You might recognize it as being one of the oldest online dating websites that thousands of singles flocked to in the early 2000s, but is Match.com worth it in 2022 and beyond?
Yes, Match.com is worth it for most people. It has a sizeable user base and will probably land you a few dates if you sign up, but there are other good competitors out there. Especially if you’re looking for a serious relationship.
Below, you’ll find an extensive review of Match.com, plus a rundown of potentially better alternatives.
Who is Match.com For?
Match.com averages around 3 million hits a month, although around 80% of its hits come from the United States. A further 9% are based in the United Kingdom, while 5% are in Canada and 2% are in Sweden. Your odds of finding someone on Match.com outside of these countries are severely diminished.
It’s not clear whether Match.com is aimed at singles looking for casual relationships or something serious. Its marketing is very much middle-of-the-road in that sense.
However, Match.com is subscription-only and most people willing to pay a monthly fee for an online dating website are usually looking for a serious relationship.
Also, it has an older user base than most of the other popular dating apps, with 35-44 being its most popular age bracket, and most people this age are looking to settle down rather than live a crazy single life with multiple partners.
Could it be that most members of this age aren’t ‘with the times’ and chose match.com because it was the dating website that existed when they were last single?
Maybe…
How Does Match.com Work?
Most online dating websites utilize one of two methods to help members find a match.
- The ‘Swiping Method’. You’ll be presented with profiles one-by-one and tasked with swiping right for ‘Yes’ or left for ‘No’. In most cases, you’re only permitted to send messages if these people also said ‘Yes’ to you.
- The ‘Search Method’. You’ll enter your dating criteria into the website’s search engine, making use of filters for age, location and potentially physical and lifestyle factors. Then, you’ll be presented with a list of suitable candidates. In most cases, you can message as many people as you want during this method, although sometimes you’ll have to ‘Like’ them and wait for them to ‘Like’ you back before initiating contact.
Anyway, Match.com allows you to do both. You can swipe one-by-one or complete a search for your exact ‘type’ and send them a ‘Like’ or a message.
You’re also going to need to fill out as much information about yourself as possible to maximize your odds of featuring in search results pages – and you’ll be prompted to do so with a quick questionnaire during the registration process.
In the United States at least, you’re going to need a great set of photos to stand out in the swiping carousel or the search results. Interestingly, Match.com allows you to proceed with no photos, although it warns that profiles with photos get 20 times more views.
How Much Does Match.com Cost?
You can create a free account with Match.com, but you won’t be able to send a message to anyone with it. A free account is essentially just for people who want to have a look around, preview how the website works and browse the other members in their local area.
To message other members, you’ll have to register for a paid account. There are two types of paid accounts: Standard and Premium.
The Premium account is more expensive, but it comes with extra features such as anonymous browsing, read notifications and video calling your matches. Premium members also appear more prominently in search results, although there’s not a lot of details revealed about how that works.
You can sign up for a paid account for one month, three months, six months or twelve months at a time, (although the one month option isn’t available for Premium accounts.)
The lengthier memberships cost more overall, but less per month.
Here is the full pricing list of the paid plans.
Standard
- One month: $35.99
- Three months: $59.97 ($19.99 per month)
- Six months: $107.94 ($17.99 per month)
- Twelve months: $191.88 ($15.99 per month)
Premium
- Three months: $71.97 ($23.99 per month)
- Six months: $119.94 ($19.99 per month)
- Twelve months: $197.98 ($16.49 per month)
Match.com does boast a ‘six-month guarantee’ where you’ll get an extra six months for free if you don’t find love in the first six months. However, there are strings attached to this deal and various stories online from members who weren’t granted this deal.
How does Match.com Compare to Other dating sites?
By now, you should have a rough idea of whether Match.com is going to be a suitable website for you.
it’s likely to bring you satisfying dating results if;
- you live in the United States;
- you‘re seeking an older partner (perhaps mid-thirties and above);
- you’re happy to pay the subscription price.
If you’re looking for casual relationships or younger partners, don’t bother with Match.com. There are cheaper and more effective websites to meet your needs, especially if you’re based outside the United States.
With that said, if you do sit in Match.com’s target demographic, I would still recommend you try eHarmony instead.
EHarmony is another ‘old-school’ online dating website which launched in the early 2000s and has rebranded to keep up with the demands of today’s market.
However, it hasn’t changed its unique and super-effective style of matching members.
Why would it?!
It has been proven to be the most reliable method of helping people find love online.
In fact, recent data suggests that 70% of eHarmony members find their spouse on the website within a year of signing up for a paid membership.
EHarmony tasks every new member with completing a 40-45 minute personality quiz. The results of this quiz are fed into its algorithm and used to find the most compatible members in your local area.
(While Match.com claims to do this too, there is little evidence of the algorithm being anywhere near as detailed or effective as this.)
EHarmony will issue you a compatibility score out of 100 for each of its members. This will feature prominently in their profile previews. When you click to view a member’s profile in full, you’ll be presented with a detailed breakdown of their personality and why it’s deemed compatible with yours.
Why EHarmony is So Effective
Crucially, you’ll only be given a handful of the most compatible profiles in your area to message each day. This is a huge part of what separates eHarmony from Match.com and other traditional dating apps, because it allows members to focus on building real connections with the people they’re most likely to get along with.
If you connect with your ‘dream partner’ on traditional apps like Match.com, they’re most likely going to be overwhelmed with messages from other less suitable profiles, making it tougher for you to stand out. Either that, or you won’t recognize how perfect they are for you, because traditional dating apps encourage rapid-fire swiping and place little focus on personality.
With eHarmony, you’re told that their personality is compatible with yours, which would hopefully encourage you to investigate their full profile and learn more about them. They would hopefully do the same for you.
Since you’re each only given a handful of matches per day, you’re more likely to see each other’s messages and have time to craft a quality response.
It definitely helps that eHarmony is marketed solely towards people looking for true love. It also helps that it’s one of the more expensive dating websites. These two factors make it so most eHarmony members are highly active and keen to respond to most of the messages they receive.
While it’s more expensive than Match.com, remember you’re paying for a 70% shot at finding your soulmate in a year. There are no online dating websites boasting success rates anywhere near as good as that.
Also, eHarmony has a HUGE user base across the globe, not just in the United States.
So, wherever you are in the world, it’s surely worth the investment if you’re looking for love.
Final Thoughts
It’s impressive that Match.com has been helping men and women find love for almost three decades – and it’s not a bad website by any stretch of the imagination in 2022.
However, there would appear to be better competitors than Match.com in the modern day, no matter what you’re looking for. It’s also impossible to message people without signing up for a paid subscription.
If you’re looking for an online love match, there are better websites to use.
Im Joe, and I travel the world working as a dating expert, confidence coach, and writer. I have written articles for the web’s most popular dating advice blogs and published two well-received books on dating and relationships. The Thrill Of The Chase is one of the books i’ve written.