What Are Free Dating Memberships: Pros and Cons, Features & Tips

As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. However, there is such a thing as a free dating site. 

Nearly all dating apps and sites offer a basic level of free membership to anyone who wants to join, with premium features for people who want to get more from their online dating experience.

But what do you get with a free membership? Is it just to entice people onto a platform before making them pay? And how do free memberships work? 

Let’s tackle everything you need to know about free memberships: what they are, the pros and cons, and how to make the most of a free membership on a dating site or app. 

The premise of a free membership is simple: Users sign up without needing to input payment details. But that doesn’t mean free memberships are always the right choice or the best value. Let’s talk about what they typically entail.

Setup and Features

Setting up a profile or account for a free membership on a dating site or app is straightforward. 

While the level of detail in your online dating profile will vary depending on your chosen platform, the standard requirements for most sites and apps include your birthdate, email address or phone number, user name, gender identity, and sexual orientation. 

Some free dating sites, such as Zoosk and Facebook Dating, allow users to import personal details from social media to make the process even easier and quicker. 

Note that even if you link your Instagram or Facebook to a dating profile, the online dating platform won’t post your business on your social media account.

Free memberships usually include the following features: You can build your profile, add pictures of yourself, browse and search for matches, and look at other people’s basic profile details. This makes it easy to see if a site or app has the potential partners you’re looking for without a cost commitment.

Limitations and Restrictions

Although free memberships typically come with the ability to look at other members’ profiles, most platforms tend to restrict access to the communication features of a site or app. 

Where those restrictions will fall will vary from one online dating service to another, so it’s a good idea to check what you’re getting — and what you’re not getting— when signing up.

The most common restriction for free memberships is communication. Most dating apps and sites offering a free basic membership will restrict how many potential partners you can contact daily. Some won’t allow any messages from free members at all. 

You may find that your free membership only allows you to contact specific potential matches: Match allows basic members to contact Top Picks freely, but not other members of their choosing.

On eharmony, basic members can take Icebreaker Quizzes but can’t send messages. The team claims that only allowing paid members to send and receive messages cuts down on scammers and fraudulent accounts.

Some other restrictions you might encounter include restricted access to profile details or a limitation on the number of pictures you can include in your profile. Grindr and many other sites restrict basic users to only matches in their area and usually a limited number of matches.

Although most dating sites and apps provide the essentials that a basic user needs to get started and find potential matches, most free memberships have fairly significant restrictions in one way or another.

OkCupid is a rare exception: the platform maintains a promise that all users have access to core features, including unlimited messaging.

How Free Memberships Compare to Paid Memberships

It should come as no surprise that paid memberships tend to offer a lot more perks, features, and tools than free memberships. After all, that’s the entire point of offering a paid membership to users.

Even so, you might discover that the differences between paid and free membership might not be that critical on some platforms.

For example, basic membership on Tinder offers all the tools necessary to find matches and connect. While you technically receive fewer potential matches on Tinder with a basic membership, most people are unlikely to notice the restriction since the cap is so high.

Premium subscription packages on Tinder remove the ads, allow you to browse incognito, and even rewind your swipes if you make a mistake. The higher your membership level, the more perks you get — but it’s worth considering whether those perks will do much to improve your odds.

On the other hand, Elite Singles offers a lot more functionality to premium members than to basic members. You’ll need a premium membership to send unlimited messages, access the platform via the app, or view another user’s complete profile details.

Before you decide whether to join a dating site or app for free or a fee, it’s worth investigating the benefits and whether the subscription fee is worth it. 

Although it’s easy to assume that trying out a free membership is a low-risk proposition — after all, you’re not paying for anything — there are some very real factors to consider before diving into the swiping scene.

The pros and cons of free memberships are pretty easy to understand if you think about it.

To avoid dating app fatigue, approaching online dating strategically is a good idea. By weighing the pros and cons of a free membership to a new dating platform, you can avoid burning yourself out, hopping from one site or app to another. 

Pros & Cons

The free membership on a dating app may seem like a great deal — and in many ways, it is — but you should know the potential drawbacks to the free user experiences. Let’s go over the pros and cons.

1. Accessibility

Most online dating platforms that offer free membership don’t have a lot of hurdles in the signup process. Some niche sites catering to wealthy daters or specific interests will include more barriers — such as proof of income or participation in a particular job or hobby — before your profile is approved.

Free dating sites and apps are a more accessible option than matchmakers and other dating services because there are no lengthy interviews and no background checks. While this means you generally have to do the legwork of finding your potential matches, you can get started at your own pace and put as much information as you feel comfortable providing.

The accessibility of free memberships on dating platforms includes browsing potential matches at your own pace and making contact on your terms. Some psychologists suggest that one-on-one, text-based communication can help people forge connections more readily than mass, in-person events such as singles mixers. 

2. Cost-Effectiveness

One key benefit to free membership is that “free” is a price anyone can afford on any budget. As long as you have internet or cellular data access, free membership on a dating app or site is fully available to you. 

Free memberships also mean that you can look for potential partners in multiple dating pools without subscription fees. Matchmakers and other more traditional dating services often require an up-front cost, and those fees can quickly stack up. 

If your budget is tight and you’re looking for sex, love, or just companionship, free membership offers give you the chance to see what’s available without having to pay for the privilege.

Since most sites operate on a freemium model, with optional upgrades in your membership or the ability to pay for additional services, you can also check out what the platform is like before you get out the credit card.

3. Basic Features Might be Enough

Although most free membership plans will restrict access to features and tools in some way, the basic level might be enough to get the job done. For apps like Tinder, you’re unlikely even to notice the restrictions that come with a basic membership. 

With a little savvy, you can maximize the tools you have at your disposal. For example, on Match, you can send unlimited messages to your Top Picks, even at the basic membership level. You can also use tools like Icebreaker Quizzes and likes and add a profile to your favorites to show interest. 

In short, even without all the bells and whistles of a premium membership, you have enough tools to find, connect with, and act on a potential match. 

4. Limited Functionality

While many free membership offers provide sufficient tools to get the job done without needing a premium subscription fee, that’s not always the case. One method dating sites and apps use to encourage users to upgrade their accounts is restricting essential functions.

The most common restriction across dating platforms is communication. For example, without a premium membership, you can’t send or reply to messages on platforms like eharmony or Elite Singles.

Other platforms, such as BlackPeopleMeet and Zoosk, allow basic members to respond to messages for free but only allow premium users to send first messages.

Other platforms restrict the number of messages that basic members can send per day. You can send up to five messages on the hookup site for free, but only premium members can send unlimited messages. 

Casual dating platforms such as Ashley Madison and BeNaughty sometimes bend the rules for female members. Often, women can contact whomever they want for free, while men need a premium account to reply.

Communication isn’t the only tool platforms restrict for free members, although it’s the most apparent restriction. Some platforms also limit your ability to seek out potential matches outside your area—like Tinder and Grindr—or limit the number of matches you can access. 

While these dating services don’t make it impossible for basic members to find what they’re looking for, you might find the restrictions frustrating. 

5. Advertisements

If a dating app or site offers its core services for free, the platform still has to make money somehow to keep things running. Advertising is the most common method for free dating sites and apps to make money.

Some apps, such as Tinder and Grindr, show users ads among the matches. This can be annoying for basic members, and it’s certainly a reason that many users cite for moving up to a premium membership.

Generally, the ads are not frequent or intrusive enough for most basic members to spend the money to remove them.

Another way dating sites and apps generate money through advertising is by selling anonymized user data. Age, location, gender, and other details are a valuable commodity for advertisers, and they’re willing to pay good money to online dating services for that information.

If you’re very private or want to retain control over your data online, that might be a dealbreaker. Advertising keeps the lights on for dating platforms, but it can be an annoying intrusion in your online dating experience.

6. Lack of Seriousness

Many platforms have introduced membership fees and premium subscriptions because paying members tend to be more serious about their goals. In addition to funding the platform itself, charging a monthly fee encourages the people who want to put in the work and discourages flaky people and scammers alike.

After all, studies consistently show that people are willing to pay more for better service. An online survey found that the more people spend on their gym memberships, the more often they tend to go. People willing to pay more are typically more serious about reaching their goals.

On the opposite side of the coin, the low barrier to entry means that free membership offers lead to fewer serious daters. Scammers, time wasters, flakes, and other non-serious people tend to appear more frequently on free dating sites and apps because they cost nothing.

As a result, if you’re looking for a serious connection, you’re less likely to find it on a free platform. 

Every dating site and app has particular features, tools, and format, but some consistent characteristics exist on every platform. For free memberships, you’re likely to find a handful of features open to every user, although there are likely to be some differences between options for basic and premium members.

Profile Creation and Customization

Almost all online dating services will allow anyone to join and create a profile, with at least a little customization. After all, you’ll need to tell them apart to choose between potential partners.

The amount of detail in your profile and the degree to which you can customize it for other users to see depends on many factors. Some platforms allow you to provide the bare minimum of details, like Pure, an anonymous hookup app.

Some dating sites allow you to pick and choose the details you provide, but you’ll only see other users’ details to the same degree that you’re willing to open up. 

While most sites provide basic profile options to every member, many online dating services will offer extra perks to premium users.

These can include more customized fields, extra profile pictures, or expanded access to other users’ profile details. A basic member might see a few photos and essential information, but a premium member gets the full monty.

Browsing and Matching

As a free member of a dating site or app, you’re likely to have at least some ability to browse potential partners and match with other users. The difference between browsing and matching as a basic or premium member generally comes down to the number of matches and the freedom you have to browse.

For example, relationship-driven sites such as Coffee Meets Bagel tend to curate matches for their members, offering a set number of daily suggestions.

Basic members receive matches just like premium members, but premium members often can check out a larger number of potential partners served by the platform. Online matchmaking services frequently offer premium subscribers the option to browse outside their suggested matches.

Even when platforms let users do their matchmaking, premium users generally have more options, although basic members still have plenty of opportunities to browse.

Paying members generally have access to more filters than free members do. In some cases, such as on Tinder and Grindr, premium users also have the option to browse for matches outside of their location.

Some online dating services, such as OkCupid, offer customized filters for premium members, allowing users to filter matches by multiple categories in one. 

As part of your free membership, you can browse an extensive range of matches in your area. Still, you’re likely to experience some limitations — either by location, number of matches, the degree to which you can refine your searches, or some other combination.

Communication Options

One significant difference between free and paid memberships on dating sites and apps is the communication options. Because online dating services want to encourage as many users as possible to switch to premium, free members often find their communication options strictly limited.

On sites such as Match, basic members can only freely send messages to Top Picks, the potential partners the matchmaking platform considers your best choices.

Some other platforms, such as Adult Friend Finder and BeNaughty, provide a public chat room where all users can participate while restricting private messages to premium members.

While the app may restrict your ability to send messages, most online dating services provide alternative methods to show your interest without sending a message.

The senior dating site OurTime, for example, lets users send a wink, while other platforms allow you to like a profile in some way. The other user receives notifications for each like, wink, or wave; if they’re a premium user, they can reply with a message.

Finding ways around the communication restrictions on a dating app or site can be tricky, but many dedicated daters figure out how to do it. Many free dating sites and apps provide unlimited messaging services to all users, as long as you match first or get a reply from the user.

Safety and Privacy Measures

After scandals such as the Ashley Madison hack and the Adult Friend Finder member information leak, most online dating platforms invested heavily in security and privacy measures to protect their users. These essential measures protect every user, so you don’t have to pay to get the benefit.

The degree of security and privacy varies greatly from one platform to another. For example, Ashley Madison offers all users the same anonymization services—tools like photo blurring, profile audits to ensure you’re not revealing any details, and even the option to lock your pictures up in a virtual vault—regardless of membership level.

You’re also likely to find some of the same safety features, like reporting profiles and blocking aggressive users, across all dating services.

Other platforms may offer more targeted options to ensure the safety and privacy of premium users. Tools like incognito mode, automatic browser history clearing, and more intense encryption tend to require a paid subscription rather than being free. 

Remember that many platforms offering these services for premium users also grant all women on the platform automatic premium status free of charge.

Whether you’re signing up for a basic membership, a free trial, or a premium subscription, you’ll want to maximize your chances of finding a match before you pay for anything. 

These strategies and tips can help you get the most out of your free membership, whether you have days or years to enjoy it.

1. Complete Profile Information

Studies into online dating success rates consistently find that original, detailed profiles are more attractive to users. 

Providing complete profile information gives potential matches the fullest possible picture of who you are and what you have to offer. 

This can be intimidating — especially if you have a certain amount of self-doubt — but openness is sexy.

Complete profile information makes you more attractive but also means that people who aren’t interested in you are less likely to take up your time. Less time spent eliminating uninterested matches means more time devoted to promising potential matches.

2. Be Active on The Platform

You can’t expect matches to just come to you, even if you join an online dating site or app that curates daily suggested matches. You must be active to make the most of your online dating experience.

Check your suggested matches daily, and respond to them in some way. If the matches aren’t compatible with your desires, swipe left. If you like what you see, swipe right or send a like, wink, or message. 

Being active keeps your profile visible and improves your chances by exposing you to as many potential matches as possible. 

The more opportunities you get to find a partner, the more likely you are actually to find them.

3. Look Into Free Trials and Promotions

Some sites operating on a freemium model will occasionally offer basic members a chance to access premium perks on a trial basis. They may also send out promotional codes for discounts on premium membership, usually based on how long you commit to subscribing.

Some examples of promotional offers include eharmony’s Free Communication Weekends or free trial promos for Zoosk premium.

Be on the lookout for online dating app discounts and special offers. Make sure they’re not getting shunted into the spam folder of your email inbox. You might want to take advantage of these deals.

If you want to see if premium services are worth the money, you’ll find out if you can give them a test drive.

4. Be Persistent!

It’s no secret that online dating is a numbers game. Swiping is all about sorting through potential partners to find the right fit. It’s important not to get discouraged when using a free membership. 

I’ve pushed through dating app fatigue and found success by not letting rejection or disappointment stop me.

You’ll only make your free membership work if you’re willing to work with it. Send messages, communicate with other users, keep your profile updated, and, above all, keep swiping. 

Take breaks if you’ve got an unlimited free membership and you find yourself getting frustrated, but keep following up.

Persistence pays off in the dating world — and in other endeavors as well.

Free memberships have much to offer if you’re trying to find your next partner on a tight budget. These offers invite you to explore different dating pools and see what’s out there without paying for access. That way, you can make an informed decision on the membership plan that is right for you.

While the features and benefits of a free membership can vary from one online dating service to another, you’ll at least get the opportunity to decide if the paid features will be worth your money. 

Try out a new platform before you commit to a subscription by testing a free membership!