The Top Dating Sites – Match Vs OkCupid

Match vs OkCupid: Pricing, Features, Pros, Cons & More

by John Santana

Are you looking for love online? You’ve got plenty of options in dating apps to help you find that special someone. Whether you’re looking for a quick hookup or a long-term deal, there’s a dating platform to help you reach your relationship goals.

This review looks at two of the leading online dating sites, Match.com and OkCupid. Both have stellar reputations and reviews showing thousands of people found the love of their life using these platforms.

We’ll unpack everything you need to know to finalize the Match vs. OkCupid debate and put it to rest.


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Match Vs. OkCupid – At a Glance

Okcupid

Pros:

  • The huge user database gives you the best chance of finding as many matches as possible.
  • Advanced filters to improve matches.
  • Many useful free features, with no need for a premium account to match with someone.
  • A safe space for users of all genders, ethnicities, and sexual identities.
  • Link your OkCupid account to your Instagram profile to prevent creeping and catfishing.

Cons:

    • There’s a history of data leaks by bad actors.
    • The platform has ads unless you choose to upgrade.
    • There are plenty of fake profiles on the site.
    • Plenty of people use it to look for hookups over long-term relationships.

Match.com

Pros:

  • Huge user base.
  • Free 72-hour trial available.
  • Search access to all profiles.
  • You get a free six-month membership if you don’t get any matches in the first six months.
  • Less catfishing and spam due to paid membership access.

Cons 

  • Ads on profiles and the user interface, despite being a paid service.
  • There are many upsell purchases on top of the monthly subscription fee.
  • Many profiles with limited information and no activity.
  • Some reports of glitches and bugs.

About OkCupid And Match.com

Launched in 2003, OkCupid is one of the most established online dating platforms. It welcomes all ages and singles of all sexual identities and orientations. OkCupid is free, and they have a premium option to upgrade your account for more features.

We’ll get into those features later in this review, but for now, you need to know that OkCupid is one of the leaders in the online dating space, and for a good reason.

Match.com is the first dating site to hit the internet, with a huge reputation for helping people find love. Like OkCupid, it has a huge reputation for bringing singles together, forming many lasting relationships with fairy-tale endings.

Match also welcomes members of all ages and people of all sexual identities and walks of life. Unlike OkCupid, there’s no freemium option, so you’ll have to pay for the service. There are a few benefits to this model, and we’ll unpack them later.

General Features

Girl Hiding her face while using smartphone

Locations

Both dating apps serve a broad international audience. So, you have the opportunity to find love in most countries around the globe. Match operates in over 50 countries with a heavy presence in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe. OkCupid services similar demographics but has a bigger online presence, serving 100 countries, and it has a large footprint in Sweden.

Dating and Matching Process

Both OkCupid and Match use a “catalog” dating process where users create profiles, search their feeds for other profiles, and message people they find appealing. With Match and OkCupid, you can message any user on the site, which is different and more inclusive than other dating apps where the other person has to match you before you can message them.

Quality Of Online Singles

OkCupid focuses on casual dating. However, plenty of testimonials show thousands of users found their soulmate on the platform, creating lasting relationships ending in marriage. You never know; you could be next. Match.com is the better choice for finding a long-term partner, but a huge demographic also says they used the site for casual dating encounters.

Website Traffic

OkCupid receives the lion’s share of web traffic, with over 100 million unique site visits a month, compared to Match.com’s 30-40 million monthly visits.

Winner: Don’t want to read the full article? The editor’s choice is: OkCupid

Both sites offer a great user experience and the potential to find your next partner online. However, we must give the edge to OkCupid. It has a better user experience a better chance of finding a match sooner, and the free version is all you need to find someone.

Match Vs. OkCupid – What’s The Difference Between Them?

Smiling Woman Leaning on Table While Using Her Phone

Availability

Match and OkCupid are available to audiences around the globe. However, OkCupid has the bigger reach, servicing 100 countries. OkCupid operates Anywhere US companies can do business, including regions like North and South America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and Oceania.

Match has global coverage, but it’s only available in 50 countries, giving it half the reach of OkCupid. With OkCupid getting almost three times the traffic and double the global reach, it’s safe to say it wins this round.

In Summary

Website Availability

  • OkCupid Over 100 countries
  • Match Over 25 countries

Winner: OkCupid

Popularity

Match and OkCupid are among the world’s most popular dating sites, and their monthly traffic volumes prove this. OkCupid boasts 100 million visits monthly, while Match only receives around 35 million. We can assume OkCupid’s free model is responsible for the increased traffic volumes.

In Summary

Website Visits/month

  • OkCupid 100 million
  • Match 35 million

Winner: OkCupid

Signup Process

Mobile phone

Both platforms offer new users a seamless and user-friendly navigation and signup process. OkCupid impresses new users with its sleek graphics and conventional, simple signup questionnaire with funny pop-ups as you finish each section.

The signup process on OkCupid takes approximately 15 minutes to finish, and you’ll answer 15 questions to set up your profile and start receiving matches. After completing the signup, you can play the “hot-or-not” on-platform game. It’s plenty of fun, allowing you to browse profiles the algorithm thinks you’ll like. It’s sort of like the swipe and like feature on Tinder.

Match also offers a simple and fast signup process, but it’s a bit more extensive than OkCupid’s. You’ll probably spend around an hour setting up your profile and answering questions before you get around to using the site.

After completing your profile setup, it takes the Match team 24 hours to review and verify it to ensure you’re not a bot. While that might be frustrating o some that want to start using the platform right away, it’s an essential step to reduce spam and bot accounts on the site.

While the Match process keeps the platform safe, it’s also a lot more frustrating, and many users report dropping out or failing to complete the process due to the extensive requirements. So, we’ll have to give this section to OkCupid as well.

In Summary

Website Signup Process

  • OkCupid 15 minutes
  • Match 60 minutes

Winner: OkCupid

Features

Now, let’s move on to the real deal, the features of the site. This is where the rubber meets the road, and both platforms offer a good number of features to help you find a new partner in your life. The free and paid nature of the sites makes a significant difference in each platform’s features and user experience.

OkCupid doesn’t have elaborate features, but it’s highly functional for a free dating site. One of our favorites is the ability to make profile notes and return them later. There are also plenty of filters in the search function, and it’s easy to make new connections.

OkCupid lets you browse for hookups or friends, and you have free browsing and chatting for all members. Taking a paid membership on OkCupid adds a significant number of new features, including profile boosts, message prioritizations, and attractiveness ratings. The A-List premium membership provides searches using personality and body type criteria.

Match offers users a bevy of online features that you would expect from a paid online dating service. Complete the MatchWords feature and customize your online dating profile and experience or choose the professional matchmaker service if you’re a platinum member on the platform.

Match lets you search profiles based on several criteria, giving you the best chance of finding a match as fast as possible. You can search for profiles that might be slightly outside your career by adjusting your settings, allowing you to broaden your dating horizons.

Since it’s a paid service, Match delivers for you by issuing you daily matches every 24 hours. They arrive every day in your inbox. Store them in a folder, and you’ll build a collection of customized matches to go through any time you choose.

Match also offers members an offline matching service, giving you options for local community events or organized trips where you can meet new people and potentially find your match. These offline adventures occur in safe environments where you can flirt and have fun with peace of mind.

Considering the huge range of features on Match.com, we have to give it this section of the review.

In Summary

Website Features

  • OkCupid Basic online dating features.
  • Match A broad variety of online and offline features.

Winner: Match.com

Quality Of Matches

Heart in Mobile phone

The point of joining a dating site is to find matches. However, it’s no good if you get matches that are fake profiles, bots, or inactive accounts. To get the best chance of finding your next partner, you need access live accounts meeting your dating criteria.

Match has a few advantages of OkCupid in this department. Since OkCupid has a free model, you have a bigger chance of dealing with fake profiles or getting matched to inactive accounts on the site. It’s also open to anyone that wants to just make friends or is looking for their next hookup.

While the moderators on OkCupid do a good job of weeding out the fake profiles, many often slip through. That’s not the case with Match.com. The mods on this site will ban an account within 15 minutes of completing the signup process, sending you an email to the registered address stating you failed the verification process.

Since Match is a paid membership site, the accounts registered on the platform are more serious, and most are looking for long-term relationships. As a result, Match offers the user a more secure and safe experience, with members more interested in chatting and getting to know you. So, we have to give this round to Match.com.

In Summary

Website Quality Of Matches

  • OkCupid Great
  • Match Better

Winner: Match.com

Aesthetics and Interface

A dating site with a complex design and stuffy user interface leads to a terrible user experience. Fortunately, that’s not the case with either Match or OkCupid. Both sites have outstanding designs and remarkably fluid and seamless user interfaces for an exceptional user experience.

Both sites’ clean aesthetics and intuitive interface are easy on the eyes, but we must give it to OkCupid on this one. Match feels more overwhelming at first, and it takes more than a handful of visits to find your way around the interface and navigate the site properly.

OkCupid’s simple design and user interface feature enhanced graphics and robot comments while interacting with the site in the signup phase for ease of use and simple navigation. While it might not have the WOW factor of Match, it’s the better choice for functionality and purpose.

In Summary

Website Aesthetics and Interface

  • OkCupid Simple, functional, and clean aesthetic.
  • Match Attractive visual design but challenging to navigate.

Winner: OkCupid

Pricing

Curly hair boy and a girl using Mobile Phone

Regarding pricing, OkCupid is the only one offering users a freemium experience. While it also has a paid subscription service, you get plenty of value from the free site. Some might complain that the free side of the website attracts more spam accounts. However, since we’ve all had years of experience dealing with fake accounts on Twitter and Facebook, you’ll find it easy to spot the imposters from a mile away.

You get all the free features like “Hot-or-Not” and the chance to engage with potential matches for free on OkCupid. If you want to step up your game, you have the opportunity to take a subscription. OkCupid also offers in-app purchases alongside your premium membership. For instance, you can pay an additional $2 to boost your profile in search results to attract more matches.

Match Also has a more expensive pricing model than OkCupid’s premium tier. While both sites offer great value for their paid services, we must give the edge to OkCupid in this round.

In Summary

OkCupid vs. Match.com

Match Subscription length Price/month

  • One month $19.95
  • Three months $14.95
  • Six months $9.95

OkCupid Subscription length Price/month

  • Three months $19.99
  • Six months $16.99
  • 12 months $15.99

Winner: OkCupid

Who Is It For?

Wrapping up our comparison, we look at the inclusiveness of both sites. Who does each site cater to? When it comes to your sexual orientation, both sites allow people from all walks of life to use their services. Whether you’re straight or part of the LGBTQI+ community, you’ll find a home at both Match and OkCupid.

However, OkCupid has more options to use your profile to draw attention to your sexual preferences in your profile and bio. This simple function saves you from time-wasters, making it easier to find matches interested in your way of life. If you’re cisgender, non-binary, queer, or identify with any other sexual group, you’ll find it easy to notify others about your identity on OkCupid.

In Summary

  • OkCupid Straight & LGBTQI+ individuals
  • Match Straight & LGBTQI+ individuals

Winner: OkCupid

Conclusion

After reading through our review of Match and OkCupid, it’s clear the winner is OkCupid. While Match offers users a great forum for meeting people, it doesn’t have the same traffic, depth of features, user base, and user experience found on OkCupid.

The freemium model of OkCupid attracts more fake accounts and bad matches, but the huge range of users and excellent search functions with filters help you find loads of potential partners. OkCupid is more popular than Match.

Despite Match keeping it to more of a qualified audience using its paid model, OkCupid’s premium subscription gets you the same features and ability to cut away the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. OkCupid brings you a huge audience of potential matches, and there are more international countries for a broader audience.

So, if you’re n ex-pat living in Indonesia, you can use OkCupid to find people in Bali. The match doesn’t have this kind of reach. That said, Match is still a great choice for people in developed nations like the Americas and Europe.

With Match, you get a better quality of matches and the chance to engage in offline and online matching activities in your area. While Match’s paid model brings you a higher quality experience, we feel you get a similar interface and features with the premium version of OkCupid. Plus, the paid model from OkCupid is more affordable than Match.

Perhaps it wasn’t really fair to compare a paid membership to one operating a freemium model. However, we feel this review gives you a good comparison between the titans of the online dating world. Which will you choose for your online dating experience?

John Santana

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