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Long gone are the days when only nuclear families  could appear on small and large screens. Today’s TV shows and movies are all about representation — and that extends to single motherhood.

Here are some of the top TV shows and best movies that shine a light on divorce and single parenting.

Many of these shows are free for Amazon Prime members. See if you qualify for 50% off Prime >>

Top TV shows about single moms:

Gilmore Girls (2000 – 2007)

The ultimate ode to single mom-hood, Gilmore Girls invites viewers into the fast-talking world of teenage prep-schooler Rory (played by Alexis Bledel) and her young single mom Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham). The show provides a look at the close bond Lorelai and Rory share and how their sister-like relationship at times undermines Lorelai’s ability to be taken seriously as a mom. It also stars Melissa McCarthy as Lorelai’s best friend Sookie, in her breakthrough role before she became a comedy movie legend. 

Lorelai was a groundbreaking example of a single mother—fierce, fearless and determined to do it all on her own. When she became pregnant as a teen, Lorelai refused to marry her boyfriend and ran from her cushy upper-class life to do it on her own.

Eventually, Lorelai has to put aside her pride to ensure top student Rory receives the best education possible—and that means crawling back to her parents to ask for help paying for prep school. It’s an excellent show that still holds up decades later. Even if you didn’t like the 2016 Netflix reprisal, do yourself a favor and go back and watch the original.  

Frankie Shaw at Producers Guilds Awards 2018 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 20, 2018.

SMILF had a cult following for its scant two seasons, thanks to the raunchy, honest character of Bridgett, a young single mom living in blue-collar South Boston, asking past lovers for reviews of her post-baby goods, scrounges to make ends meet, navigates co-parenting while facing her own absent father and other raw, tender and hilarious realities of single motherhood.

How to comfort a friend going through divorce or breakup

Parenthood (2010 – 2015)

Based on Ron Howard’s successful 1989 film of the same name—and another great show on parenting starring Lauren Graham—Parenthood looks at parenting from a variety of lenses through the extended Braverman family. Each of the four Braverman siblings have children and are navigating family life as best they can:

Graham’s character Sarah Braverman is a divorced single mom navigating life with two teenagers and a rocker ex-husband who refuses to go to rehab for his substance abuse problem. Sarah has to deal with resentment from her children for their dad not being around, while they have no idea how much she does to keep it all together for them.

A thorough and honest look at parenting through multiple family dynamics, Parenthood never shies away from the realities of raising children, on your own or with a partner. 

Modern Family (2009 – 2020)

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One of the longest-running network TV sitcoms, Modern Family was beloved for its zany portrayal of different family configurations. While Claire and Phil remain happily married throughout the show, Claire’s father Jay is long divorced from her and Mitchell’s mother.

When the series begins, Jay has just married much younger single mom Gloria and is navigating life with her son, who is the same age as his grandchildren. The show is funny, heartwarming and always makes the point that life after divorce is a positive, not a negative, for both the parents and the kids.   

Craving something lighter between scripted dramas? Try documentaries and lifestyle series that spotlight real families rebuilding after breakups, co‑parents finding their rhythm, and women reinventing careers and homes. From heartwarming makeovers to food-and-travel escapes, these inspiring British lifestyle shows deliver feel‑good viewing and practical ideas for fresh starts, resilience, and self-care.

One Day at a Time (2017 – 2020)

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One Day at a Time looks at the life of newly single mom Penelope, as she handles raising her two kids on her own with some help from her very traditional, old-school mother (played by the brilliant Rita Moreno). It’s a funny, sweet and smart sitcom that updates the original 1975 version of the show with a modern take.

As she navigates dating for the first time, alongside her career as a nurse, the show centers on how she handles it all with class and a sense of humor that holds her family together.

Single Parents (2018 – 2020)

Single Parents centers around the life of a group of single parents who take care of each other as they try to navigate life raising kids, while still having a life of their own. When they meet Will, a single dad who has completely lost sight of any semblance of a life outside that of raising his daughter, they band together to try to get him back into the dating world.

Throughout the series, Will realizes that he can indeed have an identity beyond just dad, while still being a great dad. This funny and charming series will remind you of the importance of taking time for yourself, and finding friends that understand and relate. 

Better Things (2016 – 2022)

Better Things follows Sam, a single mother of three daughters as she navigates her career as an actor. Created by and starring Pamela Aldon, it is loosely based on her own life and career as a single mom living in Hollywood, taking care of her kids and her mother (who happens to live across the street).

Never afraid to take on the less than glamorous parts of parenting, this FX series gives a realistic look into the struggles and glories of being a single parent, and the work that goes into trying to have it all.

Dead To Me (2019 – 2022)

Dead To Me stars Christina Applegate as Jen, a widow raising her two sons alone after her husband died in a hit and run. Determined to find out who killed her husband, she finds a support group to help her deal with the grief of the loss so she can be there for her kids. There she meets Judy, who has recently suffered a loss of her own. The unlikely pair, polar opposites in personality, become fast friends—but season one soon reveals all is not as it seems.

Perfectly cast and performed, this series takes an honest look at parenting after a loss and how challenging it can be, without losing its humor. 

Mom (2013 – 2021)

The long running CBS hit sitcom starred Anna Farris as Christie, a newly sober single mother and Allison Janney as her passive-aggressive recovering alcoholic and estranged mother, Bonnie.

Throughout the series the mother and daughter reconnect,  grow close and Christie learns to forgive her mother for the unhealthy way she was raised. At the same time, Christie is navigating a relationship with her married boss, and trying to include her irresponsible ex-husband in the lives of her children. While it sounds dark, it’s a network sitcom so the tone is light and funny—and the two leads carry the show with grace and ease.

Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce (2014 – 2018)

Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce was inspired by the popular “Girlfriends’ Guide” book series—and looks at the life of Abby, successful author of the popular self-help book series on successful marriages, as she and her husband separate—bringing her career to a screeching halt.

Suddenly no longer everyone’s favorite girlfriend, Abby must learn how to navigate how to be a single mom in her 40s and sharing custody of her children with her ex. She turns to her friends for support, laughter and dating advice. With plenty of laughs and a lot of drama, the series brings about a humorous look at the ups and downs of leaving a relationship, reinventing a torpedoed career and moving forward with life in middle age

Top movies about single parents:

E.T. (1982)

E.T. is the autobiographical story Steven Spielberg wrote about growing up while his parents were divorcing. Mary (Dee Wallace) is a recently divorced single mother of three. Yes, she’s wounded–but she’s not petrified into inaction. Mary makes it up as she goes along, and isn’t afraid to be alone.

That kind of empowerment in a single mother was rarely, if ever, seen on film in the 1980s. The fact that Mary’s oblivious to an alien living in her house speaks volumes about her post-divorce state of mind. E.T. provides an accurate portrayal of life as a single parent, in a time when strength post-divorce wasn’t the dominate narrative. 

Spanglish (2004)

Director James L. Brooks does single parenting justice in Spanglish. Flor, an immigrant single mother, is torn between instilling the conservative Catholic values she grew up with in Mexico, and allowing her daughter the freedom to grow into an independent woman.

The climax forces Flor to make a decision that she knows will destroy her daughter. The best thing about Flor is her resolve in the face of the desperate objections of her heartbroken daughter.  She’s able to see beyond her own insecurity to do right by her daughter, something all parents, single or otherwise, should aspire to.

As Good As It Gets (1997)

James L. Brooks gets things a little less right with an earlier film about single motherhood–As Good As It Gets. Helen Hunt plays Carol Connelly, a 1990s version of an unfortunate 1950s single mom stereotype–down and out, harried and hanging on by the skin of her teeth. Even her wardrobe is depressing.

As a New York City waitress who lives with her mom and chronically ill son, it is only with the assistance of her love interest–Jack Nicholson as Melvin, the socially abrasive and OCD writer–that she finally figures her life out. As a movie it is a gem that won many Oscars–but as an accurate portrayal of life as a single parent, it shows just how long it took for stereotypical gender roles on screen to change. 

Best single mom movie: Bad Moms (Emma Johnson’s take on why it is a feminist revelation)

I saw Bad Moms on its promise of cheap laughs. On that, it delivered. Proud to say, I cackled so hard at all the dick/drinking/SAHM jokes that two moms (wearing wedding rings, gotta point out) gave me dirty looks and left the theater. 

What I didn’t expect was the shocking, envelope-pushing array of pro-women messages that this Hollywood comedy delivered by the heaping sandbox-shovel-full:

From the first scene, stay-at-home moms are mocked as privileged, sanctimonious, and/or dependent and powerless. When the harried protagonist, Amy Mitchell (Kunis), drops her kids at middle school, and bumps into the coiffed PTA mafia trio (Bad Moms’ antagonists), who admonish: “I so admire you for working all day! Don’t you miss your kids? You are so strong!” To which Amy replies: “Um, yeah. I work because … I … need the money.” Which, of course, the hugely vast majority of moms get, because the hugely vast majority of moms work, because nearly all of them need the money (and large portions of moms who don’t work, want to work. Because they need the money, surveys find.) The evil trio, we see, fill their over-supply of SAH time with PTA power-mongering.

One of the protagonists, Kiki (Kristen Bell), is a frazzled SAHM of four, with a domineering husband who demands she iron his underwear and admonishes her for taking time for herself, treating her like a child, and she deferring to him as a daddy. Bad Moms wants moms to have power. When, late in the film, Kiki screams over the phone to her husband, home with the kids and whining about being overwhelmed: “Just fucking DEAL WITH IT! STOP BEING SUCH A FUCKING PUSSY!” the audience in the New York City theater where I was viewing Bad Moms, burst into applause.

Full bush is hot. Worried your husband is jerking off to bald, pre-teen pussy porn while you’re putting the kids to bed? In Bad Moms, Amy finds her husband having a digital affair with a beautiful blonde, with a big, bushy bush. An adult woman’s bush. Full, grown-ass-woman bush is hot in Bad Moms.

Moms are horny. Every single mom in Bad Moms is an unapologetic horn dog. Carla (Kathryn Hahn) veers firmly into cliche territory as the sex-craved (“I used to walk down the street, and it was raining dicks. Dick, dick, dick, dick. Cock everywhere.”), boozy single mom who refuses to attend her kid’s boring baseball games (“The last game I went to was six hours long! And the score was 1-0!”), while prim Kiki complains about the weekly scheduled coitus  with her husband’s semi-hard erection that she is forced to fold and “stuff it in my vagina.”

Even the PTA Nazis unabashedly lust after Jesse, a.k.a. “hot widow,” one admitting she’d let him “go to town” on her backdoor, and later announcing her new lease on life after her husband “50-shaded me.”

In fact, as Amy emerges from her sexless, longtime marriage, her friends admonish her Mrs. Doubtfire wardrobe and utilitarian bra. The chaste mom is the weirdo in Bad Moms.

I’m not sure I’ve seen such guiltless sex drive in moms in media like this. Collectively, society is warming up to the idea that the Lena Dunams and her 20-something peers are entitled to casual sex and hookups in all in its frisky varieties, but the same freedoms are never extended to mothers — much less unmarried ones. In Bad Moms, we do see Carla as an actual bad mother who also happens to be super-slutty, but we also see Amy character settle into her new single-motherhood, and enjoy the heck out of sex (with cunnilingus-loving Jesse, of course).

Kids aren’t that interesting to moms. There aren’t many kids in Bad Moms. Sure, we see them in the background at the morning school dropoff, and Amy’s tweens play minor roles in the plot. But in Bad Moms, mothers are not all-encompassed with their offspring, as moms often really aren’t — despite pressure to spend copious amounts of quality time nurturing parental bonds, and celebrating the blossoming lives that have been bestowed into our responsibilities.

Kids are boring, and dating sites, school politics, and interesting careers often occupy our minds and adult conversations far, far more than our children. Bad Mom frees women from the pressure to orbit around our children, sacrificing ourselves.

Kids thrive when moms are happy. Once Amy ditches her unhappy marriage, stands up for herself and gets a big raise at work, gets laid and rebels against the alpha-mom status quo, her kids start thriving: Her previously spoiled son does his own homework and makes breakfast, her angry children turn forgiving, and she connects in a new and better way with her daughter.

Again: Bad mom frees women from the pressure to orbit around our children, sacrificing ourselves.

How to be a successful single mom

Women are real, dynamic, nuanced human beings. Pat as it may be, the big theme in Bad Moms is: We are all trying so freaking hard to be perfect, convince everyone else we are perfect, and instead making ourselves, our kids and our families insane — alienating ourselves from everyone. This is actually a very powerful and relevant message, as Gena Davis and her feminist cohorts take on sexism in Hollywood, and it’s simpleton cliched, one-note female characters.

This message begs to be screamed to moms everywhere, as we stalk each other’s Pinterest and Instagram feeds, denigrating ourselves and each other for less-than perfectly stylized Tuesday morning breakfasts, casual-yet-hip getup for running Saturday errands, and family vacays to St. Martin with the perfectly behaved children, and fit, successful husband who, we presume is-not-having-semi-hard-erection-stuff-it-in-once-weekly-scheduled-sex.

No. Bad Moms wins for its celebration of imperfect motherhood. That is:  Amy’s character literally wins the PTA presidency on the platform of being an imperfect mother, one often full of doubt, disinterest, mistakes made and priorities unclear. In her humility and vulnerability, she connects with the mothers in her community, and moms and women in the audience.

Bad Moms tells women: You are a person. A failable, strong and messy human.

On Amazon.

What’s your favorite single mom movie? Single mom on TV? What is the worst? Share in the comments!  

Recently, I was chatting with my good friend Sarah, who mentioned that she’d inherited her beloved grandmother’s large antique sapphire-and-diamond brooch.

I was surprised to hear this — after all, I’ve known Sarah for years, and see her a couple times per month.

I’ve never seen or heard about this knock-out heirloom bling!

“Oh, it is so fancy. Where would I wear it — to the playground?!” she asked. We cracked up.

Even if she did wear it out for a special occasion, Sarah worried she’d lose the pin, or break its delicate gold filigree setting.

If you’re like Sarah and have estate jewelry you know you won’t wear, you can sell it for cash to an online or local buyer. Typically, the item is not worth more than the price of its gold or platinum, but in some cases could be worth more.

In this post, I’ll help you decide whether you should keep your estate jewelry and where you can sell it. You can also go to how to sell jewelry if you are ready to pull the trigger but not sure where to sell.:

Should you sell inherited jewelry?

Antique jewelry vs. estate jewelry vs. heirloom jewelry: What’s the difference?

Should you sell inherited jewelry?

Sentimental attachment to objects is hard to overcome, especially if you loved or cherished the person who bequeathed you the item. But if you don’t like it (be honest) and you never wear it, it’s OK to let it go.

Do you wear the item often?

Sarah felt really guilty for never wearing it — in fact, she kept it in a box in the back of her closet, in part for safekeeping, but also to keep those bad feelings out-of-sight and out-of-mind.

“My relationship with my grandma has been one of the most important in my life. And that she left me one of her few valuable possessions means so much to me,” Sarah confessed. She looked as if she were about to cry.

How does the item make you feel?

That said, that pin was shrouded with bad feelings: guilt, avoidance, and shame.

She also worried her mom (the grandmother’s daughter) would be upset at her for selling the family heirloom.

None of those feelings had anything to do with Sarah’s actual memories of her sweet and smart grandma.

Do you need the money?

If you have antique, estate or inherited jewelry you no longer enjoy, and need the money, consider selling it.

Sarah surprised me, as when we met for a ramen lunch a few weeks later, she told me that she had sold that sapphire brooch and received more than $3,000 for it!

She told me:

“I talked to my mom about it, and I told her that having that heirloom meant a lot to me, but it ultimately was a negative in my life, and that didn’t honor Grandma.”

Sarah told her mom about honoring her grandma by selling the pin and using the proceeds to contribute to Sarah’s twin sons’ 529 college fund.

“My mom really loved that idea, since family and children were so important to Grandma. Selling the brooch and using the money for the kids really touched her. She actually teared up a little.”

Sarah’s mom was worried about getting the true value for the brooch, since after the grandmother’s passing, the family had taken the pin to a local jeweler to be appraised for insurance purposes, and were suspicious of the quote.

Keep reading to learn about the best options for getting a fair price on your estate jewelry.

Antique jewelry vs. estate jewelry vs. heirloom jewelry: What’s the difference?

The world of used fine jewelry can be confusing. Here is the breakdown:

For the purposes of this post, all jewelry in reference is fine jewelry: Gold, platinum, real gemstones, including diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires, as well as semi-precious stones like pearls, opals, tourmaline, coral, onyx, turquoise, amethyst, aquamarine, beryl, citrine, garnet and jade.

Antique jewelry is at least 100 years old. So, as of this writing, an antique ring, earrings, or necklace would be made in 1924 or earlier. Antique jewelry can include items from the Georgian Era, Victorian Era, Edwardian Era, or Art Deco Era.

Vintage jewelry is at least 20 years old.

Estate jewelry is simply used jewelry — it could have been previously purchased a few months ago, or be hundreds of years old. However, a reputable jeweler would always use the term “antique” when applicable — not “estate.”

Heirloom jewelry items are fine jewelry and watches that are passed on through generations — given from mother or grandmother or aunt, uncle, grandfather, or father to a younger generation.

Who buys vintage jewelry near me?

You can sell vintage jewelry to a pawn shop or jewelry store that sells vintage jewelry. You can also sell to a local cash-for-gold store, though they are more likely interested in the scrap metal value of your jewelry and therefore may not offer you the highest price. 

A local consignment shop may also be interested in your jewelry, especially if it’s vintage costume jewelry and not inherently valuable based on its metal content or brand recognition. 

In the end, you may have the most luck selling locally on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist — though you will have to handle the transaction yourself and should take precautions meeting up with any potential buyers. 

What’s the best way to sell inherited jewelry?

Finally, we answer the question that brought you here — what is the best place to sell vintage jewelry and unwanted jewelry you inherited?

That largely depends on whether you want to sell in person or online. If you sell in-person to a jewelry store or pawn shop, you can be paid on the spot, though selling online has its advantages — including a more private experience and potentially more reviews to vet.

For fine jewelry, including high-end real gold, diamond and silver, we recommend online buyer CashForGoldUSA. Read our CashForGold review, and follow the links to get a free quote. This is also the best way to sell old jewelry that may be broken or out of style.

We also have reviews on other online jewelry buyers: 

If you want to sell costume jewelry online, we recommend selling via an online consignor like Mercari, Poshmark, or TheRealReal.

If the estate includes colored gemstones such as sapphires, rubies or emeralds, selling them to a dealer often costs a third of their value. Everystone is a verified platform for international peer-to-peer gemstone trading: you list the stone at your own price, it reaches identity-checked buyers worldwide, and the buyer’s payment is held until they receive and accept the stone, so neither side sells or pays blind.

How do estate auctions work?

If you have a larger quantity of inherited jewelry or other items, you can also work with a local auction house to do an estate auction.

Cindy Rally from All Estate Sales & Auction Company in Austin Texas, says the process typically works like this:

  1. Once you’ve found an auction house, you’ll need to provide them with a full inventory of the items you’re selling. They’ll determine an estimated value and suggest a reserve price (the minimum price you’re willing to accept).
  2. On auction day, potential buyers will bid on the items, with the highest bidder winning. You’ll typically receive payment within a few weeks, minus the auction house’s commission fee.

Overall, selling at an estate auction can be a convenient way to make a profit on a lot of unwanted items, but it’s important to choose an experienced auction house and properly prepare your items for sale.

Is there a market for vintage jewelry?

Vintage fine jewelry can be sold just as estate or antique jewelry is sold. For costume jewelry, sell your vintage items through a consignment store, ebay or Etsy — especially if it is a noted brand or an in-style design.

How do I know if my vintage jewelry is valuable?

To learn how much money your antique or estate jewelry is worth, you can take it to a local jeweler for a jewelry appraisal, or send it to an online jewelry buyer for an estimate, lab report or quote about how much they are willing to pay for your old jewelry.

How do I know if my brooch is antique or worth money?

Again, a local or online jeweler or professional appraiser will help you understand whether your item is antique or estate fine jewelry, vintage, or costume jewelry.

What are the tax implications on selling inherited jewelry?

When you sell inherited artwork, jewelry, or collectibles you will have to pay a 28% capital gains tax rate, as compared to the 15% to 20% that applies to most assets.

Get a quote for your gold or gemstone jewelry from CashforGoldUSA >>.

Get a quote for your diamond items from Diamonds USA >>

How do I know if my vintage jewelry is valuable?

To learn how much money your antique jewelry is worth, you can take it to a local jeweler for an appraisal, or send it to an online jewelry buyer for an estimate, lab report or quote about how much they are willing to pay for your old jewelry.

How do I know if my brooch is antique or worth money?

A local or or online jeweler or professional appraiser will help you understand whether your item is antique fine jewelry, vintage, or costume jewelry.

If you’re ready to delete dating apps off your phone after years of disastrous dates, or you’re just thinking of dating after divorce, a breakup, a bad dating experience like getting ghosted from someone you felt a connection with, or long, dry spell, a matchmaker can be a great option. In fact, The Wall Street Journal recently reported is matchmaking is soaring in popularity — especially among professional people serious about finding a meaningful, lasting serious relationship1.

Here’s what you need to know if you’re interested in hiring a professional matchmaker:

What is a professional matchmaker?

How much does a matchmaking service cost?

Do matchmaking services work?

Pros of using matchmaking services

  1. Matchmaking services ensure you are anonymous. 
  2. Professional matchmakers ensure security.
  3. Matchmakers focus on high-quality dates. 
  4. Professional matchmaking services help you outsource the search to save time.
  5. A professional matchmaker can help you get out of a rut — and start dating anew 

Cons of using matchmaking services

How to choose a matchmaker

Where to find a professional matchmaker

Reviews of professional matchmaking services

Is a matchmaker worth the money? Personal experiences of those who tried …

What is a professional matchmaker?

Professional matchmakers develop networks of available single people who pay (sometimes both people pay, sometimes just one gender) to be introduced to compatible potential mates. Matchmaking has been around for thousands of years.

What do professional matchers do?

1. The best matchmakers work with a select handful of people at any given time so they can really spend time getting to know you. They work one-on-one with you to learn your likes and dislikes, your lifestyle, your goals, and your preferences in a partner. Expect to go through a long interview process so that the matchmaker can get to know who you are, what you are looking for, and the type of person with whom you may find an emotional, physical, or spiritual connection.

Many services only charge one gender: either only the men pay, and attractive women are recruited to go on dates, free of charge to the woman. Other services offer the reverse, capitalizing on the fear that many women have that “there are few good men out there.”

2. A professional matchmaker will use their proprietary network and the world at large to recruit and source the best matches for you. Matchmakers are constantly recruiting new members — from their social and professional networks, social gatherings, and even approaching attractive people in public places.

3. Matchmakers meet and screen every match face-to-face — essentially going on all the bad first dates for you and allowing you to skip the many “interview questions” required on a typical first date. When they speak to these matches, they’re asking questions about goals, values, personality, the way they raise their children, and what they envision future family looks like. They are asking all the questions you wish you could ask on a first date, only pairing you with the most compatible options.

4. The matchmaker will then present potential dates to you. Depending on the details of the service, you may be sent on a totally blind date, or have a video and other information to review before agreeing to a date.

A qualified matchmaker will set you up with only the matches that are a good use of your time. Those that are compatible, emotionally available, and interested in meeting you. 

5. You report back to your Matchmaker after the date. Your feedback helps guide who your Matchmaker looks for next. She will also get feedback from your date, so if there is any intel or constructive feedback she can offer you to help you improve your dating game, she’ll help you navigate that.

How much does it cost to have a matchmaker?

Matchmaking is not cheap. Typically, matchmaking services cost between $2,000 and $50,000 per engagement and may be based on a fixed amount of time (say, six months or a year), a guaranteed number of dates, or a combination.

Often, the women do not pay to be matched with dates — only the men are paying clients of the matchmaker.

Do matchmaking services work?

Matchmaking services are as old as time, and yes they often are very successful. Larger services like It’s Just Lunch, Tawkify, and others post success stories on their site.

Because of the high cost of matchmaking services — often thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars — people who use matchmaking services are often professionals, and they’re likely looking for serious partnership.

Pros of using a professional matchmaking services include:

1. Matchmaking services ensure you are anonymous. 

Your picture or any other information is not available online, like in a dating app. This keeps confidential your personal life from clients, colleagues, friends, people you have dated (or were married to!), and your mom :)

2. Professional matchmakers ensure security.

Quality matchmaking services do background checks on and verify the age and marital status of any potential dates.

When kids are in the picture the stakes feel so much higher in bringing a new partner into the fold. If we are dating with the goal of something long-term, it’s so important to meet a partner with aligned values — whether those values are religious, family, political, financial, or anything else.

Often we’re steered away from bringing up these heavy value-related conversations on a first date. So we tread lightly. And then we’re 3 dates in with someone who we finally find we don’t see eye to eye on when it comes to really important stuff.

Matchmakers tend to match based on goals, values, mindsets — all the intangible stuff that you can’t really vet for online or often even on a first or second date. This means you’re only meeting matches who share similar values and goals — which makes bringing them around your kids and family that much less stressful when the time comes. 

Interested in dating a single dad? What you should know first

3. Matchmakers focus on high-quality dates. 

Especially in services where both parties pay for the services, matchmaking services tend to date people interested in serious connections and long-term relationships, and also tend to be successful and financially stable (a plus of the high fee).

It becomes hard to sift through the many matches on apps to find ones who are actually our speed, who fit into our lifestyle. Using their network and intuition, matchmakers make it their mission to pair you with matches who are actually on the same page as you. 

4. Professional matchmaking services help you outsource the search to save time. 

Instead of spending countless hours swiping right and left, being ghosted even before a first date (or worse: after a meaningful first or second date including sex), and spending hours getting through the basics on a first meeting, a matchmaker cuts through many hours of work to present you with a solid profile of a potential match.

Matchmaking is a great option for women with little time for themselves. The truth about dating is it requires time — time to source matches, time to vet matches, time to go on a bunch of first dates to find the people worth seeing again. You can spend that time, or you can outsource an expert to spend that time. A matchmaker does all the front-end stages of dating by sourcing, vetting, and setting up first dates with men who are more likely to be a good fit.

5. A professional matchmaker can help you get out of a rut — and start dating anew

Newly divorced or fresh out of a relationship? The dating landscape (and pretty much every other social landscape!) has changed drastically over the past few years. While online dating and apps make it easy to access matches and find a date, it’s a very different world of dating than it was in the past. A professional matchmaker can act as a resource for pretty much all things dating — like having a wingwoman in your back pocket. Having some help navigating the dating scene is a huge ego boost and major relief. A matchmaker can also act as a coach and help you figure out how to become a better dater — and even a stronger partner to your future beau.

Cons of using a matchmaking services include:

  • Working with a matchmaker can be expensive 
  • Just like in love and war – there are no guarantees, no matter the price 
  • Depending on how the matchmaker works, one gender may be paying, while the other does not pay — which can attract a certain type of date that is not your type (i.e. if men pay but women do not, then that matchmaker service may attract women only seeking affluent men while being themselves golddiggers) 

How do I choose a matchmaking service? Questions to ask a professional matchmaker

  • What does your price include? 
  • Are there any guarantees?
  • How do you recruit?
  • Are both parties paying customers? Or is one gender free?
  • How do you measure success?
  • What is your success rate?
  • Can you introduce me to some past client referrals? I’d like to speak to both men and women.
  • How do you know the other person is looking for a serious relationship?
  • What is the interview process?
  • Do you do background checks? How do you know the other person isn’t married?
  • How do I know the person isn’t just a golddigger?
  • What are the typical characteristics of your clients?

Where to find a professional matchmaker

If you Google “professional matchmaker near me,” a list of local matchmaking services will appear. You’ll likely find more options if you live in a bigger city or more populated area.

google-maps-usa-image

You can also work with a matchmaker online through a service like Tawkify or It’s Just Lunch.

Matchmaking service reviews

We evaluated each of the following matchmaking services on:

  • Types of clients they serve
  • Application process
  • Reviews from the Better Business Bureau and other third-party review sites
  • Likelihood of successfully being matched

Here’s how they stacked up:

Executive Matchmakers review

Marketing itself to an affluent audience, Executive Matchmakers’ website says it matches “Bachelors to successful, intelligent, genuine women.” 

Since this service targets men, women would need to look into being considered matches by joining the Executive’s Club. Women can join the database at no cost, and Executive Matchmakers says the database is confidential and discreet. 

To join the Executive’s Club, women can apply on the company’s website. You’ll need to fill out a form, include recent photos, and interview with the service’s professional staff. If you are matched with a client, additional paperwork and a background check are required.

The service follows a six-step matchmaking process known as its Signature Match.

  1. Initial interview 
  2. Client consultation
  3. Personal search
  4. Match selection
  5. Dating 
  6. Feedback and review

Pros of this service, for women looking to be matched with its clients, is that Executive Matchmakers uses the initial interview to confirm a man meets certain criteria before he is selected as a client. According to the website, their clients are “regarded for their intelligence, success, and charisma,” and are “highly sought after, commitment-minded men.” Plus, it’s no cost to apply for inclusion in the database.

One con for women is the matchmaking service doesn’t solely draw from its database, so you are competing with a large pool of candidates for selection.

Executive Matchmakers has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, which is a huge step up from its long-time D rating.

Because you as the woman are not actually paying for the matchmaking service, there is no timetable or even guarantee that you will be matched. If you’re looking to find a match or a date instead of waiting for one to find you, this might not be the matchmaking service for you.

It’s Just Lunch review

This matchmaking service touts itself as “your dating concierge” and is available in many different cities.

With that in mind, its Better Business Bureau website rating varies for different cities. Some reviews on the BBB website did have negative opinions on customer service, communication and actual matches, so if you’re thinking of using this service, check out the rating for your city on the BBB first. 

For reference, the Washington, DC branch of It’s Just Lunch has an A+ BBB rating, glowing reviews, and a 4.58/5 stars rating.

According to the It’s Just Lunch website, a membership to the service includes guaranteed matches, personalized attention in addition to other services. It’s Just Lunch also offers a blog with articles including tips from its trained matchmakers. Read our It’s Just Lunch review.

As mentioned above, It’s Just Lunch guaranteed date packages cost around $2,000 to $5,000. “Some It’s Just Lunch locations are independently owned and operated, so prices vary depending on the city our clients live in and the service level they sign up for,” says Camille Kostin, a Matchmaker with It’s Just Lunch Milwaukee.

How does It’s Just Lunch’s service work?

  1. Getting to know you. You’ll get to learn more about the It’s Just Lunch dating process as they learn more about you, your dating history, and what you’re looking for in a potential partner.
  2. Match selection. In this step you’ll learn about the matches chosen for you as well as have the first date set up.
  3. The date. This step is pretty self explanatory!
  4. Sharing feedback. After you’ve gone on your date you’ll share details with your matchmaker. Let them know what you did or didn’t like about the match to help them improve your next match selection.

Pros of It’s Just Lunch include a guarantee of face-to-face dates, full confidentiality and matchmakers who arrange all the date details. And if you find a relationship you want to pursue you can put your membership on hold. On the flip side, reviews on ConsumerAffairs.com say the service can be a bit pricey, and the process can be longer than busy moms may want to commit.

While It’s Just Lunch may have varying reviews, the service has been around for over 30 years. All the matchmakers go through a thorough training program, according to the company’s website. That attention to commitment makes it worth a try.

The League review

The League bills itself as very elite, as it only accepts a small percentage of applicants, making those accepted seem very special indeed. Potential members are approved based on data from their Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, presumably seeking out daters with higher income and education.

The League has a waitlist, and membership costs between $199 and $399 per month — as well as an “Investor” level membership for a $999 one-time fee. It has an A+ rating with the BBB.

The app’s homepage boasts: “Are you told your standards are too high? The League offers to be your well-networked friend who doubles as your wingman,” sussing out good matches for you based on a more discerning set of qualifications than your average dating app. Every member is assigned a “concierge” who promises to help vet matches.

The League is available in cities throughout the United States, as well as Canada, Europe, and major cities in Latin America and Asia-Pacific, and some capital cities in Africa.

The League ups its exclusivity vibe with “groups” based on personal interests, including yachting, golf, international travel, brunch groups and women worried about their fertility!

The app has features not found on other sites including speed dating, a fixed number of supposedly hand-selected matches emailed to you daily (the more you pay for your membership corresponds with more emailed matches), video profiles, video chatting, League Live dating on Sundays, and concierge dating, which is a hybrid of a dating app and matchmaking service.

The League has been criticized for requiring members to disclose their race, and allowing them to screen matches by race, but seems to be making efforts to change that. Also, more recent reports are that the app has loosened its criteria, lowered its prices and even offers a free trial — disqualifying it from being so exclusive.

Some Reddit threads on The League dating app:

Ready to apply for The League? >>

Luma review

LUMA Luxury Matchmaking is a professional matchmaking service that helps professionals, executives and millionaires find long-term relationships. 

According to its website, LUMA focuses on “human connections and chemistry” to match elite bachelors and bachelorettes. One of its client success stories is Shannon Beader of the “Real Housewives of Orange County.”

After you fill out an application on the LUMA site, you’ll receive an email to schedule a one-on-one meeting call with a matchmaker to share info about yourself and discuss the qualities you want in a partner. 

After you’ve met with your matchmaker, you’ll receive a customized plan based on your matchmaking needs and wants. Membership fees range from $0 to $100,000, depending on how specific you want your search criteria to be. 

LUMA claims an 83% success rate on its site, based on the number of clients who enter into serious relationships while they’re LUMA members. 

LUMA’s matchmaking services include: 

  • An assessment by a professional matchmaker
  • Access to 50K+ singles (everyone is met with and vetted)
  • Curated date planning
  • Coaching and assistance

LUMA also offers date coaching, which teaches you how to dress, what you should talk about and how to put your best foot forward to establish a long-term connection. 

LUMA is accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has an A+ rating. It has a rating of 4.59 out of 5 stars.

Meet high-end singles with LUMA >>

Tawkify review

Tawkify bills itself as a personalized matchmaking service — not a dating app. The site has more than 100,000 unpaying members, who are singles considered for dates and matching. Customers, on the other hand, pay a fee, and meet with a concierge matchmaker who personally selects potential matches.

Tawkify promises a personalized experience for members and clients. Client packages start at $4,000 per year, pricing depends on the level of service.

Each customer meets with their concierge, expresses their preferences and dating goals, and then is presented with a list of potential matches. If the member also agrees on a date, the concierge plans and schedules a fun date.

Afterward, feedback from each of you is shared with the other person, and that information is used by Tawkify to connect you with dates going forward.

Tawkify claims that the service works with new clients for six to 12 months, with almost 80% successfully matched in that time.

Tawkify has an A+ rating with the BBB, but has several negative reviews on its profile.

Robyn Michaels, a retired dog walker and groomer from the Chicago area, says she’s been disappointed with her experience using Tawkify thus far. She says she paid for nine matches but hasn’t met anyone with whom she’s even remotely compatible.

“I told them I don’t see myself with a professed Christian, and the man had to be a dog lover,” she says. “Also, I would not be matched with someone living over 30 miles from me.”

She said it took two months for her to get her first match and it was with a man who lived over 50 miles away.

“He was a member of a church that proudly sent missionaries to less developed countries. He had a dog as a kid, they never trained it, and they gave it away. I told Tawkify they just picked a warm body and it was unacceptable.”

Read our Tawkify review >>

Three Day Rule review

Using the tag line “An Exclusive Matchmaking Company,” Three Day Rule offers the opportunity to join to use the matchmaking services or to be considered as a match for other Three Day Rule members. On the website you can request a free consultation and also sign up for a premium membership. Three Day Rule also claims to have “one of the largest, most selective networks in the country”.

Three Day Rule offers two membership options:

  1. A minimum of three matches guaranteed over three months for $5,900
  2. A minimum of six matches guaranteed over six months for $9,500

Both memberships include one-to-one matchmaking, photography and coaching.

If you’re not looking to spend that much and have the patience to wait for a match, you can also sign up for free to join the company’s database to be considered as a match for paying clients.

For paying members, the process is similar to other matchmaking services where the first step is an initial interview for the matchmaker to better understand the client and the client’s wants or absolute dealbreakers. Three Day Rule then does a face-to-face pre-screen of potential matches prior to setting clients up with matches.

Unlike other matchmaking service websites, Three Day Rule does not have an About or FAQ section, so if you want answers you’ll have to contact the company directly. The service only focuses on a dozen major U.S. cities, and does claim to serve the LGBTQ+ community.

Hear more about Three Day Rule directly from a matchmaker on Dating Intelligence the Podcast.

While not an accredited Better Business Bureau company, Three Day Rule does have a B+ BBB rating. The BBB site only has a few reviews for the matchmaker, some good and some bad.

For an in-depth, first-person overview of Three Day Rule, check out this review from BuzzFeed.

With the membership options available at different price points as well as the opportunity to join the free database, Three Day Rule can be worth a try if you want to test the waters without a long-term commitment.

If these are too expensive or time-consuming, read our overview of the best online dating sites, or check out these apps geared at higher-income daters:

Millionaire Match

The League

Bottom line: Are matchmaking services worth it? Actual experiences from those who hired a professional matchmaker …

If you’re fed up with the online dating scene and considering hiring a matchmaker, the process is pretty straightforward. 

Tara Goodwin, a divorced mom of two and communications consultant based in Boston, hired a matchmaking service in 2019 after a breakup and several months of poor luck on online dating sites. 

“I was ghosted a few times, but I also ended up going out on one date with someone who seemed normal but turned into a stalker when I didn’t want to go out a second time,” she says.

Goodwin hired a Boston matchmaking service called LunchDates after reading positive reviews and scheduled a one-hour meeting with a coach who asked her questions about her personality, dating history and relationship expectations.

It was about two weeks before Goodwin was paired with her first match. She was given a picture and some background information about him, and once she approved, LunchDates set up the date and told her where and when to show up. 

In the first six months of using the professional matchmaking service, Goodwin says she went on six dates with different men who were “kind and courteous” but with whom she didn’t connect romantically.  

Her luck turned around when she was paired with another matchmaking client, Anthony.

“I agreed to go on the date, and it was the best date I had experienced in a long time,” Goodwin says. “There was definite attraction, and we ‘closed the restaurant.’ I could not have asked for a better match for me.”

The pair have now been together for nearly three years. 

Tara Goodwin and her professional matchmaker match Anthony.
Tara Goodwin and her match Anthony.

Olivia Tan, a Florida-based personal finance coach and co-founder of CocoFax, met her husband of four years through a professional matchmaking service, which she chose based on client testimonials. 

Tan says her matchmaker conducted thorough background checks, administered personality tests and built psychological profiles of their clients. 

“The process was simple, direct, and straightforward,” Tan says. “The support team assisted me to get exactly what I was looking for.” 

But not every matchmaking experience has a fairytale ending. Toria Renee, a Chicago-area life coach, tried working with a matchmaker but found the experience superficial. 

“We both have someone coaching us separately based on what the other has shared with the matchmaker,” she says. “In some ways, it didn’t feel to me like we were making an authentic connection.”

But Renee says the experience gave her a new perspective on the way she approaches dating. 

“The process truly challenges you to take an introspective look at yourself, your belief system and your behavior as it relates to how you show up in relationships, which shapes how we set our standards and choose our mates,” she says.

Conclusion? Matchmakers can be a great way to save time dating, meet quality people and find meaningful partnerships. However, compared with dating apps or meeting through friends or work, matchmakers are very expensive — and there are never any guarantees.

More dating site options:

Christian dating sites
Spiritual dating sites
Catholic dating sites

What is a professional matchmaker?

Professional matchmakers develop networks of available single people who pay (sometimes both people pay, sometimes just one gender) to be introduced to compatible potential mates. Matchmaking has been around for thousands of years.

What do professional matchers do?

1. The best matchmakers work with a select handful of people at any given time so they can really spend time getting to know you. 
2. A professional matchmaker will use their proprietary network and the world at large to recruit and source the best matches for you.
3. Matchmakers meet and screen every match face-to-face — essentially going on all the bad first dates for you and allowing you to skip the many “interview questions” required on a typical first date. 
4. The matchmaker will then present potential dates to you.
5. You report back to your Matchmaker after the date.

How much does matchmaking cost?

Typically, matchmaking services cost between $2,000 and $50,000 per engagement and may be based on a fixed amount of time (say, 6 months or a year), a guaranteed number of dates, or a combination.

Do matchmaking services work?

Matchmaking services are as old as time, and yes they often are very successful. Larger services like It’s Just Lunch, Tawkify and others post success stories on their site.

Who uses matchmaking services?

Because of the high cost of matchmaking services — often thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars — people who use matchmaking services are often professionals, and they’re likely looking for serious partnership.

Are matchmaking services worth it?

Matchmakers can be a great way to save time dating, meet quality people and find meaningful partnerships. However, compared with dating apps or meeting through friends or work, matchmakers are very expensive — and there are never any guarantees.

SOURCES

  1. “Match Introduces a Human Matchmaking Element to Its Dating App” November 18, 2021. The Wall Street Journal https://www.wsj.com/articles/match-introduces-a-human-matchmaking-element-to-its-dating-app-11637269774

If you’re a busy professional who doesn’t have time to swipe through matches — or you’re just fed up with online dating — matchmaking services like It’s Just Lunch aim to do some of the heavy lifting for you.

It’s Just Lunch was started in 1991 by Andrea McGinty, who had just been dumped by her fiancé. Today, It’s Just Lunch is owned by private equity firm Riverside.

It’s Just Lunch: What it is and who it’s for

Many people want to know: Is It’s Just Lunch a dating site? It’s Just Lunch is a matchmaking service, and it’s the largest and most affordable of traditional matchmaking services.

IJL was established in 1991 and reports more than 3 million first dates set up.

It’s Just Lunch dating packages range from about $1,000 to $5,000. 

Too pricey for you now? Here are two alternatives:

eharmony (our review)Tawkify (our review)
A Better Business Bureau rating
Free basic plan
Premium Light:
$38.94/mo for 6 months
$23.94/mo for 12 months
$17.94/mo for 24 months

Premium Plus:
$44.94/mo for 6 months
$26.34/mo for 12 months
$20.34/mo for 24 months

Premium Unlimited: 
$47.94/mo for 6 months
$29.94/mo for 12 months
$21.54/mo for 24 months

Features:
– Extensive questionnaire
– Unlimited messaging
– Ability to view unlimited photos
– See who has visited your profile
A+ BBB rating
Rolodex (the pool of people paying members match with): Free
Matchable Member: $99/year
– No set number of matches guaranteed; you’ll only be called if you match with a Matchmaker Client: starting at $4,000
– Plans customized to your needs

Features:
– Dates curated based on you and your date’s interests
– Rate your dates when you’re finished

Or, if you’re still curious about what matchmaking is like, keep reading:

How It’s Just Lunch works

Who can join It’s Just Lunch?

How to join It’s Just Lunch

It’s Just Lunch costs

Pros and cons of It’s Just Lunch

It’s Just Lunch reviews

It’s Just Lunch FAQs

How It’s Just Lunch works

Here the benefits:

  • Guaranteed number of dates. Your It’s Just Lunch contract comes with a guaranteed number of dates. (A date is arranged when your matchmaker presents you with people you matched with, and you decide if you would like to pursue a first date.)
  • They set up the date. It’s Just Lunch is unique in that the service makes a reservation at a bar, cafe or restaurant for you. You just show up and (hopefully) have a great time.
  • You provide feedback after your date — this helps the matchmaker hone her selection of new dates for you, as well as better understand the other party.
  • Your full identity, including contact info, is not shared with the other party.
  • You can pause your service at any time. So, if you signed on for a 16-month, 12-date membership, and decide to be exclusive with match #4 on month 5 (or otherwise want to take a break from dating), you can pause your engagement with It’s Just Lunch, and pick up again later.
  • Each membership includes two, free one-on-one dating coaching sessions.
  • All the interactions with It’s Just Lunch are personal, one-on-one, and offline: From the initial consultation, to the interview and onboarding, to the first date — it all is handled by a human invested in your dating success.
  • Your matchmaker pulls from a vast database of potential matches — 100% of whom are from the It’s Just Lunch membership list of other serious daters who actively sought out and paid for the service. By contrast, other matchmakers recruit from their social connections and even strangers, often waiving fees in order to increase offerings to paid clients.
  • B Better Business Bureau rating — individual city affiliate offices have their own (often higher) BBB scores
  • Trustpilot rating of 3.2/5 stars
  • Over 6,000 It’s Just Lunch reviews on Consumer Affairs, with an average rating of 4.1/5 stars

More on professional matchmaking.

Who can join It’s Just Lunch?

Any adult who can pay the fee is welcome to join It’s Just Lunch. However, one of the benefits of IJL is that report that they will not take your money unless the service is confident they can arrange a minimum number of quality dates that meet your dating criteria.

I went through the It’s Just Lunch free, onboarding interview process, and left extremely impressed by how the program works, the type of people it attracts, the history and success rate, and It’s Just Lunch’s high standards.

While I happen to be happy with my boyfriend of 5 years, I had so much fun during the interview, and that evening enthusiastically recommended IJL to one of my single, successful girlfriends who is frustrated with online dating.

Have a listen to my experience with It’s Just Lunch dating specialist, Sandra, here:

How to sign up for It’s Just Lunch

Before joining It’s Just Lunch, you can do an introductory call with a member of their team to get a quote and discuss your dating goals.

1. Call 800-489-7897, or enter your contact info on the site and a specialist will contact you.

Expect to spend 30 minutes on the phone, as the dating specialist will ask all about you:

  • What prompted the call
  • Your interests and values
  • Experience with dating — the good, bad and ugly
  • What type of relationship and match you are looking for
  • Your schedule and dating availability
  • Your levels of education and career
  • Any dating deal-breakers
  • Answer any and all questions you have

2. Based on your answers, as well as your location, the specialist will offer you a dating package — a fixed number of dates over a specific period of time. The package is based on a minimum guaranteed number of dates It’s Just Lunch feels confident promising. The higher the likelihood they can find quality matches for you in your area, the higher the number of dates they will promise. 

3. Once you are signed on, you will be introduced to your own personal matchmaker. This person will spend time on video interview getting to know you, who you are, your personality, and the type of person who will make a great first date — and help you reach your dating goals. (New to matchmaking? These are questions to ask a matchmaker.)

5. Your matchmaker will present you with potential matches, showing you their photo, and information about who they are and their age, interests and other information. Your full name, contact info, and other identifying information is kept completely confidential. And remember — none of this process is available publicly online. It is 100% private.

6. Once there is a mutual match, It’s Just Lunch sets up a first date at a restaurant, bar or cafe, based on your schedule.

7. Your matchmaker will follow up after the date. The info you share will help your matchmaker hone their matches for you in the future — as well as better understand your date.

8. Repeat!

It’s Just Lunch cost

It’s Just Lunch guarantee dating packages are customized for each client, and range from about $1,000 to $5,000. The cost depends on what city you live in and how many dates you sign up to go on.

Prices are customized based on the member’s city and flexibility in their dating requirements, as well as age and other factors.

The service also has a deep database of millions of potential matches — all of whom actively signed up for and paid for the service. By contrast, many high-end matchmaking services recruit randomly from attractive people they meet, but may not actively pursue and pay for a matchmaker in an effort to find a meaningful connection.

Pros and cons of It’s Just Lunch

What we liked about IJL 

IJL has systematized matchmaking, offering a more affordable and results-oriented process with a guaranteed number of dates attached to a custom price based on your location and datability.

Also, it is anonymous with no online profile.

What we didn’t like about IJL

What seems to have been a quality product years ago, online complaints abound about the staff over-selling the service and failing to deliver.

The It’s Just Lunch BBB rating has fallen from an A+ a few years ago to an B. However, each individual city’s operations work as an affiliate, and have their own ratings.

Minneapolis It’s Just Lunch has a Better Business Bureau rating of A.

Toronto It’s Just Lunch has a Better Business Bureau rating of A+.

Houston It’s Just Lunch has a Better Business Bureau rating of A+.

It’s Just Lunch reviews

It’s Just Lunch reviews are a mixed bag. Some praise the matchmaking service for:

  • Presenting more compatible matches than similar services
  • Making an effort to get to know their clients
  • Taking on the heavy lifting of dating

However, lots of members complain about:

  • Clearly incompatible matches
  • Poor communication between matchmaker and client
  • Failure to meet contract of agreed-upon number of dates within certain timeframe
  • No action from IJL if a date doesn’t show
  • High-pressure tactics to get you to date people you don’t want to date (wrong age, religion, desire to have children, people who live far away, other dealbreakers)

BBB It’s Just Lunch reviews

It’s Just Lunch Washington, DC branch has a Better Business Bureau rating of A+.

Common complaints include lack of communication from your matchmaker, low-quality matches, failure to deliver on their guaranteed number of dates.

It’s Just Lunch reviews on Reddit

Reddit has a number of candid, mostly negative reviews of It’s Just Lunch:

It’s Just Lunch reviews on Trustpilot

It’s Just Lunch has a 3.2/5 star review from Trustpilot, based on more than 637 reviews. Many are positive, some are BRUTAL:

Search for local It’s Just Lunch reviews

From the IJL homepage, click “Select your city” in the upper right corner to pull up a drop-down menu of locations. IJL offers services in dozens of major cities across the United States and Canada, as well as limited locations in Europe and Australia. 

You can also search to see if there are any local It’s Just Lunch reviews, for example: 

  • “It’s Just Lunch DC reviews”
  • “It’s Just Lunch Philadelphia reviews”
  • “It’s Just Lunch Chicago reviews” 
  • “It’s Just Lunch Baltimore reviews”

It’s Just Lunch FAQs

Does It’s Just Lunch do background checks?

It’s Just Lunch screens clients by first doing a one-on-one interview via phone. Once someone committed to being a client, they sign an agreement stating their interview questions are true. After that, the service meets face-to-face with the client and does a photo ID check to verify who they are, and related details.

Does It’s Just Lunch serve the LGBTQ community?

It’s Just Lunch serves the gay and trans community in some of their offices, and is expanding service to this community. Ask your dating specialist what is available in your area.

Does It’s Just Lunch serve people with disabilities?

Yes. Before It’s Just lunch agrees to work with any client, they ensure they can provide matches, and set proper expectations.

What is It’s Just Lunch success rate?

Says IJL dating specialist Sandra Hatton: “Success is measured differently by each client. It is always personal. But we do guarantee fun first dates, and we measure our success by metrics including great feedback from clients, when clients go on “hold” for one another, and having a great time. We have documented thousands of relationships and marriages, but we always make sure we measure success one-on-one for each person. Being proactive and going out on fun first dates is always a success.

Does It’s Just Lunch do background checks?

It’s Just Lunch screens clients by first doing a one-on-one interview via phone. Once someone committed to being a client, they sign an agreement stating their interview questions are true. After that, the service meets face-to-face with the client and does a photo ID check to verify who they are.

How much does It’s Just Lunch cost?

It’s Just Lunch guarantee dating packages are customized for each client, and range from about $1,000 to $5,000.

Who can join It’s Just Lunch?

Any adult who can pay the fee is welcome to join It’s Just Lunch. However, one of the benefits of IJL is that report that they will not take your money unless the service is confident they can arrange a minimum number of quality dates that meet your dating criteria.

Is It’s Just Lunch legit?

IJL was established, in 1991 and reports more than 3 million first dates set up! It’s Just Lunch was started in 1991 by Andrea McGinty who had just been dumped by a fiance. Today It’s Just Lunch is owned by private equity firm Riverside.

Started in 2007, Zoosk is a traditional dating app that features modern chat, messenger, an app, and more, with all kinds of members looking for a wide variety of relationships.

Zoosk claims to be the most popular dating site in the world, with more than 40 million users in more than 70 countries.

While a large dating pool is a powerful asset in the world of online dating, Zoosk isn’t our top choice for finding love and long-term commitment. Here’s why:

  • Zoosk doesn’t use an extensive questionnaire to match daters, so you may have to spend more time searching through incompatible profiles
  • Users complain about low quality of members, including many dead and spam accounts
  • Zoosk is extremely limited unless you are willing to pay — even people’s pictures are blurred

[wp-review id=”13152″]

Here’s why we pick eharmony over Zoosk: 

  • Responsible for more than 2 million love connections (it’s one of the largest dating apps of its kind)
  • Only major dating app devoted specifically to serious partnership
  • Free basic plan
  • Vetted profiles (so you know you’re talking to a real, unmarried person)
  • According to a study, couples on eharmony are more likely to get married and less likely to get divorced compared to other online dating sites
  • Lengthy questionnaire to help you find compatible matches

Read our eharmony review.

Keep reading for:

Bianca’s Zoosk review

Zoosk vs. eharmony

Zoosk reviews

How does Zoosk work?

How much does Zoosk cost?

Is Zoosk free?

Pros and cons of Zoosk

Zoosk FAQs

Zoosk alternatives

Bottom line: Is it worth paying for Zoosk?

Bianca’s Zoosk review

Both eharmony and Zoosk are quality dating sites that rely on computer algorithms to best connect you with the type of romance you’re seeking, and both are used by tens of millions of people around the world.

eharmony has a more extensive startup process that involves a lengthy questionnaire (about 20 minutes long), while you can get started fairly quickly with Zoosk, since it fills in info directly from your Facebook profile.

While Zoosk is an interesting concept, the quality of this site, user experience and user base is low.

It’s frustrating that you cannot interact with other profiles unless you pay. These days, there are so many free dating apps to use, especially the popular ones like Tinder and Bumble.

Also, while Zoosk says it’s the largest dating app in the world, I don’t personally know anyone who uses it.

Bianca Mendez is a dating app expert whose work has appeared in Woman’s Health, Bustle, Latina, Refinery29, and many other publications. She also served as a sex and dating editor at Elite Daily. You can check out her other dating app reviews here.

This is the extent of the profiles Bianca could view as a free member:

Example of matches on Zoosk.
Example profile on Zoosk.

Our review of Zoosk vs. eharmony

Zoosk is a dating site that appeals to users seeking all types of relationships, while eharmony caters exclusively to the serious-minded dater looking for a committed relationship, love, and possibly marriage.

Zoosk has many cons, however — including reports of fake profiles and a lack of free features. We recommend checking out any of the other quality dating sites and apps, including our top pick: eharmony.com. Here’s why:

  • eharmony requires all users complete a lengthy online survey of more than 150 questions that helps the algorithm understand your values, passions, hobbies, dating and relationship goals, and personality.
  • No need to scroll through endless profiles. Complete the test, select a membership level (including a free level), and eharmony will send daily matches by email, with whom you can engage.
  • eharmony assigns a human to verify that each member is indeed who he or she says they are — virtually eliminating catfishing, spam, and other sleazy behavior.

Wait! 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.

eharmony then sends you daily emails with 5-7 matches of potential dates, based on how each person responded to the survey questions. You can then examine these matches’ profiles to help you decide whether you would like to communicate further. 

eharmony.com is free for the basic level, which allows you to:

  • View your personality test results
  • Receive partner suggestions
  • Send smiles and likes
  • Upload photos

eharmony price vs. Zoosk cost

eharmony’s dating cost is competitive with other dating sites. There are three membership levels to choose from.

As of September 2025, eharmony costs per month vs. Zoosk:

eharmony (Premium Light plan)Zoosk
Free basic plan$0$0
1-month plann/a$29.95
3-month plann/a$59.95
6-month plan$64.90/month$65.99
12-month plan$39.90/month$89.99
24-month plan$29.90/monthn/a

Although Zoosk is less expensive than eharmony, you will likely have to spend more time searching through incompatible profiles.

Zoosk is preferable for those who do not want to complete a comprehensive questionnaire and for those looking for something casual.

Conclusion: Zoosk or eharmony—which is better?

One of the best reasons to use eharmony is its compatibility survey. The site sends you a list of daily matches based on your individual responses, which go beyond likes and dislikes into the qualities you desire in a match.

While Zoosk is less expensive, you do get what you pay for. If you are seeking a financially secure partner, eharmony’s higher price indicates that daters there can afford the premium price tag.

Zoosk reviews

Zoosk reviews on Yelp

Zoosk has mixed online reviews. On Yelp, the Zoosk reviews are mostly negative — but also dating to 2013.

Zoosk reviews on Trustpilot

TrustPilot reviews of Zoosk average 1.9/5 stars based on more than 2,375 reviews as of September 2025.

Zoosk reviews on Reddit

On Reddit, there is a review thread on Zoosk:

Zoosk app store reviews

Zoosk has 4.2/5 stars on the Apple App Store and 3.2/5 stars on the Google Play store.

Zoosk Google Play Review from February 2025
Zook Google Play Review from July 2024

With 40 million members, there are bound to be some complaints. Keep reading to learn more about how Zoosk works, and why we recommend you check out other dating apps first.

How does Zoosk work?

Zoosk was one of the first dating apps Facebook allowed to integrate with its platform and uses your social media profile to quickly and accurately build you a dating profile — as well as match you with compatible dates.

Zoosk uses its behavioral technology to predict the kind of people you’d want to interact with by using your social media interests and tendencies to accept and reject different types of people.

For example, if Zoosk’s algorithm finds you consistently match with dog lovers, or those who live within a 20-mile radius, Zoosk will “learn” that about you, and make relevant connections — opposed to putting all the pressure on you to guess with a swipe left or swipe right.

Zoosk automatically pulls information from your social media profiles — like your age and where you’re from. All you have to do is choose which photos you want to use and write a short bio about yourself and what you’re looking for in a match.

You can always choose to omit specific personal information, too. Don’t want to include your income or industry? Not a problem on Zoosk.

Zoosk uses what it calls SmartPick to evaluate how compatible you are with other Zoosk members. SmartPick uses Behavioral Matchmaking technology and works by recording the profiles you like and those you don’t. Your vote, which you indicate by clicking a heart or an X on a profile, remains private from a potential match unless you both like each other.

When you do, you both match and can begin sending messages and chatting (as long as you’re both paid subscribers). Zoosk does offer subscribers an option to upgrade to Premium Messaging.

With Premium Messaging, members can reply to your messages without subscribing, allowing seven times more people to respond to your messages.

Because Zoosk keeps track of your preferences, the matches Zoosk compiles for you should theoretically become more accurate, the more you use it. So it pays to use the site frequently to achieve the best results.

This is what the Zoosk interface looks like:

Zoosk review interface example.

How much does Zoosk cost?

As of September 2025, if you chose to upgrade from the free version, Zoosk offers a one-month subscription for $29.95 per month and a three-month subscription for one payment of $59.95, which is about $19.98 per month.

There’s also a six-month membership for a one-time payment of $65.99 ($11.00 per month) and a one-year membership for $89.99 ($7.50 per month). With each Zoosk subscription, you receive the same perks, but for more extended periods.

  • 1-month membership – $29.95
  • 3-month membership – $19.98/month
  • 6-month membership – $11.00/month
  • 12-month membership – $7.50/month

Is Zoosk free?

You can use Zoosk for free, but without paying for the platform, your options will be limited. However, there is a way to get started at no cost to you.

Is Zoosk sign up free?

Zoosk sign up is free, but you can’t do much without a paid membership, which starts at $11.66 per month for one year.

What are the Zoosk free features?

Zoosk free features include: 

  • Set up profile, including likes and interests
  • Add photos to your profile
  • Browse members
  • Send likes and smiles
  • Reply to three messages for free
  • See who viewed your profile

Can you get Zoosk coins for free?

No, Zoosk coins are not free, but they are available for purchase whether you have a free account or paid subscription.

Coins buy you the ability to boost your profile on the Zoosk website, send a virtual gift, and unlock Carousel Matches — a speed-dating feature that incentivizes members to quickly decide whether to connect.

Zoosk coins are available in the following packages:

  • 180 coins cost $19.95
  • 480 coins cost $39.95
  • 1,800 coins cost $99.95

Is Zoosk free chat available?

You cannot message or chat with your matches unless you are on a paid subscription. However, you can reply to three messages you receive from premium members for free.

How do I get a Zoosk free trial?

You can sign up for Zoosk for free at any time to start browsing members and send unlimited likes and smiles. But there is not currently an option to do a free trial of a premium membership, which includes features like messaging and video chat.

Pros and cons of Zoosk

Pro: Zoosk is super-easy to setup, with a great messenger

Compared to its competitors, Zoosk’s profile setup is simple. Upon landing on Zoosk’s homepage, you see a fill-in template asking you to input your gender, what you’re looking for in a mate, birthday, email address, and password choice.

Then, tell Zoosk where you live, give them an outline of what you look like, and your education level, and then you’re off to verify your account.

Pro: No open / polyamorous relationships

Zero judgment here. But if you are open only to monogamous relationships, Zoosk may appeal to you, since there is no way to actively identify yourself as poly or in an open relationship. If this resonates with you, eharmony is equally appealing to those seeking a monogamous relationship — especially if you are looking for something serious.

Pro: LBGTQ+ friendly

Everyone is welcome. 

Pro: No lengthy questionnaires

This can be a pro and a con, depending on the type of relationship you’re seeking.

Zoosk uses what they call Behavioral Matching to learn what it is you like and then applies those metrics to find matches for you, essentially taking the leg work out of finding someone to date.

For example, if you like men with beards but dislike men who own a cat, Zoosk will learn your preferences, increasing your chances of finding someone you’re interested in meeting.

Pro: Verified profiles

Because Zoosk uses your social media as a starting point, it’s harder (though never impossible) to invent a persona. Zoosk also offers options to verify your identity via a photo, phone number, or with your personal Twitter account.

However, numerous users report spam and fake profiles.

Pro: Access to a broad range of people

Zoosk claims to have 40 million members and is available to anyone between the ages of 20 to 93.

But besides the overall quantity of singles, what’s most important is the ability you have to sort through them. Zoosk allows you to cast as wide a net as you want while taking advantage of the site’s technology to refine your matches based on such factors as location height, and religion.

Con: Pay-to-play dating

If you want to use Zoosk, you’ll have to pay for it. Unlike other dating sites like Hinge and Tinder, there aren’t many benefits to remaining a free member on Zoosk, since you won’t be able to do much more than edit your own account details.

Con: Inactive users

Active users have complained of coming across bots on Zoosk’s platform. While the site claims to go out of its way to make sure members are real, there are unverified users. On Consumer Affairs, Zoosk got a 1.1 stars rating as of September 2025.

Con: Monogamy only

Depending on your preferences, if you are seeking open, poly or other outside-of-traditional two-person relationships, this is not your site.

If you are looking for a friend with benefits, read about how to find one here.

On the other hand, poly and open relationship-seeking people can certainly join the site and seek matches, which can cause confusion and frustration for the monogamous.

Zoosk FAQs

Who’s on Zoosk? What age group is Zoosk for?

With more than 40 million members in more than 70 countries, the odds of finding someone you like are in your favor. The platform is also available in more than 25 different languages.

Members are 45% male and 55% female, with an average age of 24 and 27 respectively.

To use Zoosk, you must be looking for monogamy only. Zoosk doesn’t qualify open relationships, polyamorous relationships, or anything other than long-term, two-person interactions.

Is Zoosk just a hookup site?

Zoosk is not just a hookup app. It’s also for single people looking for a serious relationship or marriage.

Is Zoosk good for serious relationships?

While there are users on Reddit and in online reviews who claim to have met their current partners and spouses on Zoosk, Zoosk doesn’t have the same reputation as sites like eharmony for serious dating.

Zoosk also doesn’t separate daters by the type of relationship they’re looking for — everyone is in the same pool. That means it’s up to members to weed out daters who aren’t looking for something serious.

Does Zoosk have a lot of fake profiles?

Several Zoosk reviews posted on Trustpilot and the Better Business Bureau complain about numerous fake reviews on Zoosk, with one even claiming more than 75% of female profiles they saw were fake.

Zoosk Trustpilot Review from February 2025

Is Zoosk a trusted site?

Zoosk’s parent company Spark Networks has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. However, members often complain about fake profiles and spam accounts. 

Is Zoosk a good dating site?

Quick answer: No. While the Zoosk app has competitive fees, it attracts a broad swath of daters, and it can be easy to get lost among the masses of daters.

Common complaints for Zoosk’s app include many dead accounts, spammy, misleading emails and marketing, low quality of members and high prices and ads on the free version. Here are a few recent complaints on Better Business Bureau, which until recently gave the parent company a big fat F for a long time.

However, parent Spark Networks has seemed to have stepped up, and is responding to complaints on the BBB, which increased its rating to an A+, even if customer reviews average 1.16/5 stars. None of the current reviews are specifically about Zoosk, though these are some older ones:

Zoosk BBB Review from October 2024
Zook BBB Review from July 2024

For serious relationships, our recommendation is eharmony, which is solely focused on helping professional singles find serious relationships and/or marriage.

Zoosk alternatives

Zoosk vs. Elite Singles

EliteSingles is solely focused on pairing singles with serious dating partners, including for marriage. If this is what you are looking for, Elite Singles beats Zoosk. However, not all single moms and dads are ready or interested in a committed partnership, in which case Zoosk is a more casual dating option — and a good one!

Read the complete EliteSingles review.

Zoosk vs. Match

Match users tend to be older and are more likely to be looking for serious relationships. Zoosk tends to attract younger daters in their mid- to late-20s who are looking for serious commitment and casual dating alike. Match has a slightly dated user interface, which isn’t surprising considering it was one of the first major dating sites.

Read the complete Match.com review.

Zoosk vs. OKCupid

OKCupid is known for being one of the most inclusive dating websites out there (with 13 gender identifications) and also for its extensive compatibility ratings based on thousands of questions its users can answer. OKCupid is all about being upfront in your dating intentions and is probably a better fit than Zoosk for casual dating. It also offers more free features, including the ability to message with a limited number of people each month for free.

Read the complete OKCupid review.

Zoosk vs. PoF

Plenty of Fish stands out because you don’t need a premium upgrade to message other users. Zoosk, on the other hand, requires a premium subscription to message or chat with your matches.

Read the complete Plenty of Fish review.

Bottom line: Is it worth paying for Zoosk?

Don’t pay for Zoosk. For serious relationships, go first to eharmony.

Interested in checking out other dating sites and apps? Here are some dating app reviews:

BumbleAdult Friend FinderTinder
SingleParentMeetChristian MingleCatholic dating sites
Christian dating apps13 international dating appsSeeking Arrangement
Dating.comHingeJewish dating sites
Millionaire MatchThe League

Used Zoosk? What was your experience? Share in the comments!

How does Zoosk work?

Zoosk was one of the first dating apps Facebook allowed to integrate with its platform and uses your social media to quickly and accurately build you a unique personal profile — as well as match you with compatible dates. Zoosk uses its behavioral technology to predict the kind of people you’ll want to interact with by using your social media habits as a guide.

How much does Zoosk cost?

As of September 2025, if you chose to upgrade from the free version, Zoosk offers a one-month subscription for $29.95 per month and a three-month subscription for one payment of $59.95, which is about $19.98 per month.

Is Zoosk free?

You can use Zoosk for free, but without paying for the platform, your options will be limited. However, there is a way to get started at no cost to you.

Is it worth paying for Zoosk?

Don’t pay for Zoosk. For serious relationships, go first to eharmony.

If you are ready to file for divorce, aiming for a low-conflict, amicable separation and divorce can save you money, time, and a great deal of stress. An online divorce may be right for you if:

  • It is not an abusive situation 
  • You are generally in agreement about your assets and kids — even if you could use some mediation or legal support

With online divorce, you can file all the applicable paperwork for your split online and avoid expensive attorney fees, which can quickly exceed $20,000 or more per spouse.

OnlineDivorce.com has a limited website and B Better Business Bureau rating.

However, OnlineDivorce.com is just one of the many filing companies. You can learn more in our reviews of online divorce services.

Wondering if Online.Divorce.com is legit? Here’s what you need to know:

What is OnlineDivorce.com?

Who could use OnlineDivorce.com?

Is OnlineDivorce.com legit?

How does OnlineDivorce.com work?

OnlineDivorce.com cost

OnlineDivorce.com guarantee

Alternatives to OnlineDivorce.com

OnlineDivorce.com pros

OnlineDivorce.com cons

OnlineDivorce.com reviews

Bottom line: Is OnlineDivorce.com a good option?

What is OnlineDivorce.com?

OnlineDivorce.com is a divorce document preparation service founded in 2008, with headquarters in Newark, Del. The site claims to have served more than 500,000 people.

OnlineDivorce.com has been profiled by major news publications such as USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine, Good Morning America, and NBC’s Today Show.

Who could use OnlineDivorce.com?

OnlineDivorce.com is ideal for divorcing partners who are not in an abusive situation and generally agree about:

  • Custody, child support, and how to raise their kids
  • How to divide assets and debt

Is OnlineDivorce.com legit?

OnlineDivorce.com is indeed a legit company with a B rating from the Better Business Bureau. Founded in 2008 by Ukrainian Andriy Bogdanov, OnlineDivorce claims it helped more than 500,000 people file for divorce.

How does OnlineDivorce.com work?

OnlineDivorce.com fills out your divorce papers for you based on answers you provide in an online questionnaire.

Questionnaire on Onlinedivorce.com reviews.

There are some simple steps you’ll go through to complete the process:

  1. Fill out your filing state and basic information online to see if you qualify.
  2. If you qualify, you’ll answer questions about your family and assets and the terms of your divorce:
    • Who is petitioning for the divorce
    • Whether you know the location of your spouse
    • If you and your spouse agree to the division of property, assets and all child-related issues
    • Whether you and your spouse are residing in the U.S.
    • How many children you have/if either of you are pregnant
    • Whether you and your spouse own any property or have any debts
    • How you plan to divide property/assets/debt
    • Additional sources of income
    • Money owed to you/your spouse
    • Whether you or your spouse are in the military
  3. Once you’ve gone through these initial questions, you’ll be asked to pay $159 to continue filling out your divorce forms. If your divorce is uncomplicated (i.e., you don’t have children or shared property/debts), you may only have to answer 18 questions. The number of questions increases based on the information you input. For example, because I have two children, I had to enter information about custody, child support, and life insurance. I ended up having to answer 50 questions total, which took about 45 minutes to answer. If you need help throughout the process, you can fill out OnlineDivorce.com’s online support form. There is also a circled lowercase i next to each question you can click to get more context about what the question means/what to write. 
  4. OnlineDivorce.com will use the answers you’ve supplied to draw up your divorce paperwork. Normal processing takes 2 business days, or you can pay $49 to have your forms processed within 30 minutes. There are three options to receive your forms:
    • Online download – Free
    • Shipping via Priority U.S. Mail – $20
    • Shipping Expedited – $35
  5. You’ll review all your new divorce documents for accuracy and make changes as necessary.
  6. Once you have approved divorce paperwork ready to go, you’ll file it with your local court system.

The entire process is completed at your own pace, and you can find all the divorce documents you need online. 

In addition to basic information (name, addresses, phone numbers, employers, etc.), make sure you know all of the following information for you and your spouse: 

  • Information about your marriage 
  • Social security and driver’s license numbers
  • Income, tax contributions, union fees, retirement account contributions, investments, and insurance policies
  • Common property (including mortgage and vehicle information)
  • Details on estate planning
Questions on Onlinedivorce.com reviews.

When you use OnlineDivorce.com to file for divorce, you get:

  • Guaranteed court approval of your divorce documents or you get your money back
  • Over 22 years of experience in this field
  • Step-by-step filing instructions
  • Online customer support

With OnlineDivorce.com, you get the best of both worlds — a private, stress-free divorce with online help and assistance if you need it.

Keep in mind, however, an online divorce processor like OnlineDivorce.com is only possible if you have an uncontested divorce — as in, both you and your partner have agreed on how to split up assets, split up debts, and on how the kids will be raised.

OnlineDivorce.com cost

For a basic divorce package through OnlineDivorce.com, the cost to get started is $159. After 30 days, you’ll be charged $39.99 per month to extend your OnlineDivorce.com subscription, which gives you continued access to documents in their system.

You can also cancel your subscription and pay $9 for a one-year storage subscription, which allows you to access your files when you need them.

Onlinedivorce.com review shows cost is $159.
Onlinedivorce.com review shows monthly fee.

This basic package does not include the cost of filing your divorce documents in court, but it does include:

  • Fully-guided fast and affordable process using top-notch technology
  • Process is completed at your own pace, ready-to-file documents available online
  • Customer support access
  • Single flat fee for accessing all documents online for both spouses
  • Free revisions
  • Detailed state-specific filing instructions
  • Personalized instructions review on demand and more

For $319, you can upgrade to OnlineDivorce.com’s Platinum Service, which includes: 

  • Reviewing your signed divorce forms for completeness
  • Filing with the court on your behalf
  • Serving your spouse or getting their signature
  • Unlimited changes to your paperwork as needed before filing
  • Divorce packet delivered to your home at no additional charge
Platinum membership on Onlinedivorce.com reviews.

OnlineDivorce.com guarantee

Onlinedivorce.com’s site says it will issue a refund if your papers are not accepted by your local courts, but an effort to do so must be completed within 30 days of your purchase.

Onlinedivorce.com review shows money-back guarantee.

Additionally, the site states:

“We cannot grant a refund in cases where a customer has accessed any of our services, including our questionnaire, forms, instructions and customer care center. In addition, we cannot guarantee that a customer’s spouse will sign the documents. If you have not accessed any of our services, you may request a refund within 30 days of purchase.”

Alternatives to OnlineDivorce.com

OnlineDivorce.com is just one of the many filing companies. You can learn more in our reviews of online divorce services, including why we like 3StepDivorce.com and CompleteCase.

OnlineDivorce.com pros

In general, online, DIY services are a great, affordable, easy, and low-conflict option to end a marriage via divorce or annulment.

Based on my experience, OnlineDivorce.com is a relatively user-friendly, thorough, and quick DIY divorce service. 

In the past, OnlineDivorce.com was plagued with many online complaints and a D rating from the Better Business Bureau, though it has since been upgraded to a B rating.

Some of the biggest reasons to use this service and file for divorce online include:

  • You won’t have to deal with a lawyer. If you don’t want to deal with a lawyer for any reason, OnlineDivorce.com will let you file for divorce without any help. This can be a huge benefit if you prefer to keep the details of your divorce as private as possible or if you’ve had bad experiences with attorneys in the past. However, you can chat with bar-certified family law attorneys through OnlineDivorce.com’s partnership with JustAnswer.com — $5 for a one-week trial membership.
  • It’s affordable. According to a recent Forbes article, the average cost of a divorce in the United States is between $15,000 and $20,000 dollars. OnlineDivoce.com costs $139 plus filing fees, making it one of the lowest-cost services on the market, though you do have to pay a $39.99 fee per month if you need to use the service beyond the initial 30 days.
  • You can expedite the divorce process. Hiring an attorney to help you file for divorce will inevitably lead to higher costs and a lengthier divorce timeline. By filing for divorce the simple way, you can reduce the amount of time it takes and make the process a lot less stressful.

OnlineDivorce.com cons

OnlineDivorce.com is not our favorite DIY divorce product on the market. These are some OnlineDivorce.com cons: 

  • Unless you upgrade to a Premium account for $319, you will have to file with the court yourself and serve your spouse
  • Initial $159 fee only covers the first 30 days, then you’ll be charged $39.99 per month to extend your membership
  • Lots of pop-up ads and pages to purchase additional services or upgrade your account — some of which are hard to skip past unless you scroll to the bottom of the page and click the fine print
Name change offer on Onlinedivorce.com reviews.
QDRO offer on Onlinedivorce.com reviews.
  • Most media mentions on their site are 20 years old

In short, there are many reputable divorce services on the market. No need to go with the first one on Google.

OnlineDivorce.com reviews

The OnlineDivorce.com reviews on both Better Business Bureau and TrustPilot have recently improved, and reviews on both sites are largely mixed:

OnlineDivorce.com BBB rating

OnlineDivorce.com is not accredited by the Better Business Bureau but has a B rating, recently up from a D rating.

OnlineDivorce.com reviews from the BBB

OnlineDivorce.com has 2.65/5 stars on the BBB site based on more than 100 customer reviews:

OnlineDivorce.com reviews from Trustpilot

Reviews on Trustpilot are positive overall, and OnlineDivorce.com has 4.2/5 stars:

OnlineDivorce.com reviews from Reddit

What Reddit has to say:

Has Anyone Used OnlineDivorce.com? from r/Divorce

Bottom line: Is OnlineDivorce.com a good option?

Overall, OnlineDivorce.com is a good option for filing for divorce online, though I don’t like that it charges an additional monthly fee of $39.99 after you’ve already paid a flat rate to use the service. However, it is very likely you can finish your papers within a few days, so will not need this upgrade. 

The site also has a lot of popups as you’re trying to work through the questionnaire for additional services and upgrades, though some of these offerings — like an online parenting course for $89.95 ($179.90 for both spouses) — may be worth considering.

Is OnlineDivorce.com legit?

OnlineDivorce.com is indeed a legit company. Founded in 2001, OnlineDivorce claims it helped more than 500,000 people file for divorce.

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