When it comes to meeting people online, sometimes you just don’t want to swipe anymore. Or maybe you never started swiping and you would prefer a more immersive date-finding experience (that might cost you a few dollars). You want detail, effort, and conversation that goes beyond, “Hey. What’s up?” If you’re ready to ditch the apps and hours of scrolling through poorly angled selfies, and are more interested in an “old-fashioned” dating website, here are ten of the best.
1. OKCupid
OKCupid has a time-tested algorithms that seeks to pair users with others with similar personalities and interests. But in order for the website to pair you up with people you vibe with, you must put effort into the website’s questionnaires. Another perk of OKCupid is that it offers abundant flexibility in formatting your profile, allowing you to design it with as much creativity or simplicity as you’d like. And, the new worldwide search option can now help you find a lover across the globe. J’adore!
2. Match
If you’re looking to dip a toe into the world of online dating before fully committing to it, Match is a good place to start. Their free membership, which allows you to create a profile and view potential matches without messaging them, is the perfect low-stakes testing ground if you’re trying to figure out whether this whole dating-site thing is for you. The sheer number of users is a big plus, and regardless of what you’re looking for, you can probably find it here. That can’t necessarily be said of other sites.
Plenty of Fish is a happy medium between Tinder’s easy-to-use, hookup-friendly platform and Match’s more value-driven, retro platform. Just imagine if Match got a trendy makeover and kept a huge pool of people who tend to be looking for something more serious. Unfortunately, the site has a less-than-stellar history, with a handful of lawsuits against it under its belt. Most recently, there have been a few high-profile cases of men assaulting and attacking women they met through the site, which has made some people wary of joining.
4. Zoosk
One of the most popular dating websites in the world, Zoosk uses a “behavioral matchmaking” technology to study their almost 40 million users and create meaningful matches in real time. The sleek and modern app is available in over 80 countries and 25 languages, meaning more people and more options. Joining isn’t cheap, though; a one-month membership will cost you $29.95.
Coffee Meets Bagel is a dating site and app that takes a more personal approach to online dating than most popular apps like Tinder and Bumble. Users are given leading prompts, such as “I am … ” and “I like … ” in lieu of the difficult task of writing a bio. Then, every day at noon, users receive matches that Coffee Meets Bagel has chosen for them.
Elite Singles, a dating site that caters to “highly educated singles,” starts you out by luring you into a one-month, $69.95 premium subscription, but also with a personality test intended to help you understand who you are as a dater. But the site’s description is a little misleading — 18 percent of its members have not had a college education.
7. Open Minded
Open Minded is intended to be a stigma-free place for people to seek open and nonmonogamous relationships without fear of judgment. The user pool, however, is small, and too “general” for some. Other sites focused on nontraditional relationships often revolve around a specific kink, creating a smaller but tighter-knit community of users, but this site does not.
There’s definitely no beating around the bush on this site made for people searching for casual sexual relationships. So, if you’re DTF — or even interested in a private web encounter — this is the place to find like-minded people. FriendFinder-X also offers options for open couples looking for a third participant.
Sure: If we’ve all resorted to online dating, then perhaps it’s because we’re all a little shy and have been weaned off of personal interaction by our cell phones. But if you are particularly bashful, then Single and Shy is the perfect cyber meeting place for those who have trouble putting themselves out there. That said, sometimes a shy person might need an extroverted partner to bring them out of their shell, so don’t limit yourself to this site alone.
10. Date My School
Date My School is a site that helps put university students and alumni in touch with others from the same alma mater. Luckily, the site goes to great lengths to verify the academic affiliations of all users, keeping the chances of being “catfished” especially low. Because of Date My School’s smaller user pool, however, there may not necessarily be people on the site from your school. Like most of the other choices on this list, in order to make the most of it, you may need to pay the monthly subscription fee.
