Trying to find the right online dating site, especially one that requires payment, can be a little overwhelming. The end goal is to find that perfect someone. But when you’re trying to decide between two well-known online dating sites like eHarmony vs Match, you may not know which one is better.
Is eHarmony worth it? Is Match.com worth it? Is eHarmony better than Match? Depending on who’s asked, and who happens to have the best compatibility time, both are. With any of these online dating sites, all it takes is for the right person for you to find his (or her) way to your profile. You may be able to find this person on your own, or maybe this person will find you.
But would you rather find your own dates or depend on algorithms to guide you in the right direction? The answer to this question will largely influence which one you choose. So let’s learn more about both sites to decide which is more of your speed.
eHarmony vs. Match.com
Key Features of Both Websites
In 2018, eHarmony was ranked the “Number One Trusted Dating Site” among 1,616 United States singles. While it advertises itself as “having over 2 million people” who “have found love,” it is more than likely 2 million people who the site has suggested as a compatibility match.
There are 51 percent of men and 49 percent of women on the site, and 2.3 million messages are sent weekly. It also uses a scientific approach to matching what it deems to be “highly compatible singles.” It does so with a “32 DIMENSIONS® model” that matches couples based on features of compatibility found in “thousands of successful relationships” on the website. Read our full eHarmony review here.
Match, which services 24 countries and territories and hosts Web sites in 15 different languages, is less scientific. Messages are sent through an anonymous email network.
Match puts more ownership on the members to control their match results, simply by answering questions regarding what is “Nice to Have” versus “Must Have” for improving match results. This may significantly change the browsing results for a “Mutual Match” versus a “Reverse Match.” Read our full Match.com review here.
Comparison of the Sign-Up Process
For Facebook users, eHarmony’s option to sign up via Facebook may be a relief. This could potentially eliminate spam accounts, unless the Facebook page is a Catfish profile, too.
The initial process is just choosing what gender the user is, what gender the user is looking for, an email address and a password. There is also a “Start Free Today” period. However, it does not come with all of the membership perks for matchmaking. Signing up with Match.com has a similar process, with a “free” membership—and less perks.
But eHarmony’s sign-up process goes far beyond just asking the usual dating questions. It asks more peculiar (and methodical) questions like choosing which shape is more attractive between squares and circles, what types of vacations you’d like to take, and whether you’d find it more important for your significant other’s family to like you or for your family to like your significant other. There’s also a personal user ID and password for additional support.
Pricing of Each
Both websites annoyingly require you to sign up in order to see their pricing, which may be a con if you would prefer to know what you’re getting into ahead of time. Match’s pricing is $20.99 per month for 12 months, $22.99 for six months and/or $38.99 for three months.
With this, you can get one profile review per year, a monthly boost and “Message Read” alerts. Free members would only be able to see search profiles, see top picks, create a searchable profile, post photos and send likes, which means it would operate similar to any other social media channel—except no option for the free user to send messages or see/respond to them.
Although Match.com will allow you to see how many people viewed your profile, how many sent you messages, whose type you are and how many likes you’ve received, eHarmony puts itself in the middle of the love connection immediately. It requires a 20-minute Compatibility Quiz from the minute you join with basic contact information.
There is a 50 percent promotional offer for the first three months of eHarmony: $22.95 for the first six months (regularly $45.90), $14.95 for the first 12 months (regularly $29.90) and $10.45 for 24 months (regularly $20.90). For what may seem like the “cheapest” offer initially, there are unlimited photos, unlimited messaging, the ability to see who has viewed you, distance search and a detailed personality profile.
Which Site Protects Your Privacy?
With a free account, Match.com will still send you an email with a notification and a real image of who has sent you a message. You cannot read the message without paying for a subscription, but you can still see if this is someone you’re initially (and physically) interested in, just from clicking on your email. You don’t even have to log into Match.com.
But with eHarmony, the face is completely blurred out, so without paying, you have no idea who is “smiling” at you. This protects the user’s privacy and yours, in the event of free accounts that are spammers. But the extra privacy isn’t particularly appealing for new users who aren’t sure whether they want to be on the site or not.
Between Match.com and eHarmony, Which Is Better?
One particular feature stands out about eHarmony versus Match.com, and it’s more to do with the initial questions. For example, if there is a question that is commonly picked, eHarmony may ask the user to really think about this answer. For users who are rushing to get to the end and see their matches, this may make them pause and see if they’re really answering questions honestly or just trying to get through it as fast as possible.
This is both a down and an upside. With dating sites like OkCupid, which allows you to join immediately, you can answer questions at your own pace and when you’re in more of an answering mood.
With eHarmony, you must be in a question-answering mood from the very beginning. For your significant other, this can either be a pro (if the answers are honest) or a con (if the answers are just trying to hurry up and get to the end of this blockade).
After you get through the questionnaire, then it will finally take you to pricing. If you back out of pricing, then a pop-up comes up for video dating. Interestingly, by the time you get to the main dating questions, they’ve already chosen them for you.
However, you can change most answers. You would need a premium account to specify religion, ethnicity, income and/or education level though. And all images are grayed out with free accounts.
For this reason, Match.com is the better website for anyone who is not solely dating off of a personality. While personalities are important, in a personal setting, it is often the physical appearance that catches one’s attention.
So not being able to see anybody on eHarmony’s site means you will not know if you’re getting your money’s worth until you’ve already paid. Meanwhile on Match.com, you can get an idea of your Mutual Match to know if this is the right site for you.
Superficial as it may sound, even if you go to a restaurant, visually seeing what’s on the menu can certainly help decide whether you want to order there. Imagine going to a restaurant with just wording for food you’ve never tried and have no idea how it tastes.
Now imagine that same restaurant wants you to pay for it, without ever seeing the pictures of it. Between the two, just from a visual perspective, there is no way to debate the two. eHarmony’s questions don’t ask anything about your physical preferences either, so you have no way of even narrowing it down before purchase.
Bottom Line
So what happens now? You know this particular post prefers Match.com over eHarmony. Is that the one you should choose? The answer is a bit more involved than that.
If you’re someone who has already dated the most attractive people who turned out to be the world’s worst human beings on Earth, you’re probably less likely to get hung up on physical appearance. You’ve dated those models; and you’re looking for something new that matches better when it comes to compatibility.
But if you’re someone who is adamant about physical and mental attraction, either have your credit card ready to type (on eHarmony) or browse around Match.com first to make sure it’s got your “type” on there. But keep in mind that, on both sites, new users are joining every day just like you are. So even if you don’t find someone who immediately catches your attention, that doesn’t mean this person can’t join tomorrow or the next day, or a month later.
Just as you wouldn’t walk into a bar or club and expect to meet Prince(ss) Charming the minute you leave coat check, you may have to do some walking around and have a little patience on these sites as well.
Visit the Perfect Dating Match homepage for more expert reviews & comparisons.
