The cheapest online dating websites

by Emma Roberts on 22 July 2010  |  25 comments
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Want to give online dating a go? Emma Roberts compares the top dating websites.

Many of us no longer have the time or patience to go through the long process of searching through bars, nightclubs and libraries to find potential partners. The soaring popularity of social networking websites means that the internet is becoming a much more attractive venue for finding a date.

After all, what could be more convenient than sitting on your couch in your pyjamas browsing through a list of eligible bachelors/bachelorettes? Dating websites offer a bustling market for singles, where they can come and go at their leisure, picking suitable candidates for their love life.

Over four million Brits are active users of dating websites and the numerous success stories online prove that they do work. But with so many different sites to choose from, how do you know you’re getting the best value for money? Choosing the wrong dating website for you could leave you both dateless and penniless.

Free Membership

Most dating websites entice you by allowing you to become a member for free.

This normally involves a quick sign up and you writing a short description of yourself. If you’re too shy to write a witty sales pitch in your personal profile, mysinglefriend.com offers a solution: When you become a free member, a willing friend can write your personal description to spare you the trouble and in the meantime you can have a nosy at what everyone else’s friends have to say about their single mates.

It's good fun and you can view people’s profiles and receive messages for free.

If, however, you’re looking for a more systematic approach to online dating, Parship.co.uk boasts a free in-depth Psychometric test, which suggests compatible members based on the answers submitted.

Having a free membership offers an insight into the various websites but it severely limits what you can do. For example, Datingdirect.co.uk allows you to view profiles and send ‘winks’ to anyone you like the look of but you can’t message people or chat with them until you pay out for a subscription. 

Such is the case for most of the top sites, such as Match.com and Loopylove.com. Before rushing to subscribe to a particular dating website, it’s a good idea to become a free member of several and then choose the one that suits you the most.

Subscriptions

Dating is never an inexpensive pastime, be it online or in a restaurant. Each website has a charge for upgrading from a standard free membership to a subscription. Here's a table showing the different costs for subscribing to popular dating websites:

All of the featured websites offered a discounted price if you subscribe for more than a month, with Datingdirect.co.uk and Match.com offering a 50% discount when you subscribe for six months. Other incentives include Match.com’s ‘six month guarantee,’ where you get a further six months free membership if you don’t find a partner in your first six months of subscribing.

Make sure that you’re completely certain that the website is right for you before you hand over your cash and subscribe. Always take time to read the terms and conditions and ensure that you understand them.

None of the websites offer refunds, so it may be a good idea to subscribe for a single month at first, rather than going for the full six months. Also be aware that some dating websites such as Datingdirect.com automatically extend your membership when your initial subscription has ended, unless you actively cancel it.

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The benefits of subscribing vary from website to website. In general, paying for membership means that users can upload photos, message users directly and chat online.

Yet, this is just the tip of the dating iceberg, as some of the websites offer other unique perks. 

For instance, Parship.co.uk allows subscribers access to online singles coaching. The website has a qualified "singles coach" who offers personalised dating advice directly through email and provides one to one coaching over the phone if it is needed.

Meanwhile, Loveandfriends.com is aimed at professionals and allows members to send e-cards to each other, an interactive feature which can break the ice when contacting other members.

Overall, Parship.co.uk proves to be the most expensive dating website, yet innovative features such as their singles coaching make the site good value for money and the psychometric test ensures that you find members who you are highly compatible with, which can save a great deal of time.

Loveandfriends.com is the cheapest but still offers really useful tools that make finding a suitable partner fun and easy.

Alternative dating websites

If none of the above websites seem the right place for you to find love, then there is a whole range of other niche dating websites bursting with members. If you fancy bagging yourself a millionaire and ending all your money troubles for good, then check out meetingmillionaires.com, a dating site full of wealthy people. There’s also greensingles.com, a dating site for people who are interested in helping the environment and beautifulpeople.com, a site for very modest singles.

One of the best dating tools on the internet is speeddater.com, a website that arranges fun singles events in different cities. The website sells tickets to speed dating evenings for as little as £9.95 and organises other events such as wine tasting for £24.95 and ‘flirt master classes’ for £9.95 per session.

With so many online dating websites to choose from it can all get a little confusing. Perhaps the best money saving tip of all would be to save your cash for a pint at your local pub and try out your cheesiest chat up lines on the locals. You never know, it might just work.

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