Does offering someone a pint at a pub seem too forward to you? Is it polite to ask someone out while waiting for your coffee? Even if you answered yes to either of these questions, it’s not often you meet that special someone out in public. For some of us, we’re too busy to spend that much time in public, meaning we never have time to meet attractive and interesting people.
That’s why online dating in Scotland has gotten to the point it is today. We all live busy lives and when we do finally go out, we want to spend time with our friends and family—not chatting to strangers in the hope that it results in a date. With online dating, you can meet like-minded people on your time and decide where and when you want to meet. But with so many dating sites out there, how do you choose?
Fortunately for you, we put in the legwork to find out the best dating sites in Scotland. Some platforms are designed for finding true love, while others are intended to help you find casual encounters.
Check out these 14 dating sites and decide which is the best for you!
To present the best dating sites to you, we have tested more than 60 dating sites and apps based on the following criteria:
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.
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Bad
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Poor
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Good
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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 14 best Scottish 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.
This article contains affiliate-links.
Target audience:
Scottish singles
Activity level:
High
Largest age group:
30-40 year olds
Target audience
Scottish singles
Activity level
High
Largest age group
30-40 year olds
Most of the dating sites on this list are mainstream platforms available throughout the world. However, Scotland Social is a dating site that specifically caters to people living in Scotland. In fact, you can’t even sign up if you live outside of the country. If exclusivity is what you’re looking for, Scotland Social might just be the cup of tea for you. On here, you’ll find members of all age groups scattered throughout the country.
Scotland Social has been operating for over 15 years now and has amassed thousands of members. You can register, create a profile, and browse other members for free. But if you want to take advantage of the contacting features, you’ll have to upgrade to the premium subscription plan. Members must answer questions about themselves, which means that every profile is full of information to help you find the right match. You can even refine your search so that only people that meet your criteria are shown.
In addition to messaging features, Scotland Social also prioritises dating parties and singles events. It may seem a bit old school, but they also organise speed dating events so that you can get to know multiple singles in one evening. In this way, you can find the right person that matches your personality more quickly.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
1 month | £46.72 / month | £46.72 |
3 months | £31.17 / month | £93.50 |
6 months | £23.38 / month | £140.28 |
Target audience:
Scottish singles
Activity level:
Medium
Largest age group:
Unknown
Target audience
Scottish singles
Activity level
Medium
Largest age group
Unknown
Scots Go Dating is another dating site exclusively designed for people living in Scotland. They’ve only been around for a couple of years now, but they’re quickly becoming a popular dating site due to advertising and marketing efforts. They also have a more modern-looking site that’s easier to navigate than some of the more dated-looking sites on the market.
Scots Go Dating allows you to sign-up, build your profile, and search for singles in your area for free. However, that’s about all you can do with the free service. If you want to send messages to the singles you’re interested in, you’ll need to upgrade. The longer the subscription plan you sign-up for, the less you’ll pay per month. The only way to make contact without upgrading is to send winks to other users.
As a member, you can use the more advanced search feature, which allows you to find matches that meet your particular criteria regarding age, location, interests, or whether they smoke or have children. Scots Go Dating also notifies you when someone has looked at your profile, and in addition, paying members also have access to other members’ dating diaries plus a larger amount of personality details.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
3 months | £23.88 / month | £71.64 |
6 months | £17.99 / month | £107.51 |
12 months | £14.94 / month | £179.18 |
Target audience:
Everyone
Activity level:
Very high
Largest age group:
18-60 year olds
Target audience
Everyone
Activity level
Very high
Largest age group
18-60 year olds
Match.com is a mainstream dating site that is available to singles throughout the world. We added it to this list because it’s one of the most popular dating sites used in Scotland — from Glasgow to Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and the surrounding towns and villages. You can also sign up for a free Scotland dating trial today if you want to start meeting singles in your area.
Match.com allows you to find the qualities you want in a person by using its advanced search features. Everything from height to religion is searchable, and all in all, you should be able to find that person who shares your interests. Apart from meeting singles on Match’s site or app, they also hold Match Nights and Socials, which gives you the opportunity to meet people and get to know them in the flesh.
According to Match.com, thousands of Scots have met their partners on the platform. To give you some extra help, the site also provides articles containing tips for dating in Scotland. If you’re not sure where to take your date, Match are happy to give you some inspiration, such as the New Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh, Cocoa Ooze on Belmont Street in Aberdeen, or Chinaskis in Glasgow.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
1 month | £29.99 / month | £29.99 |
3 months | £19.99 / month | £59.97 |
6 months | £9.99 / month | £54.94 |
Target audience:
Serious singles
Activity level:
Very high
Largest age group:
25-54 year olds
Target audience
Serious singles
Activity level
Very high
Largest age group
25-54 year olds
Because of their unique approach compared to other dating sites, eharmony has become a popular dating site in Scotland. For starters, they match you with other singles based on their in-depth personality questionnaire. You can do this, create your account, and receive matches for free. However, if you want to contact any of your matches, you will have to sign up for the one of their membership packages.
With eharmony, you can rely on their algorithm to find like-minded matches, or you can search for members manually using the advanced search feature. You can search for members based on their preferences or personal information. As of today, eharmony has around 66 million members worldwide in 200 countries, and while plenty of their members are located in Scotland, eharmony is also one of the go-to places for finding a date abroad.
While most members are between the ages of 25 and 35, you can search for the age group you’re most interested in. On eharmony, the majority of their users are looking for something serious that eventually leads to long-term companionship or marriage. In fact, most are looking to settle down, buy a home, and start a family, and that’s why eharmony really tries to find you Mr. or Mrs. Right. For this reason, eharmony wants to know a lot about your personality, preferences, hobbies, and lifestyle.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
6 months | £29.90 / month | £179.40 |
12 months | £23.90 / month | £286.80 |
24 months | £17.90 / month | £429.60 |
Target audience:
Educated singles
Activity level:
High
Largest age group:
30-55 year olds
Target audience
Educated singles
Activity level
High
Largest age group
30-55 year olds
EliteSingles isn’t a Scottish dating site per se, but plenty of Scots use it to find highly educated and successful singles. The site even has a site called “Dating Scotland: Find a Partner With Us” dedicated to singles living in the country. EliteSingles has become popular in the UK because many singles here are successful professionals living industrious lives that have to juggle work and other priorities.
Much like eharmony, EliteSingles’ members have to take a comprehensive personality test before they can begin. This ensures that the people you get matched up with share your same interests and lifestyle. The difference is that people on EliteSingles are specifically interested in people that are as educated as themselves and just as driven. According to EliteSingles, over 80% of its members hold an above-average education (Master, PhD, etc.).
Because members have a higher education level that takes longer to acquire, the age demographic is older than typical dating apps, usually between 30 and 55. These users have worked hard to become successful in life, and now they’re ready to settle down and have a family. Oftentimes, they will be upfront about their future family goals and want to move the relationship along quickly and marry.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
3 months | £39.95 / month | £119.85 |
6 months | £21.95 / month | £131.70 |
12 months | £19.90 / month | £238.80 |
Target audience:
Mature singles
Activity level:
Very high
Largest age group:
50+ year olds
Target audience
Mature singles
Activity level
Very high
Largest age group
50+ year olds
Ourtime markets itself as “the mature dating site in the UK”. With more than 1 million registered users, it’s a niche dating site that is actually anything but niche. The site offers tips and advice for dating over 50 as well as activities for members to participate in. Instead of stressing the importance of going on dates that lead to love and commitment, Ourtime stresses the importance of enjoying life and sharing your interests with someone you like.
Ourtime works by presenting you with profiles of people that have similar interests as you and live in the same location. This means that you need to fill out your profile and provide enough information for others to determine if they like you or not. Once you’re all set up, you can browse singles until you find someone that you’re interested in. Once you find them, you can send them a like or message to let them know how you feel.
Not everyone over 50 is used to online dating or meeting new people, and that’s why Ourtime provides resources to help you navigate this environment. Also, the site has a built-in virtual assistant to help walk you through setting up your account and getting you off on the right foot. Her name is Julia, and all you need to do to ask for her assistance is to click on the chat window.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
1 month | £39.99 / month | £39.99 |
3 months | £24.99 / month | £74.97 |
6 months | £19.99 / month | £119.94 |
Target audience:
Mature singles
Activity level:
High
Largest age group:
50+ year olds
Target audience
Mature singles
Activity level
High
Largest age group
50+ year olds
Here’s another 50+ dating site that connects singles based on their personalities. SilverSingles doesn’t just show you people close by – they take your interests and preferences and use those to find you like-minded individuals (still in your area). With over 50,000 new members every week, you are sure to get matched up with someone eventually. And to ensure that those people are who they say they are, SilverSingles uses a fraud detection system for your peace of mind.
When presented with potential matches on SilverSingles, you have the option to pass, send a smile, or send a message. Sending a smile to someone is free, but in order to send messages, you’ll need to upgrade to the premium subscription plan. If you’re not satisfied with the profiles suggested to you, there is the option to perform an advanced search, which lets you apply filters to see members that meet your criteria only.
The good thing about SilverSingles is that the site is clear and easy to navigate. Profiles are also full of information to help you determine if someone is a good match or not. If you need any help, you can contact SilverSingles’ customer service and they’ll help sort out any issues you may encounter.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
3 months | £24.95 / month | £74.85 |
6 months | £14.95 / month | £89.70 |
12 months | £13.95 / month | £167.40 |
Target audience:
Casual daters
Activity level:
High
Largest age group:
18-44 year olds
Target audience
Casual daters
Activity level
High
Largest age group
18-44 year olds
C-Date stands for “compatibility date” because it matches people based on their preferences. While this might sound like a dating site that connects like-minded people looking for serious partners, it’s far from it. Instead, C-Date is a place to flirt with people and have casual encounters. Glynn from Edinburgh has this to say: “I was pleasantly surprised with the warm and carefree attitude I was greeted with by some of the women.”
Not only is C-Date anonymous and easy to use, but it also has an even ratio of men to women, which is rare for a dating site of its nature. All profiles are checked for fraud and photos are checked manually to prevent catfishing. With over 25,000 new members every day, C-Date is one of the fastest growing online communities for this category of niche dating. There are also 10,000 flirts sent each day with 72% of its premium members receiving replies within a week.
With over half a million members located in the UK, C-Date has become a viable option for people looking for casual flings and hookups. Since protection is taken seriously and men have an equal chance on the platform, the site garners a lot of daily traffic with 50,000 active users in the UK each week.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
1 month | £9.90 / month | £9.90 |
3 months | £13.30 / month | £39.90 |
6 months | £4.98 / month | £29.90 |
Target audience:
Casual daters
Activity level:
Medium
Largest age group:
18-44 year olds
Target audience
Casual daters
Activity level
Medium
Largest age group
18-44 year olds
If you’re interested in having an affair, look no further than Victoria Milan. Whether you are married, attached, or a divorcee, this is a site that welcomes all sorts of anonymous hookups. With an evenly distributed user base among men and women, almost everyone on the platform has an equal chance of finding anyone from anywhere in the world — even Scotland.
Standard members have many restrictions on Victoria Milan, and so if you want unlimited contacting features, you’ll have to upgrade to their premium plan. However, by paying for a premium subscription, what you also get is priceless anonymity. For example, the site’s name will never show up on your statement — instead, they use an anonymous name each time. You can also keep your profile photos anonymous just in case anyone you know is using the platform as well. The same goes for any other profile information that you would want to be kept secret as well.
Most members come from Europe with the top countries being the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden. In other words, you’re most likely to meet people of different backgrounds and ethnicities, which should ease your worries about meeting people within your social circle. But that doesn’t matter much anyway because you can only unlock your photos and data to anyone you feel comfortable with after chatting. With over 20,000 matches daily, you should have plenty of luck using Victoria Milan.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
3 months | £19.99 / month | £59.97 |
6 months | £14.99 / month | £89.94 |
12 months | £9.99 / month | £119.88 |
Target audience:
Serious singles
Activity level:
High
Largest age group:
30-55 year olds
Target audience
Serious singles
Activity level
High
Largest age group
30-55 year olds
Be2 works a little bit differently than other dating apps in that it’s all about compatibility over anything else. The dating site makes you complete an extensive personality test to determine which members are the perfect fit for you. Instead of swiping through profiles, Be2 carefully curates the best matches and shows you the percentage of compatibility and similarity. They’ll also give you your test results with a description of your ideal partner free of charge.
When you’re browsing through profiles on Be2, each member will have a list of questions that you can answer as an icebreaker. Once a conversation has been sparked, you have the option to text message or video call your match. If you don’t want to send an icebreaker, you can simply like someone’s profile and wait to see if they like you back.
We found that most members of Be2 are professionals in their 30s, 40s, and 50s that are ready to settle down and start a family. Because of the nature of the site, you won’t find users that are just interested in fun flings. Be2 gives you control over how much information you want to share and protects your data from the outside world.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
3 months | £39.99 / month | £119.97 |
6 months | £29.99 / month | £179.94 |
12 months | £19.99 / month | £239.88 |
Target audience:
Ambitious singles
Activity level:
Medium
Largest age group:
35-55 year olds
Target audience
Ambitious singles
Activity level
Medium
Largest age group
35-55 year olds
With over 300,000 members in the UK, Academic Singles is a niche dating site for classy and educated singles. The site targets “elite class romantic singles” that are looking for love and long-term companionship. These can be doctors, lawyers, people who own their own businesses, or the like, and because Academic Singles members are highly educated and have successful careers, most are between the ages of 35 and 55.
Academic Singles lets you register, create a profile, and receive matches for free. The personality test that you must fill out is quite comprehensive, which allows the site’s algorithm to find you a suitable partner. Heavily taken into consideration when discovering matches are your desires, expectations, opinions, and attitude. When presented with a match, you are shown the member’s compatibility score. The better the percentage, the more you have in common with each other.
If you’re interested in starting a conversation with another member, you need to upgrade to the premium subscription plan. A lot of members hide their photos because they want to remain anonymous on the site. Once they decide that they like someone and want to be seen, they can release their photos to certain individuals. Once matched, you have the option to send text messages or video chat with another member.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
3 months | £39.99 / month | £119.97 |
6 months | £29.99 / month | £179.94 |
12 months | £19.99 / month | £239.88 |
Target audience:
Serious singles
Activity level:
Low
Largest age group:
35-55 year olds
Target audience
Serious singles
Activity level
Low
Largest age group
35-55 year olds
If you’re single and living in Scotland, you have plenty of choices when it comes to dating sites. But if you’re in your 40s, you’re probably not interested in browsing through hundreds of profiles of people in their 20s or 30s. After all, you have different needs and priorities at this stage in your life. More likely, you need somebody that understands what it’s like to juggle a career, kids, family, and friends. That’s where Single40sDating comes into play. It’s a dating site explicitly for singles in the mid part of their lives.
Much like the previous dating sites, Single40sDating takes compatibility seriously by making you fill out a personality questionnaire when signing up. This ensures that the site’s algorithm can connect you with people that have the same interests, hobbies, and lifestyles. In short, it will help weed out the people that don’t match up with your day-to-day schedule.
With their detailed profiles, Single40sDating help you decide who you want to send a smile to, wave to, or complement. One of the new features on the site is the option of making video calls allowing you to decide who you want to call and for what duration. Also, you can take advantage of this feature without having to share your personal data.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
3 months | £39.99 / month | £119.97 |
6 months | £29.99 / month | £179.94 |
12 months | £19.99 / month | £239.88 |
Target audience:
Mature singles
Activity level:
Medium
Largest age group:
50+ year olds
Target audience
Mature singles
Activity level
Medium
Largest age group
50+ year olds
TrueLifePartner is a 50 and over dating site that sets out to make it much easier to find love in the UK. To help suitable singles find each other, the site relies on a scientific personality assessment. By answering questions about yourself, TrueLifePartner’s algorithm creates a description of your ideal partner and finds recommendations closely matching that description. In addition, you can create an account, set up your profile, and receive partner recommendations for free.
Much like other dating platforms of this nature, you’ll have to purchase a premium subscription membership if you want to send messages to other singles on the site. You can like or send a smile for free, but this won’t be enough to start a conversation and go on dates. If you do decide to upgrade, you can rest easy knowing that your conversations cannot be accessed by outside parties. All your data is encrypted and secured by notable security services.
If you’re not sure whether or not you want your online dating profile photos out there on the internet, TrueLifePartner actually lets you control who sees your photos. This means that you can search for matches completely anonymously and only allow certain people to see your photos. All in all, TrueLifePartner takes the security of your personal data very seriously.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
1 month | £19.99 / month | £19.99 |
3 months | £39.99 / month | £119.97 |
6 months | £29.99 / month | £174.94 |
Target audience:
Everyone
Activity level:
High
Largest age group:
25-34 year olds
Target audience
Everyone
Activity level
High
Largest age group
25-34 year olds
The Zoosk app has been downloaded over 30 million times. From the UK to the US and elsewhere, Zoosk’s proprietary behavioural matchmaking technology is constantly learning from its members and creating curated connections. Most users of the platform are serious about finding long-term love, although some people are also using Zoosk for casual flirting and dating. Also, with authenticated and verified profiles, the vast majority of Zoosk profiles are indeed real.
There are a couple ways to meet people on Zoosk. Most members use their roulette-style matchmaking system that shows one profile at a time. This feature is similar to Tinder in that you swipe left or right depending on whether you want to pass or like them. The difference is that these people are shown to you because Zoosk’s algorithm thinks that you might actually make a good pair. In addition, there’s also a search function that helps you refine your search to find people matching your criteria.
Most members are young professionals in their 20s and 30s, but you can still find users younger and older than that. Whether it’s on the site or app, Zoosk generally sees high activity from its users, which is always helpful in starting conversations and finding dates effectively.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
1 month | £29.99 / month | £29.99 |
3 months | £20.00 / month | £60.00 |
6 months | £15.00 / month | £90.00 |
Sure, you could always go to the pub at night and ask someone if they’d like a pint. But that doesn’t always work, and not everyone fancies that way of meeting someone. Even more, most people with busy careers don’t have time to meet someone at a pub or anywhere else. That’s why online dating in Scotland has taken off so fast in recent years. It’s a way to meet someone with similar interests and go on a date in a place that suits you both. Maybe that’s over a meal, or grabbing a cup of coffee, or just going on a walk.
Most of the dating sites in this list aren’t specifically designed for people in Scotland. However, the first two dating sites on this list are, Scotland Social and Scots Go Dating. On these sites, you’ll only meet people in Scotland and they will most likely be Scots. However, just because they’re exclusively created for the Scottish doesn’t mean they’re the best. In fact, mainstream dating sites are likely to have more members located in Scotland because they are more popular. But the main question you should be asking yourself is what you want out of a dating site. Depending on the type of person and relationship you’re looking for, one might be better than another.
Absolutely. However, it only works if you put in the time and effort (maybe some money as well). That means creating a profile that helps you get dates—upload photos of just yourself and some with friends doing the things you love. Also, fill out all the information you can so that other members can get to know your lifestyle and preference. If you’re patient, chat with as many attractive and interesting people as you can, and go on multiple dates, you can increase your chances of finding the one. If it’s casual flirting and flings that you’re interested in, make sure you choose a dating site that specialises in that area.
For these websites listed, you shouldn’t have to worry about your information and photos getting leaked to the web. Once you are signed up, only the other members can see your profile. And, a lot of these sites allow you to browse anonymously so that you only share your photos and real identity with the members of your choosing.
Much like anywhere else, online dating is as safe as you make it. To ensure nothing bad happens to you, never share personal and sensitive information with anyone you meet online. If you decide to go on a date, always meet in a public place with lots of people around. To take extra precautions, you can even tell a friend where you’re going and for how long, and share your live location with them via any messaging app. Just remember to always use your intuition and report any suspicious behaviour.