Online Dating Reviews
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Online Dating Reviews
Updated September 2007
The most comprehensive reviews of dating websites are found on some unusual specialized sites like DatingDame.com, which reviews and rates sites in a number of categories, and supplements those with interviews of users. PC Magazine and About.com also do a good job at covering online dating websites, though PC Magazine's coverage is a little outdated. You can even find information on online dating websites in magazines such as Business Week and Newsweek. There are also lots of review sources that rely on user reviews to identify the best online dating sites. While these can be helpful if you want to read about a specific site, it's hard to get a view of overall satisfaction. For each person who finds success with an online dating service (Online Dating Magazine estimates 120,000 marriages), there are others who are disappointed. There seems to be growing controversy over many online dating websites. Both eHarmony.com and True.com have had lawsuits filed against them in the last few months. Chemistry.com is adding to eHarmony’s problems with its television ads emphasizing that eHarmony rejects many people for unspecified reasons. All online dating sites work basically the same way. Many allow you to create a profile, browse and search the site for free. Some even allow free "winks" or "sparks" to indicate your interest in someone. Some dating sites, like eHarmony.com, PerfectMatch.com and AmericanSingles.com, require you to register before you can view profiles. Although browsing is sometimes free, you have to pay for a paid subscription or membership to send and receive e-mail or instant messages. According to reviews, only 20 percent of those with online profiles actually pay for a membership -- so there's a big possibility that you may not be able to contact those who interest you. Most
online dating sites offer subscriptions from one to 12 months in length. Typical
online dating sites, including
Match.com (*est. $30 per month)
, charge $25
to $30 a month for membership. Discounts are available for a longer commitment.
eHarmony.com (*est. $60 per month)
and
Chemistry.com (*est. $50 per month)
are more expensive, but reviews say their more methodical approach may be
worth it for those looking for marriage or a long-term relationship.
Yahoo! Personals (*est. $25 per month)
boasts millions of users, and quite a few reviews name it as a top online
dating site. However, there are plenty of others who point out that quantity
does not necessarily equal quality. Yahoo! Personals requires a Yahoo! e-mail
account before people can sign up, and we found reports of explicit spam to
users' accounts after signup. Another criticism is that Yahoo! Personals does
not offer compatibility tests, nor does it offer help in creating your profiles.
Yahoo! Personals does offer instant messaging, voice and video greetings,
relationship and personality tests and free ice-breaker messages. Yahoo! Premier (*est. $40 per month)
was created to rival eHarmony. There is a detailed personality questionnaire
that helps you to find compatible matches. The Premier plan costs less than
eHarmony or Chemistry.com. However, we found more enthusiastic praise for
those online dating sites than for Yahoo! Personals. Unlike the other major
dating sites, Yahoo! Personals now offers a free seven-day trial, and you
get full use of the site. (Match.com now offers a free three-day trial.)
... Continued
Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
Match.com and Yahoo! Personals are the top picks in reviews. But Yahoo! Personals' features and pricing fail to set it apart from others and we also found more spam complaints about it, preventing us from naming it as a ConsumerSearch Fast Answer. eHarmony.com, PlentyofFish.com and PerfectMatch.com are also popular in reviews. Chemistry.com offers the same structured approach to dating as eHarmony, but is not as restrictive or controversial (at least right now). Advertisement
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ConsumerSearch and ConsumerSearch.com are registered trademarks of ConsumerSearch, Inc. Other trademarks or service marks on this site are the property of their respective owners. ConsumerSearch is not sponsored by any source reviewed, and we accept no consideration or payment for including, excluding, or ranking any reviews, products or services in our reports.
* Pricing information is approximate as of the time this report was written and is based on observed market selling prices and/or list prices. Actual selling prices may differ.
