Choosing the Right Dating Site for You

You’ve decided you’re going to try online dating, but what site should you choose? Boomer singles are joining dating sites in increasing numbers, so you’ve got a lot of options. To help you make up your mind, here’s a look at the top five dating sites of 2011: the positives, the negatives and what each site can offer you.

Match.com Known as the fastest growing website with over 2.5 million senior members, Match.com has been voted the best overall dating site for seniors by ConsumerRankings.com. They guarantee that you will meet someone special within six months. They start out their monthly prices at $34.99 per month and as you pay for longer periods of time, it can get down to as much as $16.99 per month. They also give the user practical guidance in helping appealing profiles. One of the things people don’t like about the site: The confusing and somewhat expensive pricing system beyond the basic cost.

eHarmony.com eHarmony caters to people looking for a long-term relationship. They offer guided communication to make the initial contact with someone easier. They also have a free personality assessment survey and provide matches based on your results. Currently there are 1.1 million seniors registered with eHarmony. Some things that people don’t like : You can’t search for your own matches. Instead, the site provides you with candidates based on their personality assessment survey. And their monthly prices are higher than the average dating ($59.99 for a one-month membership).

Chemistry.com One of the strongest features about Chemistry.com is that its personality assessment survey is more accurate than both Match and eHarmony. It does a comparison between you and each of your suggested matches. They also update your new matches on a regular basis. Currently, Chemistry.com has nearly a million seniors registered for its site. One of the negatives with Chemistry.com is that you can’t search for your own match (just as with eHarmony). Some people don’t like because they would prefer to have the freedom to choose. Their advice section, on how to overcome potential online dating issues, is poor.

PerfectMatch.com PerfectMatch has one cool feature that none of the other dating sites on this list has. If you are a paid member, you can have your questions answered by the one of the site’s relationship expert doctors, Dr. Pepper Schwartz. You also can search for your own matches. Those matches are typically compatible with you based on the personality survey developed by Dr. Schwartz. As of right now, there are over 375,000 seniors registered with PerfectMatch.com. Some of the negative aspects can include a lack of actual matches. Their registration process is lengthy, to say the least. There is no feature that allows you to instant message other users. And unlike other dating sites, they don’t have a smartphone app.

LavaLife Prime If you’re not trying to get back into anything serious and are looking to keep things more casual, then LavaLife Prime may be the site for you. They also provide virtual “parties” or chat rooms available for singles to meet and greet. They also have a mobile phone app. The downside: Many of the user profiles don’t have photos or enough information. And it’s not open to gay and lesbian singles.