Match.com, Tinder, and OkCupid all hope to find your soulmate, no matter where you are.
Its owned by the media and internet companyInterActiveCorp(IAC).
Tinder: A location-based dating platform thats only available as a mobile app.
It has also earned a reputation as being a hookup app.
It launched in 2012, and is also operated by IAC.
OkCupid: One of the most popular free online dating and social networking platforms on the web.
Availability
Match.com is available in 25 different countries, and in more than eight different languages.
If youre located in the U.S., all three services are pretty much available everywhere.
If youre not in the U.S., all three services are…well, still widely available.
Of course, just because a service is available somewhere doesnt mean that a lot people use it.
The more people in your area, the more likely youll find fresh faces when you check your account.
And, of course, you pick a username that suits you and ideally hides your identity a little.
After all of that, things start to differ.
The questionnaire includes everything from your religious beliefs to the preferred hair color of your matches.
Once youve finally made it through the somewhat exhausting questionnaire, youre ready to explore.
Its still a wilderness, but hey, at least they give you a compass.
Tinder
Tinder, on the other hand, doesnt do any of that.
for sign up, you have to connect your Facebook account.
If youre like me and hardly ever use Facebook, its terribly annoying.
If you want to add new pictures, you have to add them on Facebook.
Of course, most people probably wont have this issue, but its an annoying and seemingly arbitrary limitation.
Pricing
The price of each service is where things get a little hairy, especially for Match.com.
I imagine if youre pretty lonely, that teasing almost always leads to a subscription.
For a six-month subscription, itll cost you $24.99 per month.
For a years subscription, itll cost you $21.99 per month.
But lets say you just want to try it for a month to see if you even like it.
At that price point, youre better off scraping up a few more dollars and buying Fallout 4.
Thats not all, though.
Match.com also offers subscription add-ons (as I mentioned earlier).
Of course, OkCupid and Tinder have their own subscription plans too.
Its prices break down as follows:
For a one-month subscription, itll cost you $19.95.
For a three-month subscription, itll cost you $14.95 per month.
For a six-month subscription, itll cost you $9.95 per month.
OkCupid also has a couple subscription add-ons as well.
Tinders subscription plan is called Tinder Plus.
Here is Tinder Plus pricing structure:
For a one-month subscription, itll cost you $9.99 per month.
For a six-month subscription, itll cost you $5.83 per month.
For a years subscription, itll cost you $4.58 per month.
In terms of what it has to offer for free to users, it cant be beat.
When it comes to subscriptions, it also seems to have more to offer for less.
Tinders subscription service is cheaper, but being able to rewind a swipe seems hardly worth the cash.
Using the Service
All three dating platforms are perfectly functional.
you could browse other peoples profiles, show them that you like them, and send them messages.
Each one, however, has their own subtleties and rules that go along with them.
OkCupids bread and butter are the questions it uses in its matchmaking algorithm.
These arent whats your hair color?
jot down questions, but more revealing do you do any hard drugs?
or do you like to make animal noises in bed?
key in of questions.
Browsing your matches is effortless, and you might use filters to adjust your search.
Messaging is also pretty straightforward and operates like texting or any other instant messenger.
Crafting your profile, however, can take some work.
It would be nice if OkCupid made the profile rubric a little more straightforward.
The last section in your profile is You should message me if.
or as a negative like …youre not just looking for a hookup and you want a real relationship.
Match.com also gives you Daily Matches.
While Match.com does do some things right, there are a lot of weird quirks and user interface issues.
Should I like them?
No, send them a wink first.
Okay, she winked back.
Do I favorite her, like, so she knows shes one of my favorites?
No, you dont want to move too fast and scare her off.
Now you’re able to like her.
If she likes you, then you’re able to send her a message.
Okay she liked me too… Oh, and she favorited me!
Crap, no, thats bad.
There just doesnt seem to be any reason to have that many ways to generate notifications on someones phone.
For example, say you find someone that is a highly-rated match for you.
Lastly, Match.coms layout and site design are clunky to navigate, and is vaguely reminiscent of 2006 MySpace.
Their mobile app, however, is much sleeker and super simple to use.
Despite how aggravating Tinders sign up can be for non-Facebook users, its incredibly fun and easy to use.
you might also super like someone by tapping the star or swiping up.
Its important to note that Tinder is very different than Match.com and OkCupid.
All in all, its a completely different kind of experience and youll either love it or hate it.
That being said, Tinder is super easy to use and its disturbingly addicting.
The subscription cost for Match.com helps weed out those who arent serious about making a real connection.
Tinder on the other hand, seems to be the complete opposite.
Both things that are, again, kinda-sorta shallow ways to judge people as you swipe through the masses.
Think of it as a virtual bar scene that you could peruse whenever and wherever you feel.
OkCupid is the happy medium of all three, and perhaps thats IACs intention for it as a platform.
If youre just looking for something casual, you could find that too.
OkCupid was alsovoted the most popular datingby Lifehacker readers.
