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Match.com

4.5 Stars (4 Reviews)
Updated: January 20, 2023
By: Jeff Smith
Jeff Smith
Sr. Content Manager
As Retirement Living’s senior content manager, Jeff oversees the product and publishing of all retirement, investing, and consumer wellness content on the site. His extensive expertise in brand messaging and creating data-driven stories helps position Retirement Living as a top authority for senior content and community resources.
Sr. Content Manager
Edited By: Lauren Hamer
Lauren Hamer
Sr. Editor
Bringing more than a decade of editorial experience to Retirement Living, Lauren focuses on reporting senior-related issues, including retirement planning, finance, consumer protection, and health and wellness. Lauren has edited consumer content for Credible, Angi, Slickdeals, Jobs for the Future, and more.
Sr. Editor

Match.com is a well-established online dating site with a good reputation and a large pool of senior singles aged 50 and older. Whether you’ve been single for some time, or are recently widowed or divorced, Match.com is one of a few online senior dating sites you’ll want to visit.

Match Logo

Editorial Breakdown

Price 4.5 Stars
Network 4.8 Stars
Filter Options 4.3 Stars
User-Friendly Mobile App 4.3 Stars

Overall Rating 4.5 Stars

Bottom Line

Match.com is a top online dating brand, with a good reputation and a large pool of users. Plans start at $23.99 per month for standard membership and go up to $49.32 per month for a premium plan.

Match.com Review

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 Plans
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)


Match.com Online Dating Site
Costs and Features
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

  • Do I have to use my real name on Match.com?
    You’ll have to provide your real name to the company for billing purposes, but you can use your initials, a nickname, or a username on your profile to protect your privacy.

  • Does Match.com have many members who are seniors?
    Yes. Match.com has the highest number of members of any online dating website, and the vast majority are over the age of 30. Of those, many members are aged 55 and older.

  • Can I use Match.com on my smartphone?
    Match.com has an Android and iPhone app. Search on “Match.com” in the app store to download it.

  • Do Match.com searches include same-sex relationships?
    Yes, when you set up your profile, you can indicate your gender and the gender you are interested in dating.

  • Does Match.com offer a guarantee?
    If you purchase a six-month subscription, Match.com guarantees you’ll meet someone special in that amount of time, or they will extend your membership six more months for free. To take advantage of this offer, you must keep an active profile by responding to or initiating at least five email communications with different members each month. See the company’s website for rules and restrictions.

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.


4 Match.com Reviews

Write Review
5 Stars

September 02 2021 7:05PM

After nearly a dozen dates and a couple stumbles, I did meet my soul mate within 5 months. You have to keep plugging away. We are both senior citizens with similar interests. We have been together for 2 years and are extremely happy.

For us, the price was worth it, and the key is writing a profile that accurately portrays who you are. Yes, there are those that misrepresent themselves, but with a little savvy and common sense you can easily weed them out. Highly recommended! For us it was truly life changing.

Deborah C.
Munhall, PA
4 Stars

June 24 2020 10:15PM

I have had very good results with this company, so much so, I have a hard time focusing on which woman I want to focus on! I let my membership lapse, because I was content with the several "matches" that I found or who found me. With Covid 19, dating only goes so far. So for now I am maintaining social distance and enjoying friendly relationships.

John M.
Sacramento, CA
1 Star

June 23 2020 9:03PM

Does not provide appropriate matches. Many "likes" are not truthful. I would have cancelled order within 48 hours if not for the contract. Creates profiles not in existence and clearly interested in $ over quality. This site is not recommended unless you are looking for something without substance.

Diane L.
Wantagh, NY
4 Stars

July 18 2019 10:16PM

I have been on this site before and I cannot figure out hidden costs. They have some nice looking seniors. This site isn’t actually a free site. Anyway if I find a nice gentleman I will certainly pay the price. I don’t want to pay until I’ve spoken to a kind gentleman.

Carolyn P.
Grimsby On, SELECT A STATE