In this article, we will be taking a look at 15 free dating sites for serious relationships. If you want to skip our detailed analysis of the online dating industry, then head straight to 5 Free Dating Sites for Serious Relationships.
In today's world of ever-busier, career-focused lifestyles, more people are resorting to online dating to find suitable partners. Moreover, the internet is increasingly enabling people to connect and establish long-term serious relationships with complete strangers on free dating sites.
Dating Industry: An Overview
Meanwhile, according to a report by Market.Us, the online dating market was valued at $10.1 billion in 2022. The market is anticipated to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 9.2% from 2022 to 2032, reaching a value of $23.8 billion at the conclusion of the predicted period. Increased internet penetration, the rise of smartphone usage, and changing cultural attitudes toward online dating are the key factors influencing the market's expansion. With a market share of 42.3%, Asia Pacific dominated the global online dating market, per the report.
Similarly, another report by Grand View Research, a market research and consulting firm, estimates that the global online dating market was valued at $9.65 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7.4% from 2023 through 2030. The primary factors propelling this growth are the rising popularity of dating apps like Tinder, Bumble, and others, as well as the ease with which online dating is becoming more and more accessible to increasing number of singles around the world who are seeking partners who share their interests. Additionally, the report states that in 2022, the age bracket of 18 to 25 years accounted for 36% of all revenue, followed by that of 26 to 34 years.
Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) and Bumble Inc. (NASDAQ:BMBL) are among the major companies in the worldwide online dating sector.
Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH), with a portfolio of brands which includes Tinder, Hinge, Match, Meetic, OkCupid, Plenty Of Fish, Azar, and Hakuna among others, is a provider of dating products. On August 1, Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH) posted earnings for the second quarter of 2023, reporting a GAAP EPS of $0.48, beating market estimates by $0.03. The revenue over the period was $829.55 million, up 4.4% compared to the revenue over the same period last year.
Here are some of the comments from Match Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTCH)’s Q2 2023 Earnings Call:
“We are excited about the future of Tinder and we believe we’re just getting started. Hinge continues to fire on all cylinders, leading to exceptional user and revenue growth. Hinge is now a top three most downloaded dating app in 14 countries. And while we’re driving new users and growing as expected, we’re also taking the learnings from our other brands and applying them at Hinge to maximize growth. Our businesses in Asia are solidly course correcting now. Azar’s revenue momentum has been driven by their new AI-enabled matching algorithm, and Hakuna is in the midst of a pivot to deliver a better experience for content creators and audiences, which we believe will lead to increased engagement for users.”
Bumble Inc. (NASDAQ:BMBL), a provider of online dating and social networking platforms, operates mobile applications such as Bumble, Badoo and Fruitz. According to Insider Monkey’s second quarter database, a total of 30 hedge funds were bullish on Bumble Inc. (NASDAQ:BMBL). In comparison, 29 hedge funds had invested in the company during the last quarter.
In its Q2 2023 Earnings Call, Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder and CEO of Bumble Inc. (NASDAQ:BMBL), said:
“Our second quarter results demonstrates the strength of our apps and our solid execution on our goals for the year. We delivered a strong quarter with better-than-expected revenue growth, accelerating paying users and robust profitability. Total Bumble Inc. revenue of $260 million was up 18% year-over-year, driven by Bumble app revenue growth of 23%. Our total paying users increased 20% to reach 3.6 million and adjusted EBITDA was $67 million, representing a 26% margin. With loneliness on the rise globally to the point that it’s been declared an epidemic in the U.S., there is considerable room for each of our apps to grow and have significant impact on people’s lives.”
Building up on this, 42% of Americans surveyed by the Pew Research Centre from July 5-17, 2022, stated that online dating makes it easier to find a long-term relationship, while 22% said that apps make it harder. Additionally, about 35% of people who use online dating claimed they have paid for an app or a feature, with men being more likely to have done so than women.
The survey also revealed that one-in-ten adults who are married, living with a partner or in a committed romantic relationship found their current significant other through a dating site or app.
So, which dating site is best for serious relationships? Well, there several dating apps designed to attract singles looking for something more meaningful. Some apps provide access to a broader pool of potential companions, while others allow users to filter their preferences and engage with people who have similar interests and objectives.
For instance, eHarmony, a dating website, offers a high-quality matchmaking engine and Personality Profile system to identify true compatibility between two people. eHarmony asserts that over 2 million people have found love on its platform since its start in 2000. It offers a free membership alongside a paid one. In a similar vein, Hinge, EliteSingles and ChristianMingle (all discussed in detail below), among others, are fantastic dating sites for individuals looking for committed relationships.
Additionally, the aforementioned dating sites are also among the best for individuals over 40 since, for many people, dating in their 40s is more serious; there's no point in wasting time on maybes or people who don't spark.
While online dating has helped many find their way to something serious, you don't always have to pay a fortune to do so. You could even be able to find commitment-minded individuals by using a free dating site.
For this article, we scoured through information regarding the dating industry, and came up with a list of free dating sites. The features offered by each site were then evaluated in relation to how well they complemented various relationship objectives, such as casual dating, serious dating, etc. Finally, using data from SimilarWeb as of September 2023, we filtered these websites based on their monthly visitors in order to determine their popularity. The 15 free dating sites for serious relationships are listed below in order of lowest to highest monthly visits.
It is to be noted that all dating sites on our list offer a premium membership alongside their free versions. Although free versions might not have extra features, they are nonetheless extensively used by people.
Free Dating Sites for Serious Relationships
15. Jdate
Visits Per Month as of September 2023: 378,300
First up on our list of of free dating sites for serious relationships is Jdate. This online dating service, operated by Spark Networks SE, is aimed at Jewish singles looking to make a great connection with other Jewish singles. Its free version allows you to complete your entire profile, add up to 6 photos, browse all other users, view profiles, and receive matches, though you will only be able to send messages if you have a paid subscription.
14. Hinge
Visits Per Month as of September 2023: 801,900
Hinge, operating exclusively on mobile phones, is a dating site for serious relationships with its ‘Designed to be Deleted’ tagline, which implies that the app is made to allow users to find the right match, build something meaningful, and then delete the app.
Both free and paid membership options are available on Hinge. With a free membership, you are able to view profiles, send likes, match with users and message them.
13. Christian Mingle
Visits Per Month as of September 2023: 1.1 million
Christian Mingle, with over 15 million members to date, ranks 13th on our list of free dating sites for serious relationships. This online dating service caters to Christian singles.
The service offers a free membership alongside a paid one. Users can establish search parameters, see profiles, sort matches, send likes, use daily 2-way matchmaking, and access an activity page with free memberships.
12. EliteSingles
Visits Per Month as of September 2023: 1.1 million
EliteSingles, with 12.5 million users worldwide, is a dating app geared towards highly educated people (85% of its four million U.S. members hold an above-average education) looking for long-term relationships. Users have to take a personality test and fill up their preferences as part of the signup process, which is 100% free. After completing the test, subscribers start getting match suggestions immediately, with additional 3-7 targeted matches daily.
Its Basic membership, that does not expire, enables users to view personality test results, receive partner suggestions, send smiles and likes and upload photos.
11. Coffee Meets Bagel
Visits Per Month as of September 2023: 1.4 million
Coffee Meets Bagel, based in San Francisco, is a mobile dating app focused on finding long-term serious relationships (over 90% of its users are seeking a long-term connection, per the company).
While the core features of the app, such as liking and chatting with suggested matches, are free for users, you can upgrade your membership to access several premium features. The monthly price for the premium plan is $35.
10. BlackPeopleMeet
Visits Per Month as of September 2023: 1.4 million
BlackPeopleMeet, launched in 2002, is a dating website for Black people to make friends, find casual dates, or form long-term serious relationships.
With a free account, users can look through profiles, search for compatible matches, send a Like and see an Echo when someone else has liked them back.
9. SilverSingles
Visits Per Month as of September 2023: 1.9 million
SilverSingles, initially started in 2002 as PrimeSingles, is a dating site that is designed for individuals at least 50 years or older. It ranks 9th on our list of free dating sites for serious relationships.
It offers a Basic membership that is free and enables users to upload photos, send likes and smiles to other users, view their test results, and receive partner suggestions. It also offers a Premium membership.
The app is available for free download on Google Play and the App Store.
8. eHarmony
Visits Per Month as of September 2023: 4.5 million
eHarmony is a dating service with over 20 years of expertise and is based in Los Angeles, California. Despite the fact that it allows for religious filtering, it welcomes people of all religions and backgrounds. eHarmony ranks 8th on our list of free dating sites for serious relationships.
When someone signs up for eHarmony, which is absolutely free, they immediately start receiving matches after finishing a quiz that is centered around 32 “Dimensions of Compatibility”. This makes it easier to find a compatible match for people looking for serious relationships.
Apart from unlimited matches, a Basic Member can browse anonymously, send and receive Smiles, Icebreakers, and Likes, respond to a first message, and see recent visitors to their profile.
7. OurTime
Visits Per Month as of September 2023: 6.8 million
OurTime, based in Texas, is a dating site designed for adults 50 and older to make casual connections or find a life partner who shares similar interests. It provides a streamlined user interface that is not only easy to handle but also enables secure connections.
It offers a free subscription in addition to a premium one, much like the other dating sites on our list. Members can use the Flirt button to show interest, browse profiles, view photos, and edit their profiles in the free version.
6. Zoosk
Visits Per Month as of September 2023: 7.1 million
Zoosk, ranking 6th on our list of free dating sites for serious relationships, is available in 25 languages and in more than 80 countries. Anyone, anywhere, can sign up for a free Zoosk subscription, giving them access to search for and view other members, the freedom to personalize their own profile, see possible matches for themselves, and the opportunity of free messaging if a premium user contacts them. Subscribers can get access to added features with a premium subscription, such as rank on top of search results.
It offers a wide range of options for serious relationships with over 40 million registered users.
