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The Best Online Dating Sites

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If you're single and want to date, this modern, technology-filled world is overflowing with opportunities to make connections online before taking the plunge in person. Whether you're juggling a super busy schedule that makes it challenging to meet new people or you simply prefer to get all the potentially awkward first conversations out of the way in a format with much less pressure, you may find that starting the search for a real-life partner online holds a lot of appeal.

The options for connecting online are plentiful and diverse. Some sites use elaborate technology to match your personality and preferences with other singles, while others have a more basic approach that requires a little more hands-on effort by users. If you're interested in giving online dating a try, many of the sites offer free trials, although some features may be quite limited without a paid subscription. Let's take a look at what a few of the top sites have to offer.

Match.com

Match.com is the oldest major dating site that is still in operation. Launched in April 1995, it is a source of both long-term and short-term relationships. According to research conducted by datingadvice.com , the site has an overall rating of 4.9/5.0, with the highest marks in popularity, ease of use and features. Since its inception, Match.com has earned a respected international reputation and operates in 28 countries and 38 languages. Of the more than 15 million active users, the gender ratio is close to even at 49% men to 51% women, and the site caters to both heterosexual and LGBTQ singles.

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A comprehensive profile takes about 30 minutes to complete, although signing up via a social media account may speed up the process. A paid membership gives you access to seven daily matches based on potential profile compatibility. Additionally, you always have access to mutual matches to view mutually compatible profiles and reverse matches to view profiles of people looking for someone like you. You can also see your history of likes, favorable ratings and winks and read your inbox messages.

As a very nice extra perk, you get a six-month subscription free if you don't find a match within the first six months. Pricing varies based on the time period selected, and site navigation has a simple layout.

eHarmony.com

eHarmony started in the year 2000 and took the blossoming online dating world by storm with its use of psychological, scientific attraction approaches that considered skills, temperaments, goals and personality traits in its matching algorithms. Two decades later, the site focuses exclusively on heterosexual men and women older than 18 who are interested in long-term relationships and contributes to about 2% of new marriages in the U.S. The ratio of men to women ratio on the site is 48% to 52%, and the overall rating is 4.7/5.0, with safety earning the highest individual rating.

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Setup for the site takes a little longer due to the comprehensive personality assessment that evaluates dealbreakers as well as likes. You will only see profiles deemed compatible, and you can then filter them by city or by age. If you still feel nervous about making first contact, even in an online setting, the site offers pre-written conversation starters to help you break the ice.

eHarmony is available in more than 190 countries and is easy to navigate. It doesn't offer the six-month free extension offered by Match.com for not finding a match, but it does offer a free three-month extension if you aren't satisfied with your first three-month membership. Monthly pricing varies, depending on the membership term chosen.

Zoosk

Now a popular, user-friendly online dating platform, Zoosk started in 2007 as a Facebook application. The aim at the time was to provide young people with a platform to find both casual and long-term relationships. To achieve that, the site equips singles with in-depth tools for dating and communicating. It has an overall rating of 4.7/5.0, with features, ease of use and value earning the highest ratings. Like eHarmony, it has a ratio of men to women of 48% to 52%, but those numbers derive from a much larger user base of more than 40 million users in more than 80 countries.

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The platform uses behavioral matching to connect potential partners and caters to both heterosexual singles as well as LGTBQ singles. You can filter searches based on age, location and religion as well as physical characteristics like body type and height. Zoosk's built-in SmartPick feature also makes suggestions based on your user behavior on the site. The site allows you to view online users and write auto-reply messages for simplicity.

You can send likes or smiles for free, but a subscription is required to read or send messages. Subscription prices vary based on the length of the subscription.

ChristianMingle.Com

With an overall rating of 4.4/5.0, ChristianMingle.com is well known as a trusted site for Christian singles to find dating and long-term relationships. The site first went live in 1997 as a Christian alternative to some of the dating sites that were popular at the time. It has been estimated that the site is responsible for about 29% of all Christian marriages between couples who met online. The user base consists of more than 16 million Christians around the world from a variety of denominations and beliefs.

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The site caters to singles of any sexual orientation but is not open to those who identify as non-religious. You select various preferences when you set up your profile, including details about your religion and the relationship you're seeking as well as what you want in a partner to help the site match you with compatible profiles.

Free membership includes a limited set of features. Premium membership has different price points, depending on the term. The site's premier mobile dating app launched in 2016.