You get what you pay for. This is the assumption we’re all under when it comes to services online.
In the online dating game, this is usually quite accurate and absolutely true.
Free dating websites are simply not the way to go if you’re serious about finding love or casual partners on the world wide web. We’ve discussed this before and we all pretty much agreed. HOWEVER! Not everyone is able to shell out 20-30 dollars a month to use an online dating service. If you’re one of those people that isn’t able to afford membership, read on. If 20-30$ a month is within your price range, then I suggest you check out these premium dating websites .
Let me first make you aware of the pitfalls of free online dating websites and then we’ll get to them.
Ads
We’re all aware of the fact that running a website can be quite costly. Without a membership fee, the only way these sites can survive is by relying on income from advertising. Free dating sites are crammed with advertisements. And usually, they’re ads to premium dating pay sites.
Spam & Scam
Who hasn’t been a victim of a scam when using an online dating site that is not members only! We’ve all been there. Because the sites are free, they’re a haven for spammers and scammers. They create profiles in every major city and collect your info in order to drive you to a costly landing page. So beware of these leeches when using an online dating site that doesn’t charge a monthly fee. Even small fees are enough to discourage these parasites. So it’s a small price to pay to avoid being a victim of a phishing scam.
Fakers and Pretenders
A monthly fee usually shows us that the members of a community are serious and committed to finding a significant other. It discourages fakers and pretenders from signing up and tricking people into thinking they’re something that they are not. How many times have you spent hours, or maybe even days talking to that cute, busty blonde that turned out to be an aging, bi-curious gentleman who was just trying to get a peak at your merchandise?
Predators
Last but not least, by signing up to a dating site and entering their personal details and credit card info, predators are a lot easier to catch. These monsters are aware of this and tend to lurk predominantly on free dating sites. You may think that because you’re a man, you’re immune to these criminals. You’re NOT. More men fall victim to predators online than women every year. One story that comes to mind is the poor ol’ gent from Arizona that was robbed, raped and murdered when he went out on a “blind date” with a “young girl” he met online.
That being said, let’s finally get to the sites!
Free Dating Websites
The major difference between premium dating sites and free ones, is the competition. Expect ratios of anywhere between 1 female / 20 males. You want to join one with TONS of traffic to even have a chance of connecting with someone. I’ll list the three major players in the free online dating game. Feel free to chime in and mention any other dating sites you’ve been on that don’t charge for membership. Help our fellow date hunters out.
Plenty of Fish
Fish from the biggest pond of all. Plenty of Fish currently claims to have over 10 million users. Not sure how many of these are real and active but it’s the biggest and busiest of all free dating sites. The male to female ratio is not very good. The boys far outnumber the gals. Lots of ads which can also get annoying. It is however a well laid out website with tons of members. Probably your best choice.
Craigslist
Craigslist is still a big player in the online matchmaking business so I feel the need to mention them. There are thousands of ads placed daily and there are still people that claim to find love and casual sex using craigslist’s personals section. Beware of scams and predators though. Aside from being the #1 online classifieds site, they’re also #1 when it comes to scams and predators. But, you can place a personals ad on Craigslist and hope for the best. It won’t cost you anything. All you need is an email address and a phone number. Please use as much due diligence as possible before meeting someone in person that you found on Craigslist. Lots of crazies there!
OKCupid
Okcupid is another pretty good option for those of you that are looking for singles and are not willing to pull out the credit card. They’re great if you’re a woman and atrocious if you’re a man. The men outnumber the women by at least 30-1. Which makes it quite difficult for the guys to actually succeed on OKcupid. Still a much better choice than a lot of these other free dating sites.
One Last Thing …
Remember to mention what’s different and interesting about you.
Upload lots of clear and recent photos of yourself.
Pictures of you alone, you with your dogs, you with friends, and throw one of you and another woman in there as well.
There’s nothing a woman wants more than another woman’s man !
Sounds harsh. But there’s some truth to that! Even the women will agree! 🙂
Vaughn - October 19, 2013 @ 22:43
Out of all those free dating sites I would go with craigslist simply because it can deliver much quicker results if you’re lucky. IF you’re lucky – Tried plenty o fish but didn’t like it tbh.