In the dawn of online dating, Match.com and eharmony were the first major players. But there's another OG dating website that you may not have heard about.
What is Dating.com?
Dating.com is a global online dating website and app. While most dating sites only let you match with other singles within a local radius, Dating.com allows you to connect with people all over the world.
Dating.com was launched in 1993 and has since expanded to 32 countries.
Like other dating apps and websites, it's a place where singles can connect in the hopes of finding love, but with a global spin.
But is Dating.com worth it? Not if you’re looking to find a real, local connection.
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Member's experience
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Matches
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Cost
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Customer service
Looking for real love? If you are, we recommend eharmony.
Read my Dating.com review to find out why:
- How Dating.com works
- Is Dating.com safe?
- How much does Dating.com cost?
- Is Dating.com worth paying for?
- Reviews (including my own!) of Dating.com
How does Dating.com work?
Like other dating websites and apps, you start by creating a profile — adding your photos and filling out your bio with interests, hobbies, and general information (such as age, location, education, etc.). You also get space to share what you're looking for in a partner.
There are several ways to communicate with members. However you need to pay to play:
- Sending messages
- Responding to chat invitations
- Sending a mass email to several users using the “Let's Mingle” function
Messages are saved in the My Contacts section, so you can always go back and respond to your matches. Unfortunately, you can only read messages if you're a paid Dating.com user (more on that later). You can also chat in real time using Dating.com's live chat and video chat features through credits that you purchase.
Additional features for Dating.com include the option to view live streams from other users (as well as creating a live stream) and the ability to send virtual presents to other matches.
Is Dating.com a safe dating site?
Yes, Dating.com is as safe as any other dating website or app. However, one thing that caught me off guard was the lack of a verification process it has compared to its competitors. After I signed up, I had to verify my email, but I could continue to match and chat with other people despite having an empty-looking profile.
You can request additional verification by clicking on the X next to your name on your profile. That will allow you to undergo a photo verification process to verify your identity. It takes three days to get the verification. So while they have some verification, it seems that Dating.com doesn’t enforce it like other dating apps.
As always, when meeting people online, you have to use common sense and look out for any red flags. Never share personal information (like addresses or credit card information) with anyone you just met.
Feel out your matches before agreeing to meet in IRL to make sure they're the real deal. (I'm a big fan of the first-date FaceTime).
Before you meet in person, you can run your date's name through a site like TruthFinder, which will pull all online public records on the person and compile them into an easy-to-read report.
And lastly, if you're meeting your date, make it somewhere public.
Check out more tips on safe online dating.
Does Dating.com have fake profiles?
Every dating website is susceptible to fake profiles, and unfortunately, Dating.com isn't any different. Sites like SiteJabber and the Better Business Bureau have some reviews from unhappy users that claim there are fake profiles on the website:
As I previously mentioned, Dating.com has a very basic verification process, though they do encourage users to report any suspicious-looking profiles. You can also hide any profiles you don't trust.
How much does Dating.com cost?
While you can create a profile for free on Dating.com, you have to pay to interact in real ways with other users. Dating.com operates on a credit system rather than a monthly subscription.
Credits are used like currency, so you pay with credits to use features such as messaging, live chatting, and more.
Dating.com offers these credit packages:
- $19.99 for 150 credits/mo
- $149.99 for 600 credits/mo
- $299.99 for 1500 credits/mo
These are a few examples of what different features cost:
- Let's Mingle: 5 credits per mingle
- Online chat: 1 credit per minute
- Read messages: 10 credits per email
- Send messages: 10 credits per email
- Sending presents: 49 credits per present
- Sending/receiving photos: 15 credits each
Is Dating.com worth paying for?
I don’t think Dating.com is worth paying for if you’re legitimately looking to date. The pool of matches isn’t that big compared to other dating apps like Hinge or Tinder (and I’m from New York).
However, if you just want to make virtual pen pals with people from around the world, it might be worth buying a small credit package to try out.
There are unfortunately very few free features (basically just looking at other profiles), though some features are relatively affordable. For example, live chatting a match only costs one credit per minute, while sending messages costs 10 credits. Dating.com suggests limiting your interactions to a few matches to maximize your credit use.
Dating.com pros:
It prides itself on being a global dating app.
Dating.com is available in 32 countries, and you can match with individuals from all over the world. On other dating apps, like Tinder, you'd have to pay extra for that.
It's not swipe-heavy.
Dating.com appears to have a more casual vibe than the other dating apps. While the swipe culture of modern-day dating apps can feel exhausting, Dating.com has a more social networking feel. One thing I really liked about Dating.com is that it allows you to update your status like Facebook 2008. You can select your mood from a dropdown menu — including pen pal, serious, and naughty.
It's available on desktop and mobile.
Aside from being a website, Dating.com is also available as an app on Android and iOS.
Dating.com cons:
Expensive to use
This is the biggest con with Dating.com and my personal pet peeve. How can you decide if there are quality individuals on the site if you can't talk to them? You have no choice but to pay to use the website.
There's no algorithm to help you find matches.
I was very confused when I first logged on to find profiles of women on my page, even though I selected that I was into men. I had to manually search for profiles of men by using their search bar. For some people, this may not matter, but I'm someone who doesn't like to spend too much time on a dating website and would like the website to put in some more work on my behalf.
The success rate seems unclear.
Dating.com is almost too casual for my liking. While connecting with singles globally is a cool selling point, I'm curious about how many actual relationships form on this dating website. To me, it just appears to be a great place to find an international pen pal (or 90-day fiance…).
Dating.com reviews
App stores
On Apple's app store, Dating.com has 3.9 out of 5 stars. Reviewers like the app’s layout, adding that its laid-back feel takes the pressure off online dating. They also like that people from all over the world can match. Some negative reviews report spam accounts and complain about how costly Dating.com can be.
On Google Play, Dating.com has 4.2 out of 5 stars. Many reviewers think the app is too expensive, complain of the frequent charges just to navigate the app, and the lack of customer support.
BBB
Dating.com has an F rating and is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau. It has 1.05 out of 5 stars based on just 21 reviews.
Most BBB complaints are related to payment issues. It appears the Dating.com team is responsive to their customer complaints.
Sitejabber
On Sitejabber, Dating.com has 3.2 out of 5-star reviews with more than 1,100 reviews. Some people who gave 5-star reviews claim they met their SOs on Dating.com. But negative reviews call the site a scam and claim there are many fake profiles.
Other people continue to call it a scam, saying they feel Dating.com is ripping them off for the chance of love. People are also reporting fake profiles.
Trustpilot
On Trustpilot, Dating.com has a 1.7 out of 5-star rating — and Trustpilot warns that many of the reviews may be fake. And they do sound fake:
Of course, this isn’t to say you can’t have a good experience on Dating.com, but these reviews don’t appear genuine. There are even some negative reviews calling the positive ones out:
Bianca’s experience with Dating.com
I think for those who are tired of the rat race that is swiping and want to take a more casual approach to dating (or just talking to new people), Dating.com’s formula is refreshing.
I really like how it makes it easy to connect with people all over the world. Still, I wonder how many of these connections actually evolve into a relationship or even a first date. It might have a wide net of users, but if you're taking dating seriously, you might not find anyone in your hometown.
Which is better, eharmony or Dating.com?
eharmony has an established reputation of matching millions of couples, thanks to its extremely detailed compatibility quizzes. So how do eharmony and Dating.com stack up?
First, name recognition; while Dating.com has been around longer (eharmony launched in 2000), pretty much everyone knows about eharmony. If I'm being honest, I only just heard about Dating.com.
How it works
One major difference between the two dating websites is their verification process. eharmony users must prove their identity through the site's user verification tools, and the site is constantly monitoring for suspicious-looking profiles.
Fun fact: eharmony specifically checks to make sure users aren’t currently married. Once your profile has been fully vetted, eharmony then curates potential matches for their members using a detailed compatibility quiz, which prevents you from having to scroll through endless, unviable options. Dating.com only confirms an email address.
Reviews
eharmony is one of very few dating websites accredited by the Better Business Bureau — it also boasts an A rating. Dating.com has an F rating.
While eharmony has a higher Trustpilot rating — 3.3 compared to Dating.com’s 1.7 stars — some obviously fake positive reviews about Dating.com have boosted its score.
Cost
eharmony offers plans priced for 6-months, 12-months, and 24-month subscription plans with discounts for first-time users.
It does not have a free trial.
As of March 2024, eharmony costs per month:
- Free basic account: $0
- 6-month membership: $45.90/mo
- 12-month membership: $29.90/mo << MOST POPULAR
- 24-month membership: $19.90/mo
Get 25% off your eharmony membership with promo code WSM25 >>
As mentioned, Dating.com users pay for credits. Below again is the breakdown of cost:
- $19.99 150 credits/mo
- $149.99 600 credits/mo
- $299.99 1500 credits/mo
Which is better?
If you want my opinion about which dating website is better for legitimate dating, my pick is eharmony.
While both dating websites will cost you money to interact with other users, Dating.com seems like it’s built more for casual interactions with people around the world rather than helping you find compatible matches — which is what eharmony does best.
Check out our full eharmony review and our reviews of other top dating sites and apps:
Launched in 1993, Dating.com is a global online dating website and app. While most dating sites only let you match with other singles within a local radius, Dating.com allows you to connect with people all over the world.
Like other dating websites and apps, you start by creating a profile — adding your photos and filling out your bio with interests, hobbies, and general information (such as age, location, education, etc.). You also get space to share what you're looking for in a partner.
Yes, Dating.com is as safe as any other dating website or app. However, one thing that caught me off guard was the lack of a verification process it has compared to its competitors.
Every dating website is susceptible to fake profiles, and unfortunately, Dating.com isn't any different.
While you can create a profile for free on Dating.com, you have to pay to interact in real ways with other users. Dating.com operates on a credit system rather than a monthly subscription starting at $19.99 for 150 credits/mo.
I don’t think Dating.com is worth paying for if you’re legitimately looking to date. The pool of matches isn’t that big compared to other dating apps like Hinge or Tinder (and I’m from New York).
This is a scam I didn’t post pic and was told I did. And not informed about them going by minute monthly yes. I was just trying this for the first time and my experience is completely, completely lousy. Not worth it!!!
I’ve been using dating.com for 4 years now. Here is my honest review. So far, the main problems of the website are that they are costly and the members that u interact with. Many times people comment that they were bombarded with many random emails or chat from unknown/popular members once they signed up. But that is just the “let’s mingle function” activated from the popular members’ side or what we often called as chatbot. So, calm down. As for the members part, they are real people. The question is, how do I know? I even managed to trace the origin of one of the members. I still remember back in 2019, dating.com used the identity card or passport verification to verify fake profile and the members had to upload them and put them on display in their profiles. And yes, they may use nicknames (for safety purposes) on their profile but you could trace their identity throughout the social media platform. Unfortunately, they no longer have that feature. I know you might say they are real people but they are people with a paid job to deceive us that is looking for love. Well, trust me. I was thinking the same. Because everytime I asked the members to chat outside the website they refused to do it or ignored me despite knowing for each other 2 and 1/2 years. The customer service was sucked. Not very responsive unless you keep spamming them. They often claim that their service is very costly for the development of the website’s safety reasons but I don’t see any improvement for the past four years. The website always has bug problems. Overall, it is not worth your investment here. (I know what you’re thinking. I have been here for 4 years because I want to see how convincing is this website to me since doing research for short term is not going to give me any clear results. Hence, four years.) Anyway, my advice is, go and meet real people.
Eharmony match is horrible they match with age and most of them so old and ugly. With dating.com when you choose your preferences of age group and the match is what you want. Most of them are good smart looking and professional. The down side is spending too much credit to chat n the popular members seems not want to get out n exchange contact
yes i agree with you marria, dating.com looks like a site that employs single women/men to attract new members by sending
so many messages from beautiful girls around the world… it look likes a big officebut I really happy with them ️ Salam..
Yes,dating.com is very expensive.It cost you a lot of money to talk,after long conversation the person youre having to chat with wouldnt want to talk outside of the platform.They will stay in the app to allow to pay more just be able to continue your conversation.Also,finally i consider that people there are not real,they are workers of the site enticing users to subscribe even more and the site will earn more.