Match.com vs Plenty of Fish: Which is Best?
by John Santana
When you hear the words ‘dating site’, Match.com and Plenty of Fish are two of the first that come to mind. As far as you know, the two popular platforms offer pretty similar services to their customers. Both websites offer sophisticated dating algorithms which match you with people based on your interests, age range preferences, etc.
So when it comes to getting a date, is there any difference between dating-industry-giant Match.com and its feisty competitor POF? Is one better than the other? How are you supposed to choose?
They both offer their users the ability to meet other singles in their area, but they also have a few key differences. Match.com is a smoother, more sophisticated site with an expert formula to match you with a long-term partner. While POF is a bit rougher around the edges and is more about the casual dating vibe.
To get a better idea of which site stands out as best, let’s compare Match.com vs Plenty of Fish and which may suit you better!
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Match.com vs Plenty of Fish – A Glance
Match.com Advantages:
- Match.com is well-established in the industry
- You will have a smoother experience
- It has a more sophisticated and accurate matching system
- Lots of features not found on Plenty of Fish, like Instant messenger
Match.com Disadvantages:
- The registration procedure is a little lengthy
- Daily match options are limited due to the complicated matchmaking systems
- Limited free features
- The premium version can be quite costly
Plenty of Fish Advantages:
- Simple to use user interface
- More attention is focused on you when the background is clean
- Free membership version
- Good for casual dating
Plenty of Fish Disadvantages:
- Not as accurate matching
- The messaging feature is premium
- The paid features are prohibitively expensive
Match.com Features:
- Built-in instant messenger that allows you to chat with other members instantly without having to leave the site
- Virtual flower system where you can send one another special flowers depending on how much chemistry exists between the two parties
- Match.com is great for people who want to find dates and relationships that last.
- The site is well designed, easy to use
Plenty of Fish Features:
- Very clean interface that is extremely easy to use
- Lacks in-depth profiles or any sort of matching technology kike match.com (although I hear they’re rolling out an update soon)
- Plenty of Fish does not charge anything for signing up and creating your profile
- Plenty of Fish is still a good dating website for casual relationships
- Plenty of fish is free to use
- However, the site does have some spam profiles
Winner: Don’t want to read the full article? The editor’s choice is match.com.
Match.com wins hands down as a sophisticated, established site with exceptional customer service. They offer a wide variety of features and great quality matching to help you find a soul mate among its high-quality members— they know what they’re doing.
What’s the Difference Between Them?
Match.com and Plenty of Fish both bring together potential matches through a personalized matchmaking process, but there are some crucial differences between them.
Match.com has significantly more features than Plenty of Fish including instant messaging, video chat, unlimited picture viewing, etc. However, this comes as a price as match.com’s free membership is very limited and the premium is fairly pricey.
New customers must sign up with a monthly subscription fee if they want access to its full range of services. Whereas Plenty of Fish does offer a decent amount of features for free as well as a premium paid version which unlocks more features.
Plenty of Fish, however, has been criticized for fake profiles. So if you’re serious about finding your soul mate, we say Match.com is a better overall option. Let’s compare the two in detail.
Cost of Service
Match.com is pricier per month but is a better deal for people who are looking to save money in the long run. While the monthly price is around $35.99, you can get big discounts such as 3 months of premium access for $19.99 per month, 6 months of premium access at around $17.99 per month, or 12 months of premium access at just $15.99 per month. You can often find discounts and offers, and they also have a free trial so you can check it out before you buy.
On the other hand, Plenty of Fish premium costs a max of $19.99 per month as well as cheaper offers if you sign up for several months at a time. In general, POF is a more affordable option but the upgraded features aren’t as good. If you are serious about finding your match made in heaven we still think match.com is worth the dollar.
Verdict: POF wins this round with its more affordable pricing.
Age Bracket
Match.com is for people looking for long-term relationships while Plenty of Fish is designed with casual dating in mind. Therefore, match.com is better if you are looking to potentially meet someone special that could be your soulmate! This makes match.com great for any age and the site certainly has all age groups of people.
Plenty of Fish offers their services to anyone aged 18 to 69. It is very commonly used for the older generation, so it may not be the best for those aged in their 20s or 30s. It does offer some features that are not available on match.com such as the ability to see who has been viewing your profile.
Verdict: Match.com works for all ages.
Spam Accounts
Match.com has fewer spam accounts due to its rigorous screening process. Plenty of Fish is free, which is a major plus, but it lacks personality and has too many fake profiles mixed in with real people- this makes it difficult to weed out the bad apples!
Many online dating services have spam accounts that have romance scammers behind the profiles, so they’re not necessarily the only ones having trouble with this.
Match.com has a large number of security measures in place making sure to keep their members safe from scammers. They even have a recently-introduced feature that allows users to flag suspicious behavior. You can trust that match.com will keep you safe from spammers.
Verdict: Match.com wins this round with their significant security features
Popularity and Success Rates
Both Match.com and Plenty of Fish are very popular dating sites with millions of people using them every day. The success rates are similar for both websites – it’ll depend on what you’re looking for.
Match.com is especially popular with people looking for a serious relationship. It makes it a higher quality site with mainly more serious and committed users making profiles. As of 2020, the company said they had facilitated 517,000 relationships, leading to 92,000 marriages. It offers an easy way to get started by allowing members to search based only on age and location before signing up or creating a profile which makes things simple if all you want to do is find someone in your area quickly.
Plenty of Fish is also super popular and is more accessible to your average dater. It has more quick filter options and may be more likely to find you a quick date tonight. It did not have relationship data but they do post their success stories on their website. Because of this, users have had good experiences on both sites, but some people might not like that match.com doesn’t give you more of an option to filter your searches.
Verdict: POF is more accessible for dating while match.com is more popular with long-term relationship seekers
The Profile Creation Process
Creating a profile on match.com is quick and simple. You can choose from a long list of categories and characteristics that you prefer in your ideal partner. You can also define what type of relationship you are looking for, all with just a couple of clicks.
One downside is that as there isn’t much room to contribute information about yourself outside of the boxes, many user profiles look similar and it can be hard to stand out.
A great thing about match.com however, is that they also make you take a survey on signing up. Here you detail exactly the type of person you are looking to meet. They will use this along with the clever algorithm to show you profiles that match your criteria.
On the other hand, Plenty of Fish gives more flexibility when creating an account but this also means that finding someone specific might take longer because their search criteria require more input than match.com.
This includes having to fill out questions about whether or not you smoke, how often you drink, etc which could turn some people off who don’t want these details on their profile or have no opinion either way.
Verdict: We prefer match.com and their profile creation system with additional survey
Ease of Use
We found that match.com was easier to use because it gives you tons of different pre-set options for matching with other people. You can see characteristics such as how much money they make, where they went to school, if they like animals or not, etc.
You can also browse through the site’s many pages without having an account first. This may help give you some ideas on what features would work best for your needs!
Plenty of Fish is practical because their profiles are simple and you don’t have to write a long essay about yourself. The main difference between them comes down to whether or not you want more personalized information from users right away or if it is okay to wait until you know them better.
Both services have pros and cons, but we think that match.com has the edge.
Verdict: Match.com takes the lead
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Match.com or POF have a higher success rate for lasting relationships?
Match.com has a higher success rate in matching people – it also has the highest percentage of members that have lasting relationships with others on Match. This means that they are more likely to find people that they truly connect with.
Both are going to get good results, but Match.com has a higher success rate and will more likely lead to better relationships than Plenty of Fish!
Is Match.com or POF less expensive?
Match.com costs up to around $40 per month while Plenty of Fish charges you around $20. With the special offers and packages when you sign up for a longer time, you stand to save more money with match.com making it an affordable option in the long run and accessing their great features.
It’s also worth noting here that many other dating sites offer similar monthly fee options and give discounts if you sign up longer-term such as eHarmony, Black People Meet, etc… If we include all of those, then there are tons of different places with varying prices and features.
Cheaper does not always mean better, though. Instead of choosing which dating site you go for with price, choose what you’re looking for. Read user reviews and then try out a few of these sites to see which ones work best for you!
What is one thing they don’t tell you?
One thing that is usually kept a secret is that the cost may be much more than just one month. For example, Match.com will give your profile visibility to other users in their search options that are not included with the monthly fee (This is called “A-List” and costs an additional $20 per month).
You aren’t told this right away because if they did then nobody would pay it unless they already planned on upgrading later which means fewer people signing up at first putting them at risk of losing money.
Just make sure you read the fine print no matter which website you choose because they all have their ways of charging you more.
Conclusion
Match.com and Plenty of Fish are two prominent dating services that cater to distinct demographics, but both allow users to meet other people in their area.
So, which is the superior option? Match.com! While Plenty of Fish is a fantastic dating service, match.com is far superior in quality, matching ability and let’s be honest, spotting the fakes on POF can be challenging.
They’re both great services, but Match.com is more likely to lead you to a long-term relationship and it’s easier to use as well! Now, go and enjoy your favorite dating site; whether that be Match.com or Plenty of Fish!
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