Over the holidays, several readers received dating membership gift certificates. Not exactly traditional or subtle but broadcasted that THEY want YOU to find a plus-one. Searching for the right Frog Prince or Princess can be a major pain, so here are ratings based on my personal experiences with 5 of the zillion dating sites available.
I urge you to read all the reviews you can find. Free sites have limited features but are good places to browse until you're serious. Scams are still huge problems, although all companies vet their subscribers. Most platforms use some sort of magical compatibility algorithm, and others specialize in specific communities like age, religion, profession, fetishes...
On a scale of 5 stars being the best:
Match *****
SilverSingles *****
EliteSingles ***
Ourtime **
SENIORMATCH 0, zip, cero, null
Match.com ***** is the granddaddy of all dating services with almost 30 years experience and 30 million daily users, mostly from the U.S. 👍Pros: Reasonably priced membership with extra costs for features like local events; lots of space to write your "summary"; additional 6 months subscription if no serious relationship develops. 👎 Cons: Ads everywhere; profiles can have minimal info; average age is 36.
SilverSingles ***** and Match are equally my top picks that yielded the most and closest matches to my ideal mate. 👍Pros: A detailed personality quiz; you receive an average of 5 matches daily; advertises as exclusive for ages 50+; a live body answers the helpline; ample space to write your thoughts. 👎 Cons: Must rely solely on their daily matches; too many GU (geographically undesirable).
EliteSingles *** brands itself for professionals who want long-term commitments. I found this to be true enough. 👍 Pros: Short but stimulating open-ended questionnaire rather than canned dumb topics like other companies; easy site navigation; good customer service within 24 hrs. 👎 Cons: Cannot select your distance preference less than 50 miles; view compatibility rating only on desktop; a bit pricey. 👌Plus/Minus: Site gives you 5-7 above average matches daily instead of random picks of thousands.
Ourtime ** touts they specialize for 50+ y. o. but there are lots of youngsters. Unique advantage of sending you local possibilities before those living further away. 👍 Pros: Can view company's average of 8 daily recommendations; can search on your own with parameters like age, locations, ethnicity; shows who "likes" or viewed your profile. 👎 Cons: Nickel and dime you with "boosts" that land you at top of someone's queue, or to send virtual gifts, "flirts" and "likes" messages; can't determine distances between users; ads up the ying-yang. 👌 Plus/Minus: 14 day trial to browse and send likes (but you can't get responses); can receive messages (that are unreadable until you subscribe).
SENIORMATCH 0000000000000000000000 Not a single, potentially serious match within a 50 mile radius was offered by this company for the entire 3 months of my subscription.
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