At A Glance
Contents
OkCupid was launched in 2003 and is today
one of the most popular dating sites out there. It welcomes singles of all ages
and sexual orientations; a thing already made clear by the cute rolling
pictures on the website’s main page. What makes this site different in the
industry is that it’s free. While paid plans give you access to more perks,
anyone can message anyone and arrange dates without spending a dime.
Match is the oldest online dating platform and
arguably one of the most popular. It’s not free as OkCupid, but it’s acclaimed
for the quality of matches you can find. Like OkCupid, it welcomes members of
all ages and from all walks of life, but some people may consider it more
trustworthy because you have to pay to use it.
Get Match 25% OFF (Offer Ends October 2020)
How to Choose a Dating
Site
Offering
essentially the same features, OkCupid and Match are both legit and
trustworthy. When it comes to actually choose one, things are not that simple
though.
Each site
addresses the same type of users; however, OkCupid
is seen as less reliable than Match just because it’s free. Due to the
different nature of the two, we can say they attract different kinds of users,
despite addressing all of them.
So, when it
comes to picking the best dating site for you, it all comes down to what you
want.
Are you
looking for a long-term romance or casual dates?
In the
first case, Match could be a better choice. In the latter, go for OkCupid.
If you
haven’t used dating sites before, the “try before you buy” formula used by
OkCupid might also appeal to you more.
The website
is free to use; thus, you won’t have to worry about paid membership plans.
Match, on
the other hand, is ideal for those who know how online dating works and look
for long-term romance.
Since you
have to pay to interact with the other members, the site tends to ward off
casual daters and those who’re not really interested in online dating, to begin
with.
Despite
these obvious differences, though, there are many ways in which the two
platforms compare.
This is why
I’ve come up with this head-to-head comparison between the two. We’ll compare
the two in several important factors and pick a definitive winner, so you can
leave the guesswork out of the game and pick the one that suits you most.
Availability
Both
OkCupid and Match are available worldwide, but the former is a bit more
popular. Indeed, OkCupid is available in
almost all countries and continents.
A huge user
pool counts members in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and
Oceania. Perhaps even in Antarctica, if the seventh continent’s base employees
happen to have an account.
The only
countries where OkCupid is not available are those where a US company can’t
conduct legal business.
Match also has worldwide coverage, but it’s only available in 25 countries. It’s true that you can access it under a different name in some countries in Europe, but some people might not even know that it’s the same platform.
As such,
it’s safe to say that OkCupid wins this round.
Winner: OkCupid
Popularity
Available
in many more countries and attracting many more members than Match due to its
free nature, OkCupid boasts about 100 million visits each month. In comparison,
Match only receives about 35 million monthly visits. Needless to say anything
else. The numbers speak for themselves.
Winner: OkCupid
Sign-up Process
Signing up
is simple and intuitive on both platforms.
OkCupid impresses with sleek graphics and a
classic sign-up questionnaire enhanced by cute cartoons and funny messages that
pop up as you fill in the various fields.
The signup
process takes less than 15 minutes and consists in basic about yourself and
answering a short (15-question) questionnaire about your relationship goals,
personality, and what you look for in a partner.
Once you’ve
filled in all the fields, you can start looking for partners by playing a fun
“hot-or-not” game or just browsing through profiles.
Match also has a simple signing-up process,
but slightly longer than OkCupid. The personality questionnaire is more complex
and comprises more questions, so you’ll end up spending about an hour to
complete it.
Once you’ve
filled in all the fields, your profile goes under review, and you’ll have to
wait for about 24 hours for it to be approved.
This is one
of the biggest differences between Match and many other dating sites. By doing
so, the platform does its best to ward off scammers and casual daters, making
the place safer for its users. On the contrary, anyone can use OkCupid, even if
they’re not really interested in romance, mainly due to the no-frills sign-up
process.
Nevertheless,
though, I kind of hate Match’s waiting time. Once again, OkCupid wins.
Winner: OkCupid
Features
When it
comes to features, the free or paid nature of the site really does make a
difference.
OkCupid doesn’t have any elaborate features
to brag with, but it’s a truly functional dating site. Few but essential
features draw users and keep them happy.
One of the
nicest things is the ability to make notes on profiles if you want to return to
them at a later time.
An array of
search and filter functions let you browse people in your area. They’re not
truly in-depth, but still enough to give you a nice impression of who you can
connect with.
Unlike most
dating sites, OkCupid is not centered on romantic connections. You can choose
to look up for friends or hookups, and these options add new dimensions to your
search.
Joining the
website, browsing, and chatting is free for all members. A paid membership
option adds new features, such as boosting your profile, increase your
attractiveness rating, or have your messages prioritized.
The A-List
premium membership also lets you search by criteria such as body type or
personality.
Match comes with a wealth of features online
daters have come to know and love. The dating experience starts when you’re
filling in your profile, then continues once you gain access to the website
after your profile has been verified.
To start with, you can fill in your favorite MatchWords to customize your online dating experience or use professional matchmaker features if you’re a Platinum member.
Match also
gives you the possibility to search based on a variety of different criteria,
so you can find compatible matches. This includes looking for people who search
for members with your criteria even though they might not be exactly what you
are looking for – a nice thing if you want to broaden your horizons.
Since
you’re paying for the service, the site also sends you new daily matches every
24 hours. They’re not a lot, but it’s still nice to find a few new matches into
your inbox every day.
Online
features apart, Match also knows how to attract its members with offline
features, such as organized trips or community events you can join to meet
singles in your area in person and in a safe environment.
When it
comes to features, OkCupid might be free, but it has no chance of beating
Match.
Winner: Match.com
Get Match 25% OFF (Offer Ends October 2020)
Quality of Matches
When you’re
joining a dating site, your main goal is to find suitable dates. For this, you
must have the possibility to chat with people who’re genuinely interested in
dating and romance.
Here, Match
has a few advantages over OkCupid.
Because OkCupid is free, there are slightly higher
chances of dealing with scammers or fake profiles. However, there is to say
that this platform is not centered around dating and romance alone. Open to
anyone, and you can also join if you’re looking for hookups or just to make
friends.
Surprisingly,
during my tests, I found most people are pretty honest about their intentions.
When
signing in with a fake profile, it took them a matter of minutes until it was
banned, which gives high hopes about the profile accuracy and member quality.
Nevertheless,
Match still inspired more trust, and
members were faster to respond than on OkCupid.
Because
Match is a paying site, members on it are more likely to be interested in short
or long-term romance, sometimes even in marriage.
Overall,
Match feels more secure, and members are more interested in chatting, getting
to know you, and asking you out for a date. Undeniably, Match wins this round.
Winner: Match
Aesthetics and Interface
Using a
dating site that’s overly designed can become overwhelming. Luckily, both
OkCupid and Match have clean aesthetics and intuitive interfaces. However,
Match is more attractive from a visual standpoint.
Indeed, the
site’s new interface looks absolutely amazing, showing off the site’s bubbly
personality.
While it
could seem overwhelming at first, Match is quite intuitive once you get used to
it. The website integrates a lot of functions that enhance the user experience.
OkCupid has
a very simple design and interface enhanced by graphics during the sign-in
stage and robot comments while you’re interacting with the site, but overall,
it’s pretty basic.
This
doesn’t mean it’s ugly. OkCupid is an attractive website. However, it lacks the
wow factor. That’s why it loses this point.
Winner: Match
Pricing
There isn’t
too much to talk about pricing. OkCupid is mostly free, whereas Match is a paid
website.
Thus, from the
point of view of cost, OkCupid wins, as it gives you the possibility to search
through profiles, play hot-or-not and chat with members completely free of
charge.
Match is a
paid service; therefore, you can’t do much until you pay. You can browse
through profiles, play hot-or-not, and send winks. But that’s about it.
Considering how much you get for the money, I’d say it’s a good investment
though.
However,
you can also pay for extra perks on OkCupid. For instance, the A-list
subscription gives you the possibility to navigate in incognito mode, see who
has visited your profiles and whether or not the members you contacted read
your message.
You can
also pay $2 to boost your profile in the search result. Some of these perks
come with Match too, but you’ll have to buy a higher membership plan, thus
spend a lot more.
While it’s
not truly fair to compare a free and a paid service in this way, it’s hard to
deny that OkCupid wins.
| OkCupid | Subscription length | Price/month | Match | Subscription length | Price/month |
| Read review | One month | $19.95 | Read review | Three months | $19.99 |
| Three months | $14.95 | Six months | $16.99 | ||
| Six months | $9.95 | 12 months | $15.99 |
Winner: OkCupid
Who Is It For?
Last but
not least, you’re probably wondering which website is right for you from the
point of view of sexual orientation.
Before delving
deep into the matter, there is to say that both sites welcome members from all
walks of life and sexual orientation. They’re both open to straight, bisexual,
and other members of the LGBT community.
Yet, OkCupid does it better. Indeed, this
website has much more options you can choose from. You can join and be open
about your sexuality even if you are a non-binary, asexual, queer, cisgender, or
if you identify yourself with any other sexual group.
Match is also open to all kinds of members, but you’ll only have the option to choose if you’re a man or woman and whether you’re looking to date a man or a woman, which is pretty basic considering the variety of ways an individual can define their sexuality.
Winner: OkCupid
And The Winner Is…
Perhaps it
wasn’t fair all along to compare a free and a paid website. So, making
abstraction of the price factor, there is one clear winner of this head-to-head
round. And that’s OkCupid.
This
website is much more popular than Match, and it’s literally available
worldwide, it makes registration and interaction easy, and welcomes members
from all walks of life. Its greatest strength is that it lets everyone express
their sexuality openly, which is a major plus.
Although
free, it has an excellent monitoring system that detects and bans fake profiles
in minutes. Thus, there are high chances to talk to genuine users while online.
Another great
thing about OkCupid is interaction ease. Furthermore, you can pay for perks and
add-ons.
The only
downside is that most members are interested in hookups and short
relationships. It’s not exactly the site to consider if you want to get
married.
Match, on the other hand, is a better option
if you’re looking for long-term romance and maybe an “I do” and a ring on your
finger.
At the end
of the day, it all comes down to what you want. Are you looking for occasional
romance and maybe something more? Then OkCupid is for you. Do you want to find
someone for life or at least for a long-term? In this case, you should pick
Match.
Get Match 25% OFF (Offer Ends October 2020)
So, what do
you say?
Have you
tried any of these sites? Have you tried online dating, or is this your first
time?
Tell me in
a comment below; I’d love to hear from you.
Before you
go, also don’t forget to share this article with your single friends. They might
appreciate it.
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