How to Compare Online Dating Sites
With all the dating websites out there right now, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Sites usually follow a predictable format, and the main difference is whether they are paid or unpaid.
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Paid Sites
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A few of the more popular paid sites include Match.com, EHarmony.com and Yahoo! Personals. Match.com is the most popular dating site on the Internet, with 15 million subscribers. It's about $35 per month, EHarmony is $60 and Yahoo! is about $27, as of August 2010. Another paid site ($16 per month) is HowAboutWe.com, which allows you to propose interesting dates and get feedback from other users.
Unpaid Sites
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The most popular unpaid dating site is OKCupid, where users can take personality tests and answer questions to get "badges" for their profiles. Another unpaid site is Plenty of Fish. Some people also use Craigslist for dating encounters.
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Comparing the Two
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Overall, it depends on what kind of experience you want from your dating site to decide which kind to pick. Paid sites often have more serious or committed users, but they also skew to an older demographic. The unpaid sites, especially OKCupid, skew toward a young or hip demographic, but can offer obstacles with people just signing up for fun. There are also targeted dating sites if you want a specific kind of partner, such as JDate.com (for Jewish people) or MuslimMatch.com, which are free but do offer paid subscriptions with extra features.
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