Trusted, global brand; very large userbase in the tens of millions ; advertisements keep bringing in new members; good member quality and profile screening; easy sign-up; good matching tools; few fake profiles.
Web interface quite outdated for 2012; some profiles are dormant/inactive
Match was the pioneer in the online dating space and is now one of the biggest sites out there. It is not the most innovative site anymore and its interface could do with a refresher, but it has so many members that it’s still a good bet for online daters.
Match.com is one of the biggest dating sites on the Internet and possibly the most famous. Founded in 1995, it’s also one of the oldest sites and was a pioneer in the online dating space.
Match. com has both advantages and disadvantages due to its age, fame and size. With more than 20 million members, Match has one of the broadest reach online. The large userbase increases your chances of finding more quality matches in your area, and the regular TV ads also contribute to generate new members regularly, which is a plus.
However, you should note that some profiles are dormant or inactive – they belong to someone who hasn’t signed in for months and might never come back. We recommend that you pay attention to the “last signed in” date on each profile to avoid frustrations.
Match.com advertises itself as a site for people “serious about finding love”. From our tests, we can say that Match seems to have found a good balance in its screening process for profile quality. Some sites try to control too much, while some sites (especially free sites) control nothing at all and some profiles get a bit too “out there”. Match is somewhere in the middle.
Sign up is quick and easy, and there isn’t a super lenghtly questionaire taking too much of your time like on some other dating sites. Most of the pics you upload will easily be approved if they are not graphic, however, because the site has millions of members, the approval process can take up to a day.
You can register for free and instantly browse members profiles. However only paid subscribers have the ability to email and respond to messages from other members, so your free profile really has a limited use. You need to try a subscription to be able to use the site.
Once registered, you can access Match's Personality Assessment, which is built automatically by the system from your answers. Reading it is interesting, and the results help a lot in matching with the right people.
On Match.com, you can do the usual search where and see other members’ profile according to the criterias you’ve set. You can save your search criteria to reuse them again nex time. Profile display quickly,and a nice touch is that you can browse through all pictures of someone on the profile page itself (no need to load a separate page!).
If you just want to sit back, Match has a feature called Daily 6 where which will automatically submit new profiles to you every day, based on its algorythm.
On the safety and usability side, it’s it quite straight forward to block users or remove them from earch results. You can also filter those who are able to contact you – prohibiting someone to message you if they are not in the right area, are too old/young for you, etc etc.
All other forms of communication between members on Match.com, such as instant messaging, video and audio also have built-in features that allow members to remain anonymous.
Match also has a robust mobile application for you to date on the go, available for most platforms eg iphone, Android, Blackbery, etc.
If you subscribe and can’t find a good match right away, you’ll be able to use the Match.com Guarantee. If you are still single after 6 months, Match gives you an additional 6 months free of charge.
There is a reason why Match has stand the test of time. It has plenty of competition these days, but it's still one of the best bet for online daters.
Match.com is one of the largest, oldest and most popular online dating sites having nearly 20 years in operation (it was conceived by Internet entrepreneur Gary Kremen in 1993 and went live in 1995).
The company has a standard dating service which differentiates itself mostly via the size and stretch of its member base which spans across over 25 countries around the world.
Match.com strength has also relied on partnerships with both Yahoo! and MSN (Microsoft's portal site) to exclusively provide online dating services for their users since 2010.
In 1999 InterActiveCorp (IAC), a large operator of dating sites, purchased Match.com and continues to run it today
You can access 25% of the functionality on this site before payment is required.
Duration | Match Pricing | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Per Month | Total | |||||
1 Month | $39.99 | $39.99 | ||||
3 Months | $22.99 | $68.97 | ||||
6 Months | $19.99 | $119.94 |
Feature | When You Can Access it | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Free Unregistered |
Free Registered |
Paid Basic |
Paid Premium |
N/A | |
Match & Search | |||||
1. Search Profiles | |||||
2. Match Assessment/ Personality Test | |||||
Creating & Viewing Profiles | |||||
3. View Partial Profile | |||||
4. View Full Profile | |||||
5. Create Profile | |||||
Communication & Messaging | |||||
6. Send/ Receive Messages (Restricted) |
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7. Send/ Receive Messages (Unrestricted) |
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8. Send Icebreakers (Flirt/ Winks/ Pokes/ Gifts) |
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9. Chat/ Instant Messaging | |||||
10. Video Chat | |||||
11. Forums/ Discussion Groups | |||||
Privacy & Safety | |||||
12. Block Other Members | |||||
13. View Who Visits Your Profile | |||||
14. Hide Visits to Others Profiles | |||||
Other Services | |||||
15. Dating Advice | |||||
16. People Nearby |