How we rank dating sites

DatingHelp.co.uk compares dating sites and apps available in the UK. The site is funded by commission from some of the providers we list. This page explains what that means for you and how the order on our comparison pages is decided.

The short version

• Links marked Ad are links to partners. We can earn commission if you click one and sign up or pay.
• Partners with a score of at least 3.0 are listed first on our comparison pages.
• Other providers are listed after the partners, and they have a button too.
• The order on a page is therefore not a pure ranking by score. A provider further down the page may have a higher score than a partner above it.

How we earn money

Some providers pay us commission when someone reaches them through our links and then signs up or buys a membership. Those providers are our partners. We mark them with the label Ad. The commission is paid by the provider.

Not every provider we list is a partner. We also include providers that pay us nothing, because a comparison of the UK market would be less useful without them.

How the order is decided

1. Partners first. A partner must have an overall score of at least 3.0 to appear in the partner section of a comparison page.
2. Other providers next. Providers that are not partners follow after the partners.
3. Within each group. We set the order within each group ourselves, and commercial considerations can play a part. The score is always shown next to each provider.

This means that commercial relationships affect the order in which providers appear. We do this because commission is how the site is funded. If you want to see the providers purely by quality, compare their scores or read the individual reviews.

How the score works

We give each provider a score from 0 to 5 on five criteria. A provider receives 5 on a criterion only if it leaves nothing to be desired on that point. The overall score reflects the average of the five.

User-friendliness

How easy the service is to use: the layout and design, signing up and creating a profile, managing your account, the clarity of the terms and whether it works on the devices people use.

Features

Whether the tools help you make contact in a useful way, such as matching, profile options and ways to communicate. We look at their quality and relevance as well as how many there are.

Activity

Our assessment of how much is going on among members and how well the service is likely to work across the UK, not only in the largest cities. We cannot see a provider's internal figures, so this is an editorial judgement.

Seriousness

Whether members approach the service sincerely in light of what it is for. A casual dating site does not automatically get a low score here, because people can be straightforward about wanting something casual.

Price

Whether the cost is reasonable for what you get, including the plans on offer, how clear the payment terms are and how fair those terms seem.

Where our information comes from

We review and compare providers using the information they publish and what we can see on their services.

Where a provider has given us complimentary access for a review, the review says so. Member numbers, verification checks and similar details often come from the providers themselves, and we cannot always confirm them.

Prices, features and terms change. Always check the details on the provider's own website before you pay.

Who is behind this site

DatingHelp.co.uk is published by Webels ApS, Gunnar Clausens Vej 34B, 8260 Viby J., Denmark. If you think something on the site is wrong or out of date, please write to info@datinghelp.co.uk.