Best online dating sites
Below you'll find a list of the top dating sites serving the UK, listed in order of our most recommended first. Use the customer ratings and the compare facility to find the site that suits your needs, then when you've joined, we'd love you to come back and help others by rating your experience with them.
Browse top online dating companies
Smart Dating Online
www.smartdatingonline.com
Smart Dating Online is our very own online dating service. We've tried our utmost to remain objective throughout this review, to offer you a fair and balanced view of all the players in the online dating market.
As part of the White Label Dating group, Smart Dating Online has one of Europe’s largest internet dating membership bases. Along with quick and easy profile creation, a better set of features, and a cheaper price tag than many of the major online dating sites, it's definitely worth a go.
Members include professional people, young people, mature daters, creative people, intellectual people - this is online dating that intersects all sectors of life, with no joining fee. And we say - the best looking people sign up here - so don't waste another second!
Smart Dating Online review
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Make Friends Online
www.makefriendsonline.com
Established in 2001, and now with over 1 million users. Free to join and with all the standard features, plus free events, an agony aunt on hand to advise on dating problems, chat rooms and private chat, as well as 'rich search' facilities, whatever that means. The ability to snag someone really loaded? Maybe that's it. Has members worldwide.
Make Friends Online review
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Dating Direct
www.datingdirect.com/
Online since 1999, Dating Direct is one of the UK's largest dating website with more than 5 million members. Services include real-time one-to-one chats, simple compatibility tests that you can set yourself, strict site code of conduct and member review, and free registration.
Dating Direct review
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Match
www.match.com
Match, online since 1995 claim to be the world's largest online dating site, with current membership standing at over 20 million. Members are spread across 37 countries using sites translated into 18 different languages. That’s one hell of a lot of people, so their claim to be number one might just be true...
Features include keyword specific searches as well as the usual age, interest and postcode, and a personal matchmaking service for those that would rather someone else did the searching and shortlist creation for them.
Currently a 7-day free trial on offer.
Match review
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eHarmony
www.eharmony.co.uk
eHarmony is the creation of an American clinical psychologist who suspected there may be a better way to find love than by leaving it all to chance. Years of research and development successfully identified the key dimensions of personality and attitudes that predicted both compatibility and also the potential for long-term relationship success.
Starting with a detailed personality questionnaire, compatible matches are selected for you, removing the need for endless searches. eHarmony claim their 'Key Dimensions' system allows connection on a deeper level - do let us know if this is true! Proper boffins at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford have had a hand in all this, so their claims might just be true.
eHarmony also give you the option, if you choose the 12 month membership, to break the payment of £119.40 into three installments of £38.80.
eHarmony review
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Dating For Parents
www.datingforparents.com
Years of experience helping single parents or those happy to meet someone who already has a family find their perfect match. With almost 600,000 members, this site is said to generate one wedding per week - so if marriage is what you're after, it might just be the one for you.
They also offer a mobile phone subscription. You can subscribe to DatingForParents using your mobile instead of a credit or debit card. Paying by mobile costs £5.00 for 4 days.
Dating For Parents review
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Love Struck
www.lovestruck.com
Lovestruck.com lets you search for singles based on the area in which they work. Available in the larger UK cities, this free service allows you to message and meet up with other singletons on your lunch break or after work making the whole process quick and fun, and possibly removing some of the hassle.
They claim to be able to put you in touch with city singles that you might fall in love (or lust) with on any given day on the train, bus or in the street, but that depends on the object of your desire being available, and having signed up and added some details on the site.
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Single Solution
www.singlesolution.com
In addition to online dating, Single Solution, in operation since 2002, offers speed dating, singles events as well as Hindu and Sikh dating parties to intelligent single men and women looking for a long-term relationships. Members tend to be graduates in professions like accounting, law, media and design, and many own their own businesses. With this site, you have the facility to contact other members through the online dating site for free after you've attended an event yourself which could come in handy...
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Easy Flirt
www.easyflirt.com
A fast-growing and popular site, offering their unique SpeedFlirt technology which quickly allows you to establish whether or not feelings are mutual. An international company, with sites translated into several languages.
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Midsummers Eve
www.midsummerseve.com
46,000 members take advantage of free online dating and friendship finding. Twice winner of Radio Twos Steve Rights website of the day, and ABIA (Association of British Introduction Agencies) accredited since 2004.
Midsummer's Eve also offer a Lifetime membership for £74.95.
If you subscribe to their 3-month membership or longer, receive a free copy of 'The Seven Secrets of Online Dating' - the invaluable online dating companion guide. And choose the 6 month or longer subscription, and they'll send you a free portable radio with headphones
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Times Online
www.encounters.timesonline.co.uk
The Times service aims to put like-minded members together to find friendship and romance in a safe, reputable environment. Free to join and with a comprehensive matching service, it's aimed at the more serious dater so no gimmicks, just does what it says on the tin.
Sign up today and get:
- Ability to email other members
- Up to 1000 matches
- Access to private photos
- Free advert in The Times and Sunday Times
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Friends Reunited Dating
www.friendsreuniteddating.co.uk
Successful social networking site friendsreunited.co.uk have taken the logical sideways baby step slap bang into the world of online dating, and very popular it seems too. Funky looking site with a straightforward search facility which claims to be the friendliest online dating site on the web, though a few sites claim that, so someone must be telling porkies...
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You Can Get Me
www.youcangetme.com/
Currently boasting over 1 million photo profiles, this is a fairly standard site with all the usual features including live chat, online flirting, secure email services, photo personals, and a free postcode search facility. Strikingly similar to DatetheUK, hmmm.
They also offer 80% off the normal price for women.
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Speed Dater Online
www.speeddateronline.co.uk/
With a long history of UK match making under the name of Speed Dater, you've guessed it, this company made their name running speed dating and singles events.
There is currently a special offer for women which allows a massive 80% off the normal price.Add to shortlist
Love and Friends
www.loveandfriends.com
Often referred to in the media as 'Internet Dating for Thinking People', there does seem to be some truth in this. Open to members from 18 to 108; the majority of the members are well-educated, successful professionals. As far as they're concerned, a 'thinking person' doesn't necessarily mean having a formal educational qualification, all whether from university or the school of life, all are welcome here.
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Friend Finder
friendfinder.com
With over 9 million members worldwide, FriendFinder intends to create a sense of community among its members from all around the world. They aim to help people have fun, meet people, and find love through searches, chat rooms, webcam chat, video messages, and member blogs. Free membership allows you to get a feel for the service without commitment.
You can also pay for additional features such as:
- Allowing Standard Members to send you email at no cost to them
- Highlighting your listing in all search results and emails
Prices shown are for Standard (Silver) membership. For a little extra you can take out a Premium (Gold) membership.
There is currently a special offer - purchase a 6 month Gold membership at �70.59 and receive 2 months freeAdd to shortlist
Diamond Lounge
www.diamondlounge.com
Well settled into the up-market corner of the online dating market, Diamond Lounge offers what they describe as 'Luxury Dating and social networking for successful professionals'. Created for eligible, professional individuals who appreciate the benefits of an exclusive club, their international media coverage seems to confirm their status.
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Loopy Love
www.loopylove.com
Currently 1.6 million members, Loopy Love is a popular UK dating site. Great functionality with all the usual features plus dating advice, celebrity gossip, then their own Lovebombs and The Love Wheel, which so far have eluded definition... Check them out, then please tell us what on earth these particular features are!
They also offer a 3-day trial for a one-off payment of �4.99Add to shortlist
Gay Dot Com
www.gay.com
The simple name masks a far more sophisticated philosophy claim the makers of Gay.com. They offer a place to meet intelligent, well-read and interesting people within your community, for gays, lesbians, bisexuals or transsexuals. Offering genuinely informative and entertaining content celebrating everyone's independence and liberty.
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Adult Friend Finder
adultfriendfinder.com
Adult FriendFinder is the world's largest adult sex and swingers site. You can meet up with the hottest singles and wildest couples. If you're after sex chat, nude webcams, swinger action or group sex, you'll find it all here. And with their bold guarantee offering 3 months' free membership to any member that doesn't get 'laid' (their word, not ours...) within 3 months, maybe one to try out if that's what you're after.
You can also pay for additional features such as:
- Allowing Standard Members to send you email at no cost to them
- Highlighting your listing in all search results and emails
Prices shown are for Standard (Silver) membership. For a little extra you can take out a Premium (Gold) membership.
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Be Naughty
www.benaughty.com/
With the fastest growing casual dating site in the UK, the huge membership keeps matching rates high. The site can be used to find friends, the hottest naughty date, the wildest couples and the sexiest groups, for gay and straight adults. Here's the place to indulge your wildest fantasies... And with around 40% off the standard membership prices at the moment, now is a good time to give this a try.
Prices shown are for standard (Gold) membership. For not much more you get the chance to take out a Platinum membership.
There is also a 3-day trial option for �2.99Add to shortlist
Shaadi
www.shaadi.com
Award winning Asian online matrimonial service in operation since 1997, with several million members and a strict profile screening service. Shaadi also offer an assisted matchmaking service, which includes a matchmaking assistant who will create your profile, search, screen and communicate with people on your behalf.
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Asian Friend Finder
asianfriendfinder.com/
Claiming to be the world's largest network of Asian singles, other than that, the site is pretty self-explanatory offering all the usual features in online dating for Asian people looking for friendships, romance and relationships.
You can also pay for additional features such as:
- Allowing Standard Members to send you email at no cost to them
- Highlighting your listing in all search results and emails
Prices shown are for Standard (Silver) membership. For a little extra you can take out a Premium (Gold) membership.
There is currently a special offer - purchase a 12-month Gold membership at £74.32 and receive 6 months membership freeAdd to shortlist
Senior Friend Finder
seniorfriendfinder.com
Free to join and search, offers the facility to search for couples or groups - cheeky! Go seniors...
You can also pay for additional features such as:
- Allowing Standard Members to send you email at no cost to them
- Highlighting your listing in all search results and emails
Prices shown are for Standard (Silver) membership. For a little extra you can take out a Premium (Gold) membership.
There is currently a special offer - purchase a 12-month Gold membership at £105.18 and receive 6 months membership freeAdd to shortlist
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