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Online Dating Sites
The 5 Best Dating Sites of 2012
We've compared the best online dating sites to help you determine which services
will best suit your lifestyle. Our reviews focus on the diverse offerings of each
dating service, so that users can discover the right dating site quickly and easily.
Find out which online dating sites are right for you!
Last Update:
Jan 26, 2012
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Site
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Main Features
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Membership Base
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Overall Rating
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Summary
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More
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1
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- Guarantees you'll meet someone special in 6 months!
- Employs a proven personality-based matching system
- Start meeting singles fast with their ultra-simple member setup
- 20,000 Singles joining each day
- The fastest growing dating site in the world
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Massive user base of eligible singles from diverse backgrounds
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9.8/10
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- Best Overall
- Best Features
- Largest User base
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2
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- Extensive personality-based matching based on the latest matching technology
- Free personality assessment
- Convenient email notifications about potential matches
- Handy organizational tools to help keep potential matches organized
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Diverse user base of relationship minded singles
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9.3/10
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- Great Features
- Easy to Use
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3
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- Matching based on personality and interpersonal chemistry
- Relies on extensive user feedback to refine the matching process
- Relationship advice from recognized experts
- Assisted communications to help every user feel comfortable
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Singles seeking serious, long-term relationships
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9.0/10
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- Great Matchmaking System
- Fun to Use
- Relationship Minded User Base
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4
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- Designed to create long-lasting relationships
- Guided communication makes singles feel comfortable initiating contact
- Free personality assessment
- Serves millions of singles who are serious about finding a long-term relationship
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Large user base with many marriage minded singles
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8.6/10
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- Large User Base
- Great Matchmaking System
- Relationship Minded User Base
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5
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- Provides members with a comprehensive personality assessment
- offers numerous search features for finding matches
- Ability to send profiles to friends
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Small yet diverse user base
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8.4/10
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- Limited User Base
- Easy to Use
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Ease of use
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Privacy
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Search Features
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Features and Extras
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Matchmaking System
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Relationship Advice
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Overall Satisfaction
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MEMBERSHIP BASE
With tens of millions of singles using online dating services each month, using
one of the top dating sites is an easy way to expand your current dating options.
If you’re looking to get married, you’ll want to choose a service with
similarly marriage-minded singles, such as eHarmony or Chemistry.com. If you prefer
casual romances or brief encounters you may also enjoy sites such as Spark that
cater to singles that prefer more casual encounters. And, of course, if just want
to meet someone and see where things go, using a dating site with the largest possible
user base, such as Match.com, will provide you with the best chances of success.
more
PRICE
You may be surprised to learn that in addition to offering reasonable pricing, many
online dating sites also offer coupons, discounts or even free extended memberships.
Membership fees can vary greatly from service to service. Spark.com, for example,
costs only $24.99/month for a 1-month subscription, while a 1-month subscription
to eHarmony or PerfectMatch can cost up to $59.95/month. And, of course, most online
dating sites offer free trials or free access to select services so that you can
see for yourself which site you enjoy the most. more
SEARCH OPTIONS AND MATCHING ALGORITHMS
Tired of being attracted to the wrong type of person or getting set up with losers?
Compatibility matching services offered by sites like Chemistry.com and eHarmony
have successfully suggested thousands of long-term matches based on personality,
scientific “Dimensions of Compatibility” and other specific qualities.
Other sites such as Match.com offer powerful search features that enable you to
find a match based on the criteria that is most important to you. If you’re
not sure which type of dating site will best suit your needs, you can also try a
site that offers both such as Match.com, which combines extensive search features
with compatibility matching technology that provides 5 recommended matches daily.
more
Niche dating categories
If you are set on meeting singles from a particular demographic, you may be surprised
to learn that many of the mainstream dating sites, such as Match.com and eHarmony,
have more members belonging to specific ethnic and religious groups than most of
the targeted niche dating sites, such as BlackPeopleMeet.com and ChristianCafe.com.
The same holds true for gay and senior dating sites. Additionally, mainstream dating
sites have developed powerful search features that can help you eliminate irrelevant
singles and find a partner with a compatible background. more
PRIVACY AND SECURITY
While some singles prefer to express themselves openly and honestly online, others
prefer to keep their identity private. For this reason, most online dating sites
offer a variety of privacy and security options. Some sites allow you to browse
profiles without publicizing your own profile. Sites such as Match.com, in contrast,
also offer expanded publicity features if you want your profile to draw additional
attention. If you prefer privacy, you should be aware that on some sites, such as
PerfectMatch, if you hide your profile you cannot receive match suggestions. Your
privacy settings can be easily adjusted in the profile section of most of the leading
dating sites. of most online dating sites. more
COMMUNICATION FEATURES
Few things can replace the excitement of an introductory wink or flirty smile, which
is why many dating sites such as Match.com offer a range of communication options
from virtual ‘winks’ to online ‘ice breakers’. If you want
to get a better visual impression of your potential date you can also consider sites
such as Lavalife which offers video communication. Some dating sites however, such
as Chemistry.com and eHarmony, only offer compatibility matching and therefore do
not even allow you to communicate with others at all unless you were introduced
by the sites’ matchmaking systems. Services such as these may be ideal for
you if you prefer to remain anonymous. more
SPECIAL FEATURES
While you can do without most of the extra features they offer, some dating sites
have features that really stand out and should be taken into consideration when
you decide on a service. Match.com, for example, offers mobile dating where you
can login securely from your cell phone. Chemistry.com offers free help with creating
your profile so that they can offer the most relevant matches possible. eHarmony
offers a free personality assessment that can help you better understand yourself
and pinpoint exactly what you're looking for in a mate. Lavalife offers video chat
functionality which provides a new dimension to the online dating experience.
more
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Most online dating sites are relatively straightforward, but it's still helpful
to know that a site offers reliable customer support. With the exception of Chemistry.com
and Match.com which offer a customer service phone number directly on their Contact
Us page, most online dating sites offer only FAQ pages and email support. We've
tested the customer support of the top dating sites and ranked them based on timeliness,
helpfulness and professionalism. more
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