The senior dating site goes to great lengths to foster a beginner-friendly dating experience for older singles who may not feel comfortable using computers or navigating the internet. The modern dating scene can seem overwhelming at first, but a free membership on OurTime can turn a newcomer into a dating expert in no time. May 12, 2020 The senior dating site goes to great lengths to foster a beginner-friendly dating experience for older singles who may not feel comfortable using computers or navigating the internet. The modern dating scene can seem overwhelming at first, but a free membership on OurTime can turn a newcomer into a dating expert in no time. SeniorMatch launched as a senior dating site in 2003, and it now has a companion dating app available on Google Play. The team is currently working on an iPhone version of the app, and it should be in the App Store soon. Over 1 million singles have joined SeniorMatch to create a mature relationship based on shared experiences, goals, and interests. EHarmony has the highest success rate among all the senior dating sites. You’ll be shocked to learn that every 14 minutes, one eHarmony user finds love through the site. EHarmony is also.
I’m friends with a single mom who joined her first dating site not that long ago. Like most singles seeking a fresh start, she chose one of the largest dating sites out there. It was also 100% free. She thought she was doing the right thing, but the dating platform had thousands of people for her to sort through and not enough features to help her do that. To make matters worse, dozens of unscreened matches and messages flooded her inbox every day. She couldn’t keep up with it all. Online dating had become work, not fun, so she deleted her dating profile without going out with a single person.
Truth be told, if my friend had done a little bit of research before she joined the dating site, she would’ve seen that there’s an online dating service for just about everything — from Jewish singles to single parent dating — and all of them offer something a little bit different from the rest.
Of course, most singles don’t have the time or inclination to do a lot of in-depth research in the dating world, and that’s what we’re here for.
Reviewing dating sites is our job, and we love finding different dating sites to help singles. So, we have ranked seven types of dating websites and apps that the average dater should know about and then gone the extra mile to select the best dating sites and apps in every niche category we could think of.
Oh, and just for good measure, our experts answered some frequently asked questions about meeting new people through an online dating service. Let’s get to it!
1. Most Popular Dating Sites
In our consideration, the most popular dating sites are the ones that receive the most positive comments and high star ratings from users. We rely on word on the digital street to help us identify the platforms we ought to try, and then we rate the dating sites based on their affordability, ease of use, safety features, and, most importantly, success rates.
The local dating pool is much easier to navigate when you have a popular dating site or app in your back pocket.
Here are our picks for the top dating sites for online daters seeking romance and love.
Best Overall: Match
Match.com was founded in 1995 and has been a pioneer in the dating industry ever since. No other dating website has been responsible for more dates, relationships, and marriages than Match. Not only that, but with over 13.5 million people visiting Match every month from more than 50 countries, no other dating website has anywhere near the same reach.
The basic membership is free and includes unlimited browsing and some communication options. Every online dating profile contains a good mix of photos, written responses, tags, and demographic details, so it’s easy to judge compatibility at a glance.
Match is the best online dating site for singles who are serious about meeting someone special and don’t want to mess around with too much superficial swiping and endless chatting.
Best for Mobile: Zoosk
If you’re always busy and on your phone all the time, like most of us are, then we’d highly recommend Zoosk. In 2007, the Zoosk dating website came into being, and it was one of the first major dating sites to integrate its match tools into an online dating app.
Zoosk allows fast signups through Facebook or Google profiles, and it doesn’t require a new person to upload a photo to explore the user base.
We consider Zoosk to be among the best mobile dating apps because it has been downloaded over 30 million times, and its customer reviews are consistently positive. Plus, Zoosk members get a lot of communication tools for free, and the paid subscription plan is affordably priced for those singles who want an upgrade.
Best for Serious Relationships: eharmony
Launched by clinical psychologist Dr. Neil Clark Warren in 2000, eharmony.com is a go-to if you want a serious, long term relationship with someone who meets or exceeds all your expectations. The eharmony dating site has inspired over 2 million relationships in the U.S. alone, and it creates a new potential match every 15 minutes.
One of eharmony’s biggest claim to fame is its unique in-depth matchmaking system that compares 32 dimensions of compatibility to identify which members will hit it off with each other and create a relationship that lasts in the long run.
If you want to learn even more about the top dating sites and apps, then take a look at our full reviews of Match, Zoosk, and eharmony:
Any of these sites or apps could introduce you to new people and help you get your footing in a fast-paced and exciting online dating scene.
2. Hookup Sites
Online dating isn’t just for finding a date or relationship — it’s also a great way to find a casual hookup, a secret affair, or a one-night stand. However, not all hookup websites are created equal. There are legit dating sites you’ll want to join, and then there are sketchy dating sites you’ll want to avoid. Here’s what you need to know about the best casual dating sites:
Best Hookup Sites: BeNaughty
BeNaughty is a hookup site that is among the cream of the crop in the online dating scene. With cool features like instant messaging and location-based matching, this dating platform will help you find no-strings-attached adult fun in no time.
Communication is 100% free to all BeNaughty members with an approved profile picture and a valid email address, so nothing will stand between you and a hot date here.
Best Affair App: Ashley Madison
If you’re hoping to date on the down low — as in, without a significant other finding out what you’re up to — then a mainstream dating app like Tinder may not be the best choice. For one thing, it’s super well-known as a dating app, and you could very well run into someone you know in real life there.
Fortunately, an affair dating app like Ashley Madison can help single and not-so-single people meet more discreetly and anonymously. Ashley Madison has some great undercover features, including the ability to blur or mask your face in photos, and it takes great pains to protect user privacy.
Best Sugar Daddy Site: Seeking Arrangement
Sugar daddy sites can get a bad reputation for having too many fake profiles or inactive users, but we’ve found some that make an effort to only support authentic singles seeking an age-gap romance or relationship.
Seeking Arrangement has over 13 million members, all of whom have been verified as authentic. This sugar daddy site can verify incomes and profile pictures to ensure that its women are really beautiful and its men are really rich, so newcomers don’t have to worry about getting conned by something too good to be true.
Sugar daddies and sugar babies come together on Seeking Arrangement to lay their cards on the table, play to their strengths, and find a potential partner who’s willing to engage in a special arrangement.
Some Free Hookup Sites to Avoid: Craigslist and Backpage
When you’re searching for the top sex site, you’ll often find ones that claim they’re 100% free. While that certainly sounds appealing, we’d suggest staying away from these services, including Craigslist and Backpage. We’ve all heard or read the horror stories about people on Craigslist pretending to be someone they’re not, and the Craigslist personals section and Backpage were actually shut down altogether in 2018 because they’d become overrun by criminal activity and sex trafficking.
You can avoid running into scams, fake profiles, and unsavory characters by joining a reputable hookup site like BeNaughty. Not only do they offer a free membership that doesn’t cost anything, but they also use anti-scammer technology to ensure their members stay safe from start to finish.
3. Christian Dating Sites
Finding someone who has the same religious beliefs and values is important to a lot of people, particularly Christians, and online dating can make that search much easier and quicker.
When it comes to Christian dating, one site has consistently proven itself to be leader and savior for people of faith.
Best Christian Dating Site: ChristianMingle
One of the best Christian dating sites on the web is ChristianMingle. More than 2.4 million Christian singles use the site every month, and the search filters even let you sort by keywords like “bible study.”
ChristianMingle creates potential match list of people who share similar interests, backgrounds, and beliefs, and its values-driven dating service has proven effective over time. In fact, ChristianMingle is currently the most popular Christian dating site for finding love and marriage in the Christian faith.
4. Senior (Over 50) Dating Sites
Online dating for seniors can be intimidating, especially if they’ve just been through a divorce, lost a partner, or aren’t that tech savvy. But it doesn’t have to be so difficult to start again. Mature singles over 50 can use a premium dating website or app to meet people in the same age range.
Here’s our rankings of the top senior dating sites:
Best Dating Site for Singles in their 50s: OurTime
OurTime.com is dedicated to singles over 50 and has a quick signup process and clean interface, making the entire process very easy to manage and understand. This is easily one of the top senior dating sites of all time, and we think it’s best for singles in their 50s looking to connect.
It takes less than five minutes to create a dating profile on OurTime, and doing so could open you up to age-appropriate dating prospects throughout the globe.
Best Dating Site for Singles in Their 60s: SeniorFriendsDate
SeniorFriendsDate is a free dating site for retired professionals who don’t have the cash to waste on premium dating service and matchmaking tools. These savvy senior singles just want to chat without spending a cent of their savings on the deal, and that’s what SeniorFriendsDate has to offer.
You can create a profile on SeniorFriendsDate, browse other members’ dating profiles, and send messages to anyone you like all for free. The site promises to remove any underage daters and fake profiles, so this mature dating network should be to your liking.
Best Dating Site for Singles in Their 70s: SilverSingles
As you get up there in age, it’s natural for your dating prospects to start to disappear and fade a bit. It’s also natural to have less patience for incompatible dates and matches. Singles in their 70s don’t have time to mess around, so they look for a quality-driven dating platform like SilverSingles to get something going.
We’ve ranked this among the top senior dating sites because it uses an in-depth personality test to pair up couples with the most in common, and you can set your preferences for age, appearance, income, and other important factors.
Rate Dating Sites For Seniors Over 60
SilverSingles can help a person in their 70s dust off their flirting skills and meet someone worth going out on a first date again.
5. Gay & Lesbian Dating Sites
While you may think you have to use an LGBTQ-specific dating site if you’re an LGBT single, that’s not really the case. There are plenty of conventional sites that are also among the top websites for gay dating and the top lesbian date sites.
With over 1.5 million gay members and more than 1 million lesbian members, Match is one of them. Zoosk is another fantastic choice, particularly if you’re looking for a quality mobile dating experience.
However, if you would rather skip the mainstream and find some queer-friendly date options, you can check out these gay and lesbian dating platforms.
Best Dating App for Gay Men: Grindr
This is probably a no-brainer, but Grindr is by far the best gay dating app on the market. It’s the most popular — over 27 million members worldwide — and it has some of the most effective location-based matching tools you’ll find on any dating app anywhere.
Since 2009, Grindr has made waves in the gay dating pool by offering a men-only dating system that works. You can low-key swipe through dating profiles to meet guys who are ready and willing to go on a date.
Grindr was designed to satisfy gay men seeking a casual hookup or romantic tryst, and it never stops working on your behalf.
Best Dating App for Lesbian Women: HER
The online dating scene can be pretty tough for lesbian women who are ready to find a potential partner for life but keep running into requests for casual hookups and threesomes. Fortunately, a lesbian woman named Robyn Exton has embarked on a mission to aid queer women with an online dating app called simply HER.
The HER dating app is free to download, and it offers a lot of free networking and chatting tools to help womxn break the ice. You can comment on someone’s photo or RSVP to a local queer event to get noticed on the app.
If you want to meet a woman and start a serious relationship, the HER network will be there to make the proper introductions, support the LGBTQ community, and keep the creepers at bay. What more could a lesbian dater ask for?
Best Dating Site for Bisexual Singles: BiCupid.com
With over 1.6 million members, BiCupid has claimed the title as the world’s largest dating site for bisexual men and women.
This free dating site can help bisexuals find a potential date based on their unique dating preferences and dealbreakers. Most dating sites and apps require users to choose one gender or the other when browsing dating profiles, but BiCupid liberates bisexual and bi-curious online daters to pursue anyone they fancy regardless of that person’s gender, orientation, or sexual identity.
But wait, there’s more! BiCupid has recently launched a companion app that offers all the same matchmaking and search technology in a more mobile-friendly interface.
Best Dating Sites for Transgender Singles
A lot of so-called ladyboy or tranny dating sites treat transgender singles like they’re a fetish or a sexual object rather than a living breathing person hoping for a genuine connection. That’s why we’ve highlighted some upstanding transgender dating sites for singles in the LGBTQ community.
Sites like MyTranssexualDate.com have created thriving communities around the idea that people of all orientations and gender identities deserve to find love. These niche sites can offer a welcoming world of romance for singles willing to take the plunge and create a free dating profile.
6. Free Dating Sites
Free doesn’t necessarily have to mean a cheap or low-quality experience. The best free dating sites are the ones that give you every chance of success without any hidden fees or other barriers. We’re happy to say all of the sites on our list are 100% free to create a profile, upload photos, browse for and receive matches, and communicate.
Best Free Dating Site: OkCupid
Back in 2004, OkCupid launched with a pretty ambitious plan to offer a completely free dating service with a lengthy personality test and data-driven matching algorithm. The OkCupid site and app have thrived because the team has never wavered from the promise to provide high-quality matches and chatting for free.
It doesn’t cost anything to send messages on OkCupid, but you can only engage in a conversation if someone likes your dating profile. Otherwise, you’ll have to just send a flirty greeting and then move on to the next potential match.
Online daters should note that OkCupid calculates compatibility based on your profile information, answers to personal questions, and user activity, so the more data you give it, the more accurate your match ratings will be.
Every year, OkCupid creates over 91 million matches, and its free online chatting tools lead to millions of first dates and lasting relationships.
7. Dating Apps: Free vs. Best Apps
Dating apps have become extremely popular because they allow singles to date anywhere they are and at anytime, but you don’t want to just download the first dating app you happen to come across on Google Play or the App Store. Fortunately, we’ve done our homework and selected some of the best dating apps making headlines today.
Best Free Dating App for Your 20s: Zoosk
Zoosk’s much-heralded dating app lets you sign up through Facebook or Google+, so you can pull pictures and quick facts about yourself from your profiles that already exist — instead of having to spend a lot of time answering a bunch of questions. This is just one of the many reasons Zoosk is among our favorite online dating apps.
Zoosk maintains an active social network with affordable dating tools, and that’s why singles in their 20s have flocked here hoping to meet new people in their hometown or college town.
Best Totally Free Dating App: Tinder
Tinder is undeniably the biggest name in the online dating industry, so it deserves a place of honor on our list. We’ve ranked it as the best free dating app for singles of all ages, orientations, and backgrounds.
By creating a Tinder profile and swiping on daily matches, you can enjoy a casual dating experience that moves fast and suits your sensibilities. You’re in control of who can send you a message, so you can be as choosey or play the field at will.
Tinder has created over 60 billion matches since its launch in 2012, and the app also claims to be responsible for inspiring over 1.5 million dates per week. This online dating app is fast, fun, easy, and, most importantly, completely and totally free to use.
Best Dating App for Online Chatting: PlentyOfFish (POF)
The PlentyOfFish dating platform offers 100% free communication to all users at all times with no mutual matching requirements, so it’s a great option if you want to start some interesting conversations with people in the area.
The PlentyOfFish app can give you access to over 150 million dating profiles, and users typically exchange 1 billion messages a week, so don’t be shy about saying hi to someone special here.
We’re not saying PlentyOfFish is the best dating site in the world for creating a serious long term relationship, but it can introduce you to new people who love to chat, and then it’s up to you to take it from there and see if you have any chemistry in real life.
Best Premium Dating App: Elite Singles
You could take a chance on a 100% free dating app, but, honestly, you never really know what you’re going to get. A lot of the self-proclaimed free dating apps attract scammers, liars, cheaters, and casual daters because they don’t have to invest much to carry on a conversation with a stranger and there aren’t many security measures in place to stop them.
Fortunately, a premium dating service like Elite Singles can stop scammers in their tracks by requiring all users to pay to play. This dating site only allows premium members to view photos and chat, so people with ill intents stay away.
Elite Singles is free to download, and you can browse profiles and review your daily matches for free too, but the paid communication tools put this app a step above the competition and ensures only serious daters (typically over 30) will take part in the fun.
Best Dating Apps for Relationships: Coffee Meets Bagel
Coffee Meets Bagel is the best online dating app for singles whose main goal is to get in a long-lasting and serious relationship. This app is free to download, but its matchmaking services can offer a lot of value and local dating opportunities.
The way the app works is that you receive a curated list of potential matches and can only send a limited number of likes per day. Coffee Meets Bagel encourages users to slow down and really consider their options rather than mindlessly swiping through profile after profile. As a result, Coffee Meets Bagel has made over 55 million matches and inspired thousands of relationships and marriages since its launch in 2012.
Whether you’re a cat person or a dog person, you can use this online dating service to find a potential partner who suits your lifestyle.
Best Jewish Dating Site: JDate
JDate was created in 1997 to unite Jewish singles in the dating pool. The online dating website made an overall positive impression on marriage-minded Jews and it grew into the premier Jewish matchmaker in the dating market.
As a Spark Networks site, JDate maintains an active and respectful community of singles who know what type of romantic partner they want.
Although JDate allows single people of all faiths to join its online dating network, the vast majority of JDate profiles identify with the Jewish faith or Jewish community.
Best Casual Dating App: SaucyDates
If all you want is a casual hookup, then you should seek out a free hookup app that can get the job done quickly and discreetly. Our dating experts like the SaucyDates dating app because it has a lot of street cred and the backing of a vast hookup network.
SaucyDates is a hookup site and app with instant matching, anonymous browsing, and plenty of naughty date options to go round. The SaucyDates platform is free to join and keeps things exciting by promoting and supporting adult dating opportunities every hour of every day.
Which Dating Apps Are Similar to Tinder?
Tinder is the dating app that invented the swiping and mutual matching system that is standard operating procedure for most of today’s dating services, so it’s pretty easy to find a dating app that looks and feels a lot like Tinder.
Our dating experts have gone in-depth and listed some great Tinder alternatives for anyone tired of the swiping scene, and we recommend joining two or three at a time to figure out which one suits you best.
For instance, many of my single friends like to use Hinge and Bumble at the same time because these two apps are similar to Tinder but with more relationship-oriented and female-friendly features. What does that mean exactly? On Bumble, only women can send the first message to men once a match has been formed, and on Hinge, users must like or comment on something specific on the dating profile to generate a mutual match.
Both these systems add an interesting twist to Tinder’s traditional swiping, and that can lead to more engaging conversations and respectful connections online.
Which Dating Sites Are Legit?
Many legit dating sites and apps exist in the online dating scene, and you can find them simply by scanning lists like this one. We’ve pointed out a lot of dating platforms that are guaranteed to work, and the top dating sites stand out for having some great customer reviews on Google Play, the App Store, and social media.
Sites like Match.com and eharmony have really done online dating right, and we recommend giving them a try the next time you’re in the mood to meet your perfect match.
Legit dating sites put in a lot of effort to screen new member profiles and remove unsavory characters. An algorithm can actually learn to recognize an online dating scam based on profile wording and photos. Plus, verification tools ensure a new person is genuine.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a 20-year-old college student, a 45-year-old single parent, or a 67-year-old retiree, there’s an online dating site out there for people of all types, and we’ve listed many reputable ones to give you a good idea about where to go to pick up a compatible date.
Which Dating Platforms Use Video Chat?
In 2020, video chat became a dominant force in the online dating market. Millions of online daters were stuck at home due to COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns, so they relied on the video date to keep their romantic dreams alive.
As a result, many dating sites and apps integrated video chat into their matchmaking and chat tools. Apps like Tinder, Hinge, and Coffee Meets Bagel inserted a video chat invite button for mutual matches. Meanwhile premier dating sites like eharmony have used video chat as an icebreaker or speed date event. Plenty of Fish has a video livestreaming feature. The League has host video speed dating events.
Which Dating Website Has the Best Reviews by Local Singles?
Ultimately, narrowing down all of the best dating sites out there comes down to which ones receive the best user and company reviews. Listening to singles about their online dating experiences and testing out the numerous options ourselves are the two biggest components that make up our reviews of the top 10 dating sites.
And through all of our research, we’ve determined that Match truly is the top dating website for any type of dater, while Zoosk is among the best mobile dating apps for singles on the go.
Online dating shouldn’t be frustrating and overwhelming, like it was for my friend. It should be fun to look for a potential date online! Please take a few minutes to read the information we’ve provided before taking the leap and creating an online dating profile.
Whether you’re a young adult or a single parent, you can benefit from reading reviews of the best dating sites and apps in the online dating industry. Then you’ll feel 100% confident about your decision!
When one of my older family friends joined her first dating site, she jumped in head first without doing any kind of research beforehand. As you can imagine, she was soon overwhelmed by the fast-paced online dating experience and everything it entails. She didn’t know how to create a good attractive dating profile, she didn’t know which photos of herself to use, she didn’t know how to filter her potential matches for like-minded people in a certain age range, she didn’t know what to say in her messages, and so on.
Here are DatingAdvice.com, out top priority is to help singles, like my family friend, have the most fun and efficient dating experience possible.
That’s why we dedicate so much time to rating and reviewing each dating site and app on the market. Our dating expert team has gone to great lengths to research and test the dating sites we recommend in our top reviews.
Here are six things you need to know about online senior dating as well as some answers to frequently asked questions about online dating.
1. Dating Agency vs. Dating Site
Dating agencies are companies that offer matchmaking services, speed dating events, dating coach assistance, and/or international marriage introductions to help you find a meaningful relationship. While there are agencies specifically for single seniors, they don’t have nearly the same reach as online dating sites do.
While a dating agency can offer more hands-on attention and personalized customer service, a dating site is far more effective at making date introductions between local singles.
Every online dating service on our list has millions of users from all over the world, so mature singles are sure to meet lots of new people in this diverse dating pool.
2. Free Trials for Senior Singles
The most trustworthy dating services are the ones that let you see what’s under the hood before you buy the car, so to speak. That’s where a free trial comes in handy. During a trial period, you’ll get to test out an online dating site with a basic membership before going all in with a paid subscription plan.
Our favorite senior dating sites all have free trials that allow new members to sign up, create a dating profile, upload photos, search for matches, and send/receive emails or flirty virtual winks.
Getting started is as easy and cost-free as downloading a senior dating app or filling your information into an online website.
Older adults can use their free membership to get the lay of the land in the online dating scene and figure out strategies to find a good potential match in no time. While it’s possible to pick up dates with a free trial or basic membership, sometimes senior people have better luck if they have access to all the premium chat and matching features that typically comes with a monthly subscription plan.
3. User Base of Mature Men & Women
To find exactly what you’re looking for, you’ll want an online dating site that has a large number of members in your age range, not just a large number of members in general. With a majority, if not all, of their audience being senior daters, our top picks for mature men and women provide just that.
Best Over 50 Dating Site: Match.com
As one of the most popular mature dating sites of all time, Match.com is our go-to choice for singles over 50. The over-50 demographic is the fastest growing age group on Match.com.— and the dating site also has millions of mature singles in their 30s and 40s. In fact about 75% of Match users are over 30, and most of them are looking for a serious relationship.
Older women and men will feel right at home on Match because it doesn’t rush singles into making snap judgments or sending messages without knowing a thing about a new person. The in-depth dating profiles include details about a person’s hobbies, interests, and lifestyle, so creating a rapport is pretty natural and easy.
Match is a time-tested dating website and dating app with a sure-fire matchmaking algorithm that’s been honed for over 25 years now. It’s easy to use the search filters and potential match recommendations to find a compatible person who shares a similar interest and lifestyle.
Best Over 55 Dating Site: OurTime
Singles who are over 55 can turn to OurTime.com for all their mature dating needs. This online site is strictly for senior singles, so you can rest assured that you won’t meet any underage or immature dates here.
OurTime appeals to older singles who want to meet people in their 50s and 60s. It’s free to create a dating profile on OurTime and browse through your matches, and you can even send some free greetings to certain members on the site. This stress-free dating experience can really turn things around for you romantically, and it could lead to your next big relationship.
Best Over 60 Dating Site: Silver Singles
Ourtime.com is very popular among those over 60, but not to be overlooked is Silver Singles, a senior online dating site with a lot of class. The name says it all — Silver Singles is where single senior citizens can go to meet those who are like them, no matter if it’s for friendships, dates, or relationships.
Silver Singles maintains an exclusive seniors-only club where members have to pay a premium fee if they want to view photos and send messages. This protects everyone in the user base from receiving spam or meeting flaky dates. Older singles have to invest in online dating if they want to get the most out of the SilverSingles site and app.
Best Over 70 Dating Site: Elite Singles
Being a single senior in your 70s is no easy thing. You can grapple with loneliness and confidence issues, but you shouldn’t have to worry about being on a legit dating site. Elite Singles is a trustworthy resource guaranteed to support singles who are in their golden years.
On Elite Singles, senior men and women have no trouble getting as specific as they want about their dating preferences and relationships needs — and the matching system can see to it that they have those needs met. This elite single network can spark a romantic relationship by focusing on individual preferences and dating profiles.
If you’re a retired person with high dating standards, we recommend using Elite Singles, which was designed for the cream of the dating world, to make a match that could lead to a valuable life-long partnership.
4. Usability for Older Adults — No Prior Experience Necessary
Simplicity is a huge factor when selecting the right senior dating site, and because we’ve already done the legwork, we can confidently say all of our senior dating recommendations make everything as easy on the user as possible. It only takes a few minutes to join an online dating site, set up an attractive profile, and start browsing for singles in your area and age range.
Plus, the interface on senior sites are typically clean and intuitive — so the entire process feels like second nature, even if you’re not all that tech savvy!
5. Successful Meet-Ups & Dates
Every senior online dating site in our top reviews list has earned its place by offering reputable services and maintaining truly massive membership bases. These sites and apps are rapidly become the most popular matchmaker for senior singles seeking a serious relationship or new friendship, and we only recommend those with verified success stories and overall positive user reviews.
At DatingAdvice, an online dating expert must test out, research, and approve a senior dating website or app before it appears in our top-10 list.
Reputation also plays a key role in our decision making. From Match to SilverSingles, they’re all reputable and have created millions — if not billions — of dates, relationships, and marriages.
6. Online Dating Safety for Single Senior Citizens
A senior citizen who is new to online dating might have fears that it’s not safe, but that’s not the case on the right senior dating service. Online dating sites can provide a profile verification process, fraud detection system, and 24/7 customer service team to keep online members safe.
Protecting members is always at the forefront on these top-rated sites.
Older adults may worry about running into scammers and unsavory characters online, but there are plenty of safety features in place to help make things safe and basically eliminate online harassment. If a person bothers you or acts suspiciously, you can simply block and report the dating profile to remove it from your browsing and chatting experience.
Be sure to vet all your online date prospects before meeting in person. This could be as simple as a Google search or Facebook profile search, or you may want to hire a private investigator or background check service to do some digging for you. Either way, it’s important to take the time to ensure your date is being honest with you.
Is eharmony a Good Dating Website for Seniors?
Many singles have heard of eharmony before — it’s one of the original online dating services. It launched in 2000 well before Facebook, Twitter, and Tinder came into the picture. The eharmony team had no blueprint for online dating or social media when they got started, so they relied on psychological principles to power the website’s online matchmaking.
The eharmony method is in-depth, values-driven, and totally effective. It starts by creating a free profile that covers your likes, interests, hobbies, and life story. You can also add some good photos of yourself so people know you’re a real person, not a fake profile.
Then, if you have the time, you can complete the 80-question personality quiz (it takes about 20 minutes from start to finish) to help eharmony get a baseline on your personality and relationship goals. This information will get factored into your match ratings and recommendations, so be sure to answer every question carefully and accurately.
The eharmony dating site is a great option for seniors hoping to find true love or a serious relationship. Over the years, eharmony has inspired over 2 million love stories, and it creates a new match every 14 minutes.
Which Dating App is Best for Older Singles?
Apps like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge cater to a younger crowd (typically 35 and under), so seniors aren’t going to have a lot of luck swiping and chatting on these platforms. Fortunately, you can find niche dating apps that cater to people in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and older.
We’d say SilverSingles is a pretty solid option because it has a simple interface and an overall positive rating on Google Play and the App Store. The SilverSingles app looks very similar to the SilverSingles online site — but with a cleaner look and mobile-friendly features. You can chat with potential dates while on the go thanks to this dating platform, and it’s completely free to download it and set up your dating profile.
How Do I Meet Senior Men in the Dating Pool?
As you get older, it only gets harder and harder to meet single people your own age. This is especially true for senior women because they tend to live longer than they male peers, so there’s an inherent gender gap in the senior dating scene. But romance is possible any time — even in those later life chapters — and the right dating platform can help make it happen.
You can go on online and choose a senior dating service to meet senior men who are single and looking to date an older person. With a free profile on an online dating website, seniors can meet single men who check all their boxes and have what it takes to make them happy.
What’s the Best Dating Service for Catholic Seniors?
Catholic singles often want to date a person who shares the same faith, and that can be difficult if there aren’t any viable romantic options in their local church or Catholic community. That’s where online dating comes in as a savior for singles of faith.
ChristianMingle is the best online dating service for Catholic seniors who are hoping to find a potential partner with similar beliefs and values. This Christian dating site allows new members to identify themselves as Catholic in their dating profile, and it offers potential match recommendations based on how much you have in common with another person.
Catholic seniors can arrange a first date and build a romantic relationship with their perfect match thanks to the matchmaking power of ChristianMingle.
Is There A Dating Site For Seniors
What’s the Best Dating Site for Jewish Singles?
Since its launch in 1997, JDate has become the undisputed #1 dating site for Jewish singles. It has the largest following in the Jewish community, and its free matchmaking tools are well worth exploring. Mature singles can find companionship in this niche community by completing the personality test in their dating profile and using search tools to meet Jewish people who share similar backgrounds and have a common interest.
JDate is technically more of a Jewish dating site than a senior online dating site, but it does have a significant chunk of mature members seeking the companionship of an older person — and you may also encounter the occasional mother or grandmother who is also looking for a potential match for their adult child!
How Much Does Age Matter in Relationships?
Age is definitely an important factor when choosing a potential partner because our life experiences shape who we are, and singles can most easily build a rapport with a single person who shares similar stories, hobbies, and perspectives. That means if you’re over 50, a senior match is more likely to lead to a committed relationship.
Coupes in age-gap relationships get a lot of flack for only being interested in the sex or the money or the status such relationships can bring, but you don’t have to be a sugar daddy or sugar mommy to attract someone years younger. Sometimes romantic connections form between people who were born in a completely different decade, and that’s perfectly all right as long as both individuals treat one another with respect and love. Just know that age-gap relationships can be difficult to maintain because of family pressures, lifestyle changes, and different expectations for the future.
There is a good reason why most singles say they would prefer a potential partner who’s around the same age as they are — you just have more in common, and that makes the relationship flow more organically and smoothly.
Does Online Senior Dating Really Work?
It’s natural for an older person to look at an online dating website and wonder if it even works for someone their age. People generally think the dating scene is for young, unmarried men and women in their 20s and 30s, but it’s actually populated by widowed, divorced, separated, and never-married seniors as well.
Senior daters can rely on a dating platform to be their matchmaker and guide in the modern dating world. A senior online dating site like SilverSingles or OurTime can make a huge difference in a person’s romantic prospects, and it could speed them along to a first date that becomes a steady relationship.
Plenty of dating sites and apps have a successful track record at turning matches into conversations, and conversations into real-life dates, and we recommend creating a dating profile on multiple platforms to give yourself the best odds at coming out on top. Membership is free, so you really have nothing to lose to joining up!
How Do You Start a Conversation With Someone Online?
All right, so you’ve perfected your profile, browsed the database, and found someone who seems to line up with you in all the important ways — now what? You’ve got to send that new person a message to spark a romantic connection. That can seem intimidating, but it’s no more difficult than saying hi to a stranger at a bar when you think about it.
All you need to do is come up with a good conversation starter and work up the courage to pay your online crush a compliment. Be specific in your message, so that person knows you aren’t just messaging the same thing to everyone online. By making your first message personalized, you can increase the chances of being taken seriously and getting a positive response.
Keep in mind that most online daters typically chat with multiple single people at once, so you have to be sure your message is going to stand out from the crowd and give that person a reason to message you back. You can start off strong by pointing out the things you like about the person’s profile or listing a couple of the things you think you have in common, and you should always end with a specific question about the person’s interests, career, pets, travels, or life experience.
Need an example? Let’s say you’ve fallen for a dog person who says she likes to cook and collects seashells from all beaches she’s visited. A good first message her could read:
“Hey there, my dog loves meeting new people, and so do I. Would a first date with our dogs at a dog park appeal to you, by chance?”
Or, if you don’t want to be too forward, you could say something like:
“A seashell collection! That’s really adorable and fun — what’s your favorite shell in your collection?”
Or, if you’re feeling flirty, maybe go for it with a flirty message:
“So, you like to cook, I like to eat — I think we’re a great match! What’s for dinner tonight?”
All these messages are fun, casual, personal, and polite, so they should land well with most online daters. You’ll notice that some of them asked for or hinted at a first date right away, while others focused on just getting a good conversation going. It’s up to you to set your own pace and decide where your comfort zone is. Just treat it the same as approaching someone you don’t know at a bar and be respectful as you explore your feelings on a mature online dating site.
Should I Use a Matchmaker Instead of Online Dating?
Sometimes single men and women grow tired of the swiping and matching process, so they look for ways to make things a little easier on themselves. Hiring a professional matchmaker is a tempting option because it’s a way to have high-quality first dates arranged for you with no need to chat, text, match, or vet someone beforehand.
However, matchmakers have a much smaller database than the average dating site, so instead of going out on a few dates a week, you may only go on one or two dates a month with the help of a matchmaker. Plus, matchmaking services typically cost thousands of dollars (sometimes tens of thousands) for a six-month or year-long service, and there’s no guarantee it’ll actually work for you.
Matchmaking is a good option if you’re short on time but have cash to spare, and it could introduce you to some wealthy, successful, and driven individuals — however, you could save a bundle of money by being your own matchmaker on a senior dating site.
Is Online Dating Free?
Actually, many online dating services offer free profile browsing, free match recommendations, and free communication to all users with a valid email address and photo, and it’s hard to beat a great deal like that.
Free dating sites like OkCupid, Plenty of Fish, and SeniorFriendsDate don’t charge anything for access to online chatting and instant messaging, so users can pick up dates without bothering with a premium subscription package.
Of course, not all dating sites and apps are totally free. Some have paid features, including the ability to see who’s liked and viewed your profile, that members have the option to get if and when they subscribe. A premium membership is an optional add-on to the basic free membership, so be sure to find out before you join a dating site what features are free and what costs a little extra.
What Are the Best Dating Sites for Seniors?
We’ve reviewed quite a few great dating sites for older people seeking romance and love. You’ve probably noticed we’re a pretty big fan of OurTime, which was launched by People Media to serve senior singles across the U.S.
Our Maturetenders.com review also puts this service as one of the top places for a mature single woman to find a romantic partner in later life.
If you’re looking for a serious relationship, then eharmony should be on your radar because this online site uses psychology to identify long-term compatibility.
Finally, singles can’t go wrong on Match.com, which is the oldest and most successful dating website of all time. Match offers a personality-driven dating service where older men and women can get exactly what they want and find what they need with a simple search by age, location, interests, and appearance.
Online daters have long wondered which sites and apps they can trust, and we hope this article has done a lot to put your mind at ease, especially if you’re in your senior years!
Senior Singles Can & Should Explore the Dating Scene
Picking out a senior dating site or app should be fun and easy. It shouldn’t be a one-second decision like it was for my older family friend. Take a look at our dating website recommendations and online dating tips before diving into the dating pool, and you’ll be better equipped to navigate your way to the proper senior match.
Senior daters often enter the dating scene with specific requirements and high standards, and they shouldn’t have any reservations about creating a profile and seeking compatible dates through an online site. Our reviews of the best senior dating sites can light the way!
With all this information in mind, we can confidently say you’ll soon become a dating expert and find a great senior dating service that meets your wants and needs!