CatholicMatch
Review 2024
For Catholic Singles looking for love
Unique MatchPortrait and Temperament Profiling
51% Male | 49% Female
- For Catholic Singles looking for love
- Unique MatchPortrait and Temperament Profiling
- 51% Male | 49% Female
In-Depth Review of
CatholicMatch
CatholicMatch is arguably one of the most popular dating websites devoted to catholic singles looking to meet their ideal match. Founded in 1999, the dating platform has expanded to roughly 1.5 million active users today. With over 70 million Catholics living in the United States, it’s no surprise that a specified service catering to roughly 22% of the population would experience a surge in popularity.
Despite these high numbers, finding the perfect date who shares your religious and morals values can still be a considerable challenge. It takes more than a simple matching algorithm to ensure a quality dating experience. That is why CatholicMatch has built itself up as a community project just as much as a dating service.
The platforms founders, Jason LaFosse and Brian Barcaro make three promises to all users: a respectful and caring experience, continued access to content that will help improve your relationship and self well beyond initial dating, and the guarantee of privacy, security, and top-notch services. These are some strong claims for a dating service, so let’s take a look at how the actual matching experience holds up.
Pros
Ideal for Catholic singles in urban areas
Strictly Catholic, single members
Easy-to-navigate website and app
Cons
The free trial has minimal capabilities
Less matches in smaller towns
How Much Is CatholicMatch?
1 MONTH
Per month: $29.99
Total: $29.99
6 MONTHS
Per month: $14.99
Total: $89.94
12 MONTHS
Per month: $9.99
Total: $119.88
Signing Up for CatholicMatch
The signup process for CatholicMatch is a longer process than typical for most dating platforms. While other services might streamline the process to get users registered and active as quickly as possible, CatholicMatch presents its new users with a series of questions that, while not difficult, can lengthen the process upwards of 10 to 15 minutes, depending on each user’s level of engagement.
Most questions are related to the user’s faith, beliefs, and religious habits. This is used to learn more about specific expressions of faith, as individual Catholics have been known hold a wide range of personal beliefs. It’s important to mention, however, that CatholicMatch caters to all practicing Catholics regardless of specific opinions on dogma – and these questions are also presented one at a time, which can result in more time spent moving between questions.
New users will also be required to upload a primary photo for their account. This ensures all users on the service have a photo, making the matching and communicating process on the site much easier. Since you are able to sign up using email or Facebook, it is possible to use photos directly from your Facebook account.
One unique aspect of CatholicMatch is the assigning of usernames. While other dating services that employ usernames typically give users some control, you will instead be assigned a username that combines your name with a user number. This can be disappointing for those that like to personalize the way they present themselves on dating platforms, but it also helps keep the service feeling professional and consistent.
Member Structure
CatholicMatch has a userbase primarily based out of English-speaking countries, with the vast majority (roughly 1,200,000) coming from the US. Other nations with significant Catholic populations are also present however, with active users in Canada, the UK, Ireland, Poland, and throughout Latin America. Still, you’re most likely to get matched right here at home and especially if you live near a major city.
The service also benefits from an equal ratio of men and women, at 51% male and 49% female, giving both sexes plenty of opportunity for matches. Among that divide, most users fall in the 25-34 age range, but another large portion comes from the 55+ demographic. You can also expect a diverse range of religious opinions on the platform, as more personal beliefs can be specified in user profiles, or discussed in conversations on forums.
Matching Process
CatholicMatch is unique in that it does not feature a matching algorithm. What it offers instead is “Match Portrait”, a questionnaire that provides further opportunity to describe your personality, interests, and faith. The system then uses these answers to find similarly minded individuals, who it then suggests for you as potential matches
Aside from “Match Portrait”, a lot of your time on CatholicMatch will involve scrolling through profiles of singles in your area. Luckily, most profiles are well-filled out, due in large part to the lengthy sign-up process. This means most users have plenty of information about themselves on display, and can give you a pretty good idea of their values and personality ahead of time.
The service also offers something called “Temperaments”, which is built on the theory that there are four fundamental personality types. These are sanguine, melancholic, choleric, and phlegmatic. First proposed by Hippocrates, an ancient Greek thinker and considered the father of medical science, every user can take a test to determine their specific temperaments.
By comparing results, users can better determine their potential compatibility and a better understanding of their personality type for everyday life!
Contact Options
Contact options on CatholicMatch are fairly straightforward. Users can send and receive private messages from each other in a manner similar to most messaging services. Users can also send “emotigrams”, CatholicMatch’s custom emojis that can help cut down on the stress of opening lines.
It’s also important to note here that CatholicMatch does offer both free and premium services, and users will need to pay for a subscription to benefit from the full experience of the website. Free users are limited to customizing their own profile, searching and viewing profiles, sending Emotigrams, participating in matching, and seeing who has viewed their profile.
To actually send and read messages however, you will need a paid subscription. Paid membership also gets you access to CatholicMatch’s community chatroom, which is a pretty significant feature given the platform’s emphasis on community engagement. Users can also invite other members to answer 10 multiple choice questions. These can be fun facts or scenarios that help move the small talk along, and provide a jumping off point for further conversation.
CatholicMatch App
CatholicMatch has a fully functional mobile app that works for both iOS and Android. The app is specifically made for use on-the-go, and offers all of the features available on the main website.
Conclusion
CatholicMatch harkens itself as the premier dating service for Catholics. With over two decades of experience, an active userbase, and multiple endorsements from members of the Catholic Church, the service really lives up to those expectations. With that in mind, if you’re a Catholic single looking for a serious relationship founded on commitment, faith, and shared values, then CatholicMatch might just be the perfect dating platform for you.