In the world of online dating, very few sites are completely free. In most cases, you’ll be able to register a profile for free and get some access to the basic feature set, but you’ll need to upgrade to a paid membership for all the bells and whistles – including being able to send messages and connect with other singles.
All of the sites we’ve reviewed below offer free registration so that you can try before you buy. It’s a great way to test drive a platform before handing over your hard-earned cash. Some people see payment as a bad thing, but it actually serves to maintain a great user experience and ensure that everyone on the site is serious about dating.
We’ve also included a few dating sites that are completely free for those who don’t want to spend a cent.
The sites below are completely free to use, for the most part. Some of them will offer access to a range of additional features if you’re willing to pay – but these are often ancillary to the core functionality.
It’s important to note here that when a dating site is completely free, as these sites are, they are often funded through ads on the site. So, you’ll have to tolerate these as part of the user experience.
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 17 best free 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:
Everyone
Activity level:
Low
Largest age group:
25-44 year olds
Target audience
Everyone
Activity level
Low
Largest age group
25-44 year olds
The name really does say it all here, and the platform is as it promises. After you’ve signed up, you’ll have access to their entire database of eligible singles for free. Of all the sites we’ve reviewed, they might just have the simplest registration process ever, making it one of the quickest ways to get into the online dating game.
In a way, it almost feels as an homage to the old generation of online dating that was based purely on age, location, and gender preference. With FreeDating, there is no fancy personality assessments or anything. Instead, the site simply acts as a hub for people to meet each other and see where things go – and what more could you expect from a completely free service?
It’s important to note that they keep the site free by running a lot of ads, so that’s simply just something you’ll need to be ok with, if you’re going to use the site for a long period of time. But that’s par for the course here, so nothing nefarious about that. It’s simple, efficient, and does what it says on the tin. You won’t get any surprises here.
Pros
Cons
Target audience:
Everyone
Activity level:
Low
Largest age group:
40-60 year olds
Target audience
Everyone
Activity level
Low
Largest age group
40-60 year olds
This site has a very simple value proposition and that is to create a safe and comfortable environment for singles to date online without ever having to pull out their credit card. It’s kind of amazing to see what they’ve built on the back of this simple idea, and they now have over 200,000 people using their platform. Everything is completely free, and you can safely focus on connecting with people without having to worry about any sneaky paywalls.
In contrast to other free dating sites, they are very proactive when it comes to identifying fraudulent profiles. In order to eliminate fake users, they have an active monitoring system, which they use to make sure that everyone on their site is who they say they are. This is very rare in the world of free online dating, and that’s what sets this site apart from the rest.
Their registration process is efficient, and the interface is really quite pleasant. In conclusion, we’re more than happy to recommend it as a great free option for people living in the UK. Take advantage of their regional dating feature to make sure that you actually have a chance of meeting up in real life and try it out. It’s the start of a new adventure, as long as you’re willing to take a chance and put yourself out there.
Pros
Cons
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
OkCupid is one of those old-school dating sites that have managed to re-invent themselves for the modern world in a really cool way. From the days of mainly text-based profiles, they now offer a hybrid experience combining the mobile-first experience of the modern world with the detailed profiles that made them so unique in the first place. Compared to its competitors, OkCupid is an experienced dating site, and because of the scale they’ve maintain around the world, they still hold a significant cache in today’s online dating industry.
The reason for including them here is because they have a free membership option, which allows you a certain amount of activity every day without having to pay anything. Of course, this is meant to whet your appetite and convince you that it’s worth paying a fee to gain the rest of the features. However, we’ve seen that this limit is actually quite generous, so if you’re being strategic about it, you can get a lot from this platform for free.
If you’re the kind of person who wants to focus more on personality-based dating as opposed to simply looking at aesthetics and superficial interests, then this is the place for you. Be sure to take advantage of their free membership and test drive the site for yourself. We think that you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
1 month | £5.60 / month | £5.60 |
3 months | £4.48 / month | £13.44 |
6 months | £2.78 / month | £16.68 |
Target audience:
Young singles
Activity level:
Very high
Largest age group:
25-34 year olds
Target audience
Young singles
Activity level
Very high
Largest age group
25-34 year olds
PlentyofFish is one of those sites that delivers incredible value and somehow manages to fly under the radar. They have around 3m members logging in every day and have really created a unique and compelling online dating experience for each of those members.
You can send messages for free and access most of the functions without paying a cent, so you can soak in the atmosphere and chat with eligible singles to your heart’s content. If you like what you see, you can always pay for access to more features and unlock the full value of the platform. However, this site truly has lots of good stuff available for free, which is why we simply had to include it here.
You can search for other singles who share certain traits with you, and, if you’re bold, you can take advantage of their industry-first live-streaming feature that puts you face to face from the comfort of your own home. It’s a site that focuses on facilitating real connections through and through. As far as free dating sites go, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
2 months | £19.35 / month | £38.70 |
4 months | £12.75 / month | £51.00 |
8 months | £9.99 / month | £79.92 |
These sites in this category allow you to create a profile for free and test the platform before you sign up for any of their paid plans.
It’s important to note here that you get what you pay for when it comes to online dating sites, and so often it is well worth it to use a paid site. Because they are being supported by paying customers, they have more money to spend on developing the site, improving the matchmaking, and creating a great user experience.
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 probably the most well-known dating site in the world, and, as of today, they’ve helped connect over 1.5m people on the platform. Through the years, they’ve continued to develop and improve on their platform. With it’s current design, the site is a sleek and powerful matchmaking tool that’s simply hard to beat. Match.com is an incredibly strong brand – and for good reason.
You can register a profile for free and see what the platform is all about. When you create your profile, you’ll notice that it’s much more detailed than on some other sites, which points to the depth of connection they look to create. Every component is specifically designed to articulate parts of who you are so that you can codify a holistic picture of who you are. Going through the process is well worth your time, because it makes for much richer experiences when you connect with someone else on the site. The detail also makes the actual matchmaking much more precise, and that’s what puts the platform in a league of its own.
At Match.com, you get what you give. First and foremost, the site rewards effort and honesty, and the more effort you put into creating an authentic profile, the greater your chances of success. Why not create a profile for free and check out the site before you commit? You might just find that this is the perfect space for you to find that special someone.
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
When it comes to online dating, eharmony is an incredibly relevant site that has been around for two decades now. Every 14 minutes, they facilitate a match, which is a pretty insane statistic. Luckily, you can try their platform for free and experience some of its basic functions before deciding if this is the place for you.
Their personality and compatibility tests are the heartbeat of their matchmaking, as they try to determine what you care about and who you might be suited for. The algorithm will process your answers and seek to match you with like-minded people who value the same things as you. This ensures that you’re not wasting any time on people who you aren’t going to get along with. For everyone that you’re matched with, you can be sure to have something in common that will get the conversation started. As a result, eharmony remains one of the best places to find truly authentic relationships.
It’s a good idea to put some time into the registration process because this is the major screening mechanism that makes sure that only those who want serious relationships are on the site. It skews towards those looking for long-term relationships and partners, so if you’re in search of something more casual, then you’d be best served elsewhere. However, if you are looking for a real partner, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better option.
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
Elite Singles focuses all its attention on connecting singles with a higher education. Also, you can sign up for free and use a lot of the basic functionality to find a partner who is intellectually minded. The sign up process is very efficient, resulting in 3-7 potential matches every day. With Elite Singles’ attention to quality over quantity, you won’t be wasting your time.
Because of the way that this site is set up, your potential matches are bound to be intellectually stimulating, ambitious, and driven, while also being serious singles who are looking for something that will last. In other words, this is not the place for casual dating. And so, if intelligence is something that is important to you in a relationship, then this site should be your main priority.
In our opinion, if you try out the free version and see the quality of singles on the platform, we think that you’ll be convinced that the service is worth paying for. In fact, you’ll be amazed by what you find. However, since Elite Singles does offer a free to use option, there’s no reason not to dive in and check it out for yourself before making any conclusive decisions.
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 sets out to help single seniors connect with like-minded people, and, so far, they’ve delivered on that mission tenfold. Their key focus is on matching singles who have similar interests and similar outlooks on love and life. In everything they do, they strive to create a safe space for real, authentic connections both online and in-person at their live events, with which they’ve managed to curate one of the most wholesome communities out there.
Although you’re over 50, the best of your life might still be ahead of you, and a site like this can open up the door to people that you never would have had the chance to meet or get to know otherwise. Plus, with a bit of luck, you get the added opportunity of one of those connections turning into a long-term relationship. At Ourtime, there’s a depth and empathy rare to the industry that’s rather difficult to explain. They’ve built a culture where everyone seems to be open and honest about themselves, which makes for great conversation and authentic connection.
If you give it a go, you’ll find a self-selected group of people willing to dedicate the time and effort to seek real connection. You’ve really got nothing to lose.
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
Silver Singles has managed to nurture a community of singles who are over 50 years old and looking to connect with others who share their vitality and attitude towards life. As a result, you won’t find downers on this platform, as everyone on it seems to be in it for the right reasons.
As far as interfaces go, this one is the easiest to use. By removing a lot of the fluff that clutters up other apps, SilverSingles allows you to focus only on what matters – that carefully curated list of matches. Your potential soulmates are brought to you thanks to powerful personality compatibility assessments that make sure that you and your match have something in common right from the start. In other words, you can get straight to it without any awkwardness. Chemistry is all but guaranteed.
This fresh take on over-50s dating is downright awesome, and we honestly think that you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you experience when you first get involved. There is no steep learning curve to get started, and you can even access a lot of the basic functionality for free. There really aren’t many excuses for this one. You just have to put yourself out there and see what happens.
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 shines when it comes to casual hookups. They’ve gone above and beyond to ensure complete safety and anonymity in order to make sure that you can connect with other casual daters without any concerns. And with tens of thousands of new singles joining every single day, the world really is your oyster. If this sounds like something you might be into, we can highly recommend signing up for their free premium trial.
On the platform, you’ll know that the people you meet are on the same page as you are, which means that you don’t have to go through any awkward situations. You can get straight to the point. It’s refreshing to see a site so honest and unapologetic about the reasons for its existence. Naturally, every interaction could be the start of an adventure – which keeps things very exciting.
If it’s just fun that you’re after, C-Date is the place to be. In no time at all, you’ll be connected to open-minded people who don’t want any strings attached. Feeling spontaneous? Well, then you’ve come to the right place. Step in…
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
Victoria Milan is the number one platform for discrete affairs. They cater exclusively to attached people who want something private and casual on the side, because they’re probably not getting what they need out of their marriage. They’ve worked incredibly hard to ensure anonymity in every part of the process, and so, when using their site, you don’t need to worry about security. Combine this with verified profiles and other additional privacy measures and you’ve got an airtight platform for you to have fun with.
Millions of people worldwide have already used Victoria Milan, and it’s become a common story to hear how the site has revived peoples’ love lives by giving them that desperately missed, magical feeling. Victoria Milan doesn’t judge you and your reasons for using the platform. Instead, it goes above and beyond to help people uncover the passion that they are missing in their lives. Every person on the site is totally clear about what they’re looking for and, to be honest, that’s a breath of fresh air.
Many are uncomfortable with the idea of intentionally looking for an affair, and if this is how you feel, you should of course write this site off. But for many others, Victoria Milan is the place they can go to rediscover the spark and connection that they’ve lost. If that sounds like you, then maybe it’s time you do something about it.
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:
Christian singles
Activity level:
High
Largest age group:
18-55 year olds
Target audience
Christian singles
Activity level
High
Largest age group
18-55 year olds
If your Christianity is important to you, and you want to find someone who shares your faith, then you quite simply have to be on ChristianCafe.com. The site is specifically targeted for Christian singles who want to connect with people whose strong faith and love for God equals their own. Also, they offer a 10-day free trial for new members, which lets you see exactly what it’s all about before committing. You really have no excuses.
As one might expect, the site is intended for people who are dating with the hope of potentially finding a suitable partner for marriage. In other words, you won’t find anyone there who isn’t looking for a serious relationship. As a result, you’ll never have to doubt someone’s intentions on the site, because your values will be aligned with theirs. The site has Christian owners who have done everything they can to build a platform that stays true to its mission, and, in our eyes, they are doing a great job at just that.
It makes sense to try their very generous free trial, if not just to see if you like it. We think that if you give it a try, you might just find that the investment is worth it because of the quality of Christian singles on the site. If your faith is strong and you want a partner to share it with, you’ve got nothing to lose.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
1 month | £32.83 / month | £32.83 |
3 months | £17.02 / month | £51.07 |
6 months | £13.38 / month | £80.27 |
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 brings a rigor in terms of their personality assessments that makes for a really interesting online dating experience. These inputs feed proprietary algorithms that aim to facilitate real connections between people with key things in common. In fact, there’s nothing else on the market that is being as ambitious with data as they are.
In addition to finding a suiting partner, the personality assessments are also a super valuable tool to get to know yourself. They have this knack of holding up a mirror to those parts of yourself that matter and showing you what sort of person you are and who you should be trying to connect with. Before being able to find the perfect partner, we have to understand ourselves first, and this is why this site is so great. It starts on the right foundation.
There is a lot of technology behind the scenes here, which makes Be2 much more than a mere dating site. We don’t think you’ll regret giving it a go – if only for the chance to understand yourself a bit better. And who knows, maybe that will unlock the door for a really wonderful long-term partnership? Only time will tell.
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:
25-45 year olds
Target audience
Serious singles
Activity level
Low
Largest age group
25-45 year olds
Single30sDating falls into the category of free registration sites because, before paying a penny, you can sign up, create a profile, upload photos of yourself, and even browse matches. However, you can’t message your matches or send video requests without a premium plan, and, besides being able to send icebreakers, emoji faces, and like someone’s profile, you can’t really communicate with matches before signing up for a premium membership. You also can’t add matches to your favourites list or see who visited your profile without a paid subscription.
Single30sDating is a new dating site from a company in Luxemburg that specialises in niche dating sites. It hasn’t been around that long, and so, you won’t receive thousands of matches. However, the matches you do receive will be tailor-made to your personality and lifestyle traits, which means that you don’t need to browse through countless profiles. In addition, Single30sDating gives you a top match each day provided by its algorithm that finds like-minded singles.
The best thing about Single30sDating might be its new feature called “Request video call.” When you’re in your 30s, you don’t want to waste precious time on dates with people you don’t get on with. With the new video feature, you can get to know your matches on a more personal level before deciding if you want to meet them in person. In case that you’re unsure of whether Single30sDating is worth the price, simply sign up and browse singles in your area for free to see if you like the platform.
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
If you’re getting into the online dating game as an over 50-year-old, one of the best sites you can get onto is TrueLifePartner. They have shown tremendous growth over the years, and they are one of the safest and most reliable ways to find singles above the age of 50 who share your interests and worldview.
What really sets this site apart is their video calling feature, which allows you to test the chemistry before committing to a real in-person date. There’s only so much you can pick up from someone over text, but a video call helps you to pick up body language, tone, and personality in a way that just isn’t possible at most sites. It’s a game changer, and it’s something that you just have to try.
With TrueLifePartner, the perfect person is just around the corner. All it takes is some courage and a little bit of effort, and all of a sudden, you could be finding that companion you’ve been searching for in no time.
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
Zoosk is a really exciting dating app that is mostly targeted towards young, mobile-first singles. Over the past few years, they have amassed a huge platform of over 40m users, and they’re taking all that data to craft a really unique matchmaking experience that is perfect for both finding you a casual, short-term relationship as well as a more serious, long-term partnership.
As you might expect, their mobile app is really good, and it is the hub through which everything happens. Zoosk have intendedly focused their attention on the mobile site of things, and, in fact, it wouldn’t be too controversial to say that they dominate the mobile dating space. The whole platform is fast-paced, vibrant, and exciting. Addictive, some would even say, but in a good way.
They have managed to create a dating experience that feels fresh and unique and is able to compete for your attention with the best of the best. There’s a reason why people keep coming back time and time again. Throw caution to the wind and you never know what you might find with Zoosk. They’ve really got something special going on. Just be careful that it doesn’t take over your life – it’s addictive, remember?
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 |
Target audience:
Serious singles
Activity level:
Low
Largest age group:
28-55 year olds
Target audience
Serious singles
Activity level
Low
Largest age group
28-55 year olds
Parship makes use of a proprietary matchmaking algorithm to identify 32 different traits using 136 different rules that all come together to form a data-driven profile, which they then use to match you with someone that you might have been looking for all along. And the magical thing is that the basic membership is absolutely free, which is wild!
The platform goes beyond the surface level and applies some rather sophisticated science to the filtering process. By doing so, your matches should consist of singles who click with you on a deeper level than some of the other sites out there are capable of providing. The advanced pattern recognition and matching criteria make this a one-of-a-kind dating experience, which also helps to sidestep your preconceived notions. Sometimes you don’t actually know what’s good for you – until you find it.
At the moment, Parship is a relatively small site, but it’s growing really fast. In fact, it looks like it is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come. If you believe in the power of data, then why not apply it to your relationships? You might just find that what you were looking for was right in front of you all along.
Pros
Cons
Duration | Price | Total |
3 months | £29.90 / month | £89.70 |
6 months | £19.90 / month | £119.40 |
12 months | £14.90 / month | £178.80 |
It’s quite rare to find dating sites that are completely free because these sites need to have some sort of sustainable business model in order to survive as an operation. We’ve detailed above all the different sites that offer free components to give you a sense of what is possible without paying something.
If you definitely want something that is completely free, then you’d have to go with FreeDating.co.uk and Completely Free Dating.
Every site has its own pros and cons and so it’s important to know that your experience is going to vary based on your circumstances and expectations. There is no ‘best’ here. Every person is going to have different preferences which come into the equation.
In the review above, we’ve done everything we can to detail all your options and lay out the information you need to choose the best possible site for your needs. Every site we’ve reviewed here has a strong network of people for you to meet and as long as you are authentic and real – but it really does come down to how much effort you’re willing to put in.
Our standard advice is – don’t get stuck trying to find the perfect site, just get out there and get stuck in!
If a dating site is completely free, they have to have another sort of business model in order to fund the continual operation. So, in most cases, free dating sites are subsidized by ad revenue. As a user, you’ll be shown targeted ads while you’re on the platform which is how the owners of the site are able to keep things running. Beyond that the sites run as other paid sites do, but often with fewer features and what not – because of the lower revenues.
It depends on what you’re looking for in a relationship. Every site has its pros and cons, and we’ve tried to detail those above. Take your time to identify what you’re looking for and then you can use the comparisons on this site to select the best suited one for you.
Every site is going to have a slightly different feel – so do your research and look at your options to find the right one for you. And the best part about free dating sites is that you don’t lose anything by giving them a go. You could try 10 different sites and not spend a penny – while you figure out what’s right for you. Take advantage of that opportunity as much as you can.
Yes, they can definitely work. After all, there are other people out there like you and they come to these same sites to meet people. As long as it’s a reputable site with a decent track record, you can find like-minded singles who are into the same things that you are into.
As long as you are real and authentic on these sites, you can find the partnership you’re looking for. We’ve seen it time and time again – these sites do work. Especially in today’s modern age!
This all depends on your unique circumstances. In most cases, we would say yes – because all of the best dating sites in the world are paid sites. This is because they need to have a sustainable business model in order to invest in their product and create a great user experience. You get what you pay for in the world of online dating, so it can be really worthwhile to invest in your dating because you’re going to have a better chance of succeeding.
All that being said, there are some great free sites as well and if you don’t have the money to pay for online dating – then they are a great option. You should never be spending anything that can’t afford to, so if that’s you – then make use of the free sites, you can still meet lots of people there.