Free Dating Sites 
The Best Free Dating Sites in the US
As the internet dating market has grown and more dating sites have emerged throughout the years, more Americans are relying on them to meet that special someone. Pew Research Center conducted a study and found that 30% of U.S. adults have used a dating site at one time. That includes 48% of 18- to 29-year-olds and 38% of 30- to 49-year-olds, which means online dating has become the #1 way for single Americans to meet — beating out meeting people in public settings.
Because there are so many people meeting online, there are also tons of options to choose from, including completely free-to-use dating sites, dating sites with free trials, and dating sites that allow you to sign up for free. Here, we’ll break down which sites allow you to do what so you can make a more informed decision.
To present the best dating sites to you, we have tested more than 70 dating sites and apps based on the following criteria:
- User-friendliness
- Features
- Activity
- Seriousness
- Price
For each criterion, we assigned a rating between 0 and 5. A dating site receives a score of 5 stars only if it leaves nothing to be desired in that particular aspect.
–
Bad
–
Poor
–
Good
–
Excellent
Additionally, we provided an overall rating for each dating site, reflecting the average of the scores in the various criteria. Therefore, the overall rating considers all five parameters.
Learn more about how we score here.
Below is our overview of the best free dating sites. The overall rating is available directly below the logo. If you want to learn more about the evaluation in a specific aspect, simply click “Read review.”
In addition to our own experiences with the respective dating site, our reviews also take into account the experiences of others. We also read reviews from external sources such as Trustpilot to provide a nuanced and credible picture of the user experience.
Completely Free Dating Sites
While even free-to-use dating sites usually offer premium plans, these sites below give you access to free features such as matchmaking, messaging, search functions, and more. Although they might give you a limited number of matches and messages you can send, it’s still enough to help you find a date. Because these sites are free to use, they attract a large number of users. This will make it easy to find matches and chat with other users. However, you’ll want to look out for bots and fake accounts since it’s easier for scammers to create profiles when there’s no paywall. But if you know how to spot fake profiles, you shouldn’t have any problem finding a date on any of these free dating sites.
This article contains affiliate-links.
- Not just a place for casual fun
- Freemium plan includes features
- Modern and up-to-date design
Target audience:
Everyone
Activity level:
High
Largest age group:
25-34 year olds
- A revamped dating site
- Offers free trial with features
- More traditional dating experience
Target audience:
Young singles
Activity level:
Very high
Largest age group:
25-34 year olds
- World’s most downloaded dating app
- A social discovery network
- Over 500 million registered users
Target audience:
Everyone
Activity level:
High
Largest age group:
25-34 year olds
Dating Sites With Free Trial
If you’re looking for dating sites that attract singles that are more serious about finding true love, you might want to consider going with paid dating sites. You’ll usually find better quality matches on sites like eHarmony, Match, and Christian Cafe because paywalls are typically better at weeding out scammers and casual daters. We like these dating sites because they allow you to utilize key features before deciding if the platform is for you. Testing them out will allow you to navigate the site, see what kind of matches are using the site around your location, and also message potential dates. While 3- to 7-days probably isn’t enough time to meet that special someone, it should be sufficient enough time to see if it’s right for you.
- Designed for long-term relationships
- Responsible for 5% of all U.S. marriages
- Offers free 3-day trial
Target audience:
Serious singles
Activity level:
Very high
Largest age group:
25-54 year olds
- The original online dating website
- Offers a freemium model
- Millions of users across 50 countries
Target audience:
Everyone
Activity level:
Very high
Largest age group:
18-60 year olds
- Popular Christian dating site
- Highly targeted search results
- 10-day free trial
Target audience:
Christian singles
Activity level:
High
Largest age group:
18-55 year olds
Dating Sites With Free Registration
These are the sites that allow you to sign up for free. But if you want to take advantage of all the functionalities that enable you to find a date, you’ll have to pay for a subscription service. Essentially, this allows you to get a feel for the dating site and some of the functionalities before you make any commitments. You can also see who’s on the site and oftentimes you can send “Likes.” These dating sites are so confident in their product that they’re optimistic that you’ll pay for full access to their features once you’ve registered and looked around the site. Once you start matching with other users you’re interested in talking to, you can then upgrade to a paid subscription plan to unlock messaging and other useful features.
- Over 40 million members
- Half of all users are in the US
- 3 million messages sent daily
Target audience:
Everyone
Activity level:
High
Largest age group:
25-34 year olds
- 80% of members have degrees
- Browse profiles for free
- Attracts a mature dating crowd
Target audience:
Educated singles
Activity level:
High
Largest age group:
30-55 year olds
- 50 and overs looking for love
- Easy-to-use website and app
- Founded nearly 20 years ago
Target audience:
Mature singles
Activity level:
High
Largest age group:
50+ year olds
- 100% focused on Christian singles
- 7 million Christian singles
- For serious relationship seekers
Target audience:
Christian singles
Activity level:
High
Largest age group:
24-35 year olds
- 80 millions users and counting
- For casual hookups
- Over 60 million visits each month
Target audience:
Casual daters
Activity level:
High
Largest age group:
18-65 year olds
- 69% of users are single parents
- A fast-growing 50+ dating site
- Includes free app with 4-star rating
Target audience:
Mature singles
Activity level:
High
Largest age group:
50-75 year olds
Free Dating Sites – FAQ
Which dating sites are totally free?
You’ll find that the first five dating sites on our list are totally free to use. That includes OkCupid, Plenty of Fish, Badoo, Facebook Dating, and Mingle2. They allow you to match with other users, search for matches, and message matches. However, most of these dating sites have some functionalities that are only accessible by upgrading to a paid subscription. If you’re looking for a dating site that includes all features totally free of charge, that would be Facebook Dating. But that doesn’t mean it’s the best dating site out there for you. That’s why we recommend trying out a few dating sites before fully committing to one.
What is the best 100% free dating site?
What’s good for one person isn’t good for everybody. Just because Badoo has 350 million members worldwide doesn’t make it the best free dating site. For instance, most of Badoo’s members are in their late teens and early 20s looking for friendship and casual dating. That might be the best free dating site for that particular demographic, but if you’re someone in their 30s looking for a long-term relationship, then OkCupid might be the best free dating site for you. Fortunately, the first five dating sites on our list are completely free, which means you can test them all out to find the best free dating site for you.
What is the safest free dating site?
All the dating sites we included on this list attempt to make their dating sites as safe as possible. That being said, you should always take precautions when meeting strangers online. The things you should watch out for the most are scammers and bots. These are fake profiles created with the intention of stealing sensitive information and money from you. To spot these bad actors, try to look for profiles that contain a minimal amount of information and profiles photos. Real profiles, on the other hand, will be full of information pertaining to their interests, hobbies, and lifestyle with lots of photos with friends, pets, and people close to them. If you see any suspicious behavior, always report it to the dating site to prevent them from scamming another user.
When should I go on a date with a match?
To ensure you don’t waste your time on dating sites, it’s always advised to meet the person you matched with and are talking to right away. Don’t carry on text conversations for multiple weeks just to find out the two of you don’t get along in person. However, also play it safe when you go to meet someone. Don’t rely on rides from them and always meet in a public space with lots of people around. We recommend taking even further steps to ensure your safety, such as sharing your live location with a friend and telling someone when you’re expected to be back home. While it’s extremely rare to meet someone that has ill intentions, your safety should always be your #1 concern.
Is it better to pay for a dating site?
This question really comes down to how serious you are about finding long-term companionship and which demographic you fall into. If you’re someone in their 20s looking for something casual and fun, completely free sites should totally suffice. It’s once you start looking for something more serious and long-term that you might want to consider paying for a dating site that uses compatibility ratings and matchmaking algorithms that connect you with like-minded individuals. Then, if you’re looking for something more niche such as Christian singles, highly-educucated singles, or singles in their 50s and 60s, you might want to pay a little extra to find that specific person.
Are there any tips for choosing a dating site?
All of these dating sites have built something unique and fun in their own way. The only way to choose the best dating site for your criteria is to test out the waters. Good thing for you, we’ve added the best dating sites that allow you to test the sites out for free (or somewhat free). That means you can sign up, take a free trial, and get to know the lay of the land before committing to anything long-term. In particular, it’s important to see how many other users, as well as the quality of users, are available in your area. If you live in a big US city, any of these dating sites should give you tons of options. If you live in a more rural area, you might have to go with one of the larger dating sites with a wide pool of potential dates.