Key Takeaways
I’ve joined dozens of dating sites and apps across a swath of niches, and these are my recommendations for having the best online experience as a senior single.
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OurTime.com: Overall Best Dating Site for Over 50
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Complete your dating profile and check back regularly to increase your chances of a match.
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If you see suspicious activity, block and report the user to the dating site.
Contrary to popular belief, Gen Zers aren’t the only ones swiping and finding love online. Plenty of older people have connected on dating apps. But when you’re over 50, not all dating platforms are created equal.
Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge are dominated by younger singles, so these apps, while popular, are not usually the best way to find a mature partner. Going on senior-specific dating sites or sites for intentional dating will help you to meet like-minded singles who actually want to date you. Here are my recommendations if you’re over 50 and online dating.
Step 1: Choose the Right Dating Site For You
As much as you might want a one-size-fits-all solution for online dating, that is not a thing. Different dating sites are best suited for different goals. Before you join a dating site, take a moment to consider what your goals are and the type of relationship you want to pursue.
Best for Senior-Only Dating: OurTime
Senior singles should strongly consider using OurTime. It’s a mature dating site where people understand each other’s values and life experiences because they’ve all been around the dating block before and probably been married a time or two.
- Relationships: Dates and Relationships
- Match System: Search by profiles by zip and more
- Our Experts Say: “OurTime offers singles over 50 a welcoming dating pool, straightforward search tools, and an easy-to-navigate experience designed around senior dating.” Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
OurTime is strictly for singles over 50, so you’ll never feel self-conscious about your age here. Plus, it’s user-friendly with a simple matching process and free messaging as long as you’ve both liked each other’s profile.
Additionally, the team behind OurTime knows that seniors are vulnerable to online fraud, so safety on the site is a top priority. OurTime requires ID verification for its members, and the rigorous screening process helps protect genuine people on the site.
Plenty of senior singles have found lasting love on OurTime, and you can too. The site has options for gay dating as well as seeking senior friends, so people can explore senior connections on their terms.
Best Mainstream Dating Site With Senior Filters: Match
If you want to date more mature singles (but not necessarily only seniors), Match is a great option. Match has free search filters for age range, distance, and whether the person has children. If you pay for the premium plan, you can access more advanced searches by religion, politics, hobbies, pets, ethnicity, and drinking habits, among others.
All free members can send messages to their mutual matches for free. That means someone must like your profile and you must like theirs for them to show up in your inbox.
- Relationships: Friends, Dates, and Relationships
- Match System: Browse by zip, age, appearance, more
- Our Experts Say: “Match lets senior daters search by interests and hobbies, so shared passions do the matching instead of just age.” Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
Match tends to be popular with singles looking for more serious connections. The profiles are more detailed, the icebreaker questions are more thoughtful, and the site has more compatibility matching than the typical swiping apps.
This isn’t to say that you can’t date casually on Match; you can. But the majority of members are going to be more interested in getting to know you than immediately jumping to sexy banter.
Best Dating Site for Senior Relationships: eharmony
Seniors who know they want a serious relationship have historically done well on eharmony. Known for its high-quality dating pool, eharmony helps singles find love at any age through a rigorous compatibility match system.
On eharmony, you can keep your dating search to your area, or open it up to long-distance relationships, too. Every profile will feature a compatibility breakdown that shows how well your temperaments and values align.
- Relationships: Casual Dates, Deep Relationships
- Match System: Personality test suggests matches
- Our Experts Say: “eharmony helps senior singles explore whether a match shares the beliefs, priorities, and relationship expectations that matter most to them.” Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
It starts with a personality quiz that dives into a lot of interesting and personal subjects. You’re asked if you’re a morning person or a night owl, as well as how much time you like to spend with friends and family versus time alone. None of this information appears on your profile. It’s all used to fuel the match algorithm.
From the filters to the compatibility matching, eharmony is the place to go if you’re looking for a partner to be with you through your golden years.
Best Hookup Site for Seniors: Victoria Milan
Just because you’re a senior doesn’t mean your sex life is over. Plenty of seniors like to have casual relationships, too! And it’s a good bet you’ll meet them on Victoria Milan, a no-strings dating site for affairs and casual encounters.
Victoria Milan markets itself as a “married dating site,” but its emphasis on privacy and anonymity also appeals to plenty of singles.
- Relationships: Affairs, Friends with Benefits, Casual Dates
- Match System: Browse by appearance, location, lifestyle
- Our Experts Say: “Affairs aren’t taboo on Victoria Milan. The married dating site lets individuals be honest about their intentions and flirt anonymously. It’s an exciting place to try new things. Dating profiles might mask their faces in photos, but they’ll bare their fantasies in their bios. It’s free to join and see the date options out there.” Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
The main benefit here is that you’re not required to give a lot of personal information to join the dating pool. Many of the profile fields are optional. And real names are not required.
Don’t want your kids to find out about your dating profile? No problem. Victoria Milan makes it easy to date as discreetly as you want. It even has a “panic button” that offers a quick, one-click exit from the site. It redirects you to YouTube’s homepage.
With Victoria Milan, you can find whatever type of connection you want on your own terms.
Best Site for Video Chats With Seniors: Dating.com
For some seniors, the messaging component of online dating is a major turn-off. They don’t want to text someone; they want to actually talk to them. That’s why we like to highlight dating sites like Dating.com that offer video chat tools that help users get face-to-face that much sooner.
- Relationships: Friends, Dates, and Relationships
- Match System: Sort profiles by ZIP code, appearance, more
- Our Experts Say: “Dating.com is a simple website that just makes sense for senior singles. Its intuitive interface connections individuals who are truly invested in creating a romantic relationship. Dating.com offers reassurance that matches are real by offering voice note and video chatting options. Members can also send a virtual gift to show they really care.”
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
Dating.com has the usual one-on-one text messaging options as well as voice notes, video messages, and video calling. These are all add-on features, meaning that users pay for credits to access them. The pay-as-you-go system ensures you only pay for features you actually intend to use.
There’s no pressure to pay if you just want to browse profiles (locally and internationally), read your messages, and take your time deciding who’s worth investing your time in.
Step 2: Create a Dating Profile That Gets Attention
Now it’s time to create your profile. Whatever you do, don’t skip all the sections and write one-word answers. If your profile is incomplete, you won’t get many — if any — matches, and it just doesn’t send a good impression if your profile has little personality.
Start by adding multiple photos that show who you are, what you look like (accurately), and what you like to do for fun. The photos should show the best sides of you, without being disingenuous. Don’t add photos that are heavily filtered or from 20 years ago.
Make sure you fill out all the prompts, and be honest about what you’re looking for. Keep it positive and true to you. There’s no need to overshare about your divorce in this space. Talk about your plans for the future and the hobbies you’d like to share with someone.
The goal is to find a person who sees you for who you are and who wants the same things. The more accurately you can represent that on your profile, the better.
Step 3: Prioritize Must-Haves in Your Search Filters
You don’t want to whittle down your search results too much before you can see profiles. But at the same time, if you have a non-negotiable, don’t waste time on people who don’t meet it.
If you would never date a smoker, use the search filters to view nonsmokers only. If your faith is important to you, swipe left on anyone who doesn’t align with that. Just remember to ask yourself if this is truly something you can’t compromise on, and make sure it’s more than skin deep.
The goal is to give yourself as many truly viable options as possible, then use your best judgment from there.
Step 4: Be Active & Send Likes Regularly
How active you are on a site makes a huge difference. The algorithm prioritizes active profiles in its match suggestions. You’ll be more visible, and thus have more engagement, if you’re a regular visitor to the site or app.
I recommend checking in on your profile at least once a day for the first week, and then you can space it out a little to a pace that works for you once you get matches and find your groove.
You don’t need to let online dating take over your life. But make sure you’re spending a little bit of time and effort on this. You get out what you put in! Actually send likes. Even if you’re used to being asked out, that’s not really how it works on dating sites. Everyone needs to participate equally, at least until you move offline.
Step 5: Respond to Messages Quickly
Respond to messages when they come in, as soon as you see them. If you don’t want to keep your notifications turned on, pick a consistent time to check back on the site for new messages.
And when you get a match, message first. Everyone likes a partner who takes initiative and puts in the effort. Make sure the message mentions something specific about the profile, such as:
- I see you like salsa dancing. I’d love to try that some time. What are your favorite places to dance?
- Hi there! Glad to meet a fellow dog person. How long have you had your pup?
- Nice picture of the rocket launch! Was that your first time at Cape Canaveral?
Once a conversation is going well, try to move your messaging into a real-life date within a week or so. The faster you get to see if the connection translates in-person, the better. Having a pen pal may seem fun, but it’s all imagined connection until you’ve actually met in real life.
FAQs: Is Online Dating Worth It After 50?
Yes! Not only is it worth it, but it’s also one of the most popular ways to find a partner after 50. Online dating gives you opportunities to have conversations and make new connections. Even if it doesn’t lead to marriage, it could very easily lead to new friendships and fun dates.
When we interviewed It’s Just Lunch matchmaker Heather Greenwood, she emphasized the importance of being open to the experience and taking things at your own pace.
As people get older, more of their friends are settled and married. It becomes harder to meet singles organically. That’s why online dating is valuable. You’re surrounded by people who are available and open to romance.
Should I Use More Than One Dating Site?
If it’s not too overwhelming, you should definitely consider using two or three dating sites at a time. That increases your chances of meeting the right match. Dating is a numbers game, after all.
If you stick to just one site, you’ll miss out on plenty of great people who are on another site.
That being said, it’s better to be an active user on one site than an inactive user on five. It’s up to you to determine what you can reasonably manage and not spread yourself too thin. The most successful online daters check their messages multiple times a week. So factor in if you have time to juggle more than one dating site.
And if you’re wondering which ones to join, take our quiz to get a personalized recommendation:
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What Are the Safest Dating Sites for People Over 50?
The safest sites for older people tend to be OurTime and Match. Both sites have large membership bases and take security very seriously. That means virtually no fake profiles and lots of user accountability.
Match has a safety check-in system that will notify any trusted person you identify with a text telling them the time, date location, and name of your date if you’re meeting in person and want someone to watch your back.
Two-factor authentication is in place on both sites (meaning users must verify themselves with two different methods) to make sure users can’t create dummy accounts and put up false identities. Still, small lies about height or age are nearly impossible to catch.
Even on these sites, though, it’s important to keep your guard up and don’t trust an online match too quickly. Verify their stories and make sure they’re being truthful with you.
How Can I Tell if an Online Dating Profile Is Fake?
Unfortunately, AI has made it increasingly difficult to determine what’s real and what’s fake online. But there are some telltale signs of fake profiles that users should watch for:
- Vague statements.
- Unclear or edited photos.
- Claiming to live or work overseas.
- Stories that seem too good to be true.
- Broken English or nonsensical statements.
- Asking to switch to Yahoo Messenger or WhatsApp.
- Making excuses not to meet in person or go on a video date.
If a profile messages you immediately when you join the site, it could be a bot. If someone immediately starts calling you “darling” and saying you’re special, that’s suspicious too and could be a scammer trying to get in your good graces.
Real online daters don’t usually move very quickly – and they definitely don’t ask for money or favors. No matter what excuse or sob story they give you, never send money to anyone you met online.
When in doubt, report the account.
Final Takeaway: Adjust Your Strategy to Get Results
Online dating can work for you, no matter your age or dating experience. And it’s a particularly good idea if you’re over 50 to check out the more mature dating sites that offer a slower-paced and more quality-first experience than, say, Tinder or Bumble.
By setting up a senior profile on the right sites and staying active, you set yourself up to successfully find genuine connections. Perhaps even a lasting love. Best of luck!
