When it comes to the best dating apps, two that you’ll hear time and time again are Match and eHarmony.
Though they’ve faded into the background a little with the appearance of Tinder and Hinge, they’re still extremely popular dating sites. And actually, if you’re looking for long term relationships, they may prove to be the better option.
But what are the main differences between these two online dating sites, and what reasons are there to choose one over the other? We’re going to compare the two.
Which is better: eHarmony or Match?
In short, eHarmony wins when it comes to finding your future wife or husband. However, if you’re looking for a cheeky hookup, Match is actually the better download.
Comparing Match and eHarmony makes sense – they both offer a free membership but have a paid feature for more serious daters, and they’re amongst the biggest online dating sites after Tinder and Bumble.
But which should you opt for? Let’s compare eHarmony and Match together in a little more detail.
The History of Match and eHarmony
Match and eHarmony are two of the oldest dating sites online, and they both have a long history too.
eHarmony was formerly a religious dating site, but that was a long time ago now, and the site has progressed into one of the largest dating sites in the world, with 60 million member profiles worldwide. 5 million of those members are based in the UK.
Match.com is part of the well known Match group, and they own half of the biggest dating sites out there – this includes Match.com, Tinder, Hinge, OK Cupid, Plenty of Fish and many more.
eHarmony vs Match – Signing Up
Both platforms require you sign up for a paid membership to get access to any good features.
You can’t even message other users with a free account, so unless you’re willing to pay, it’s probably not worth your time even going through the sign up process.
Though, opting for a paid subscription can be a good idea if you’re looking for love.
You’ll get unlimited messages to others on the platform, and the sign up process for both dating sites is relatively straightforward.
The quality of singles – Match vs eHarmony
Our overall rankings on eHarmony versus Match matchups focus heavily upon singles quality.
Match offers an enormous number of single individuals to pick from, and these singles seek relationships of any level.
Some people want to get married and get into serious relationships, however you can also find people seeking casual hook-ups on the platform too. In some cases, users are simply looking at dating websites.
There’s no harm in focusing on something casual and not long-term, and if this is you, Match is a great choice. In comparison, eHarmony boasts a whole host of success stories, as many users on the platform end up in serious relationships.
If you want to find the love of your life, eHarmony offers the best service. But if you’re looking for one night, Match wins.
Matchmaking and Features Comparison – Match vs eHarmony
Both eHarmony and Match have a pretty basic feature list in all honesty.
Match’s best feature is probably the depth of the dating profile, as if you fill it out completely it you can virtually date with ease. The app has a lot of safety features, which can help when it comes to a moderated platform.
eHarmony wins when it comes to their personalised process. When finding compatible partners, the app takes into account both your preferences but also your actual compatibility based on your test too.
Match vs eHarmony: User base
There is actually quite a bit of a difference in the user base between Match.com and eHarmony, even though you’d think they’d be pretty similar to one another.
eHarmony is perfect if you want serious relationships that will last. Most users on the platform are looking for long term relationships with other users, even though you may actually end up with less matches overall.
The eHarmony in-depth personality test is a good way to find your perfect match, as it’ll set you up with eHarmony profiles that are more relevant with your personal profile.
In comparison, the Match search filters make it easy to find potential matches – you can specify your preferred age range to find the most compatible matches based on your own preferences.
Although you can find long term romance on Match, it is usually better for casual dating, as the user base is full of casual daters.
Does Match or eHarmony offer better messaging?
The communication on both platforms are very similar. Both websites use safe instant messaging, but it’s crucial to be completely honest – neither of these sites offer any free messages if you’re not a paying subscriber.
And, they both offer unlimited messaging if you are a paid subscriber, so there’s no a great deal of difference when it comes to messaging – you can send messages and receive messages on both, but only when you’re a paying member.
eHarmony or Match: Cost Comparison
Actually, the price plans of both eHarmony and Match are very similar to one another.
They offer a cheaper plan – at the time of writing, £9.95 per month for eHarmony and £8.95 for Match – but only when you sign up to an annual deal with their dating site.
Dating sites have a particularly large churn, with many users switching and swapping from one app to another, which is why they try and get you to sign a longer term deal.
If you wanted to try either app for just a month, Match would cost you £29.99 for the month whilst eHarmony charge £29.90 – almost exactly the same.
However, financially it rarely makes sense to sign up to a dating site for just one month.
Sexual orientation differs
The member demographics of the two platforms play a massive part here, and so does the potential history of eHarmony.
Although the dating site was bought out in recent years by an investment firm, the app has long has a reputation for not allowing same sex relationships on the platform.
This is because the original founder was extremely religious, and didn’t want to allow users looking for same sex relationships to use eHarmony.
To be clear, this is no longer the case. However, it does mean that the dating pool is still a lot thinner on eHarmony when it comes to gay dating and lesbian dating.
So, the clear winner when it comes to non-straight dating is Match.com, although in all honesty, neither site is ideal for the LGBT+ community.
Who is the ultimate winner?
It’s hard to pick a winner between the two, but if we had to choose, we’d opt for Match.com.
However, eHarmony does has its strengths, and if you’re looking for a serious relationship with another person, it’s a good place to find the perfect match.
Match is a lot faster paced, and the matching system is generally a better choice. Whether you want a casual fling or a long term relationship, there’s a bit of both on the Match platform.
The main criticism that some users have of Match is that active members on the platform are too shallow, but it’s worth trying it yourself and seeing how you get on.
Conclusion
In conclusion, online dating can still be intimidating for many especially if your recent dating experience consists of you eating ready meals whilst watching television with the cat.
And, if you hate the idea of blind dates, dating sites can be a great way to check out your potential partner before meeting them.
For this, you can use both eHarmony and Match to find a partner, and which is better will depend on your own needs in a love connection.
