Home > 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!
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Last Update: May 16, 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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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
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
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
