Match.com is the oldest dating app.
Since 1995, Match has been connecting singles and creating relationships that launched it as one of the biggest and most famous dating sites up to date.
Even if you haven’t heard of it due to the popularity of other apps, you probably saw that iconic ad released in the midst of the pandemic that put Match.com back in the game.
Whether you’re just curious about it, or looking for another option to find someone special, this article is for you.
After reading you will learn:
Ready to dive in? Let’s go!
How Match.com Works
The basics of Match are the same of any other dating app: you create a profile, browse others, send likes, match with people who also liked you, and start a conversation that will lead towards meeting in real life.
In the following sections we will find out more about what makes Match.com one of the most popular dating sites.
Creating a profile
Opening an account on Match can be done from browser or the app. The steps are same:
- Choose your gender and the gender you are interested in
- Enter an email address and create a password
- Select your location
- Put your birth date to confirm you’re over 18
- Create your profile!
- Add up to 26 photos (We recommend an average of 6)
- Write a great bio (No longer than 100 characters)
- Indicate your interests and preferences
- Set your search preferences
- Choose a subscription, get a free trial, or use the free account to browse around. (We’ll explain more about this in a minute)
- Start matching
Note that with a free account you will only be able to message with profiles that have a crown.
Hovalo Tip: Trouble writing a great bio? In this article we tell you the secrets to make an attractive bio.
What happens when you match on match
Congrats, you can start talking!
Like any other dating app, when two persons like each other creates a match and that allows you to start messaging.
If you hit it off, it’s possible to have video or voice calls within Match before meeting in person.
Now, that’s the simple version.
One of the greatest advantages of Match.com over other apps is that you have different ways to match and find easily the best person for you.
Let’s see how.
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Reverse Matching
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Search Bar
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You're Their Type
Likes Received
The easiest way you can match without swiping forever is when you see who liked you. Pretty much like you’d do with Tinder Gold or Bumble Boost.
Just browse through profiles who already would like to connect and select the ones that fit your preferences.
Features of Match.com
Match app is more than a stack of profiles.
Keep reading to see all the features you can find.
Discover
This is the standard profile feed to swipe. It comes with Top Picks made of the best profiles.
Match Music Quiz
All Wednesdays from 8 to 10 pm, users can test their music knowledge with quizzes. Play in groups or private chats.
Match Events
Match extends the chances of finding a special person by organizing events withing the platform and in real life.
We will see them in detail later.
Boost
Put your profile at the top of the feed for hours depending on the active users and the number of people viewing your profile.
Tinder's SuperBoost is put to shame.
Likes and Winks
Both are ways to express your interest in someone and will send a notification to the profile.
A Like, you put you in the daily matches or the Likes section of the person.
When both send a Like, a match will be made, and you can start communicating.
When someone receives a Wink, you can Wink back or to start messaging.
A Like on Match is sort of a Super Like or a SuperSwipe.
MATCHAFFINITY
This feature borrows from Affinity—a sibling dating app of Match—the personality test to show you compatible profiles based on who you are rather than physical attributes or location.
Let's Talk
This is a “room” in Match where you can talk with all the singles through voice or video.
Topics may vary and the only information that others will see is the username, age, city, and profile picture.
Shuffle
Shuffle presents profiles that you usually won’t see. It may seem a bad idea since your criteria don’t count as much, but it’s possible to find interesting people.
To connect, just click “Yes” to save the profiles and see them later with time to decide if it’s worth taking a shot.
Voice Calls
Call the person you like with an exclusive Match number. Works like a standard phone, without sharing personal information.
Contact Filter
This is the ultimate dealbreaker barrier. When it’s on, only people who match the criteria of every filter you set will be able to contact you.
Video Date
Arrange a date and time so you can meet over video before taking it to real life.
Views
Here you can get an overview of the people who has seen your profile.
The premium membership will unlock this feature to make matching easier.
Love Note
Love Notes let you send a short message to express interest in someone and start a conversation. They are free for every user.
Send a Song
Another thing you can do with the Premium membership is to send songs to other profiles and express feelings without words.
Who is Match For
According to their website, for everyone above 18 looking to find their special someone.
In practice, Match is a nice middle ground for those who don’t know what they want but would like to meet interesting people and see where it goes.
So, you can either find your soulmate, or a nice date for a night.
Popular Locations
We say this almost in every article and video, but let’s say it once more: The success of your dating profile also depends on your location.
In the case of Match.com, it’s more popular in the following countries:
- US
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- Australia
- Germany
This doesn’t mean that you won’t find anyone at all if you are in any of the other 140 countries where Match is available, but rather that it might take time or the search can be hard.
Hovalo Tip: The best way to know the most popular apps in your region is by trying them and seeing where are the most people or the people that you’d like to meet.
How Match.com Cost
The price of a Match membership will vary depending on your location and the monthly cost will decrease the longer you commit, like with every dating app.
These are the average prices you can find (in USD):
Standard Membership
Duration | Total Price | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|
1 Month | 45.99 | 45.99 |
3 Month | 95.97 | 31.99 |
6 Month | 137.94 | 22.99 |
Premium Membership
Duration | Total Price | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|
1 Month | 50.71 | 50.71 |
3 Month | 104.97 | 34.99 |
6 Month | 149.94 | 24.99 |
12 Month | 239.88 | 19.99 |
If you already have a subscription, you can also buy some extra features individually.
Here are some of their prices so you get an idea:
Hand Picked Profiles (only for Premium) | |
|---|---|
1 Time Payment | 11.96 |
Match Phone (included in Premium) | |
|---|---|
1 Month | 3.33 |
Private Mode (not included in any plan) | |
|---|---|
1 Month | 9.99 |
Message with Anyone (included in Premium) | |
|---|---|
1 Month | 9.99 |
Read Messages Notification (included in premium) | |
|---|---|
1 Month | 2.99 |
Boosts (1 monthly on Premium) | |
|---|---|
1 Boosts | 5.99 |
5 Boosts | 4.00 each |
10 Boosts | 3.00 each |
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Why Match.com Is So Expensive
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Will Match.com Refund My Money
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Match.com Without Paying
Which Match Subscription is The Best
The answer to this depends on your preferences, your location, the quality of your profile, the time you plan to spend using the app, and most importantly, your budget.
It takes nothing to start with the free account just to see the type of profiles available in your region.
If you’re happy with what you see, go for the free trial!
Yes, the trial doesn’t last long, but it will help you get a good idea of the features and help you decide if they’re worth it or not.
After that, and with the help of the results of the trial, it will be easier to get the best membership to suit your needs.
Hovalo Tip: If you are on a budget, add beforehand the costs of a membership and the additional features you might like so you know the real price of using the site without any surprises.
Does match.com works?
Yes, Match.com does work, but not for everyone.
As we repeat in every article (and a few times already in this one), your success in online dating will depend on:
- The quality of your profile,
- Your texting skills,
- Your current location.
Don’t hesitate to know more about our online dating outsourcing service if you’d like to have a better profile or skip the hassle of texting until you find a good match.
Match.com Events
For those who prefer to meet in person, Match organizes a series of live events across the US and Europe for paid members.
These events are a great way to meet other great people that probably wouldn’t make it to the swiping stack in a safe environment.
The only downside is that they are held in great cities, so you might need to travel if you live in a town or village.
Hovalo Tip: Find all the programmed events on the Match.com website.
Stir events
Stir is another dating app of Match group made for single parents.
Through your Match subscription, you can get an invitation to the next meet-up of single parents and have the chance to finally find someone who understands you instead of ghosting you.
Match.com Nights
A RSVP event with after-work drinks, quizzes, and singles ready to meet other singles.
You only need to check the date and location that fits you best and confirm your assistance.
Virtual Events
Similar to Swipe Time from Tinder or Bantr Live from Bumble, Match offers virtual dating events in which you can joy live chatting and matching sessions to meet new people in a funny way.
Are Match.com Events Any Good
You will never know if you don’t try them 😉
If you are a people person who’d rather meet someone in real life than have the filter of an app, you probably will prefer something like Stir Events or Match Nights.
However, if you’re more comfortable warming up through chat or call before taking the next step, maybe you should start with an online event to see how it works and then decide if going to a ive one is worth it.
Is Match Best Than Other Dating Apps?
In general, we can tell you that there are better and cheaper options. It all depends on what you want out of online dating.
And for the umpteenth time, in your location.
Match.com vs Bumble
Just like Match, Bumble is a great option for those who are open to seeing where meeting someone leads.
Also, Bumble is cheaper, and widely spread, and you can also make friends or expand your network.
Head over to this article to learn everything about Bumble.
Match.com vs Hinge
If you know you want a long-term relationship or something more serious with someone like-minded, why not give Hinge a shot first?
You can do great with a free account and a good profile.
In this article, we explain all you need to be successful on Hinge.
Match.com vs eHarmony
When you know that a serious relationship is non-negotiable and you have the money, it’s a better option to head to eHarmony instead and look for your other half. But the pool of people on eHarmony is smaller so you might need to broaden your search region.
Match.com FAQs and troubleshooting
Time to solve a few common questions regarding Match.
Match started in 1995. It’s the very first online dating app.
Match was created in 1993. It took two years of planning and development from the idea started, until the first beta website launched in 1995.
The owner of Match.com is Match Group. The same company owns Tinder, Hinge, Meetic, Plenty of Fish, The League, and OkCupid among other 19 dating apps and sites.
If a user of Match appears as “online now” it means that is indeed online or was active up to 46 minutes ago.
You can also know this if the profile has a green dot.
When a profile has a green circle, it means that the person was active for the last time between 45 minutes and 24 hours ago.
If the site or app doesn’t load, it might be due to an overload of the server, a network problem, site maintenance, or a local problem with your device.
When you aren’t getting any matches, try improving your profile, learning some texting skills, and try again (or leave it to a professional, like us 😉).
Also, search if Match is popular in your region. Maybe you just need another app.
Not really.
Most of the time, it’s easier to find inactive profiles, rather than fake ones.
If you want to make sure, you can read here how to spot a fake profile.
Some might say that Match is bad because of the lack of active users and the high prices.
However, depending on where you live, this might not be the case at all!
Match’s website has a lot of useful information that you can browse without an account.
But we know that you are asking about watching profiles without an account.
In that case, the answer is no.
You want to see? You got to sign up.
Non-subscribers or holders of free Match accounts can only read messages when the sender has paid for an addon so every member can read their messages.
Otherwise no. Everyone needs to pay for a subscription in order to communicate.
Pros and Cons of Match.com
Pros
Many features and filters
Personalized recommendations
Detailed profiles
Available almost worldwide
Live matching events
Cons
Expensive to enjoy all the features
Purchases don’t end with a subscription
Not as many active users
Takes too long to set up
Popular only in selected locations
Should I join Match.com?
Here’s a checklist to help you decide:
If you checked at least 3 points, it’s worth it that you give Match.com an opportunity.
Even though we recommend you to try other apps simultaneously and go for the most popular if you want best results, Match can give you a great surprise.
Remember that if you need further help taking a decision or you are too busy to handle your profile, you are only a click away from getting in touch with Hovalo and change your online dating life forever.
See you at the next one!
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