If you’re just getting into online dating, you may wonder about the ways that different platforms bring singles together. One of the most popular dating sites, Match.com has been around for decades. But like many other dating platforms, it isn’t clear right off the bat how Match works.
If you’re wondering how to get started and what to expect from Match.com, fear not. We’ve got the full details on how to make the flagship site of the Match Group work for you.
Step One: Set Up a Dating Profile
The first step toward finding your new partner on Match is to create a profile. Fortunately, the Match profile setup is fairly easy. You can set up your basics in about 10 minutes, but if you want to be thorough, it may take a bit longer to find the perfect photo or write a unique bio.
Most of the questions are fairly standard: age, marital status, location, and so on. You can also answer questions referring to your political views, your religious beliefs, and whether you have or want kids in the future. These are all straightforward, drop-down answers, and this helps Match set you up with like-minded people on the dating website and app.
- Relationships: Friends, Dates, and Relationships
- Match System: Browse by zip, age, appearance, more
- Our Experts Say: Match has facilitated the most dates and relationships of any dating site, and its large audience and high success rate make it our top review. Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
You also get to specify some of the traits you’re looking for in your daily matches. What makes a person right for you? These are also all fairly standard questions, the kind of thing you’d encounter at a matchmaker or on just about any other site geared toward dating rather than hookups.
Where things may take a little longer is the short answer section. In addition to the essentials that the algorithm uses as the starting point for your matches, you can add details to your profile that other users will see. The “In Your Own Words” section gives you free rein to describe yourself, your perfect match, or both.
Once you’ve set up your profile, it may take some time for it to be approved by the moderators at Match, but generally you can get down to the business of finding people pretty quickly. The moderation process helps prevent fake profiles and scammers from getting a foothold, so it’s worth the wait.
Step Two: Establish Match Criteria & Search for Dates
Once you have your profile set up and approved, you can start the matching process. Match uses algorithms to recommend both daily matches and to guide your searches for the right person to date, but the starting point is the criteria you set.
While you complete your profile, one of the basic tools Match uses to steer your matches is what characteristics you tell the dating site you’re looking for. After all, you probably have some idea of what you want in a partner! But things go a step further once you start playing with the settings and tools on the site.
There are several different criteria you can set for your preferred candidates: age, location, interests, background and values, and lifestyle are some of the broad categories. Match also lets you set keywords in your profile, so you can search by those keywords. For example, if you want to date specifically within your faith, you can search by “Christian,” and include keywords that apply to your specific denomination. Or if you’re passionate about rock climbing, you can include keywords about that hobby in your match criteria and profiles that mention them will come up for you.
When it comes to searching, you have a few options for different types of search. The “Go” search is the most basic, the standard method that you can find on most dating sites. Filter your results by the different criteria, and see who’s available.
Mutual Match uses the various factors you included in your profile, from your interests and beliefs to your keywords, to match you up with profiles that Match thinks you’ll respond to. As you go through these profiles and provide feedback, the algorithm refines your results.
Reverse Match provides you with the profiles of members based on how many of their preferences your profile features. Basically, Reverse Match shows you the people most likely to respond to you, rather than the people the Match algorithm thinks you’re most likely to respond to based on preferences.
Finally, Community Search serves up profiles based on the organizations and associations you have in common with other members. This one tends to turn up a smaller number of prospective matches, but it’s still a good idea to check it out from time to time.
Once you’ve found solid matches, you can move on to making first contact.
Step Three: Send Likes or Private Messages
Match offers dynamic ways for members to get in touch with each other, but there are some restrictions. If you have a free account, you can send a wink or “like” profiles that Match serves up, but you won’t be able to send a private message or start a video chat with your prospective match.
Paid memberships unlock all of the options for contacting a partner on Match. If you’re a free member, you can only chat with mutual matches. You must like their profile, and they like you back. But you can’t see who has liked you first.
Likes and winks are a good way to reach out to a prospective match without having to get your credit card out, but they’re limited. Match will inform the person you wink or “favorite” that you’ve taken the action, but it’s up to them to decide whether to send a message.
Of course, since this is the easiest method of contact, most members get a lot of these notifications. So you might get lost in the noise.
A private message can function as an email or as a start of a one-on-one chat, depending on whether the other Match member is online when you send it. If your prospective match is online, you can get to chatting in real time right away, whether on the Match app or site. If you discover the person’s profile while they’re offline, the message will come up for them when they sign on.
Step Four: Upgrade to a Premium Account for More Options
A free account on Match won’t make it impossible to find the person of your dreams, but with communication access limited, it is definitely harder. But premium Match membership comes with a lot more options, including advanced filters.
Match premium subscriptions boost your visibility in search results, and give you a guaranteed spot in Daily Matches, which helps increase the chances that you’ll find the partner you’re seeking. Other premium perks include:
- Seeing who has liked and viewed your dating profile
- Message read receipts
- Browsing incognito
- Full, unlimited communication options
You can access some of the communication features on Match without paying for the full subscription cost. To make things easy on you, Match offers a specific communications credit. But if you’re going to pay anyway, there’s good reason to take out the credit card and go for the full experience.
Data compiled by Match suggests that premium members get the best results. And the dating site is so confident in the services it offers to premium Match members, that it has a built-in Match guarantee: If you don’t find love in six months, you get six months of premium membership for free.
Given the track record Match has of bringing singles together, though, you’re probably not going to get that free six-month membership.
Step Five: Join Millions of Happy Match Couples
Match has a pretty stellar record of bringing people together, and several surveys find that Match boasts one of the highest success rates across dating sites. Some surprising stats include the fact that since Match.com launched in 1995, the dating platform has been responsible for the birth of more than 1 million babies!
“I was on Match for approximately one month and had several conversations, but nothing worthwhile, until I came across the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.” — Jordan, who met his wife on Match
While no dating platform can boast a 100% success rate, Match has solid numbers behind its methods, which is a big reason why our experts consistently recommend the platform to people looking for a serious relationship. Beyond Match.com itself, the Match Group network of sites boasts a pretty staggering number of success stories.
All in all, if you’re committed to finding the right person to spend the rest of your life with, Match is easy to use, and comes with strong guarantees that you’ll meet the most compatible partner out there for you.
FAQs: Is Match Worth Paying For?
If you’re looking for a long-term relationship with the right person, Match is definitely worth paying for. The majority of Match users want to find someone for a serious relationship, rather than for a casual fling, so you’ll get matches that are looking for the same things you are.
If you’re trolling the online dating world for casual sex partners, however, Match isn’t a good fit. Apart from the fact that most of the people you meet on the site or app won’t go along with something casual, there are a ton of other platforms that cater to casual flings and hookups.
Most of the hookup sites and apps out there are even free to use, so you can save your money for something better if you don’t pay for Match.
Can You Chat For Free on Match?
It is possible to chat for free on Match, but your options are limited unless you have a paid membership. Free members can reply to messages from premium members, which can be helpful. You can also contact anyone in your mutual matches without getting out a credit card.
Is Match Better Than Tinder?
It depends on what you’re looking for from a dating site. Match and Tinder have some key differences that make one a better choice than the other. The Match user base tends to be a bit older, on average, and the membership on Match tends to be looking for a serious relationship rather than a casual date.
Tinder is a bit more free and loose, and it throws singles into a fast-paced swiping and matching process.
Where Match looks for compatibility, Tinder gives you a few pictures and a stripped-down bio to base decisions on. The user base for Tinder is somewhat younger, and most of the members of the dating app are looking for something casual, whether that’s a hookup, friends with benefits, or just a date for Friday night.
Tinder is great if you’re interested in finding a quick romance or sexual fix, and if you like the ease of swiping left or right to organize your dating pool. Match is the better choice if you’re not as swipe-happy, and if you want to find someone you’re more likely to be compatible with over a longer period of time.
What’s Match a Good Match Alternative?
There are several sites and apps that cater to people looking for something more serious and that match people based on a personality algorithm. But there is only one eharmony. This is a supremely successful dating site that draws from psychology to create the perfect match.
- Relationships: Casual Dates, Deep Relationships
- Match System: Personality test suggests matches
- Our Experts Say: Accounting for 2% of U.S. marriages, eharmony’s compatibility-based system and commitment-minded user base are ideal for those seeking a serious relationship. Our Review »
- Browse Free: View Photos Now
Dedicated to the happily-ever-after, eharmony launched in 2000 to strengthen marriage and uses a fairly lengthy personality test to determine several areas of compatibility. It has become one of the most popular ways for serious daters over 30 to meet their ideal match — and the eharmony free membership includes some communication and icebreaker quizzes to kick things off!
Final Thoughts: Match Creates Space for Real Conversations
If you’re just getting started with online dating, finding out how Match works can give you a good indication of which platform will best suit your needs. Match is a great option for singles who want to find something serious and who are willing to pay a reasonable rate to connect with people who are committed to a serious relationship as opposed to a more casual dating situationship.
The variety of communication options Match offers for paid members makes it easy to get into a real conversation with someone long before you meet in person, no matter your comfort level. Find out why Match has one of the strongest success rates of any dating site or dating app out there!
