There are plenty of free dating sites, however only a couple (the two largest) are likely worth your time. These sites are the largest free sites among Canadians, and among most of the western world. They’re large enough that they actually have a decent selection of potential matches, and – despite being free – have the technology to keep ‘annoyances’ off the site.
We break down POF and OKCupid, below. Both are free (with advertising), but allow for paid upgrades to gain more exposure and features.
POF
POF, formerly known as Plenty of Fish, is huge among Canadians. In fact, it got it’s start by becoming the largest dating site of any country right here in Canada. It’s also Vancouver-based, if that makes you feel a bit more patriotic! The site that once was an awfully designed, visually unappealing site is now one that looks quite good rivaling (if not exceeding) the look and feel of most dating sites today.
With POF you can do most dating-site-type things for free (as advertised), but if you’re looking for an improved experience, and a better chance of success, they offer a paid upgrade.
How is it free? It generates advertising revenue to pay the bills. So, unless you upgrade to a paid plan (see below), you will encounter advertising as you browse profiles and search results.
What can you do for free?
- A full profile on the site (answers, photos, etc.);
- Advanced search capabilities;
- Full communication;
- Full browsing experience (with low-quality ads).
What costs money?
- An ad-free experience;
- Improved visibility on the site (your profile will get more views);
- Knowing if your messages have been read or not;
- Free gift sending (3 per day) – allowing your messages to stand out;
- More photos on your profile;
- (and more!)
Pros: Largest selection of Canadian singles; Available on mobile; Full range of advanced search options; Option to improve experience (more profiles views, messages, etc.) by paying.
Cons: Ads shown while browsing are mostly of low quality.
OkCupid
OkCupid is another free dating site that is popular among Canadians. It doesn’t have the amount of members as POF but it’s a great alternative (hey, why not join both?) to the massive POF. It also tends to cater to those a bit more quirky, for lack of a better terms. Where POF may cater to everyone, OKCupid is a bit of a smaller group – one that likely skews more artsy that the average dating site. That said, give it a try no matter what your persuasion. After all, it’s free!
All that said about OKCupid being free, it truly is unique among all dating sites. The Question and Answer matching format that OKCupid utilizes provides greater matches than your typical dating site. We’re not talking about your typical profile questions. We’re talking about thoughts on controversial issues and the like.
The more questions you answer, the greater the chances they can match you with someone compatible. Not only that, you can view the answers given by other members, provided you’ve answered the question yourself. Want to know what the person feels about some hefty deal-breaker topics such as drugs, abortion, cleanliness, or others? If you answer enough questions, you can likely figure out what the profile you’re looking at is like by viewing their responses to such questions.
What the Q&A feature does is really provide a way to really get to know someone (as mentioned, even for some serious non-first-date-type-conversation items) before you even communicate with them. It saves you time going through the back-and-forth communication (or even beyond that) before you realize that person may not be for you.
How is it free? OkCupid does have advertising on the site. On almost every page you view, you’ll encounter three ad banners as least. The ad quality is usually far above that of POF, however.
What can you do for free?
- A full profile on the site (answers, photos, etc.);
- General search capabilities (although not Body Type and others);
- Full communication;
- Full browsing experience (with ads).
What costs money?
- An ad-free experience;
- Full search capabilities (including Body Type and answers to non-standard Q&A questions);
- Browse profiles invisibly;
- Knowing if your messages have been read or not;
- Knowing what members indicated they ‘like’ you;
- (and more!)
Pros: Fairly large selection of Canadian members; Available on mobile; Large photos in search results; Matching based on Q&A format providing more insight of other members than available on most dating sites; Modern site design; Super easy and quick sign up.
Cons: Ad heavy browsing experience (unless you upgrade); Photo required to view full photos of others (which many would put as a “Pro” actually!).