Online Dating FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Online Dating

    What do your "Lady's Choice" and "Guy's Choice" awards mean?

    We've supplemented each of our reviews with the paired perspectives of a man and woman who signed up for the services, both individuals are in their mid to early 30s and live in a large city. We asked them to rate and review each site based on their experiences with the profile creator and matchmaking or searching functionality. The sites rated highest by each, got the respective rewards. Now, this shouldn't mean that men should only sign up for one, and women the other, but we thought it was an interesting way to compare the sites.

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Top Online Dating Services

Chemistry.com

Bottom line: Intuitive matching system based on complementary personality types, best for those seeking committed relationships
Match.com

Bottom line: Large and active group of users, intelligent matching system based largely on similar tastes and interests
eHarmony

Bottom line: Emphasis on guidance and deep connections, larger users base seeking committed relationships, some people are not accepted
Zoosk

Bottom line: Fun and playful; great social features; premium features somewhat available without a subscription
PerfectMatch.com

Bottom line: Designed for those seeking committed relationships, combines elements of matching and searching, personality test is less informative
FriendFinder

Bottom line: Customizable experience, overwhelming & frustrating interface, best for people with flexible relationship goals and a lot of time on their hands
Lavalife

Bottom line: Emphasis on flirting and chatting, good for casual dating, slightly more explicit content, interface cluttered with ads
Date.com

Bottom line: Very basic service with instant messaging and chat rooms, best for casual dating
SpeedDate

Bottom line: Constant stream of speed dates, matchmaking "system" yields poor results, nonstop harassment to subscribe

Disclosure: NextAdvisor.com is a consumer information site that offers free, independent reviews and ratings of online services. We receive advertising revenue from most of the services we review. Our editors thoroughly research and whenever possible test each service we review and offer their honest opinions about each one. We are independently owned and operated and all opinions expressed on this site are our own.