| 13 million members | 900,000 daily |
| 3/5 hookup chance | Medium Sex Chance |
| medium fraud risk | Verification email |
| $12.99 - $107.88 subscription price |
Match.com has been on the map for decades, from 1993. The whole thing was similar to Craigslist Personals and doublelist.com where people could post their customized ads to meet new people online. Let’s not forget that back in the day there was no such thing as dating apps, yet Match.com is one of those few platforms that still stand strong after 30 years.
After the official launch of Match.com as a dating platform back in 1995, it evolved and grew its user base strongly. Even nowadays the number of members is growing daily. The first users got to be the lucky ones as they were offered the Premium membership — for free and for ever.
Even now the website is so confident in their service that they offer half a year membership for free if you won’t find your match within your first 6 months on Match.com. Even though such a proposal seems juicy and quite bold, I decided to see if the website is actually worth your time and money.
Affordability
★★☆☆☆
Main features like sending and receiving messages are not available in a free version. To get any further, you would need to upgrade your membership. But it is worth it and that subscription will mean that you got yourself a decent app to enjoy your dating.
Free service
For free you can create an account and browse other members and view profiles. You can send likes, but not messages. You can participate in a matchmaking game where you would see how things would actually work once you upgrade your membership.
Paid service
| Standard Plan | Premium Plan |
| Match Guarantee. | Match Guarantee. |
| Send and receive messages. | Send and receive messages. |
| See who viewed your account. | See who viewed your account. |
| Anonymously view other profiles. | |
| See “read” messages. | |
| Monthly Boost. | |
| MatchPhone. |
Match website offers two main membership options: Standard and Premium plans. It seems a bit complicated, so I’ve put it into a table for you. Standard package includes the essential feature of sending and receiving messages. You will also see who checked out your account. With Premium version you can view other profiles anonymously, see “read” notification when your partner has read your message. Other features include your profile being on the top of picks and MatchPhone to call your matches.
Audience quality
★★★☆☆
All possible Match.com reviews might provide different information about the user’s quality in general. Some might say it’s incredible, others would scream that the entire platform is one huge scam full of bots. In my opinion, it might depend on personal experience, as with nearly 20 million users, there are bots, fake profiles, and scammers to deal with.
Age distribution
You have to be 18 years old to join the platform. Even though the website is almost 30 years old, the majority of users are still in their mid 20s and mid 30s. Some people are in their 40s and 50s, and only a tiny percentage is going to the audience from 18 to 23 years old. The users at Match.com are very active to participate in the conversations and are mostly looking for serious relationships. Although the website is open to any type of relationship, it is still a part of the sex dating sites.
Fakes and scammers
Almost 40% of members at Match.com have paid membership, they did not look like fakes to me. Yet I noticed that the website has a lot of “dead” profiles which belonged to users 20 years ago and they are no longer using the platform. Those profiles are not really fake ones but surely confusing because somehow they still appear on top of the search. Some users also report that they saw bots at Match.com, but I personally did not encounter them.
Another category is real scammers who try to ask you for money or favors. I detected a few and reported them immediately. If you are worried that it might somehow affect your own profile, don’t be. This whole reporting thing is anonymous. I would suggest also blocking these scammers. And do not share any of your personal information to strangers. The PhoneMatch feature would be useful here to make sure the person is real.
Interface
★★★☆☆
Design of the website and the mobile app is clean, straightforward and easy to navigate. I literally spent a couple of hours on the website without even noticing how time flew by. Instead of regular profile descriptions using words, Match platform offers to fill in information about you with the icons to make it more fun and easier to look through.
Overall, I liked the website, and all the features are very easy to find. The website was created back in 1993, but the current version is up-to-date and decent.
Signing up
Match.com registration is easy and you would spend 3 to 4 minutes to set up an account. You need to fill in your email, birth date, gender together with sexual orientation, country and state. After that you choose a username, and you are pretty much good to go and set up your profile. There is no email verification required but I would suggest putting a valid email just in case you would later need to restore your password.
Profile
You must add at least one photo. If you really want to show off, you can upload a maximum of 26 pictures. Another step of setting up your account is a so-called profile builder. You would need to answer questions to add basic information about you, such as your height, body type, religion, number of kids if you have any and if you would like to have any in the future, your current relationship status, and a few personal habits in addition.
To finish up with this, you can put in a few words about you with a maximum of 100 characters. It doesn’t seem much, but I personally managed to write a few simple sentences as to why I was on the platform and what I was looking for.
Searching
Matchmaking search filters at Match.com would impress you. The website makes sure to connect you with the best possible matches regardless of your purpose. The expanded search is available for users with Standard or Premium membership as that would include the “Discover” feature.
The members with a free account can search by age and radius location. Also, they would be able to view profiles and send likes but that’s about it. Without paid membership, you cannot send messages to other users.
Chat
Chat is available for paid members only. Message exchange interface looks just like at any other dating platform. If you are a paid member, you can also use MatchPhone to call other users. You would have customized Match.com number to use, so that is an awesome feature in terms of privacy.
Mobile app
The Match is available for free for iOS and Android. The mobile app looks and works exactly the same as the website. So no need to get back to the website, for example, to use your advanced search filters, and MatchPhone obviously would be working better from your phone than a desktop.
The interface of the mobile app is simple yet neat and pleasing. All main control buttons to like or skip the match or send a message would be right at the main screen, literally one tap away.
Special features
Each dating app is trying to come up with some advanced special features, let’s see what Match.com has in their pockets for all the paid members.
Reverse Matches
This Premium feature shows you the list of people who are quite opposite to your search at the moment. Check it out if you feel like trying something new. For instance, you were looking for something serious and still are, but would like to have one crazy hookup night. In this case, you go to that list and connect with people who are only looking for a hookup. Some black dating sites practice this feature as well, as it seems to be quite fun for many users.
MatchPhone
This function was already mentioned a couple of times. Once you are a Premium member, you would have a customized Match number attached to your profile. It allows you to call other users without sharing your actual phone number, and your privacy is not compromised.
Boost
Boosting your profile would put you on a top spot of the search for an hour to get all the possible matches and especially new members who have just joined the platform. You can get 1 boost for 1 Credit, or $0.99. The more Credits you buy, the cheaper they are. 5 Credits cost $4, and 10 Credits cost $6.
MatchMe
Similar to the Boost function that would put you on top of the search for other users, although with this one, your profile would be shown to people who are matching your preference search.
Match Guarantee
We all like this feature like our security blanket. If you didn’t have worthy matches that would be more than an online chatting within half a year, Match.com would gladly offer you another 6 months for free to help you out.
Data check in
This feature was created for offline meetings with your Match dates. You can add three emergency contacts for safety purposes, and your date’s information would be sent to them. You would receive a message from Match asking if anything about this date is feeling uncomfortable. In case of a “yes” answer, Match website will immediately send SOS messages to inform all three of your emergency contacts. The feature is available for all paid members.
Security and privacy
★★★☆☆
Match.com has been on the market forever now and they seem not to fail their customers’ expectations who are seeking love and all kinds of relationships. Even though it does not require your social media links or even email verification, the inside of the platform was built for you to avoid any types of scamming and general unpleasant experiences. Like any other platform, Match com suggests not to share your personal information with strangers to protect yourself.
Odds of success
★★★☆☆
The website and the app were created for people to seek any kind of relationship but mostly serious. Yet, since it was built together with Craigslist Personals, we all understand that people are also looking for one-night stands. Even people who are on the mission might need one-time fling every now and then.
General hookup chance is medium. That is based on the amount of dead profiles. While I was testing the platform, I did get quite a few matches to connect with. People that I’ve met on Match.com were engaging in the conversations which I adore, and I didn’t wait for hours for replies. My bottom line, users are active and interested in connecting with others.
Matching algorithm
Advanced search filters that are available only for paid members are quite cool. You can narrow down your search filters to the age, gender, location, relationship status, interests, physical appearance, lifestyle and personal information. Each category can be customized and changed any time you want. There is also a feature that allows you to see your opposite matches. You can scroll through these people and see if someone there would interest you and you would be willing to experiment.
User’s experience
Match dating reviews can go wild since the platform is the OG on the market and is one of the most popular websites within online dating. I searched for some other real-life users of Match.com and saw what their ratings and experience are.
I liked it
★★★★★
The matches were very good. It is extremely hard to find good singles in South Florida. I never considered any of my matches as a bad match or a waste of time. Each date was a good experience for me and taught me more about what I really needed in a partner each time. I would recommend Match.com to anyone. Bottom line, I am now married to my last match.com match!
Glenn L.
Only great experience
★★★★★
I had a great experience using Match.com. I wanted a dating site that would give me more info on someone than just a short description they wrote on themselves and a bunch of pictures. I liked that Match allowed people to use more details about their current situations and their past. I had enough dating in the past of randomly meeting people. I knew what I wanted and I was able to first only match with people who met my criteria for history, religion, job, kids, etc. This I feel made it a lot easier to just have to find a personality match. I ended up going on one date from Match.com and that date happened to turn into my husband. 🙂 Who would have thought?
Jessica T.
That was destiny
★★★★★
I met my wife online and we have been happily married for more than 10 years. The only thing that the other half has the ability to hide is their age. My wife put her age in there as 3 years older than me but she was actually 9 years older. She told me a few months later but I told her it didn’t matter. I married a cougar ha ha!!
Charles O.
Would never use it again
★☆☆☆☆
Match.com is an incompetent dating website. I had just registered, but immediately began to have problems. I was logged out of my account for no reason! The website generated an automated response informing me to contact the company to get a new, temporary password. I did so, about a dozen times over the course of a few weeks. The website never responded to me, and never supplied a new password. No explanation for these things were ever provided.
Albert P.
No response here
Do not recommend
★☆☆☆☆
One feature I did not care for at ALL was not having the ability to remove “likes” from your list. In order to initiate contact with someone, you have to add them to your “likes” list. There were a few people that did not reply so I wanted to remove them from my list…but had no way to do so. According to a rep from Match’s online chat help, at present (3.10.2020) the only way to remove them is to use the “block” feature. Fine if the person is truly not interested in you, but what if for some reason they were not able to answer and then try later but can’t because you blocked them? I get it: dating is a crapshoot. But for the amount Match.com charges, I expected a much better experience than this. I do NOT recommend it.
K.Q.
Overall it’s good
★★★★☆
Well, Match was a good website overall for me. Due to long work hours and kids, the only opportunity I had was to come online to look for a man. I matched a good looking guy, and we connected almost immediately. The sad part is I was defrauded by this guy and he wasn’t who he said he was at all, I was so embarrassed to talk about this to anyone. I didn’t get any help till I did… Anyway I was able to recover my funds using Global Elite Recovery and their skilled investigators, you can google them if you have been a victim of love fraud.
Lilly N.
Alternatives
I couldn’t leave you without any possible alternatives that you might try together with Match.com or aside of it.
| 29 million members | 16 million active weekly |
| 3/5 hookup chance | Medium Sex Chance |
| low fraud risk | Verification email, Facebook |
| $34.97- $431.38 subscription price |
Match.com and eHarmony are probably most compared to each other. eHarmony, just like Match.com, has a very precise search engine to ease your search for possible matches. It has nearly 1 million users who are quite active and love to talk. Interfaces are easy to navigate even if you are a newbie. You would also need to be a Premium member to be able to use most of the main features on the platform.
| 11 millions members | 300k per months |
| 4/5 hookup chance | High Sex Chance |
| low fraud risk | Verification email, phone, photo |
| $0.95 – $45.95 subscription price |
This platform is insanely interesting and the design of the website and the app is magnificent. Besides that, Pure is focused on you meeting people online but making you meet offline without wasting days on chatting. Here you would have one hour for chatting if you both decide to connect. I like that and would highly recommend trying.
| 5 million members | 900,000 weekly |
| 3/5 hookup chance | Medium Sex Chance |
| low fraud risk | Verification email |
| $37.95 - $239.40 subscription price |
EliteSingles is another great alternative for Match.com and you would enjoy exploring it. The matching algorithm game is available here for all premium members. Most of the users are in their 30s and are mostly seeking for serious long-term relationships. So if you are not sure what you want but ready to explore, this might be not the place.
FAQ
When was Match.com launched?
Match.com was launched in 1993 and officially went live as a dating platform in 1995.
How do I create an account at Match.com?
To create an account at Match.com you would need to have a valid email. Then you need to fill in the basic information such as date of birth, age, and gender.
Do I need to use my phone to register at Match.com?
No, only email address is required to create an account.
Can I send messages for free?
No, Match.com allows you to send messages only if you have a paid membership.
Is there a mobile app to use?
Yes, apps are available for free to download at iOS and Android.
What will I get with a paid membership?
With a paid membership you would be able to send and receive messages, use advanced search filters, and boost your account.
What if I won’t find any matches?
Match.com guarantees to give you 6 months of free membership if within your first 6 months you don’t find any suitable matches.
Is it safe to use Match.com?
Yes, it is safe to use Match.com for dating purposes as long as you take general precaution and do not share your personal data with people until you’re sure they’re good. There’s also a safety feature in paid plans that will allow you to send a SOS message to your trusted contacts if something goes wrong on an actual date with your match.
What is a MatchPhone feature?
MatchPhone feature is available for Premium users and would allow them to call other members. You would also receive a customized Match number to make calls.
Pure is for real meetings, not endless chats online
Pure users have only an hour to chat before their profiles disappear. In one hour, you send a casual sex request to potential matches near your location, discuss your desires, and share contact detail to set up an offline date. If you want to repeat the search and find other matches, you have to create a new profile. No worries, it takes a minute.
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Bottom line
I would recommend trying Match.com if your goal is to seek for a more mature and serious relationship. Overall, I enjoyed the interface of the website and mobile application, quality of users, and all the features you can use. Even though you need to pay to even be able to send a message to someone you liked, I think the price is acceptable.