Venturing into the world of online dating can be overwhelming to say the least – especially if you’ve been out of the game for quite some time.
Whether you’re looking for a casual fling or hoping for the perfect fairytale ending, there’s a service suited for you – even if you may have to kiss a few frogs along the way.
To help you find your perfect match, whether that be for the night or forever, we’ve rounded up the 7 best dating sites for 2022 to download right now.
Match.com has more than 2.5 million members in over 24 countries, making it one of the world’s largest online dating services. So, if you’re after an inclusive demographic, then this may be the site for you.
12.99 (per month)
Match.com
eharmony has five million UK members, 60 million worldwide. The site is known for being popular with people who are serious about looking for a long-term relationship. If that’s something you’re looking for, then look no further.
According to eharmony experts – ‘Every 14 minutes, someone finds love on eHarmony’.
Free basic membership
eharmony.co.uk
OKCupid has 2.5 million UK members and over 50 million users worldwide. It is one of the most inclusive dating sites with members ranging between 25 to 40 years.
You will find a balance of people looking for a serious relationship and those just looking for some fun. So if you’re unsure as to what you’re after, then this dating site is the ideal option for you.
7.95 (per month)
OKCupid.com
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Best dating sites for 2022:
1. Match.com
Best for getting back out there
Match.com has more than 2.5 million members in over 24 countries, making it one of the world’s largest online dating services. So, if you’re after an inclusive demographic, then this may be the site for you.
What you get
Free membership: This allows you to test the waters before you spend your money, including creating a profile, viewing other members’ profiles, view matches, and send ‘winks’.
Paid subscription: Allows members to see who has viewed or favourited your profile. Connect with other members via instant messenger, keep track of your connections, attend Match.com live stir events.
Features: Ice breaker games, in-person Stir Events, Advanced ‘smart search’ which allows you to filter matches by location and personality traits.
Comprehensive dating profiles: Location, Gender preference, Children, Marital status, Smoking/drinking habits, Longest relationship time, Religion, Profession, Dating intentions.
Price per month: £12.99 for six months – Sign up here.
2. eHarmony
Best for marriage seekers
eharmony has five million UK members, 60 million worldwide. The site is known for being popular with people who are serious about looking for a long-term relationship. If that’s something you’re looking for, then look no further.
According to eharmony experts – ‘Every 14 minutes, someone finds love on eHarmony’.
What you get
Free membership: Allows you to test the waters before you spend your money, including creating a profile, viewing other members’ profiles, and view matches.
Paid subscription: Allows members to see who has viewed your profile and connect with other members.
Features: The Compatibility Quiz – a personality questionnaire that helps you get to know the person behind the profile. The quiz is optional and includes over 80 snappy questions about your dating preferences, communication style and goals. More than just a bit of fun, it’s designed to help you meet people with similar interests and views of the world.
Unlike other online dating sites, eharmony doesn’t have a traditional search or swipe feature. eharmony does all the hard work for you and delivers curated matches on a regular basis and highlights profiles that are compatible with you.
Price per month: £14.95 for a one year subscription – Sign up here
3. Our Time
Best for people over 50
With over 3 million UK members, and 150,00 active members, Our Time, which is also owned by the Match Group, is a free dating site.
It is aimed at people over 50 – so if you’re not interested in swiping left and swiping right, then this is the dating site for you.
What you get
Free membership: This site will allow you to test the waters before you spend your money, including creating a profile, viewing other members’ profiles, view matches, and send ‘winks’.
Paid subscription: Allows members to see who has viewed or favourited your profile. Connect with other members via instant messenger, keep track of your connections, and attend Match.com live events.
Features: Your profile will appear on other dating sites owned by the Match group when you sign up, expanding your choice of possible suitors.
They also host regular singles events, best of all, you can take up to three friends, so there’ll be no awkward moments when entering the room. Panic over.
Price per month: Free – Sign up here
4. OKCupid
Best for open-minded singles
OKCupid has 2.5 million UK members and over 50 million users worldwide. It is one of the most inclusive dating apps with members ranging between 25 to 40 years.
You will find a balance of people looking for a serious relationship and those just looking for some fun. So if you’re unsure as to what you’re after, then this dating app is the ideal option for you.
What you get
Free membership: Again, this dating site allows you to test the waters before you spend your money, including creating a profile, viewing other members’ profiles, and view matches.
Paid subscription: Allows you to ‘like’ and see who has ‘liked’ you and connect with other members.
Features: Notifications that tell you who has read your messages. ‘Double take’ function. Advanced features on your search filters. Auto-Boost to promote your profile. Message Priority function
Price per month: £7.95 for the Basic Package – Sign up here
5. Zoosk
Best for matchmaking
Whether you’re looking for a short term hook-up or something long-term Zoosk may be just what you’re looking for?
It’s a popular UK dating site with 27 million UK members – so it’s a good one to try if you’re looking for regular activity.
What you get
Free membership: Allows you to test the waters before you spend your money, including creating a profile, viewing other members’ profiles, and view matches. You can also send unlimited likes and smiles to potential suitors. You can even buy coins to boost your profile or to send virtual gifts to someone special.
Paid subscription: Allows members to see who has viewed your profile and connect with other members. You’ll also be able to use photo verification, and receive daily match suggestions using the SmartPick function.
Features: Inbuilt behavioural matchmaking engine which learns as you click to pair you with singles you’re likely to be mutually attracted to.
Price per month: £29.99 for one month, £20 a month for 3 months, £15 a month for 6 months – Sign up here.
6. DatingDirect.com
Best for young professionals
Dating Direct is also owned by the Match Group and has 5 million UK members, 21 million worldwide.
It is popular with young professionals, with work and education background being one of the major matching criteria.
It is widely used by people aged between 25 to 40, but is growing in popularity with older age groups. With the 50+ age range, currently being the fastest growing demographic.
What you get
Free membership: Allows you to test the waters before you spend your money, including creating a profile, viewing other members’ profiles.
Paid subscription: Allows members to see who has viewed your profile and connect with other members. It also boasts an instant messaging service and a daily email service which offers you six potential matches to scroll through.
Features: Location tracker to help you find singles in your area. Send unlimited instant messages. View entire members’ profiles. Special member pricing for their events.
Price per month: £29.99 – Sign up now
7. Illicit Encounters
Best for open relationships
Illicit Encounters is a meeting place for like-minded married and attached people, and with over one million members across the UK, you’re sure to find your perfect match – or matches.
Members have one thing in common – they are all looking for a little romance outside their current relationship.
The site creates a non-judgemental, no-pressure environment for members. Unlike other sites, members can remain anonymous with password protection on photographs, to protect their identities.
Free membership: Allows you to create a profile, upload photos, search other members, receive messages, and send virtual kisses and gifts.
Paid subscription: Allows members to send and and read messages, Hide your profile. Use ‘holiday’ and ‘invisible’ modes. You can also prepare responses and set up auto-responders, and live alerts.
Price per month: £169.99 for a 4 week Gold Membership – Sign up now
How does online dating work?
Online dating enables people to find and introduce themselves to potential connections over the Internet, usually with the goal of developing a relationship.
Your chosen site will allow you to become a member through creating a personal profile that generally includes information such as age, gender, sexual orientation, location, and appearance.
Members are also encouraged to add photos or videos to their profile, and some sites include a personality test to help speed up the matching process.
Once a profile has been created, members can view the profiles of other members of the service, using the visible profile information to decide whether or not to initiate contact, and start a conversation.
Some sites will allow anyone to send you a message whereas others, you have to be matched first.
Members will either keep their interactions to the online space, or arrange a date to meet in person.
How much do they cost?
To pay, or not to pay? Paid for and free dating sites are popular in equal measures. Sites like Match.com and eharmony charge users roughly £30 per month, whereas Tinder and OKCupid are free but all are just as popular as the other. It generally comes down to what you as an individual are looking for.
Users believe quality comes at a price, with the consensus being that a paid-for site will have members who are more serious about finding someone. That’s not to say free dating sites don’t have their benefits too.
Are dating sites safe?
The rise in romance scams comes as more people have turned to online dating during 2020 due to social distancing restrictions.
They involve people being coerced into sending money to scammers who go to great lengths to gain their trust, such as being in a relationship.
Scammer requests come in many forms, and tend to pull on the victim’s heart-strings, such as claiming they need money for an emergency., a family member, a business deal or medical problems.
Warning signs: These will involve the scammer wanting to quickly leave the dating site’s messaging apps to talk by phone or send messages to your email address.
Once you’ve established an online relationship, they tend to cancel a date to meet face-to-face at the last minute, for many reasons.
In order to protect yourself, the best thing to do is trust your instincts, and if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Have you tried online dating before? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below.
