Is EHarmony Worth It in 2023?

Are you thinking about signing up to eHarmony? Perhaps you’ve heard all the hype, but remain undecided about whether it’s worth the substantial monthly subscription fee? In this ultimate review, we’ll answer the question: Is EHarmony worth it in 2023?

Although eHarmony is one of the most expensive online dating websites, it’s also one of the most effective for finding your perfect partner. As a potential customer, it’s ultimately up to you to decide whether it’s worth paying a premium to give yourself the best possible shot at real love.

In the guide below, you’ll discover how eHarmony works, how much you’ll pay to use it and why it has rightfully gained a reputation for being the most effective dating website of all time.   

What Exactly is EHarmony?

EHarmony is one of the original online dating websites, having been founded all the way back in 2000. That’s way before smartphones and modern dating ‘apps’ even existed, although eHarmony is now available on desktops or smartphones (iOS/Android).

Its co-founders Neil Clark Warren and Greg Forgatch wanted to create a website, which did an amazing job of matching members based on their personalities, rather than just their photos. 

They surely achieved this goal. In fact, more than two decades later, eHarmony arguably remains the No.1 dating website for personality-based matching. 

This is due to its infamously lengthy personality test. All members must complete this test before they begin communicating with other people on eHarmony. It is believed to take around 45 minutes to complete. 

The results of this test are used to recommend the most compatible eHarmony users for you, based solely on personality and proximity.  

Is EHarmony Any Good? 

EHarmony is widely believed to be the most effective online dating website for helping users find a long-term partner. 

According to the company’s own stats, someone finds love on eHarmony every 14 minutes. That’s over 2 million people in total. 

It’s not just the depth of the personality test and the matching algorithm that has helped to create this success either. 

EHarmony has taken several other steps to ensure users have quality conversations that lead to lasting partnerships. 

First off, everything about its marketing surrounds the search for “true love”. This alone can be enough to scare off the singles who aren’t ready to take online dating seriously or those just looking for a meaningless hook-up.

The lengthy personality test and the reasonably high price point will also do a lot to scare away casual users, time-wasters or validation-seekers with no intention to meet anyone for a date. 

Indeed, when someone pays a lot for a service, they’re usually more motivated to take it seriously and that’s part of why you can expect plenty of detailed profiles and quality replies to your messages on eHarmony. 

Finally, eHarmony makes the genius move of limiting the amount of matches you’re suggested per day. Once you’ve completed your personality test, you’ll be given a selection of users to message based on your compatibility score. You’ll also be given a handful of new people to message every day, but it’s always limited. 

This might seem like a flaw on the surface, especially if you’re used to swiping endlessly on apps like Tinder and Bumble.  

But, it actually ensures that your dream partner is more likely to spot and craft a detailed reply to your message, rather than it being buried among messages from hundreds of other users.

EHarmony has won awards for the highest quality dating pool and being the most trusted dating app on the web.

No other dating website does such an accurate job of matchmaking their users. 

It’s not only a “good” website for finding love, it’s the best. 

How Much Does EHarmony Cost? 

EHarmony has a free Basic membership and a Premium membership, for which you’ll pay a subscription fee.

The cost of your membership will depend on what country you’re based in and how many months you sign up for. Currently, you can choose between a six-month, 12-month or 24-month membership. With a longer membership, you’ll pay more overall but it’ll cost you less per month. 

Here is the current pricing structure in the United States 

Premium Light 6 Months $65.90 per month

Premium Plus 12 Months $45.90 per month

Premium Extra 24 Months $35.90 per month

Interestingly, the price points in other countries aren’t directly linked to the exchange rate for the US dollar. In the United Kingdom for example, you’ll pay £39.30 (around $50 USD) per month for a Premium Light membership. In Canada, you’ll pay $49.90 CAD, which is around $40 USD. 

EHarmony has a sizeable user base in most parts of the world, but you can always use a Basic account to check your potential options for free before signing up for a Premium account. This is especially recommended if you live in a town or village with a small population. 

Is EHarmony Basic Worth It? 

The eHarmony Basic membership may be free, but your chances of landing a date with it are essentially zero. 

Although you can browse profiles to your heart’s content and receive messages, you won’t be able to send an opening message to anyone.

The Basic membership allows you to respond to a first message, but only once. 

While you could technically use this one message to send your contact details for another platform to keep talking, this strategy is hardly conducive to a search for your soulmate.

Most likely, you’ll spot someone you’re desperate to start a conversation with, but you’ll have to upgrade to the Premium plan if you want to do that. 

That’s probably the only reason why the Basic plan exists. It’s nothing more than a shop window to tempt you to splash out on a paid membership. 

A potential downside of EHarmony is that Premium members will sometimes be recommended Basic members. This is unlikely to lead to a lasting romance, unless they upgrade. If you decide not to upgrade, you may as well delete your account entirely, so that eHarmony can recommend other more suitable prospects to other people, instead of you.  

Is EHarmony Premium Worth It?

With eHarmony Premium, you’ll unlock all the features that eHarmony has to offer. 

This includes: 

  • Unlimited matches;
  • Unlimited messaging;
  • Use of additional communication tools, such as Smiles, Icebreakers & Greetings;
  • Video-calling;
  • View all of other members’ photos (the Basic membership only lets you see their first one); 
  • The option to create a more detailed profile. 

An EHarmony premium membership is more expensive than a number of other dating apps, but this added cost can be to your benefit. In most cases, it inspires members to take eHarmony more seriously. So, you’re essentially paying for a more active user base of people who are serious about finding love. 

If you struggle to take online dating seriously, maybe you need to pay this sizeable fee to motivate yourself. 

Remember, you’re also paying for access to arguably the most intelligent dating algorithm known to man, when it comes to matching people based on their personality. Your perfect match is out there – and if they’re on eHarmony – the algorithm will find them quickly.

Ultimately, the question is: how much are you willing to pay to find the love of your life?   

EHarmony Premium improves your odds of doing that significantly, probably better than any other dating website. It’s up to you whether that’s worth roughly $400 over six months. 

It’s worth repeating; eHarmony is a website for singles looking for a long-term relationship. If you’re searching for something casual or nothing but online validation, don’t bother signing up to eHarmony.  

Final Thoughts

EHarmony is an expensive online dating website, but you’re paying for true quality. 

Your romantic partner is one of the biggest factors determining your overall happiness in life, so surely it’s worth paying a bit extra to help you find the most compatible one. That’ll bring you more joy than whatever material possessions you spend your money on. 

Either way, I hope this guide has made it more clear whether eHarmony will be worth it for you in 2023. For more information on this topic, see my guide on What Age Group Is eHarmony For?.