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Budget-conscious singles often ask us, “Is Elite Singles free?” or “Is Elite Singles affordable?” And the answer to that depends on your values.
In 1995, the average tank of gas was around $1.15 a gallon. Today it’s more like $3.82. A two-bedroom apartment cost $1,178 every month, but now you’ll be spending about $2,432. For $1.16, you could get a dozen eggs, but you’ll have to shell out an average of $2 for a dozen eggs today.
In terms of online dating, which began when Match.com launched in 1995, people were spending $9.95 per month for an annual membership. Currently, a paid member could be spending upward of $20 a month for an online dating service.
The key to saving in online dating is to sign up for a dating website or app that’s 100% free — or offers a valuable free membership, and we have spent a lot of time tracking down the best free sites that fit into this category. Elite Singles is high up on this list, and our reviewers recommend it to online daters looking to save time and money in the dating scene. Below is everything you need to know about the dating platform’s cost… or lack thereof.
Run by Spark Networks, Elite Singles is one of those free-to-join, no-pressure-to-commit dating sites where singles can get the lay of the land without paying anything. You can create a dating profile right now and figure out if it’s really the right site for you. Elite Singles does not require users to hand over their credit card information, and it’s up to you to upgrade whenever you’re ready, emotionally and financially.
Not only does a basic membership on Elite Singles not cost a cent, but it also never expires. All you have to do to get started is select your gender and the gender you’re interested in (lesbian women and gay men are more than welcome!), input your email address, and choose a password. The basic information creates a bare bones profile that is completely free to use.
Relationships:
Serious Relationships
Match System:
Search, Receive Partner Suggestions
Our Experts Say:
“EliteSingles is a leading dating site just for busy, single professionals. More than 80% of members have earned a college degree, and most are looking for a serious commitment...”
Full Review »
Browse Free:
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User Base
Gender Ratio
Popularity (Visits/Mo.)
All Singles*
2 Million*
Browse Profiles Free
Before we get too far into the other free features on Elite Singles, you should know a few more things. First, the dating website attracts well-educated professionals (82% of users have a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctorate degree). Second, more than 165,000 people sign up to Elite Singles every week, so its user base is growing rapidly. Finally, 2,500 members find love every week here, and you could be next if you give the dating site (or mobile app) a chance.
This next step may take some time (about 20 minutes), but it’s worth the effort to make your profile and matches more true to you. Elite Singles has a time-tested matching questionnaire that analyzes your personality traits and identifies how you’re similar to and different from other members.
This personality test provides a framework that Elite Singles uses to match you with compatible singles.
Once you confirm your gender and the gender of your desired partner, you’ll choose your age, marital status, highest level of education, profession, height. Plus, you need to rank how important these qualities are in your desired partner. You’ll answer “not important,” “important,” or “very important.”
Then you’ll be given dozens of words (e.g., trendy, attractive, athletic) and statements (e.g., “I always proceed according to plan,” “I become stressed easily,” and “I like helping others.”), and you’ll have to determine to what degree they apply to you (don’t apply at all, slightly apply, or completely applicable).
Elite Singles has a unique, extensive, and free questionnaire, which will be used to find compatible matches.
During the personality test, there’s a section for your lifestyle habits (such as smoking and drinking), hobbies and passions (such as music, fine dining, and work), romantic goals (such as having children), religious/spiritual beliefs, and appearance. EliteSingles also wants to know if you want your desired partner’s habits, values, and looks to align with yours.
The last thing you’ll do is enter your first name (only displayed to matches), location, the distance willing to travel (50 to 300 miles or I do not mind), and income — as well as choose a photo that describes you (e.g., snowy mountains, foggy forest, or a sunset over the ocean).
Yes, this can take a lot of effort and introspection, but it pays off when your daily matches come in. We promise! And, if you get tired, you can always save your progress and come back to the questionnaire later.
After completing all of the questions, you’ll receive a personalized assessment, which you can find on your dating profile under the Personality tab.
This will give you an overview of your openness (ranging from habitual to inventive), conscientiousness (ranging from easygoing to disciplined), extraversion (ranging from introverted to extroverted), agreeableness (ranging from cautious to compassionate), and neuroticism (ranging from emotionally stable to sensitive). You’ll also see explanations for each word and can download a PDF if you want.
Once you answer every question, Elite Singles will give you an assessment of your personality traits so you can see how open, conscientious, outgoing, agreeable, and neurotic you may be.
The Elite Singles match algorithm takes your personality traits into consideration when pairing you with other members. You are also able to add other traits based on whatever criteria you want (more on that later).
Unlike some dating websites where you’re only allowed three photos or so, Elite Singles allows you to add as many as you want — all for free. You have the option of taking a photo in real time as well. The site provides a feature that will use the camera on your computer or phone to snap a live shot.
You can add numerous photos on your profile or even sync up your Facebook to have all the work done for you within a matter of seconds.
Perhaps the easiest option is to connect your Elite Singles profile with your Facebook profile (the site will never post on your behalf). Your gallery will be filled up in no time.
Our dating experts recommend adding multiple photos that show your face, your body type, and your favorite life experiences, so someone browsing your dating profile can get a well-rounded look at who you are.
We mentioned earlier that Elite Singles will use the personal information gathered during the registration phase to give singles customized partner suggestions. You can browse through these by clicking the Matches tab. Partner suggestion filters include newest first, not viewed yet, distance (ascending or descending), age (ascending or descending), name (ascending or descending), online status, and with photo.
You’ll find the best of both worlds on Elite Singles — handpicked matches and the ability to browse on your own based on your wants and needs.
When you want to take matters into your own hands, click the Search icon in the top-right corner. You’ll see six different sections on the left-hand side, such as Age & Height and Education & Income, and your search parameters will already be set. However, you can change them whenever you want.
In terms of communication, Elite Singles offers virtual smiles, a Favorites list, photo requests, and the ability to like sections of a person’s profile and see who’s visited yours. However, only premium members can send instant messages to one another.
Whether you’re receiving messages, sending virtual smiles, or adding members to your Favorites list, you won’t have to pay.
With a basic membership, you’re also allowed to receive messages, and you can keep tabs on all of those conversations under the Communication Status tab. The main Messages page has sorting options as well, like by sender and by date, and if you’re having trouble coming up with something to say, check out some of the site’s pre-set responses.
Most of us have our phones practically glued to our hands these days, so it’s no surprise that Elite Singles has released a free dating app to complement its site. No matter if you’re a fan of iOS or Android devices, you can download the Elite Singles app for free.
Elite Singles has a dating app that pairs with the website.
The Elite Singles dating app is available for free via the App Store and Google Play, and the swiping experience is just as streamlined as it is on desktop.
The dating app is sleek, fast, and intuitive, and you’ll have instant access to date prospects and matching tools. From the Starbucks line to the commute to work, you can find a potential match wherever you want!
While we can’t guarantee the price of gas, rent, and most other things in life won’t go up (sorry!), we can confidently say Elite Singles will always have some sort of free experience to get singles interested in the dating platform.
There’s no need for a free trial on Elite Singles because this dating website is free to join with unlimited profile browsing included from the very start.
You can sign up to Elite Singles and spend some time getting to know the online dating site and all of its valuable offerings — without having to get your wallet out of your pocket or purse!
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