Top 10 Free Dating Sites & Dating App Options For Successful Online Dating

The internet has changed the traditional dating game, with online dating sites becoming increasingly popular – and effective. According to a recent Pew Research report, three out of 10 adults say they have used an online dating site, and four out of 10 said that dating apps have made dating easier. The same study found that one out of five couples in long-term committed relationships met each other through an online dating site or app. Another recent study found that couples who met online were less likely to get divorced and reported higher relationship satisfaction. This article takes a look at the top 10 free dating sites in the U.S. and how to get started. 

Top 10 free dating sites

Dating sites are systems that enable people to find and introduce themselves to new personal connections over the internet, usually to develop personal, romantic, or sexual relationships. Today, there are many dating site options to choose from, and each site works differently. With some, you swipe and match. For others, you hunt for the profile of a person you like. Still others involve detailed questionnaires then provide suggestions. 

Whether you have been out of the game for a while and are starting to date again, or you have been dating for some time, dating websites offer a viable way to find your match. 

Top free dating sites and dating apps for successful online dating

To help get you started, we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 no-cost dating sites and how to use them.

Plenty of Fish

Plenty of Fish (now branded as POF) advertises itself as “the leading free online dating site for singles.” POF was started in 2003 in Canada but has since spread to other countries around the world, including the United States. POF has an online site and an app, making it easy for users to interact on the go. The site states that it gets 70,000 new singles per day and has more conversations than any other dating site, with one billion messages per month. Signing up is easy. You have to create a profile with basic information: username, password, email, birth date, gender, country, and ethnicity. You then take their chemistry test, which helps them match you with personalities and online daters that will meet your emotional needs. POF has a service that helps its users discover their relationship needs, tells you what you need in a relationship, explains what may have gone wrong in your past relationships, and provides a customized action plan to make future ones successful.

eHarmony

Founded in 2000 and based in Los Angeles, eHarmony is the first service within the web dating industry that used a scientific approach to matching highly-compatible singles. They are an “online dating site for like-minded singles” and state that every 14 minutes, someone finds love on their site. Signing up has fewer steps than POF; all you do is state your gender, the gender you are looking for, your name, and your country/zip code. eHarmony matches singles using their registered Compatibility Matching System, which is based on the 29 dimensions of compatibility for lasting and fulfilling relationships. Users answer the basics to help them narrow down the pool to people who meet their criteria. The user then finishes compatibility questions to get “quality connections based on key areas of personality.” You can then review everyone’s profiles that eHarmony has determined to be a right match, free of charge. At that point, users pick a plan that works for them to begin communication with their matches. eHarmony also offers no-cost dating advice from their relationship experts.

Match.com

According to Match.com, it is the number one destination for online dating, with more dates, more relationships, and more marriages than any other dating or personal site. The service was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Dallas, Texas, serving 25 countries in total. To start, you enter who you are, what age and gender of match you are seeking, and your postal code. Match then shows you the online photos and personal ads that people created. Match provides various search tools to help you find people based on their interests, background, age, location, and more. They also give you a personalized match every day and you can choose to message that person if they spark your interest.

Date My School

Date My School's  tagline is “educated people, educated dates.” Founded by two graduate students at Columbia University, the online dating platform – which also comes in app form for easier, on-the-go usage – is targeted towards university students and alumni. To join, you need a university email address. They show you schools in your area, and you choose the school department and age range you are interested in. The people who meet those criteria are the only ones who can view your profile. They have a matching algorithm but also allow you to search profiles to find a match for yourself.

Coffee Meets Bagel 

According to their website, Coffee Meets Bagel is the way for users to “discover meaningful online dating and make authentic connections.” The San Francisco-based company has an app as well and holds its basis in social media, although you don’t need Facebook to join. Once you fill out your profile and preferences, you can start connecting. The site sends you potential matches – which they call “bagels” – once a day. The algorithm picks a limited number of your best potential matches around noon every day. Both users must like each other, and if that happens, a chat can be started.

Christian Mingle 

Religion is a big aspect of life for some people, and there are dating websites that cater to that. Christian Mingle is the most well-known Christian religion site. (As a side note, J Date is the most well-known one for the Jewish faith). Christian Mingle states it is designed for users who want a God-centered relationship with other Christians. They say that they are different from other faith-based dating websites because their only focus is faith rather than matching those with similar faiths. Once you register your profile, you fill in the kind of match you’re seeking, including your religious denomination. The site sends you compatible match suggestions – as many as seven each day. You can browse at your leisure and “like” the profile to save for later. You can also browse profiles on the site that have not been sent to you if you want to look for a match yourself.

OkCupid

OkCupid is an American-based, internationally-operating online dating, friendship, and social networking website. In creating your profile, the site asks questions about what the user cares about and connects you to compatibility and “what matters to you.” It was created in 2004 as the first free online dating site. They are the only dating app with thousands of questions – ranging from political beliefs to environmental opinions – to help match people. They boast about having 91 million connections every year, 50,000 dates every week, and more mentions in The New York Times wedding section than any other app.

Zoosk 

Zoosk advertises itself as “the smart way to date.” It was founded in California in 2007 and currently has more than 40 million singles worldwide, with three million messages sent daily. To begin, users fill in their gender, preference, and birthday. They have a behavioral matching technology that constantly learns and evolves to deliver better matches in real time. Once you create your account, you write a 1500-character story or pitch about yourself, then fill in your perfect match and ideal date. Zoosk has a carousel swipe format, or you can utilize the search mode that lets you filter daters based on age, location, body type, and other factors. Having an account is free. However, you’ll need to pay for a subscription to message any of your likes.

Tinder

Tinder is one of the most well-known dating apps out there, and for an odd reason. Created as the straight version of Grindr (“the world’s largest social networking app for gay, bi, trans, and queer people”), the site was meant as a sexual-encounter app. Based solely on looks, users created a profile with photos and a short blurb if they wanted. Tinder lets you know if you have any mutual friends with someone on Facebook, but the swipe right and swipe left are the main aspects of Tinder. To message someone, you both had to swipe right. The app has since evolved, providing users with a way to find relationships if they want and not just sexcapades.

Bumble

In a world where unwanted advances on women are common, Bumble helped give the power back. Created in a similar format as Tinder with swipe options, Bumble was based on shifting the power dynamic. For heterosexual couples, when a match occurred, women would have to be the ones to make the first move, encouraging equality from the start. Bumble also has a business and BFF section, allowing people to network and find friends on the site if they don’t need it for dating purposes.

Online dating – is it for me?

Beyond the 10 options mentioned above, there are many more online dating sites available – including options like Our Time, for those who are a bit older and don’t want to mix with the younger generation doing online dating.

While online dating can be effective – with 57% saying they’ve had positive experiences – it’s not without its downsides. For example, one study found that nearly four out of five people who’d participated in online dating reported having at least some degree of emotional fatigue or burnout with the experience. Burnout can occur for a number of reasons but often results from either not finding matches at all, getting “ghosted” by a match (i.e., they don’t show up on the date or stop communicating after the date), or finding someone who seems like a good match, only to have it not work out. 

Fortunately, talking with a counselor through Regain can help you work through these burnout feelings and learn to better handle disappointment. A counselor can also help guide you in sharpening relationship skills, such as developing stronger communication skills, learning to establish boundaries, and identifying unhealthy relationship patterns so you can better avoid them. 

See what other individuals in similar situations had to say about working with a Regain counselor:

Counselor reviews

"My experience with Priscilla has been immensely helpful in better understanding myself and providing me with the tools to see my life and relationships with more clarity and compassion."

“Shannon is very knowledgeable, and skilled in knowing how to use that knowledge to help others. She is also very compassionate and encouraging. I was skeptical about using a counseling service, but this experience has been incredible. I highly recommend Shannon to anyone who needs guidance or help through a difficult time in life. I gave her some enormous challenges, and nothing has been over her head. She has been a tremendous help to me.”

https://www.regain.us/shannon-cunningham/#testimonials

Takeaway

When online dating, be sure always to be safe and put your needs first. And if you are nervous about getting back out there or have relationship concerns you want to work through, know that you can click here to find help for individual and couples counseling. Happy dating!