At A Glance
Contents
Tinder is by far the most popular dating app out there. It counts milliards of users looking for anything from friendship to eternal love. It’s currently available in 190 countries and 34 languages, and it majorly attracts young singles as well as people of all ages looking for casual dating and hookups.
POF (the abbreviation for Plenty of Fish), is one of the first dating sites. It was launched in 2003 and is majorly popular in Canada, America, and the United Kingdom. While it’s available in 20 countries, its popularity drops considerably among members from countries different than those mentioned above. Nevertheless, it is a hot spot for serious online dating and attracts people looking for marriage or long-term romance.
How to Choose a Dating Site
If you’re new to online dating, online dating sites and apps may look all alike. However, things are slightly different.
There are various types of dating sites out there.
Some sites appeal more to people looking for long-term relationships and marriage.
Others cater to those who only want a casual thing.
Some sites are LGBT-friendly; others are more heterosexual-oriented.
Thus, you should have a clear picture of what you’re looking for and select a dating site that can truly cater to your needs.
When it comes to Tinder and POF, they have some similarities but cater to different categories.
Tinder is ideal for those interested in casual dating. Whether it’s a hookup or short-term relationship, this is the app for you.
POF caters to singles looking for longer-term commitment and potentially marriage. It attracts a more mature share of singles, usually in their late 20s and 30s, so you’ll have higher chances of finding someone in search of their true love.
Availability
One of the most important things to check when picking a dating site is its availability. Sure; you’ll obviously pick a site that’s available in your area. But if you like to travel a lot and would like to use the service to find dates in other parts of the world, you should check if the dating site you like is available in that area.
At the moment of this writing, Tinder is available in 190 countries and 34 languages. Plenty of Fish covers a smaller area and is available in only 20 countries and 9 languages.
Needless to say that Tinder wins this round.
Winner: Tinder
Popularity
Covering a wider area and available in many more languages, Tinder is extremely popular. The simple interface that makes it a star among younger daters enhance its popularity even more. So much that it has around 50 million visits per month.
The figure is just an estimate and it is believed that the actual visits are actually many more.
Plenty of Fish can’t compete with this popularity. The website counts millions of members too, but things are quieter around here.
Due to its scarce availability, the website only has about 3.5 million visits per month. That’s still a lot considering that most members are from Canada, America, or the UK. You’ll still find plenty of people to talk to when logging in.
Nevertheless, you won’t have so much choice as you would on Tinder. Or on any other website that has higher popularity. As such, Tinder wins the second round too.
Winner: Tinder
Sign-up Process
Signing up to both Tinder and POF is quick and straightforward. Neither site makes you lose too much time with the process, and it’s safe to say that you’ll spend less than 20 minutes to create your profile regardless of which service you choose.
Tinder is the fastest, as it requires you to sign up with your Facebook profile. It retrieves all the data from there, so you won’t really have to fill in anything. Alternatively, you can sign up with your phone number – I didn’t test this function, but it’s probably as straightforward as signing up with Facebook.
POF has a quick sign-up process. Simply choose a user name *other than FishyFish and FiletoFish* and a password, fill in a quick questionnaire in under a minute, say something about yourself and verify your identity using your mobile number.
The website doesn’t share any sensitive data, comprising your phone number, email, or home address, so it’s safe to use them.
While both sites are easy to sign-in and I might be tempted to call it a tie, the truth is that Tinder is faster.
So, Tinder wins the third round in a row in this head-to-head comparison between the two. This match doesn’t look too promising for Plenty of Fish.
Winner: Tinder
Features
With 3-0 for Tinder up to this point, will Plenty of Fish manage to hop back into the game and change the circumstances?
If we were to consider only the features each service comes with, the odds tend to lean in POF’s favor.
This website was born for the miserable singles who want to find true love and stop being miserable. As such, it comes with plenty of features developed to help members achieve their goals. That’s visible right from the start, as you’ll have to fill in a more thorough profile.
Using the website is free, which is a huge plus in the online dating world. However, you can upgrade to a paid membership if you want to unlock perks and other interesting features.
However, these paid features are nowhere near as good as Tinder’s. I mean, who wants to send virtual gifts when they could see who liked their profile on another platform?
Speaking about Tinder, the free version comes with more restrictions than POF. Considering that most members on both platforms use the free version, Tinder could be a tad more annoying.
Perhaps the biggest limitation is the geolocation feature that doesn’t allow you to search members in other geographical areas. You can’t even look for people in the next neighborhood if you live in a large metropolitan area, such as New York.
To unlock this feature, you’ll have to pay.
Another limitation is the impossibility to unlike or un-dislike a profile once you’ve made a decision. There is also a limit of profiles you can like in a day.
Sure, opting for a premium plan unlocks all these annoyances, but you’ll have to drop the cash. That’s why this round’s point goes to Plenty of Fish.
Winner: POF
Quality of Matches
When it comes to the quality of matches, there is little to argue about. Quality members are on Plenty of Fish.
That’s not to say the members on Tinder aren’t real. You’ll find plenty of genuine profiles. It’s just that the younger crowds on Tinder don’t want commitment most of the times. Not that something’s wrong with one night stands, but if you’re looking for something more serious, Tinder will likely disappoint you.
Plenty of Fish, on the other hand, caters to more mature crowds. People here want a serious relationship and are willing to walk the extra mile for someone that’s worth it.
If you’re thinking of long-term commitment and marriage, that’s the site you should be on.
Winner: POF
Aesthetics and Interface
The two platforms couldn’t have been more different from an aesthetic point of view. This is quite understandable, though, as one is a website built for desktop while the other is an app for mobile.
POF has a clean aesthetics but a more complex interface. It’s easy to navigate, but someone who’s not that tech-savvy could get lost. You’ll have to fill in profiles and learn the various sections of the site before getting used to it.
Tinder is much more intuitive. It’s as simple as most mobile apps and there is nothing to put you off. This design is essential to help people find a match fast.
In fact, everything on Tinder is on fast-mode, just as the lives of those who should use the app.
Comparing two platforms built for different mediums is not easy. However, mature singles also find Tinder super-easy to use, whereas some users complain about the somehow confusing design of Plenty of Fish.
With this in mind, Tinder takes the lead once again and wins another round.
Winner: Tinder
Pricing
When it comes to prices, both Tinder and POF offer premium subscriptions to the members who want to unlock more perks. They’re both accessible, but Tinder tends to be cheaper if you’re under 30. At this stage, it could seem Tinder’s on a roll again, but this might not necessarily be true.
While Tinder is undoubtedly a better choice for people under 30, POF has more competitive prices for everyone else; and the biggest share of online daters still counts people in their 30s or over.
To ensure justice in this round, we’re gonna compare the standard Tinder Gold prices with those of Plenty of Fish
| Tinder Gold | Subscription length | Price/month | POF | Subscription length | Price/month |
| Check it out | One month | $29.99 | Read review | Two months | $19.35 |
| Six months | $18.83 | Four months | $12.75 | ||
| 12 months | $12.50 | Eight months | $10.18 |
Winner: POF
Who Is It For?
The balance is now 4-3 for Tinder, so this is a decisive round. Will it be a tie or will Tinder claim the big title?
I don’t want to spoil it for you, so all I’m going to say is that Tinder caters to singles of all ages and sexual orientations whereas POF is more heterosexual-centered.
If you have homosexual, bisexual, or asexual orientation, Tinder makes it easier to find a match. POF still follows the outdated social norms where everyone can belong to either male or female groups.
Not only you won’t be able to share your real sexuality on POF; the site did little to become LGBTQ-friendly. So, Tinder wins the round.
Winner: Tinder
And The Winner Is…
Tinder. It might not have been designed exactly for dating. It might be harder to find a match interested in a long-term romance. Due to its young spirit, you might even have to comply with the beauty standards it set to have some success on it.
POF might be more open to people who’re overweight or who don’t feel comfortable on Tinder, but it’s not as good as its competition.
Tinder has more members and makes it easy to connect with people in your area. It is more user-friendly and welcomes singles from minority groups, which is awesome. It’s available in more places and easier to sign up.
We can’t deny, though, that POF has higher quality members and more dating-focused features. If you want to find serious romance faster, this is the right choice for you.
So, what do you say?
Would you go for the winner or give POF a chance? What are your expectations of online dating?
Tell me in a comment below. And before you go, don’t forget to share this article with your friends.
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