Match.com

Match.com is a global dating website that got its start in 1995, making it the oldest online dating platform. Match.com remains the largest online dating site after a series of mergers, and offers free limited memberships and paid quarterly, biannual and annual subscription plans.

Pros

• Simple, guided profile setup
• Free trial
• Optional add-ons increase visibility
• Easy to search and navigate matches

Cons

• Membership costs and add-ons can be expensive
• Profile approval may take a few days

How to Set Up a Free Match.com Online Dating Profile

You can set up a free profile on Match.com to try the online dating site before paying for a subscription. Match.com members use profile information to decide if another member might be a good match for them. Use our tips for creating your dating profile, and provide these details to Match.com.

• Your gender and the gender of the person you are looking for
• Your height and body type
• The relationship you’re looking for: long-term relationship, just browsing singles, date but nothing serious
• Whether you never married, or are separated, divorced, or widowed
• Whether you have kids, and if they live away from home or with you
• Education level
• Whether you smoke or drink alcohol and how often
• Your ethnicity and religion
• Income level
• A choice of up to five interests

After you enter your information, Match.com will ask, “Looking for something specific?” Then you can select any of the categories you completed for your profile and use them to filter your preferences for prospective dates. For example, you can choose the age range, education level, height range, and more, and Match.com will use these criteria to show you possible matches.

Consider as you fill out information to build your profile and preferences whether the given options help you adequately describe yourself and your potential ideal partner. If the process works for you, a full Match.com membership will likely be worth the cost.

Next, you can write a description of yourself and the type of person you’re interested in (minimum of 100 characters), and you can change this description later if you want to. You have the options of selecting whether Match.com can share your profile information with a sister online dating site to increase your potential matches and whether you’d like your profile used for the Member Spotlight.

Finally, you’ll upload a photo of yourself, either from your computer or Facebook. Be sure to use a picture belonging to you, one that shows you alone with no other people.

Should You Use Match.com Member Spotlight?

Member Spotlight is a Match.com feature where your photo and profile link get promoted on the dating website and partner websites for up to two weeks. Give careful consideration to whether you want your profile featured in Member Spotlight. While this option is excellent for those who wish to expand their visibility and exposure to potential dates, it also may not be the best idea for those who want to protect their privacy (for example, if you don’t want people to know you are using a dating website). Your photo may appear on any of Match.com’s partner websites without Match disclosing which sites are featuring your online dating profile. A friend or relative could easily stumble upon your photo on a website they are browsing.

Match.com Online Dating Costs

A basic Match.com profile is free, but only lets you see potential matches, so you will have to pay up to be able to contact others using the site. Join Match.com as a paid member to be able to chat, send and receive messages, see who viewed your profile and attend in-person events in your area.

Match.com’s pricing structure can be confusing. The cost of membership depends on how many months you are willing to sign up for in advance and whether you choose a Standard or Premium plan. Each plan is billed all at once, not monthly, and we’ve described what the Standard and Premium plans include in the chart below. However, the membership may not be your final cost. You’ll want to learn about Match’s Power-Up options after the feature chart.

Match.com Standard Plan	Match.com Premium Plan
• 12 months: $23.99 ($287.88 total) • 6 months: $26.65 ($159.90 total) • 3 months: $43.99 ($131.97 total)	• 12 months: $25.32 ($303.84 total) • 6 months: $29.32 ($175.92 total) • 3 months: $49.32 ($147.96 total)

Features	Free No cost	Standard $23.99 – $43.99	Premium $25.32 – $49.32
Search for and view matches	√	√	√
Profile appears in others’ search results	√	√	√
Daily matches via email and on the site	√	√	√
“Like” profiles	√	√	√
Hide members		√	√
Send and receive emails to matches		√	√
See who viewed and “liked” your profile		√	√
Access Match.com Events		√	√
Notifications when match views your email			√
Expert annual profile review			√
One Boost per month			√

Power-Up Your Match.com Online Dating Presence

In addition to standard subscription prices, you can purchase optional Power-Ups to increase your chances of meeting someone special. We’ve listed prices for all but two of these features, Match Me and Undercover, for which Match hides prices unless you have a paid membership.

• Boost: Put your profile at the top of search results for one hour. In that time, potential matches see you among top results when searching for singles fitting your demographic. Ten Boosts cost $2 each, five Boosts are $2.40 each, and a single Boost is $2.99.
• Match Me: If you find someone you’re curious about but don’t want to make the first move, pay to have your profile listed in their search results without them knowing you used Match Me to put it there.
• Undercover: Allows you to view profiles anonymously for 24 hours.
• Reply for Free: For $13.99 per month, anyone can reply to your emails for free, even if they do not have a Match.com subscription.
• Private Mode: Maintain a private presence without appearing in search results on Match.com and view other members’ profiles privately for $13.32 each month. Without Private Mode, matches will find you in their search results and know if you viewed their profile.
• Email read alerts: Get a read receipt when a match reads your email, for $2.78 a month.
• MatchPhone: This service allows you to use your phone to talk and send text messages without revealing your actual phone number. MatchPhone costs $4.44 a month.

Match.com Complaints

Overall, Match.com receives mixed reviews from users and review sites. DatingSitesReviewed gives the online dating service 2.5 out of 5 stars, deducting points primarily because Match is expensive and profiles only present limited information. On the other hand, DatingAdvice gives Match.com 4.9 out of 5 stars for ease of use, and how the enormous number of members increases your chances of finding a match. The Better Business Bureau gives Match.com an “A-” grade. While many have filed complaints with the BBB, Match representatives worked diligently to resolve the issues. Most problems have to do with the complicated billing setup and some difficulty canceling memberships. Other complaints include how it can take a few days for a profile to become active as it goes through the company’s review process. However, we set up a free account to write this Match.com review and did not encounter this problem.

Match.com Q&A

Conclusion

Match.com has many features to help users sort and filter search results to find that perfect someone. For those who are not looking for a serious relationship, it can also be a fun platform for meeting new people and expanding horizons. Be sure to read our article on online dating safety for tips to keep you safe.