Match.com is one of the oldest dating sites out there, as well as the largest. Launched in 1995, the site now boasts over 20 million members with a nearly even ratio of men and women.

Signing up is pretty easy. Depending on how much time and effort you put into your answers, the process takes between 20 and 25 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Option to connect with Facebook or Windows ID
• Paid version offers many methods of communication, including an option for phone without disclosing your phone number to anyone.
• Many different ways to search people
• Mobile apps for virtually any modern mobile device
• Match.com Guarantee
• Date Spark

 

Cons:

• Must wait for photos and profile information must be screened before changes become permanent
• No communication in the free version
• Unless the user specifies, there is no indication of whether or not the person is a subscriber

The ease of Match.com is enhanced by readily available answers to questions and examples. If you don’t know what to put as your dating headline or how to best describe yourself, Match.com provides easily accessible examples. If these examples are not right on the page, they appear as a pop-up with a simple click. This allows you to look and compare side by side the example to your own words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s easy to do everything on the site. There are multiple buttons on profiles for you to wink, email or IM from.  Whenever someone views your profile, sends you a wink or and email, you are instantly notified. When you go to look at other profiles, you can see your history with that person.

Searching

By far one of Match.com’s best features is the various forms for searching it provides.

Go Search

This is simple and to the point. You put in your gender, the gender you’re looking for, the age you’re looking for and the location you’re looking in. It’s that simple. This is best for looking outside of what you want. You can also use keywords if you’re looking for a specific user.

Custom Search

Custom Search is basically the same as Go Search with added qualities. All the qualities you were asked about when you signed up are here. You can be as specific as you want or pick only a few important qualities to search for.

Mutual Match

This search looks for people who match the qualities you’re look for in a partner. Search results show a percentage to measure how close someone meets with your criteria.  If you have a lot of qualities for which you have no preference, you will find pages and pages of people who fit you 100%

Reverse Match

This is a very cool feature. Setting aside what you are looking for, Reverse Match shows you people who are looking for you. They may not share all the qualities that you are looking for, but all your qualities match what they want. If you’re curious about the type of people who are looking for you or want to venture a bit outside of the qualities you’re looking for, this is a good place to go.

Date Spark Search

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date Spark is a wonderful feature. You propose a date and people who visit your profile can agree that they would like to go on that date with you. With Date Spark Search, you see a list of dates Match users have proposed. If you like the proposed date idea, you can respond and, as the dating site puts it, see if sparks fly.

Profiles

Profiles are easy to navigate. Right below a person’s picture and basic information you can see a few things that you have in common with one another. Any pictures the person has uploaded are easy to look through. If you like what you see right away, there are buttons to send an email or wink. If you chose to read through all the information provided, these buttons are also at the bottom of the page.

Like at First Sight

This is a handy and fun quiz whose answers help Match.com find better matches for you. The quiz takes through a series of images and asked questions like “which feature do you notice first?” and “which photo is most attractive?”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Extra Options

There are four features Match.com provides that require an additional fee to use. The fees are small, though, and worth the cost.

Email Read Notification

Tired of putting effort in to emails without knowing if they’ve been read or rejected? Wish you could ask people why they weren’t impressed with your message? With this feature, costing $4.99 per month, you are notified when a person opens you message, regardless of whether or not they send you a message back.

First Impressions

This feature promises to put you near the top of search results. People rarely look beyond the first couple pages, so being on one of those pages will significantly increase traffic to your profile. The more people who see your profile, the more people you will have contacting you. This feature cost $4.99.

Highlighted Profile

This feature seems simple at first, but after doing your own searches you’ll see the differences.  Purchase this at $4.99 per month and have your profile highlighted in bright green when people search for you.  If you not convinced, do a few searches. You’ll find your eyes gravitate instantly to the highlighted profiles. In addition, you will now know with 100% certainty that this person has a subscription and the ability to communicate with you through the website.

Match Phone

Costing a bit more at $6.99 per month, Match Phone allows you to talk and text with Match.com members without disclosing your phone number. This is especially convenient if you communicate better in voice than in text. It is also a nice safety feature to have. Listening to someone talk can give you a whole new impression of a person. If this impression is bad, you don’t want the person to have the ability to keep nagging you. Privacy is key.

 

Overall

Match.com is one of the most popular dating sites, with many members and more being added every day. The free version is just a teaser but the paid version is well worth the price. If you purchase a 6 month subscription, you also get the Match Guarantee. If you follow the terms of service and send emails to at least 5 people a month for 6 months and still don’t find someone special, Match.com will give you another six months free. It should be noted that this is a limited time offer and Match.com reserves the right to terminate the program at any time. That being said, the rules and guidelines for the program have not been changed since 2008.

 

Pricing

• Six Month Value Plan – $19.99 per month
• Three Month Value Plan – $22.99 per month
• Standard Six Month Plan – $16.99 per month
• Standard Three Month Plan – $19.99 per month
• Full Price One Month Plan – $34.99 per month

 

Ratings

Price

 

 

Gender ratio

 

 

Ease of use

 

 

Messaging

 

 

Overall

 

 

 

 

Rating: 4.25 Stars
Reviewed by: OnlineDatingSites.net
Updated: January 2012