Updated August 10, 2026
Paid dating sites, compared without the sales pitch.
There are four platforms most people end up choosing between, and the marketing on all of them says roughly the same thing. We look at what they actually cost, how they decide who you see, and which one fits your situation, including the one that shut down this year.
| # | Platform | Rating | Price | Matching | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | eHarmony Top pick | 4.5/5 | $19–37 / mo | Algorithmic | Deepest compatibility matching; best for marriage-minded daters |
| 2 | Match | 4.1/5 | $19–46 / mo | Hybrid | Largest pool and full search control; the only real one-month trial |
| 3 | Zoosk Parent insolvent | 3.2/5 | $11–35 / mo | Behavioural | Cheapest entry and fast behavioural matching; parent company in insolvency |
| n/a | EliteSingles Closed | n/a | Closed | Was a personality-test model aimed at graduate professionals | Shut down 30 April 2026. See replacements |
Scroll the table sideways to see every column.
Start here
Three questions worth settling first
Which platform should I pick?
The full ranking, with what each one is good at and who should skip it.
Read the ranking →What will this actually cost me?
eHarmony's pricing broken down by term, including the renewal trap most people miss.
See the pricing →Where did EliteSingles go?
It closed on 30 April 2026. What happened, and which platform is the closest fit now.
Read what happened →Our top pick
eHarmony
The deepest compatibility matching still running, and the closest thing to a replacement for EliteSingles.
It is the most expensive option here and the slowest to set up, and we still rank it first. The questionnaire that takes 45 minutes is the same mechanism that keeps casual daters out, and the six-month minimum term does the same job with money. If you want a long-term relationship, both of those work in your favour.
The honest caveat: budget for the full term up front, and put the renewal date in your calendar the day you sign up. Billing complaints, not match quality, are what drive eHarmony's poor public review scores.
Common questions
Which dating site is best for a serious relationship?
eHarmony, on balance. The compatibility questionnaire and the fact that there is no month-to-month plan both work as filters, and nobody drifts onto eHarmony casually. Match is the better choice if you want a bigger pool and prefer to search for yourself rather than have an algorithm decide who you see. See the full ranking.
What happened to EliteSingles?
EliteSingles shut down permanently on 30 April 2026. Members were notified by email roughly two days beforehand, and profiles, matches and message history were deleted at closure. Its parent company, Spark Networks, had entered insolvency proceedings in Berlin in January 2026. We cover the closure and the closest replacements on the EliteSingles page.
Is it worth paying for a dating site at all?
The paywall is the product. It is the cheapest filter available for weeding out people who are not serious, which is why paid platforms consistently report higher message response rates than free swipe apps. Whether it is worth it to you depends on your market: in a large metro the pool justifies the cost, in a small town it often does not.
How does Pairlynx make money?
Affiliate commissions. If you subscribe to a platform through one of our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. No platform pays for its ranking, and the criteria we score against are published in full on our rating method page.