Whether you’re looking for the love of your life, an easygoing romance, or a casual hookup, finding the ideal partner can be a tough task. And if recent events have affected your lifestyle, or you simply don’t have that much time for social encounters, the search will become even harder.
So what can you do about it? Our best recommendation is that you give dating websites a try. That way, you’ll save yourself a lot of time while broadening your search for the perfect partner. Even if you’re shy and timid, these platforms will help you surpass your nervousness and break the ice.
If professional assistance sounds tempting and hopeful, take a look at the best dating sites we’ve encountered online, and start pursuing your dreams. With just a bit of luck and expertise, you may be able to find the perfect fit.
Best Dating Sites For Relationships and Casual Dating In 2022
- eHarmony – Overall Best Dating Website For A Serious Relationship
- Adult FriendFinder – Best Place For Casual Relationships
- Ashley Madison – Most Discreet Dating Site For Adult Dating
- Seeking – Best Known For Sugar Dating
- EliteSingles – Best Dating Platform For Busy Professionals
- Tinder – Top Rated Dating App
- Bumble – Safest Dating Site For Women
- Christian Mingle – Best Dating Site For Meeting Other Christians
- It’s Just Lunch – Best Dating Site For People With Little Spare Time
- HER – Best LGBTQ+ Dating Site
#1. eHarmony – Overall Best Dating Website For A Serious Relationship
If you’re looking for a serious relationship, eHarmony is, without a doubt, the best place to find one. The company was established in early 2000 and has vast experience featuring 15 million matches a day and over 600,000 marriages to testify for its efficiency.
eHarmony relies on in-depth knowledge, experience and statistics, to help you find your match. It will make you realize many things about yourself, as the best way towards finding a partner is first better to explore yourself.
Highlights
- Compatibility matching system
eHarmony features a unique compatibility matching system that will help you find your soulmate. The program’s first step includes a compatibility quiz that will help you learn a little more about yourself, so you can quickly determine what you’re looking for in the perfect partner based on your preferences, habits, interests and life goals.
Timid users and newcomers will truly appreciate eHarmony’s tips section, but even experienced online daters will get the chance to learn a couple of valuable insights that will help them find their match.
And since communication is vital, eHarmony will provide you with some essentials to get you up and running with the website in no time. Once you master the icebreakers, smiles and video dates, you’re guaranteed to make an excellent impression of your potential match.
⇒ Visit the Official Website of eHarmony
Pros
- Gives you a better knowledge of your personality and what you should look for in the perfect partner
- Different memberships based on your needs and preferences
- Free chance to register and test the service
- Easy way to find local singles
Cons
- More expensive than similar dating sites
#2. Adult FriendFinder – Best Place For Casual Relationships
Adult FriendFinder is an excellent choice for anyone that’s after an easygoing relationship or an occasional hookup. It is one of the oldest platforms of its kind, making it also the most reliable and popular option.
Its network of singles is focused on swinging, non-monogamous relationships and experimental experiences. So if you’re looking for a discreet thrill and excitement, you will definitely be able to make some arrangements on the website.
It is pretty straightforward to use, so you’ll get up and running with it in no time.
Highlights
If you’re looking to cut to the chase, worry not, as Adult FriendFinder is full of users just like you. That’s why the platform offers a convenient tool for online cam chat that will help you enjoy the company of like-minded individuals, and perhaps even indulge in an intriguing relationship or experience.
With the Adult FriendFinder, you’ll never waste any time on unnecessary procedures. The platform is designed to help you save some time and effort and quickly connect with your best dating match.
So if you’re looking for out of a match, Adult FriendFinder is very likely to be able to provide it pretty quickly.
⇒ Visit the Official Website of Adult FriendFinder
Pros
- Diversified network of adults
- Live chat for a random match
- Available on desktop and mobile devices
- Multilingual support
Cons
- Premium memberships are a bit pricey
#3. Ashley Madison – Most Discreet Dating Site For Adult Dating
If you’re looking for an exciting new relationship or hookup, Ashley Madison can make it happen. The platform caters to lonesome individuals that are looking for a safe place to find a match that will help them combat loneliness and monotony without being judged.
The platform is utterly committed to discretion so that you can rest assured that anything that happens on the website will be kept a secret. Its outstanding privacy and wariness are what attracts an impressive base of users, rating the service high above its competition.
Highlights
The dating app is designed to fit the needs of all its customers, regardless of their background. All users are pretty open-minded, so you won’t be judged about your needs even if you’re married or in a relationship.
The platform will help you get matched with unbiased partners that are interested in your current desires instead of your entire profile.
To provide you with the ultimate discretion and safeguard your privacy, Ashley Madison allows you to create an entirely anonymous profile. The website offers a couple of valuable tips to help you set up an account, without sharing any personal details to protect your privacy and identity.
⇒ Visit the Official Website of Ashley madison
Pros
- Easy to use and manage
- Instant access to your profile
- Non-discriminatory network
- Wide range of accepted payment options including PayPal, prepaid Visa and Mastercard, and several other discreet methods
Cons
- Memberships and billing are pretty challenging to understand
#4. Seeking – Best Known For Sugar Dating
Seeking is our best recommendation if you’re looking for an attractive and well-established match. The platform targets a specific audience: wealthy and experienced individuals looking for young, attractive partners.
The platform focuses on efficiency and allows you to find a match in no time. You simply set your requirements and expectations from the very beginning, so you don’t have to bother with any users who are less than what you’re looking for.
Highlights
With Seeking, your dating profile will be up and running in no time. All you have to do is add an attractive photo, say something interesting about yourself, clearly state your dating requirements and expectations and you’re good to go. The platform features an outstanding success ratio, so you should find a match in five days or less.
Seeking offers a direct approach to your needs. The platform features a community that knows exactly what it wants and how to find it, so you shouldn’t be timid about your preferences and never be satisfied with anything less than what you want.
As soon as you start the sign-up process, you’ll be prompted with a direct question about your preferences, so be honest, and go for it.
⇒ Visit the Official Website of Seeking
Pros
- Safe real-time and video messaging
- All members are back-checked and verified
- Honest relationships that strive to provide what’s important to you
- Signing up is free for women
Cons
- More expensive than many traditional dating platforms
#5. EliteSingles – Best Dating Platform for Busy Professionals
EliteSingles is the best dating pool for established professionals with little to no time to waste on complicated dating apps. So if you’re looking for an alternative to time-consuming services that also features a sizable network of elite singles, this dating app is your best choice.
EliteSingles works devotedly to providing you with a straightforward approach to online dating. The incredible dating platform has partners in over 25 countries and helps an astonishing 2500 singles find love each month.
Highlights
- Science-backed matchmaking
EliteSingles relies on science to help you find potential matches. Its intelligent matchmaking system will provide you with a couple of suitable matches every day, based on your relationship preferences, location and personality.
EliteSingles understands that love has no boundaries, so it insists on matching you with a like-minded partner no matter what. But if you have more specific preferences, the platform will help you narrow down your search and target a particular category, whether you’re looking for single parents, Christians, gay partners and so on.
⇒ Visit the Official Website of Elite Singles
Pros
- Expert advice on creating a first-class profile
- Every profile is validated and regularly checked upon
- A magazine with tips and ideas is featured on the website
- Top-notch customer service for the smoothers dating experience
Cons
⇒ Visit the Official Website of Elite Singles
#6. Tinder – Top Rated Dating App
Tinder is undoubtedly the most popular dating app in the past few years. It allows you to find a perfect match based on appearance and a limited range of information about a person. It works in a pretty simple way–if you think that a person is a good fit for you, you swipe right, and if not, simply swipe left.
The effortless approach to online matching is what celebrated the platform, rating it high above its competition.
Highlights
Tinder is specifically designed to provide its users with the ultimate conveniences and help them find an exciting match without putting in too much effort.
Therefore, the whole matching process is pretty quick and straightforward, so you can browse between potential partners, similar to how you switch between stories on Instagram and Facebook.
Tinder gives you fantastic flexibility for matching. For instance, if you’ve matched someone but are having second thoughts, you can easily unmatch them at any time. Also, if you ever swipe left on someone who liked you, Tinder will let you know so you can reevaluate your decision.
Pros
- Basic features are free of charge
- Amazing features with a premium subscription
- Photo verification to ensure that the person you’re talking to matches the profile pictures
- 55 billion matches to date
- Most straightforward dating app so far
Cons
- Appearance focused platform
#7. Bumble – Safest Dating Site For Women
If you believe that relationships should be initiated by the female, Bumble is the right choice for you. The unique platform puts all the dating power in the hands of the woman, so sorry guys, but this one may keep you up all night waiting.
Bumble focuses on providing women with a reliable platform on which they can safely find a match without being bothered by any unwanted attention or comments. So if you honor a more traditional approach to dating where women have the first say, Bumble might be just what you’re looking for.
Highlights
Bumble is ready to answer the challenge and help you connect with people, regardless of what you need. And no, we’re not referring to the type of romance you’re after.
Bumble features a vast network of people, so limiting its service to a dating app would be a shame. Therefore, you can also use it to find friends or make business connections.
Bumble features a specific set of guidelines for using the platform to protect its users from misleading profiles and ensure a safe and enjoyable experience. Reported violations are immediately inspected and banned or restricted.
Pros
- User-friendly dating app
- Convenient and safe for women
- Excellent success ratio
- Great tips and tricks for connecting with potential partners
Cons
- Unanswered connections expire in 24 hours
- Men cannot send the first message
#8. Christian Mingle – Best Dating Site For Meeting Other Christians
Christian Mingle is an amazing dating platform that will help you connect with like-minded religious individuals. As stated in the name, the platform caters to Christian members who need help connecting with their significant other.
The platform abides by Christian practices and lets you make a deeper connection with your potential match. And, by honoring its users’ needs, the platform features specifically designed user profiles that will help you find everything you need about your potential partner, and an impeccable messaging option that will help you strengthen your online connection.
Highlights
Unlike many platforms that offer a shallow approach to dating, Christian Mingle will allow you to establish a more profound relationship. The network features a vast community of over 15 million faith-driven Christian singles, sharing a mutual passion and commitment to valuing Christian laws.
With the great network and well-designed platform, you can easily establish a relationship that will last a lifetime.
To help you make the most of the platform, Christian Dating features an extensive library of dating advice and valuable articles that will help you on your quest for love.
Apart from the dating tips, you’ll also get hands-on training in using the dating app in little to no time.
Pros
- Countless success stories to testify for the platform’s efficiency
- Available with a free account
- Short sign-up procedure
- All profiles are strictly verified
Cons
- Browsing random singles can be pretty challenging
#9. It’s Just Lunch – Best dating site for people with little spare time
It’s Just Lunch is one of the best dating sites for people with busy day schedules. The dating service comes with over 30 years of experience and a refined intuition to help you find the spark you’re looking for.
The team behind the unique dating platform is passionate about what the service is all about, and will offer you their focused expertise to guide you through the dating journey. The company values integrity, so you can rest assured that your details or anything related to your experience on the platform is kept with the ultimate care and discretion.
Highlights
Balancing between your job and love life can be rather challenging, so that’s where It’s Just Lunch steps up to help. The dating service will not only help you find the perfect match, but also guide you through an amazing dating experience.
Therefore, you can get professional assistance from anything from match selection to restaurant reservations, without letting your busy schedule interfere with your dating.
Unlike many dating apps that let computers make all the decisions, It’s Just Lunch features a personalized approach to any match made on the platform. The team of professional matchmakers carefully consider your needs and review feedback to improve future matches.
Pros
- 30 years of matchmaking experience and expertise
- Personalized matchmaking
- The service handles all meeting arrangements
- For the best results, profiles are set up through a confidential interview instead of filling out forms
Cons
- Finding a perfect match may take some time
#10. HER – Best LGBTQ+ Dating Site
HER is our best recommendation for anyone looking to find their LGBTQ+ match. The platform is devoted to matching women of the LGBTQ+ community and strives to provide all of them with the ultimate conveniences of a dating app.
HER is designed for queer people by queer people, so you can rest assured that the ones responsible for the outstanding service have all of your needs in mind while developing such an impeccable app.
Highlights
- A vast pool of LGBTQ+ women
HER features an impeccable network of lesbians, bisexuals and queer women. The platform is used by over 8 million users looking to find their perfect match.
By signing up for the service, you’ll become a part of a safe community and get the chance to join smaller groups of like-minded women from your area. The platform and its users are pretty flexible, so apart from finding a date, you can also use it to make friends or simply have some fun chatting.
- Premium and free subscriptions
The base features of the app are entirely free of charge. Therefore, you can easily find your person or community without paying exaggerated subscriptions. The free version allows you to add friends, view profiles, join communities and start chats.
On the other hand, a paid subscription will provide you with some additional features, including an ad-free experience, filters, an incognito mode and so much more.
Pros
- Supportive environment
- User-friendly interface on a mobile-friendly app
- Featured on many reliable platforms, including Vogue, Elle, The Guardian, The New York Times, etc.
- A safe place to date online
Cons
- Not available as a web-based platform
Staying Safe On Dating Websites
Due to our busy daily schedules, dating websites have become the best way for many people to make new connections and find a partner. That’s why these platforms are often embraced without a sense of doubt or hesitation.
But even if you decide on some of the most reliable services like the ones we’ve reviewed above, you still have to be very careful whenever you approach dating websites or go out on a set-up date.
To help you stay safe, we’ve carefully put together a detailed guide that will help you avoid any adverse outcomes of the matchmaking experience.
Any promising online relationship will eventually lead to a personal encounter, but not all personal meetings will end up being pleasant. That’s why you should take your time and wait until you’re entirely comfortable with your potential partner, until you agree to go out on a date.
Remember to take the pressure off and only agree to meet anyone that you’re completely sure about. And if someone’s pressuring or rushing you, you should pass the offer.
Before meeting or even getting into a more profound online relationship with someone, you should always do a little research. Look up your partner on social media to make sure that you’re making the right move. That way, you’ll be able to spot potential red flags or end up liking your match even more.
Either way, additional info is always welcomed.
- Only Agree To Public Meetings
Even though chatting with someone can make you feel as if you know them well enough, an excellent safety precaution is to only agree on public dates with many people around. That way, you’ll be safe against fake profiles that might be the exact opposite of what they claim to be.
Apart from that, you should also let a close friend or relative know where you’re going and what you’re doing, just in case things go terribly wrong. Or, to be extra cautious, you can also share your live location in case of an emergency.
Arriving and leaving the date is something you should be in total control of. And not just in case of the worst-case scenario, but in many other situations.
Sharing a ride home if you end up not liking your date may be pretty inconvenient for both of you, so if personal transportation can save you from the embarrassment, you should definitely have the option.
Staying sober on your date will save you some embarrassment while also keeping you safe and alert during the date. That way, if things go south, you’ll be able to handle yourself and leave on your own terms.
- Keep Your Private Info Private
Online dating scams are increasingly common, which is why you should be very careful who you go out with, and never give out any private info to strangers. Even if you’ve found a reliable platform that verifies its customers, frauds may be able to work around the website’s authentication and end up on a date with you.
Never give out personal details or accept requests for money on your date.
Frequently Asked Questions On Online Dating Sites
Q1. Should I be concerned about fake profiles on dating sites?
Yes.
Even though trustworthy dating platforms feature top-notch security and verification procedures, frauds have ways of working around safety measures to get what they want. That’s why you should always be alert and continuous about the fact that a profile might be fake.
If you ever suspect that you’re connected with a fake profile, the best thing you can do is run a background check, and if that also turns out to be a wild goose chase, you should immediately report suspicious behavior on the platform.
Q2. What are my odds of getting matched on a dating site?
The chances of getting matched on a dating platform depend on your personal traits, your requirements, and the (number of) people using the same platform. Therefore, finding more comprehensive platforms may significantly increase your chances of getting matched, but in some cases, a professional matchmaker can work magic even with a limited network of users.
However, regardless of what the platform relies on, the best dating sites feature impeccable success ratios, so you’re guaranteed amazing shots at getting matched with a suitable partner.
Q3. How much does a dating site subscription cost?
The prices of dating services vary significantly based on the platform that you choose. The costs range between $10 a month for a basic subscription and up to $250 a month for some premium plans. And if you want to save some cash, you should consider yearly subscriptions.
However, some platforms also offer free services or a limited range of basic features entirely free of charge. Additionally, if you’re a lady, you’re likely to score a completely free account on many dating sites and apps.
Q4. Are dating sites safe to use?
Dating sites can be pretty dangerous if you fail to find a reliable service to handle your matchmaking. Since all the action occurs online, neither you nor the service can be 100% sure that a profile is genuine instead of fake. Online scammers are pretty skillful, so working around a website’s safety measures is always an option.
Therefore, the best thing you can do to avoid fraud is to find a reliable platform like the ones we’ve reviewed above. Be extra cautious about who you’re talking to or meeting face-to-face, and never expose valuable information to strangers.
Q5. Why do people use dating websites?
Dating websites are an incredible chance for many people to get out of their comfort zone and social circles and meet new, exciting people. These platforms are intended to help you make new connections and even match you with your perfect partner.
Due to busy work schedules and the situation with the COVID outbreak, people aren’t as social as they used to, so relying on an online service to help you find potential matches is more than welcome.
Q6. How to start dating online?
Getting started with dating online is relatively easier than it sounds. The first thing you will need to do is find a reliable dating website you can trust. If you’ve read through our reviews, that will only take a couple of minutes.
Next, you’ll need to set up a profile. While filling out your profile info, make sure you only include relative data that is 100% accurate. Be careful not to exaggerate anything, as fake information may help you get better chances initially, but it will bring you nothing but disappointment in the long term.
Based on the website you’ve chosen, you’ll be required with different data and info and may have to complete an interview, so that matchmakers can get to know everything they need to.
After you’re all set, all that’s left to do is wait for a potential match. Remember to be extra cautious when approaching people online.
Q7. Can you find a serious partner online?
If you’re looking for your significant partner online, you’re not alone. In fact, there are millions of people just like you, asking themselves the same question. So yes, with a little bit of luck, you may find your perfect match online.
And if you don’t believe us, you can easily find tons of happy testimonials for people who managed to do it.
Conclusion: Get Out Of Your Toxic Relationship, Find True Love
Looking for a partner can be challenging, regardless of your preferences. And if you’re particularly picky, finding your perfect fit will take a lot of time and effort, which is why you shouldn’t hesitate and ask for help if you need it.
The best way to find help is to get started with some of the best dating sites. These platforms feature incredible networks of people just like you, looking to find their perfect match, so by signing up, you’re not just doing yourself a favor, but you’re also helping out your future partner.
So if you’re sick and tired of being all alone with your dreams and desires, now’s the time to get things into your own hands and browse the above platforms. Hurry up, as your partner in crime may be out there waiting for you.
