eHarmony Vs. Hinge: Which Is Better?
by John Santana
To be fair, most online dating apps look fairly similar. It is hard to distinguish their properties and identify the right one for you with a plain description. eharmony and Hinge are two of the bigger players with millions of subscribers. Who is the better one?
Look no further, this review is your all-in-one dating guru to help you figure out the best online dating apps.
Eharmony vs. Hinge At a Glance
eharmony Advantages:
- Thorough personality test to identify profiles with the highest possible success rate
- Members are mostly successful businessmen, entrepreneurs, and professionals
- Ideal for finding a life-long partner
eharmony Disadvantages:
- Expensive monthly membership fee
- Lack of filters
Hinge Advantages:
- Member diversity is great
- LGBT-friendly
- Affordable
- Plenty of filters including ethnicity and religion
Hinge Disadvantages:
- Lack of profile description to enhance a soulful connection as matches are based on physical attraction
Editor’s choice: Hinge
eharmony and Hinge have their pros and cons. Although which one will work better for you is personal, we surely have our love for Hinge in this review. Here’s why.
eharmony is too expensive for its features, especially when Hinge is offering the same quality at one-third of the price. Also, eharmony is only suitable for those looking for commitments. Hinge provides a freer community for members to explore.
On Hinge, you can add any advanced filter you want but eharmony is restrictive in its matching service. All matches are generated by the system. There is not much that users can do to detest the compatibility test results without going through another lengthy questionnaire.
All in all, Hinge guarantees a higher return with loads of exciting features. If you are looking to try out more online dating sites, we recommend Adult FriendFinder, Ashley Madison, and Bang Locals. They have all been tested by our editorial team and proven to be the top-tier online dating service providers in the country!
What Is The Difference Between eharmony And Hinge?
Registration
The difference between becoming a member of eharmony and Hinge is gigantic. It is not comparable by all standards. First of all, you need to prepare to spend a good half hour on eharmony if you are serious about dating whereas, on Hinge, it could take less than 2 minutes.
eharmony has adopted a unique compatibility test in light of its serious dating approach. All daters must go through a process of categorization so the system can put them in groups. The matches you get from search results will align with your personality test.
It aims to boost the success rate. Users are not thrown meaningless profiles that they would not even bat an eye on. Therefore, it is in your interest to answer as honestly as you can for the compatibility test.
With Hinge, all you need is a working phone number to register. The system requires you to get a verification code. After which, you will receive instructions to complete your profile. Polishing your profile is simple as there is no bio or much freedom for you to craft your art. You can only add a motto, a few personal details, and photos.
Verdict: Spending 30 minutes to sign up for an online dating app is not on anyone’s wishlist. Obviously, Hinge will take the crown on this. Its fast registration sends users down to Loveland in a heartbeat. On eharmony, you still have to go through 150 questions before you even get to complete your profile.
Undoubtedly, the lengthy signup process may benefit members when they start matching. The initial step is too painful for some to go through. It closes its door to many people’s faces before they are a member.
Members
The demographics on eharmony and Hinge are not the same at all. They both have a decent range of diversity, covering members of different ethnicities, ages, and statuses. Diversity is never amiss on these platforms. Regardless of your background, you will find a compatible match.
Still, there are some distinctions. On eharmony, the major user group is between the age of 35 to 45 whereas, on Hinge, the average age range is lower from 25 to 35. Established professionals with promising careers are drawn to eharmony for its serious approach.
eharmony removes all funny profiles at once to make sure users get the most intimate experience in meeting someone they will marry in the future.
Members tend to be more mature on eharmony. They jump to the point immediately by asking matches about their preferences on family life, marriage, children, etc. These questions can be intimating for other hookup sites but not here. Everyone wants to meet the right person within the shortest time frame. Nothing is too aggressive in the name of love.
Unfortunately, eharmony is not very welcoming towards the LGBT+ community or anyone looking for a polyamorous relationship. “One man, one woman” seems to be the motto on this previous Christian dating site.
On the other hand, Hinge takes a much more casual approach, with lots of people looking for hookups and casual relationships. Most of them are taking a “wait-and-see” attitude to see how the relationship will develop. They are not set on finding the love of their life here but are open to the idea.
Hinge is a safe place for the LGBT+ community as well. All types of relationships are welcome with full consent. You will see people seeking polyamorous relationships or BDSM partners there.
Verdict: In this day and age, true diversity is important. People want to be in a place where everyone is accepted even when they are not the minority. Hinge is significantly better at offering a comprehensive environment for members to converse and date.
On eharmony, if you don’t fall into the mainstream dating category, you may face discrimination from the system and members. It will be difficult to find profiles to match with.
Purpose
As mentioned, eharmony exclusively focuses on connecting soulmates. Hinge is more all-rounded in supporting varying dating lifestyles. Originally, eharmony was a Christian dating site for dedicated Christians to find life partners. Since then, it has opened its door to millions of others.
Still, eharmony is mainly serving heterosexual singles. To be specific, not just any singles, but those that are financially well off so they can complement middle-class family life.
That’s why eharmony is also said to be the hunting ground for those looking to marry rich. There are loads of millionaires that prefer a low-profile, high-class dating experience.
Hinge is quite the opposite of eharmony. It does not marginalize any type of daters. You can be anyone looking for anything you want. It serves every group of the audience quite well. There is a healthy mixture of people seeking hookups and committed romance. You don’t have to limit yourself to one type of relationship here.
Since Hinge attracts mostly young people with lots of college students, the success rate in fostering long-term relationships may not be high. But that’s hardly due to the hardware issues of the app. It only means people are likely not ready to be stable in that life stage.
Verdict: Hinge works better as it gives room for both casual and serious relationships. It does not get fixated on your relationship purpose. Members are free to explore more possibilities.
Besides, Hinge is capable of serving the LGBT+ community and other niches well. eharmony is strictly serving heterosexual people. Occasionally, you will even see hateful comments against other minorities, which can be quite a toxic environment.
Matching, Searching, And Messaging
In the searching and matching department, there are few options on eharmony. It only lets you add basic filters such as gender, age, and location. The rest is up to the system to allocate the best matches to you.
Based on your compatibility score, the matchmaking service will automatically assign a batch of profiles fitting your basic requirements. There is limited freedom in exploring your other types as eharmony firmly believes in its matching algorithm.
The good thing is that if you are really disappointed with the matches, you can request the “What If” results. It generates 30 profiles that are not your typical type and see how you like them. If you prefer the new profiles, you can change your preferences so it reflects your taste.
Hinge makes it easier for users to get dates. You are in charge of all the advanced filters. Are you looking for a 20-something blonde-hair, blue-eyed Ukrainian lover? There are all the filters you need. Hinge allows specific filters to better suit users’ physical preferences.
It would seem that physical attributes account for more than in the matching process for Hinge and eharmony values spiritual connection.
For messaging, both platforms have successfully created a friendly messaging environment with multiple features like video calling, sending stickers, photos, and videos. The chats are neatly kept so you can trace each match systematically.
The quality of both platforms is undeniably excellent. It is hard to find other mid-range dating apps with a server large enough to accommodate all members at the same time as these apps can. Their quality is impeccable and users will rarely encounter any bugs in the system.
Verdict: Hinge is the winner, without a doubt. Although eharmony wants to create a fail-safe matchmaking service, it cannot satisfy everyone with a single compatibility test. The test cannot accurately reflect everyone’s needs so a portion of members is stuck with unsuitable matches. Hinge gives flexibility so members can fully decide the best filters for themselves.
When eharmony does not give you high-quality results, you have to retake the personality test because the system can only recognize your preference from there. The lack of advanced search in case of system failure is a big hindrance for the site.
Pricing
Both dating platforms have a free trial that members can join without locking in a premium plan. However, the free version of both is not comprehensive enough to be successful. Therefore, you will have to upgrade your plan at some point.
You can renew your membership each month if you don’t want to be locked into a longer commitment. The one-month plan on eharmony is $36 against the one-year membership plan at $20 per month.
eharmony is remarkably expensive. It is pricier than some top dating sites like Adult FriendFinder and Ashley Madison. It does not do frequent promotions either. These are the average fees you will pay to be on the site.
Meanwhile, Hinge has a down-to-earth pricing scheme with the first month costing only $13. Subsequently, the longer you sign on, the cheaper it gets. For its six-month and one-year plans, you pay $7 and $5 per month, respectively.
The discrepancy in the pricing can be explained by the purpose of the two sites. To maintain a fancier member base, eharmony has to charge a higher rate to deter daters with less financial capacity. Hinge is after the number of members. Hence, setting a low price is the quickest way to absorb members.
Verdict: There is no way for Hinge to lose this category. Charging members $20 a month is only seen on exclusive high-end dating sites. Whether eharmony is truly there yet is debatable, but we have one thing for sure, you can get roughly the same experience at a portion of the price on Hinge.
Hinge’s user-friendly pricing means it is accessible to more members. You can meet a bunch of interesting people. eharmony may have to work a lot harder to justify the extra dollars a month so it does not lose to its competitors in the long run.
Summary
A big name does not always equate to quality. Both eharmony and Hinge are giants in the field but as the comparison goes, it is easy to see Hinge has the upper hand. It provides more comprehensive features at a more affordable price range.
Still indecisive about your choice? Try out the free trial on Hinge, Adult FriendFinder, Ashley Madison, and more to get a real glimpse of what it is like to be on these platforms!
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