We have tried out the best online dating sites so you don't have to
Our Reviews and Recommendations are below
The online dating and matchmaking sites below have been used by the Olympia Singles Staff to successfully meet people in the Puget Sound Region. We recommend each of these sites and offer some insight about each to help you on your search for love, relationships or just dating fun.
Yahoo Personals is an all around good dating site. One comment that we often hear about Yahoo Personals is that the people aren't as attractive, however we assure you this isn't the case. Actually, and I apologize for getting all technical on you, Yahoo tends to over optimize their photos and so the people don't look as good because they are all pixilated. So take remember that when you are browsing the search results or looking at the email matches they send you. The enlarged pictures in their profile tend to be of better quality and will give you a better idea. Yahoo has two levels of membership, one is the basic profile and search, the other includes a personality test that can be used to help find matches. From our experience women seem to have better luck on Yahoo then men do, we're not sure why. However guys, that doesn't mean you can't meet some great women there too. Yahoo is also affordable and easy to sign-up without requiring a long term commitment.
Browse Yahoo! Personals in Washington
Match has the largest database of singles of any dating sites and also has the most active users. From our experience at least 50% of recently active Match users have a membership. Anyone who hasn't been active for over 3 weeks probably no longer has a membership. But don't worry there are many many recently active users to choose from. The Olympia Singles Staff has had more success with Match then all other dating websites combined. It's easy to use with robust search tools. They do not do any personality testing like some other sites and leave it up to you to find your match using their search tools. You can also control how often they send you matches view email. Membership is inexpensive compared to most other sites on this list, but they don't offer the compatibility testing and matching.
20% Discount off Match.com membership
Chemistry is great for those wishing to keep your single and searching status out of the public eye. Unlike Match.com and Yahoo! Personals, the only people who can see your profile are those that you have "chemistry" with. In other words, you can't just browse anyone and everyone in a particular area, you are only shown the profiles of the people that fit your matching criteria and that the site views as a good fit based on a personality test. They only send you a handful of matches at a time so you aren't overwhelmed and you can be sure that only a few people at any given time can view your profile. You start with a free personality test, for those of you who have tried eHarmony, it's not nearly as involved or lengthy. You also set some other parameters about who you are willing to be matched with, such as geographic distance, age, etc. Then they start sending you matches. You then review your matches and decide who you would like to progress to the next step with, if they agree you are off to getting to know each other. So basically this is the simplified version of eHarmony, it takes less time to get started and it's easier to talk to and meet people and it costs less. We like that you can start talking to people much sooner and set-up a meeting.
Three Months for the Price of One at Chemistry.com!
Most of you have probably seen the commercials, eHarmony uses detailed compatibility testing developed by psychologists and relationship experts to match you with other people. The test is fairly long but it is insightful and does seem to give an accurate picture of who you are, we recommend you try the Free test even if you don't become a member. The matches they send you, based on your personality test, tend to be good matches from a psychological standpoint, but the site doesn't give much weight to physical attraction. That doesn't mean you won't get some attractive matches, it's just not what they use to match you. And for long term compatibility they are looking at the right things. Their are a couple draw backs to this site. First, they don't let you browse profiles, you are limited to the potential matches they send you. Second, you have to go through a series of steps before you can converse freely with someone, this helps eliminate the rift raft, but it does make it take longer before you get to find out if you can even have an email conversation and set-up a meeting. If you are looking for a serious relationship, so are most people on this site, and if looks are not a priority there system will help you find a good match.
True is a full featured online dating site including suggested matches based on compatibility tests, reverse matching, and much more. Membership at True is a bit higher then some other sites, however that helps insure that paying members are more serious about actually meeting people. They also offer a free 7 day trial that many members use. Here's a hint, if someone writes you write them back quickly because they may be on the 7 day trial. Also True filters out email addresses even in the body of the email so if you want to keep in touch with someone outside of True's system you either need to give them your digits or be creative about how you give them your email address.
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