that there are guys out there that have the qualities I want. Also, your personality book is wonderful and was completely accurate. Thank you. I’ve already learned a lot about myself and my own relationship weaknesses from joining your site.”
5. Plenty of Fish (POF)
POF was a game changer because everything was free. Messaging, viewing matches, and more…POF offers a budget-friendly app to help you meet the love of your life. Because no subscription is required, POF has the largest member base out of pretty much any other dating site — their press kit boasts upwards of 100 million global users. If you’re looking at a low-commitment, easy way to meet lots of available singles in your area, POF is a great way to start. Fun fact: Only women can send pictures on POF since too many men were reported to be sending inappropriate content.
Ashley O. writes, “I was on POF for years, on and off. Met my fair share of guys. Most were awful, but I never gave up! I met my very best male friend on POF! Even though nothing ever happened romantically between us, we have an incredible friendship! I thought I was lucky to find such an incredible friendship, especially on POF!… Cut to years later, I sent a guy a message. His profile matched what I was looking for and we started talking. Not too long after that, we met in person. It was pretty much love at first sight and I was definitely swept off my feet. We have been together just over a year now and I can’t imagine my life without him. We are to be married in August 2017. Never in my life did I think I’d find my husband online, let alone on POF. I’m extremely glad that I stuck with it and gave POF one more chance when I just wanted to delete my profile. I have never been happy. It’s all because of POF that I met and fell in love with my husband to be! If you’re thinking about giving up, don’t. Even just one more chance on POF is all you may need to fall in love like we did.”
6. MeetMe.com
MeetMe is a community site but with a different kind of approach. This isn’t a site that is going to match you based on personality features or even make you fill out one of those traditional online dating profiles. MeetMe is a social networking site (think Facebook) that allows you to discover other singles nearby mainly based on their status updates. By showing you who’s nearby, you can instantly chat and even meet up. Like most social networking sites, MeetMe has a quick and easy sign-up process, requiring you to fill out only 6 fields before you are taken to the full site to begin connecting.
Hayley S. says, “I’m so glad I downloaded MeetMe 4.5 years ago because I met the most amazing guy with this app. Now we’ve been together for 4 years and wouldn’t have met without the app.”
7. Hotornot.com
Hot or Not takes the digital dating world to a whole new level by enabling users to rate the hotness factor of photos submitted by other members. It’s a game to see who the hottest potential dates are in your area…and then see if you’re worthy of a date. The rest of the app works exactly as you would expect a mobile dating app to work. Users can browse the profiles of other members in their area and rate them with a heart (for “hot”) or an X (for “not”). If a user hits the heart, they can strike up a private conversation with the person who tickles their fancy. Hotornot originally was a photo rating site where people could rate members on a scale from 1-10 but has since transformed into a dating site.
According to Andre T., “Hotornot is a cool site to rate and meet people. And now it has an iPhone app to have all your hotties right at your fingertips. Worth checking it out!”
8. Coffee Meets Bagel
This company was started by three sisters who wanted to create a dating site where women could avoid the “creepy guys” online. They were even featured on Shark Tank and turned down Mark Cuban’s offer of $30 million for their company. Everyone knows if a dating company is to succeed, it must appeal to women, and then the men will join the site.
Margaret F. writes, “I just started using Coffee Meets Bagel a few weeks ago, and I’ve been such high-quality men who are serious and actually want a long term serious relationship. It’s so exciting to meet such nice men, I’ve tried other apps and it was not the same caliber of people, I am so pleased so far! We’ll see what happens! :)”
9. Chemistry.com
As the sister site of Match.com, Chemistry.com puts a lot of emphasis on getting to know each member via the site’s signature personality test, an easy to fill out questionnaire where the questions are either “fill in the blank” or “agree or disagree.” The site takes your character traits based on the questionnaire results and categorizes you into one of four types: Explorer, Negotiator, Builder, or Director and then delivers matches for you based on your personality type. A perk of Chemistry.com is that they do a great job of highlighting what members have in common and predicting how their respective personalities will mesh together. Interesting fact: Chemistry.com is one of the few sites in the matchmaking category that will post your indicated income.
Susan V. says, “My boyfriend and I found each other on chemistry.com. We have been dating for a year now and love every moment we get with each other.”
10. Tinder
Tinder is a popular mobile dating app that has become a cultural phenomenon. People can choose to swipe right to chat and left to pass purely based upon a photo and some general information about the prospective love interest. It’s great for meeting new people, casual dating, and creating new relationships. Tinder is in 196 countries, and the users swipe through over 1 billion profiles and 26 million matches per day. You may read articles stating that Tinder is more of a hook up mobile app than for serious dating, however, some of our users on Tinder have found love.
Deana C. states, “We both swiped right…a lot in common…he’s mature…we love genuinely…he pays attention…he loves my children…8 months later going Very strong! We’re so in Love! A little FYI- I’m 39, he’s 43…me-4 children him-1. Thanks, Tinder!”
Meeting that special someone can be tough. Hopefully, this information will help you in your pursuit of love. If you know of any other dating sites that you feel should be included, please list them in the comments below, and share your thoughts in a review on Sitejabber.
