Dating isn’t easy. It never was, but now it is a bit more complicated(look at some facts) than ever. People like to complicate everything, including a dating. It should be the most natural thing, but it is not, especially in the 21st century.
Until you find someone you really like, then dating can / should be fun. In the pre-Internet era, finding someone to date was a bit harder on one way, but also a bit easier in another way. People had to go out at different places hoping to meet someone. Approaching some stranger isn’t something everyone can do. Plus, there was always a feeling of anxiety for being rejected face-to-face.
Thanks to online dating websites, things have changed. But on the other side, rules that people follow in online dating "complicate" things without reason. You can join these websites from the comfort of your home. These apps give you an opportunity to meet new people without fear of getting rejected. You may not get a reply from the person you like, but getting rejected online isn’t the same as being rejected in the real world. Also, we already wrote about hookup sites and apps, so if You aer interested take a look, but this time we are talking about free dating sites.
Online dating has thrived into an entirely new industry in a relatively short period of time (let's say 10 or more years) . In the early days, people had their own doubts about this online dating thing. The sites in those early days weren’t good enough with handling the privacy of users or just had not enough number of members in their database.
But as technology gets more advanced, more people showed their trust in the online dating scenario. The mobile-friendly websites and apps have attracted millions and millions of people to these dating websites as well. This means, that if you are looking for anything from a serious relationship to a one-night stand, there might be a website just for that.
An online dating website could be a free service or may ask for a subscription fee until you meet someone and decides to take off the profile. Free dating websites are usually full of free-loaders, non-serious members or even scammers but if you are just starting out in the dating world, this could be your option, since You still can find Your soulmate there. Paid dating websites have more premium features and come with its own benefits but it’s a completely personal choice whether you like to pay or not.
In case, you are wondering which sites or app you should try, we have rounded up a few very best websites for you. In this text we are doing our best to help You with totally free dating websites (including those which are free but some adiotion options are paid, but still can be used without spending a cent)
1. THE BEST (100%) FREE DATING WEBSITES
COFFEE MEETS BAGEL
Free to Use, but also offer a premium membership for $35 per month.
Coffee meets bagel is a dating and social networking website created by three sisters based in New York. The app has recently gone through a complete makeover. The interface is now brighter with the competing colors and easier to use.
It is considered as an anti-tinder dating website, which put more emphasis on user profiles. Users can see the profile, heart or even comment at the profile without the need of being matched. This would help users to break the ice and start the conversation.
The site now offers a freemium subscription model. Coffee meets bagel has launched its premium membership for $35 per month. It also offered in-app purchases through the site’s own currency – coffee beans which you can earn by daily logins or other activities on site.
The premium membership includes three features: Activity reports of each bagel, receipts for each message being read, and 6,000 coffee-beans to unlock other features.
With all the beans in your hand, you can show interests in a group of members based on your interests. The site has an algorithm which matches people base on mutual Facebook friends.
OkCupid
Free to Use, but also offer a premium membership for $10 per month.
The second website we would like to mention needs no introduction. It is one of the oldest dating websites. People also tend to join and re-join because of the easy interface and search mechanism of this site. This site hasn’t changed much from the day it was launched, but recently it went through a re-design process.
The website doesn’t use any undisclosed algorithm to match people. In fact, it lets you do the search. There is no limit on how many searches you can do or how many messages you can send in a day. The site has a handful of questions which you can answer to improve your chances to match with the compatible person. You can skip some or all of these questions.
For each match, you also get the compatibility score which is based on the answers he or she has already provided. The site has a fun, innovative appeal, which people adopts when interacting with other users. It attracts both type of users; people who are looking for casual dating, and those who are looking for serious long-term relationships.
PLENTY OF FISH
Fee: Free to Use, but also offer a premium membership for $10 per month.
This is one of the oldest and largest online dating websites when it comes to the number of members. It was started in 2003. The site was sold to The Match Group for $600 billion in 2016. The site is completely free to use, but also provides a few premium features like getting the read message receipt, unlock every user’s extended profile, etc.
You can find your love interest here, no matter how weird your choice is. You can go for its paid model, but we really don’t recommend it. With the standard free version, you can upload up to 8 pictures, with the paid version, the limit extends up to 16 images. But do you really have to pay for this? Is 8 not enough to show your vibrant personality to other singles? If You ask me: it is enoght :)
The only plus point of POF is its huge database. It also lets you find the match based on who is online, by city, by new users, by contacts and my favorite. The site puts you more in control rather than leaving you on the mercy of some fancy, undisclosed algorithm. The site’s main goal is to connect people; for long-term relationships as well as casual no-strings-attached encounters.
The site also lists useful questionnaires that give you an insight into your personality traits. It is meant to help you to find the most compatible person on the site.
TINDER
Free to Use, but also offer a premium membership for $10 per month for users under 30 years old and $20 for 30 years old and above.
Tinder is game changer in online dating app but it has set a new trend of “swiping” your potential match. The app is mostly used for casual dating. Most of the people here looking for anything but a serious relationship. It could be finding new friends, hanging out with local people or just a one-night stand.
As you log-in, the Tinder uses your location to generate matches near your area. You can then look at the profile picture, a short bio and can decide to swipe left or right. Swiping someone left means you are simply not interested, and swiping right is actually sending a like for the person. In case the same person likes you back, you get the match. Either you or the other person you matched with can initiate the conversation.
This is the really only way to find other singles on Tinder. Swipe right, get matches, and you can start from there. Tinder lets you swipe profiles really quickly, with many users only looking at your picture and deciding to swipe left or right. With a paid subscription, you can swipe reverse too, in case you swipe left someone accidentally. You can also “boost” your swipe, super-like a person.
Even with the free version, there is no limit on the number of swipes you can make in a day. Tinder allows you to connect your profile with other social media networks like Facebook or Instagram. It increases the authenticity of the user who doesn’t feel the need to hide his identity.
PURE
Free to Use for females, free trial for males, after the trial is over, $20 per month.
In its own word, Pure is The Anonymous Hookup App. It is for people who are looking for an after-dark adventure and not a relationship. It allows you to find the potential matches for one-night stand direct and discreetly.
Just like Tinder, this app used a location-based search engine that allows you to list yourself to other local singles for an hour to see who you match up with. If you mutually match, you can initiate a quick chat with the matching user, but make sure that you exchange contact information before your hour expires. After one hour, your profile will “self-destructs” and you won’t be able to contact anyone afterward.
The site doesn’t encourage users to stay online for longer than an hour. The one-hour lets you encourage the quick and direct contact with the match. Unlike other dating websites, Pure want users to stay anonymous so they can easily continue to use the app without any hesitation.
2. THE BEST PAID (Not Free) DATING WEBSITES
ZOOSK
$30 for 1-month subscription Plan, $20/m for 3-months subscription Plan, $13/m for 6-months subscription plan.
Zoosk an online dating website and mobile app makes the dating process really simple. It doesn’t ask you to fill long forms about yourself. Instead, it simply takes the information from the online profile you have already created on Google and Facebook and integrates seamlessly in the Zoosk.
The site claims to have more than 50 million members across 90 countries around the globe. It even supported 30 languages, which makes it even more convenient. Zoosk seems to be an app meant only for singles looking for something serious in their love life.
Profile verification is another unique feature of Zoosk. It will ask you to verify your profile in three different ways. You can upload your photo, complete a pin verification through your phone or use a Twitter account to verify your profile. The verification process may take some time, but it is really helpful to filter real people from fake ones. When you see that green tick on someone’s photo, it means their account is being verified.
Zoosk may feel signup through Gmail or Facebook as a fool-proof method but getting an account on these services isn’t difficult. Anyone can do it and join Zoosk with their illegitimate agenda. It is easy to attract someone with a sexy profile and then send them spam messages. The green tick verification comes in handy in such situations. In case you get many generic messages soon after you sign up, it is a red flag and you should check for the green tick before even thinking about the response.
MATCH
$60/m for 3-months subscription Plan, $40/m for 6-months subscription Plan, $19/m for 12-months subscription Plan.
Imagine you have found your soul-mate and you went on a date at her favorite Turkish restaurant. She ordered a nice meal and a dessert for both of you. You pay the bill that comes around $70. You went to the beach together, enjoy walking on the sand, and then you drop her at her place.
Now think about giving away your hard-earned cash to someone who only promises to help you in finding a girl for you. There is no guarantee here. Just promises. Match.com does exactly that. There are many cost-effective dating websites, or even free but Match isn’t one of these.
Match.com may look expensive at first, but it is the fact that with this type of money, only serious people would sign-up. Hardly anyone with casual dating in mind would like to spend so much money on a subscription. So if you are looking for a marriage or long-term relationship, you should consider match.com. The site itself is very user-friendly but it is actually the database of real members which make this dating site worth to visit.
ELITE SINGLES
$60/m for 3-months subscription Plan, $45/m for 6-months subscription Plan, $30/m for 12-months subscription Plan.
If you are someone who has no time to go out and pursue the search for love, EliteSingle is for you. It is a website curated especially for professionals and career-oriented people who are looking for something serious and long-term. The site is pretty awesome and easy to navigate.
The site claims to find your possible love-interest based on the Five Factor model Theory. The algorithm is based on your personality and other factors like age, occupation, and location. Unlike other websites like OkCupid or Match.com, you can’t search yourself, instead, you have to wait till EliteSingles generated a list of matches for you. The site will send you up to 3-7 compatible matches per day.
You can also filter the match results based on factors like height, age, distance, etc. The site also has a feature called “Have you met”. It is simply a pool of matches that fall slightly out of your filter. Let’s say you said that you want to meet someone with a height of at least 6”2’. But do you really want someone really amazing because he is 6”1’?
FriendFinder-X (and similar dating / hookup sites)
$40/m for 1-month, $81/m for 3-months subscription Plan, $240/m for 12-months subscription Plan.
FriendFinder –X has made last on our list of paid dating websites. It has been around 20 years since the website made its debut. Since then, the popularity has touched new heights. According to the site, it has over 90 million active users. Majority of the members belong to the United States and most of these members are female.
Registration is simple and takes only a few minutes to completely fill out the information. The site lets you signup as gay, lesbian, transgender, or even as a couple. As a free member, you can comment on other member’s photos. You can also send messages to Gold members if they have bought the standard contacts add-on. The site is the best place to visit if you are looking for some casual dating experience or a one-night stand. The website also has a ranking system which lets you rank other members based on their ‘hotness’.
As a premium member, you have full access to all features. You can send unlimited messages to members while adding them as friends as well. You can send requests to view their private videos or photos. If you are viewing someone else profile, you can also see a compatibility chart. The site lets you write testimonials on other member’s profile page as well.
Now you have read about these online dating websites? If you have already joined any dating website from the list, how was your experience?
Feel free to share your online dating experience with us! :)
If You preffer casual sex more than finding soul mate, look at our pick of best Hookup sites and Apps or Look at our Tinder alternatives.
Also read why paid dating sites can be a better choice when it comes to online dating.
