Marriage statistics just aren’t what they used to be among many racial groups—especially African-Americans. However, when African-American men do get married, 85 percent of the time it’s to an African-American woman.
Black women also had high statistical rates for marrying black men, at 93 percent. So while you’re perusing the Internet trying to find the best black dating site, keep these numbers in mind. Don’t be discouraged by groups who are looking elsewhere. That’s their right as much as your right to look for someone of a similar race and culture.
Whether you choose to download black dating apps, free dating sites for black singles, or African-American dating sites that require you to pay a few dollars each month or year, just try to find one that fits your needs.
If you’re looking for dating sites for professionals, you may want to ditch Black hookup sites. And if you’re looking for a hookup, focus on black singles who are also looking for the same thing. You’ll save yourself a lot of miscommunications later on down the line if you both have the same goals. Good luck with these 10 sites below.
Top-Rated Black Dating Sites
1. Black People Meet
For fans of “The Ultimate Merger,” starring “America’s Next Top Model” cast member and model Toccarra Jones, it may have been odd to see Jason Newsome as one of the leading faces of Black People Meet commercials.
Newsome, the second season winner, either parted ways with Jones or wanted to make a few dollars pitching African American dating sites. Whether on a reality show, dating in person, or dating online, sometimes it takes a few extra tries to get results.
Key Features
- Option to choose between “Pass” and “Yes”
- Hidden, secure calls for texting and calling on private number
- Online voicemail messages
Before you really get a chance to see who is on the site, the subscription ad comes up to pay any of the following: $2.99 per week for six months (or $71.76), $3.49 per week for three months (or $41.88), or $4.19 per week for one month (or $16.76).
However, they do knock a few cents off by charging a little under the actual amount, according to the chart: $71.70, $41.85, or $16.75.
Pros
- Photos are visible, even with a free account
- Talk & text make privacy easier
Cons
- No option to say “None” from initial sports query
- Several reports say “hasn’t completed his profile yet”
Sports fans may be pleasantly surprised to see the first question is about choosing between the favorite of five sports instead of the usual dating questions. This may seem odd to some, considering the purpose of the site. For others though, this is an instant connection.
But there’s no option to say “none” so the pressure is on to make this a conversation piece, or close the pop-up box altogether.
2. Match Ebony
Although the site self-proclaims itself as an “elite black dating community,” there are non-black users on the main page. So should you want to use this as a black dating site or consider interracial dating options, you’ll have both.
Key Features
- Serious relationship or Email/Talk
- Username availability for privacy
- Icebreaker option (free)
Considering most sites either ask users to choose between “average” or a “few extra pounds,” it may be a relief to the “brickhouses” of the world to see “thick,” which is somewhere in between.
Pros
- Account activation to avoid spam
- “Member With Photo Only” options
Cons
- Maybe a bit intrusive by asking if you live alone, with kids, with parents, with roommates
- “My Matches” constantly takes users to the Search option, with “women looking for men” results
Although this site is advertised as helping elite black singles meet, the photo profiles show anything but that. You will have to do lots of filtering to get exactly what you’re looking for. If you try to close your account, be prepared for an error message and “Unable to fetch application settings.”
3. Black Cupid
“Black” doesn’t always mean African-American, and this site encourages, “a commitment to connecting black singles worldwide.” Look for love internationally or locally.
Key Features
- Name, profile, and heading must not be vulgar (moderators will censor)
- No “sugar daddy” relationships
- May not allow married people to seek dates, in order to comply with legislation in certain jurisdictions
In a highly political climate, it may seem odd to some to see that political views are frowned upon on this site. While OkCupid is asking multiple questions about Black Lives Matter and political leanings etc., other sites are still trying to keep politics off the table. If you are a vocal advocate, this is probably not the right site for you.
Pros
- To avoid Catfishing, website confirms there can only be one profile per website
- Duplicate accounts will be terminated
Cons
- Automatically highlights opposite sex when signing up (not LGBTQ+ friendly)
- Profile content cannot contain political views
Although it may seem overly obvious, it’s comforting to know that this site warns users not to glorify violence, use drugs or drug paraphernalia, or feature any other person besides yourself.
4. My Black Partner
If you’re tired of seeing profiles one-by-one and want to get a general feel of who is on the site, this one will allow you to see lots of profiles all at once.
Key Features
- Administrator pops up to guide you along while building your profile
- “Like Gallery” option for one-on-one scrolling if preferred
- Search by distance and age
Queries about everything from tattoos, piercings, religion, height, weight, and drinking and smoking habits are asked upon initially setting up a profile.
Pros
- Immediate look at profiles of black men
- Ability to see who is online
Cons
- Will not accept email address with “spam” in it
- Odd queries like “hair color” are in the profile
If this isn’t the site for you, no worries. There are more than 30 other options highlighted on the website so you can find what you need/want.
5. Black Friends Date
You remember those store signs that say “no shoes, no shirt, no service”? This dating website is making sure people follow similar rules. No matter what your six-pack looks like, men with no shirts on (and trying to create thirst traps) will have their accounts frozen.
You’ll also be able to see how many members are online before you even sign in.
Key Features
- Members must have three pictures
- Email address cannot be your username
- No contact info (i.e. websites, emails) is allowed on profile
“This is not MySpace and it’s not 1999.” That’s literally what the website says regarding people who are creating glittery edits on their images, along with animation and cartoons. Skip the photographs with your children, too, even if you are a parent.
And unless your friend also has an account and can give permission for those photos, the images used must be of you and you alone.
Pros
- Profiles with “will fill out later or just ask me” are deleted immediately to avoid users who are not serious
- With all the photo rules, including no sunglasses and three mandatory photos, you will have more images to browse
Cons
- No-kid photos may deter parents who want to make sure potential daters understand their parental status
- Upon log-in, the first 10 of the 12 men are white (very high ratio considering it’s listed as a black dating website)
As clever as you may want to be, especially if you’re just looking for a hook-up, keep the lewd username words and double entendres off the site. They also won’t get the green light on this website.
But be very wary of giving out your email address on this site. Within a 24-hour timeframe, you will involuntarily be placed on other email lists such as CanadianFriendsDate.com, EgyptianFriendsDate.com and TruckerFriendsDate.com.
6. Black Singles
This site may initially be confusing because the browse option redirects to Elite Singles. If you were already a member of this site, you don’t have to create a new account. The site is undergoing maintenance though, so you may find what you’re looking for there instead.
Due to the site being temporarily down, the remainder of this entry will relate to Elite Singles.
Key Features
- 82 percent of users are university graduates
- Two-thirds of users hold bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate degrees
- 56 percent of users are women; 44 percent are men
Although it’s questionable to believe that every eight seconds “a single finds love.” They may find an intriguing connection though. Send a personal message, a smile, an icebreaker, a profile “like” or photo “like,” or a photo request.
Pros
- Free initial contact
- Photo request option can be sent to users who contact you (or vice versa) if you want to know more about them physically
Cons
- Free account does not offer the option to see who visited your profile
- No messages can be sent with free account; only likes and smiles
If you have 24 photos just ready to upload, go for it. You can add that many to this website for your potential partner to peruse. Get creative.
7. Soul Swipe
If you don’t have an active Facebook account, you’ll get nowhere on this site. It is mandatory to log into your account “for security and accuracy.”
Key Features
- Sorting matches by distance, age, last online
- Mobile upload option for easy profile buildup
- Notification sent when connection was made (no date or timestamps)
With more than 100K downloads, it’s clearly not an unknown site. For social media users, it may be a link to use the app for dating, as well as for potential Facebook friends. Clearly, you two know each other are on the social media site. If you hit it off, may as well do both.
Pros
- Facebook login convenient for social media users
- No bots and easier to sift through fake profiles
Cons
- Several users gave it low ratings for not being updated, lacking compatibility for newer phones
- “Load error” reports when trying to log in on Facebook
The last update was January 25, 2018, so you may find yourself seeing glitchy things that need to be resolved unless you’re using an older phone and an older version.
8. Happn
If you’ve ever wanted to use or have used Craigslist Missed Connections, then you understand the general concept of this site. Someone strolling down the street or in a bar or party makes eye contact, and you want to know more about them. With happn, you can find the people you cross paths with.
Key Features
- Requires Facebook account in order to sign up
- Provide services to customers and facilitates electronic communication
- Location settings must be on
Before you join this site, you should know that HAPPN and its subcontractors collect certain data on your device for technical reasons in order to. You must be open to using Happsight, Bugsnag, HockeyApp, Cedexis, Facebook login, Zendesk, Braze, Google Firebase, Spotify, and Apple sign-in.
Pros
- Option to not miss out on someone you may be too shy to approach
- Makes party and bar dancing easier
Cons
- Will send promotional content from partners
- Collection information is not configurable
Is it safe to use this app? As with all apps that make locations easier to find, use with caution. You can easily run into outstanding people on the street, as well as total creeps. Make sure to break it off early with anyone who makes you nervous.
9. Afro Introductions
Boasted as the “largest African dating site with over 4.5 million members,” this site reminds users that a “black dating site” doesn’t have to only mean African-Americans. Find international dating options, too.
Key Features
- Minimum location distance is 50 miles
- Double your profile space (Platinum accounts only)
- VIP profile highlighting
The membership base is made up of millions of singles worldwide in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Kenya, Cameroon, South Africa Nigeria, Ghana, Madagascar, Cote d’Ivoire, etc.
The platinum account is $ 12.50 per month for a year; $23.33 per month for three months; and $34.99 for one month. For a gold account, pay $10 per month for a year; $20 per month for three months; and $29.98 for one month.
If this isn’t for you, know that you can “switch off” your account, but it doesn’t fully close or removes your profile.
Pros
- Review matches for free
- Communicate with paying members (with standard accounts)
Cons
- Receiving and sending messages requires an upgrade
- “Communicate” does not mean sending or receiving messages (with standard accounts; must upgrade)
If you’re really serious about expanding your “black dating” pool, don’t forget about CaribbeanCupid.com, KenyanCupid.com, and/or SouthAfricanCupid.com.
10. Soul Singles
Don’t believe the excuses about why users cannot upload photos. This website offers free photo scanning services.
Key Features
- Upload up to 20 photos
- Send inbox messages or winks
- Opt in or opt out of email notifications
If you’re new to online dating, you may want to check out the FAQ answer to “What should make me wary?” You’ll learn who to avoid and who to give a chance, outside of the obvious physical or mental attraction. You will also be able to ask questions about your account by talking to real people via website inbox or phone number.
Pros
- Option to send messages anonymously
- “This profile is currently unavailable” keeps unwanted users off your page
Cons
- Anonymous messages, even from legitimate users, may feel like spam
- Changing username requires contacting Customer Service
Keep in mind that being active on the website, sending winks and messages will give you your money’s worth (or free options) more than just waiting to see who reaches out to you on the site.
Bottom Line
So you’ve gone through the 10 sites above. Are these exactly what you needed? The great thing about them is you’re able to knock one of many dating specifications off the table.
If you can find someone who mentally and physically pleases you, you’ve won out. But if you can’t, keep in mind that there are plenty of other online dating sites that offer the option of meeting African-American singles. Try a few, and test the waters.
You may find, like the pros and cons above, that your most successful website is a mix of finding the right people and being able to properly feel safe while dating online.
Do you want private phone numbers to call or text? Do you want video camera options? Or, do you just want to have an old-fashioned conversation with someone who can keep your attention? That decision is up to you.
