A Review of the Top Five Online Dating Sites

Online dating has become a popular way to meet people who share your interests and values. Millions of singles are registered with online matchmaking sites. There are thousands of dating services to choose from on the Internet. In this article, you will be introduced to the top five dating sites that have made the biggest impact in the online dating world.

1. Match.com

Match.com is one of the most widely used Internet dating services with well over 15 million registered members with profiles. Hundreds of thousands of singles are matched every year on Match.com. With these kind of results, you are almost guaranteed to meet the man or woman of your dreams.

Dr. Phil works as a consultant with the site and has developed a 3-step program, called MindFindBind, which is dedicated to help singles find love and be successful in their new found relationships. Video and audio are used in the program to provide insight and reinforcement. The program has been very popular for members seeking serious, long-term relationships.

Some positive features of Match.com would be the user-friendly functionality of the site and clean site design. The 3-step MindFindBind program created by Dr. Phil has been a highly sought after feature on the site. Also, the Make Love Happen Guarantee is a huge seller for the company. The guarantee states that if you do not find someone special during your 6 month subscription, Match.com will give you the next 6 months free of charge to help you continue your search for love. Refer to Match.com's site to see the full details.

Some negative features are the multiple advertisements that are on the site. Also, the customer service hours are only from 8 am to 8 pm CST only during the weekdays. Most members probably use the service after work and later into the night, so if they have any problems, it will not get resolved until the next weekday.

The regular Match.com account and MindFindBind are the two dating plans for the site, and the costs vary for each of the them. The regular plan is $34.99 per month, and MindFindBind is $43.98 per month. You will save 45% per month if you purchase a 6 month subscription which will be bill in one installment. Also, a free 3 day trial subscription is offered. After the 3 days, you can choose which plan you would like to sign up for.

2. PerfectMatch

PerfectMatch is one of the fastest growing Internet dating sites. There are over a million of registered members. PerfectMatch is unique from other sites because it uses more of a scientific approach in online dating. It has been seen on Dr. Phil and Live with Regis and Kelly.

PerfectMatch has an extensive program, named the Duet Compatibility System. The special program was designed for singles searching for serious relationships and not casual ones. All members must fill out an extensive personal profile questionnaire during their initial sign-up. This will help to send matches that are the most compatible to you. The program is definitely a positive feature for the site.

Some negative features are that the personal profile questionnaire takes at least 15 minutes to fill out. Also, the cost of the service is one of the highest among the other dating sites. The monthly fee is $59.95 and 12 month fee is $249.95. You can save up to 65% a month by subscribing to the 12 month subscription. If you do not want to spend this kind of money at first, they also have a free 2 month trial membership.

3. Lavalife

Lavalife is very popular with Americans and Canadians and has over 15 million registered members. There are three types of profiles: casual dating, relationship and intimate encounters.

Some positive features are that you can reply to emails for free and send smiles, which is a flirting tool. Members who do not have a paid subscription can use these features. You are also allowed to setup more than one profile. Last but not least, you are able to see when the last time someone logged in or updated their profile.

Some negative features are that you can communicate with people in different profiles. This is not good, because a person signed up for a relationship profile probably would not want to be contacted by a person who signed up for an intimate encounter profile. Also, you are not able to view other people's hot list.

There is a free membership, but you can only reply to emails that are sent to you. No emails can be sent out by free members. The monthly costs are $29.99 and a 3 month subscription would be $18.99 a month.

4. eHarmony

EHarmony is an excellent site with a focus on personality matching. With over 16 million registered members, it has been a favorite dating site for many singles. It is based heavily on a complex matching system which was tested extensively by married individuals. In order for the system to work, you must fill out a personal profile questionnaire.

Some positive features are that the matching system is very detailed and targeted to find the singles who are the most compatible to you. There is also more men than women, which would be a plus for the men. Lastly, you receive the profiles of the singles that match you the best from the answers provided from your questionnaire that was filled out.

Some negative features are that eHarmony is one of the most expensive dating sites. With eHarmony, you are not allowed to perform your own searches, and you can only communicate with the paid members.

There is a 7 day free trial membership. The monthly rate is $59.95 and 12 month subscription for $20.95 per month. You will save 65% by signing up with the 12 month subscription.

5. Yahoo! Personals

Yahoo! Personals has well over 10 million registered users. It is a very popular matchmaking site with both Americans and Canadians. The site allows Canadians to purchase their subscriptions with Canadian dollars, which is a rare in this industry.

Some positive features are there are over 13 different international sites. The user can setup for their countries' language and culture. The site is very user-friendly and easy to sign-up. There is also a large database of members looking for singles with similar interests and values.

One negative feature is the numerous advertisements that are found on the bottom of the page when receiving your search results of your matches. This can sometimes be distractive and become an annoyance.

Yahoo! Personals offers a free 7 day trial membership. The monthly fee for the casual dating plan is $24.95 and $12.49 for the 6 month subscription. The monthly fee for the Yahoo Premier plan, which is known as the relationship plan, is $39.95 and $20.83 for a 6 month subscription.