I Put BlackPeopleMeet to the Test, Both Personally and Professionally

Overview

BlackPeopleMeet is made for Black singles, but the site is open to everyone. Most users identify themselves as Black, although the profiles include options for other races. I set up a profile on BlackPeopleMeet to see if it could deliver results to a Black single professional like me. I was disappointed to find few college grads in my match list, and setting filters by education didn’t help, so I ultimately didn’t meet my match here. I thought it was a good site with helpful features, and I’d recommend using the paid plan to get better value.

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Since 2002, BlackPeopleMeet has solidified its place as one of the most recognized dating apps specifically for Black singles. Match Group bought it in 2009, so it’s up there alongside Tinder and Hinge in terms of capabilities and tech support.

BlackPeopleMeet probably has the largest concentration of Black singles of all dating sites or apps, which is great if that’s what you’re looking for. 

I’d say BPM has a pretty good reputation. The negative user reviews usually cite their frustration at the fact that you cannot interact (no direct messages) without a paid subscription. I don’t necessarily think this is a bad model if you’re looking for something serious. You want your matches to have some skin in the game.

My Experience with the Registration Process (3 Steps) 

Joining a dating site is a big step. It could be the start of something wonderful, or it could pan out to nothing. At least BPM keeps the signup steps moving so I’m not lingering in limbo answering question after question.

Privacy can be a concern on any app, and BlackPeopleMeet is no exception. The service verifies phone numbers, but it does not ask for IDs or conduct background checks.

Are there nonbinary options? No. I can select men, women, or everyone in terms of who I’m interested in meeting. Selecting “everyone” is helpful for bisexual dating, though it’ll only show profiles of people who want to date the user’s gender. 

I was required to add at least one profile photo, and it was verified as authentic.

I’ll go step by step on how the signup process went for me.

Step 1: Entering My Information

The registration process was simple. All I needed to do to view matches was enter some basic details as well as verify my cellphone number. 

This information was required from me to set up my profile: 

From that point, I could view profiles, or I could continue completing my profile. 

BlackPeopleMeet profiles have a lot to them. I could choose to fill in these additional fields if I wanted folks to see more of who I am and what I’m all about:

I believe in entering a lot of information for matches. I filled in the parts that matter most to me: ethnicity, religion, and education.

I left things like my body type and exercise routine blank because I’m not looking for anything casual, and I’d prefer my conversations to focus on serious compatibility factors.

I made a point to answer as many fields as make sense to feed the algorithm and get better matches based on the things I care about most. 

Because this information is optional, I saw many users opting to leave sections blank. A lot of people probably just want to get their profile live, or, like me, don’t want to focus too much on things that might not be their best attribute or contribute to what they are looking for.

Step 2: Filling Out Dating Prompts (Optional)

I was also able to add topics, which are preselected questions with a text box for writing something unique to me.

I chose topics that hit close to home and allowed me to express what’s important and what type of relationship I’m looking for. 

I like to use the questions to paint a picture of what my life looks like, or even to give ideas of how to date me. That’s the value in prompts like “My favorite places to hang out.”

Another good one, for example, is “The three things that make a relationship great.” I like that this question lets me express the qualities I most desire in a partner. 

For me, I think it’s essential to complete these prompts and speak in my own words. I love the idea that whoever might read this will get a deeper understanding of who I am, instead of just my age range or another generic factor. This is where I feel like I can be myself.

Step 3: Add a Photo

We are visual creatures, and I know my profile photo is the most important thing in my profile. It’s the first impression — possibly the last if it’s a bad pic. 

I selected a profile picture that clearly showed my face, including my teeth, hair, and eyes. This means no sunglasses, hats, or anything obstructing any part of my face. 

I ensured that the lighting was good and that I was the only one in the picture. I don’t want potential matches to have to guess which person I am in a group or crowd. 

The moderators are actively looking for fakes, and they’re doing a good job. When I uploaded this AI-generated pic, it was flagged and deleted.

I avoided selfies and car pictures or anything cliché; we’ve all seen enough car selfies and bathroom mirror pics.

I want matches to be able to picture themselves in my life doing fun and interesting things like sightseeing and dining out.

I keep privacy and safety in mind, too. On BlackPeopleMeet, photos are visible to everyone on the app, unless I make them private. But making them private would hide my entire profile as well. 

Free Browsing

As a free member, most of what I could do was browse, so I spent most of my time looking for profiles that might align with my dating standards.

Once signed up, I viewed matches within a selected range of my ZIP code. 

I learned that the wisest strategy was to be modest in how many and which filters I used. The more I used, the smaller my pool. 

By focusing my filtering on non-negotiables such as race, religion, education, and having or wanting children, I was able to have a good selection of matches and not accidentally leave a potentially great match out of the mix.

I thought it was promising that BPM has many profile fields that specify important dating and relationship factors, including:

However, despite all of this detail available, I found many profiles were bare and lacking information.

I used filters to search the user base by my dealbreakers. This works in theory to weed out incompatible people, but that is not what actually happened. Because anyone can skip all the fields mentioned above.

Although I only wanted to see college-educated men, I was shown men who chose to skip that question. I suspect they skipped it because they didn’t go to college, which to me defeats the purpose of setting preferences. 

I then selected a location range for matches that were within 50 miles of my ZIP code. And to my dismay, I was shown matches all over the country. 

I filtered for men aged 35-50 who are Christian and college-educated, but because my preferences were largely ignored, I saw matches that were incompatible in most areas that were important to me. 

It was also clear to me that many users didn’t spend much time on their profiles or their photos, which was disappointing, to say the least. 

Overall, the types of men I am interested in were not plentiful on BlackPeopleMeet.  

I’d urge online daters to complete their profiles and provide as much information as possible to a potential match. 

Put in the effort to show you’re a quality person worthy of a quality date.

I’d say someone who makes the time to fill in all sections of their profile and upload a high-res photo would do quite well here. This isn’t a crazy competitive scene like Tinder, so there’s greater opportunity to impress by doing what should be the bare minimum.

BlackPeopleMeet features people seeking casual as well as serious dates, so there isn’t any pressure if you’re not sure what you want.

While I personally didn’t find the type I was looking for, I only tried BlackPeopleMeet for a couple weeks, so it’s very possible that sticking around longer could’ve made a difference. Online dating takes patience, and I wouldn’t expect Prince Charming to show up after such a brief search.

How the Matching Works

BlackPeopleMeet had search filters that could be customized for many fields. I could conduct searches for specific political views or sports lovers. I could even look for cat people or dog people if I felt like it. It’s all very transparent, and I found it simple to use and navigate.

Next I checked out the Highlights section where BPM curates recommendations of “standout members” who might be a good match for me based on what’s in my profile. I felt like it was an added benefit that the site was trying to help as best it could to get me pointed in the right direction.  

I was shown eight highlight members, and the only way to connect with them was by sending a Super Like. This premium feature is a way of expressing interest that is a step above a like because it costs money to send a Super Like. 

It comes down to $1 or less per Super Like, so it’s not crazy expensive to make a good impression.

Super likes are a common feature on many online dating sites and apps, so I wasn’t too surprised to see this. I feel like it can be a great way to stand out and show interest in a particular person, giving them the assurance that I’m not just sending casual likes.

I could not message the highlighted members without super liking them. With regular matches, I had the freedom to choose to like, super like, or pass. 

The number of matches I received was directly correlated with my dealbreakers. Initially, I set dealbreakers with an age range over 10 years, a college education, no children, Christian, and non-smokers. 

With these filters, I ran out of options after only 10 swipes. Once I removed those preferences, I was able to swipe through over 60 matches. 

BlackPeopleMeet uses an algorithm to help find matches that were visible on the website, but not in the app. The website suggested a few matches, while the app did not. The algorithm runs in the background, but I didn’t find it to be a knockout feature that made the app feel any less useful.  

What’s Unique About BPM’s Matching? The filters. I could select preferences for: body type, relationship status, having/wanting children, education, smoking habits, drinking habits, ethnicity, and religion. 

The filters are available to both paid and non-paid members, which is nice, but interacting with matches requires a paid membership. This pay-to-chat model is adopted on many niche dating sites and apps geared toward more serious daters. 

Cost Breakdown (What’s Free & What’s Not)

BlackPeopleMeet is free, but there are limits without a paid subscription. For example, not all messaging is free. This is common with dating sites that want to ensure members are serious and not spamming each other with meaningless pickup lines.

Free members can complete a profile and view other profiles in the Discover section. It’s also free to send unlimited likes and a “limited number” of messages. But I was only able to send one message without a subscription. 

Here’s what’s free:

• Send unlimited likes
• See who super likes you
• Send a few messages (I could only send one!)

As a free member, I could see matches who sent a Super Like, but not those who sent me a regular like. 

What do I need to pay for? Messaging and seeing who likes you. 

To send direct messages to anyone, it’ll cost some money, but the prices aren’t that sky-high for single professionals with a steady income.

Upgrading to the Premium Plan meant more value, including more visibility on the platform. I’m sure Premium members get more action since they’re being promoted with that monthly Boost.

I saw an option for a monthly subscription available in the app only. With all of these options, I’d have to cancel if I don’t want it to auto-renew. 

I think it’s useful to see when my sent messages have been read because then I know where things stand. I also like the idea of rewinding on a profile I passed on accidentally while swiping.

Pro Tip: If you flirt with a paid subscription before committing, they will likely offer you a deal. I started the premium process but didn’t finish, and I was offered 25% off. 

There are additional features and services that I can pay for. Here are details on that:

• ConnectMe, which allows placing calls or video calls without giving my contact details ($4.99/month).
• Private Mode, which allows me to control who sees my profile by making it visible to only those I choose ($4.99/month). 
• Unlock Replies, which means that users without a subscription would be able to reply to my messages ($6.99/month)

I like having so many options to customize my online dating experience and get more value out of it. I’m especially intrigued by the ability to allow free members to message me and remove that barrier to some matches.

My Impressions After Paying

Once I upgraded to a paid subscription, the most obvious difference was access. I could message other users directly, which opened the door for actual conversations. 

Although I could send a few messages without a subscription, it wasn’t enough to get to know someone. 

If you’re serious about a relationship, a subscription is the way to go.

As a paid member, I was able to see who liked me, when my messages were read, and who viewed my profile. These features were helpful in figuring out who might have a genuine interest in me. 

The Premium Plan took the guesswork out of online dating, which made it easier to initiate a conversation and saved me from wasting time on people who weren’t interested or couldn’t message. 

Premium Plan	Free Plan
Unlimited messaging	Limited messaging
See everyone who likes you	Send unlimited likes
Read receipts	See who Super Likes you
Monthly Boost
Weekly Super Like
Unlimited Rewinds

The read receipts are a nice feature. Although knowing that someone has read my message and hasn’t replied can feel like a rejection, it’s good information that helps gauge interest. This feature leaves no room for false hope.  

I often hear dating app users say they have a hard time discerning if matches are just busy or truly disinterested. Maybe they’re not spending much time on the app, or maybe they’re ghosting. With read receipts, I can tell the difference.

The paid plan includes one Boost to make my profile more visible to other users. I can boost for an hour and see who views my profile or sends a message during this time. 

When I used the Boost, I saw a mild spike in my profile views. Although that didn’t necessarily lead me to any meaningful connections, it did give me a few more options to choose from. 

I was pleasantly surprised that the filtering options were improved. The filtering options are available to all users, but they didn’t work well for me with the free version. 

Once I upgraded, the algorithm seemed to respect my preferences. Many matches were within my preferences regarding age, location, and educational background. However, some matches were still outside of my preferences because users did not complete all of the fields, and I still found a number of profiles that were incomplete or low effort. 

Overall, the paid subscription gave me a better experience. I liked that I could interact with other users, filter more effectively, and see who’s interested in me. 

If you’re just looking to browse and get a feel for the type of people on the site, then the free version might suffice, but if you’re looking to find a meaningful connection, the paid version is the way to go.

User Demographics

Most users are Black, but you do not have to be Black to join. The race section and racial preference sections included all races. 

When I opened my filter range to include all genders, ages, and races, I found that the highest concentration of users was in their mid-30s to mid-40s. There were also many users in their early 50s. 

I would say most users on the site were between 35 and 55.

Younger demographics were not as present. It also seemed to skew slightly more female, which is unusual for a dating site.

Most users were looking for the opposite gender (straight). There were a few users who identified as gay or bisexual. I did not see any users who identified as trans or nonbinary. 

Data Breakdown

User Base: Black Singles

BlackPeopleMeet is the largest dating network for Black and multiracial singles in the U.S. It includes a diverse blend of races and ethnic groups.

Gender Ratio: M:47% – W:53%

The user base is slightly more female than male, which is rare in online dating. The gender split is relatively even, so it's a level playing field.

Popularity (Visits/Month): 5.7 Million

As one of the most popular niche dating sites around, BlackPeopleMeet sees over 5.7 million unique monthly visits and has a growing international network.

In terms of education, a lot of users say they have attended college, but I didn’t get the sense that most were white-collar professionals.

My Impressions: Pretty much everyone I saw was Black. The audience seemed to skew older than on other dating apps. My matches seemed to be mostly blue-collar. 

Safety Assurances Include Trained Moderators

Phone number verification is required, sort of. If I tried to bypass the step or exit the app, my profile would be marked as incomplete; however, profiles that are not verified will still be displayed on the site. 

If you are not verified, the app will continue to prompt verification whenever you try to take any action, such as messaging or liking.

BlackPeopleMeet uses automated tools along with “trained agents” to monitor and rectify harmful interactions. That means removing content, banning users, or notifying law enforcement when necessary.

The safety features include:

The block and report options are also available for users to take action. If you feel uncomfortable with an interaction on the site at any point, I recommend blocking the person and reporting the incident.

One thing that concerns me is the fact that I can share a user’s profile with anyone. Once I hit share, information is sent directly to someone’s inbox. It includes the profile’s name, age, photo, location, and the “in their own words/about me” section of their profile.  

The goal of this feature is to acquire more users. If I send this to a friend, they will see a prompt to “see for yourself” and create a profile or sign in if they’re already a user.

I didn’t come across any profiles that appeared to be fake, but because BlackPeopleMeet does not require any live identity verification, I could get away with uploading a picture of myself from 10 years ago or a photo of a friend. That leaves room for potential catfish.

Again, I didn’t see anyone I thought was suspicious, so there might be behind-the-scenes moderation going on that’s doing a good enough job handling the fakes.

Pros & Cons

BlackPeopleMeet offers an online dating experience where Black singles are front and center. Its a niche service powered by Match Group and with a lot of success stories behind it. Here is my assessment of the good and bad on the site.

I had a decent experience signing up and browsing profiles. The big negative for me was I didn’t see any attractive guys. That might be because of my local pool or my high standards, but it was a bit of a bummer that I didn’t come away with a hot date.

BlackPeopleMeet: Good Quantity & Varied Quality

BlackPeopleMeet has a high concentration of Black singles, and that’s great if race and ethnicity are central to your relationship goals. However, I did feel my match list was lacking in some ways. 

I didn’t see many profiles with qualities that were intriguing to me as a professional who values education, but they might be someone else’s cup of tea.

I was disappointed in my user experience because my preferences for education seemed to be ignored. I liked the variety of filters and wanted to use them, but it seems I was casting too small a net, and the algorithm widened the parameters to put more people in front of me.

If you decide to use BlackPeopleMeet, I’d recommend playing with the filters to find the right balance. You may not find someone who checks all the boxes, but the chats might reveal someone who is worthy in other ways. BlackPeopleMeet can make the introduction; the rest is up to you to discover.