Overview

For some people, love comes easily. They meet someone, fall in love, and spend the rest of their lives together. However, for others it’s not so easy to meet people as some individuals don’t know how to approach a stranger, may have problems with striking up a conversation, or just don’t have time to really get out and mingle much. Fortunately, there is eharmony that has been helping people find love since its launch in 2000. Today, the dating site has become very popular with 4.1 million visitors each month and is the #1 trusted dating site online. The site offers a convenient way for people of all ages, races, religions, and more, to meet compatible singles for long-lasting relationships.

Dr. Neil Clark Warren founded eharmony after practicing as a clinical psychologist for 35 years while counseling numerous couples. The Dr. just knew there was a better way to match people together for successful relationships and through his experiences, found the best relationships exist when people are highly compatible. After confirming this hypothesis with extensive research, the famed patented Compatibility Matching System® backed by algorithms was born, known as eharmony’s “29 dimensions of compatibility.”

Signup

Creating an account at eharmony is fast, simple, and free, it’s the big questionnaire following the sign-up process that can be quite daunting, but may prove to be well worth it in the end when you find that perfect someone to spend your life with. Now let’s take a look at how to join eharmony.

Visit the eharmony website. Locate the part that says, “Start Free Today”, select, “man” or “woman” under “I am,” and then select your preference under “Looking for”. Soon as you click your preference, an email address and password field will appear, submit your info and click, “JOIN NOW” or sign up with Facebook. Once you are signed up, a page will display that says, “WELCOME TO OUR COMPATIBILITY QUIZ”. When you are ready to start, click, “Continue”. Read the text that explains your personality profile and your matches then click, “Continue”. Read the quiz tips and again click, “Continue”.

Although it says the quiz shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes, you should set aside at least 30 minutes to an hour. After completing the quiz, you will have general questions to answer too, such as birthdate, zip code, and more. You will also be asked to upload a photo of yourself. More questions will follow, where you will actually have to write out some of your answers. Finally, after all that, your matches will be revealed, but if you are a free member you will only be able to see blurred photos.

Special Features

While the platform doesn’t offer a whole lot of unique features, it does offer basic features that are important for communication. Most functions at eharmony are similar to related sites. Some important features include the following:

Send Questions

The eharmony program allows its members to start or continue conversations by sending automated questions. This is a free feature and there is no limit to how many questions or answers you send.

Send a Smile

While viewing your list of matches, you will see a smiley icon beneath each photo that you can click on to send that person a smile. This helps to initiate contact with someone who interests you.

What If?

“What if?” is a paid feature that gives you extra matches. You get 30 extra potential matches to choose from that are outside of your preference list.

Add to Favorites

This feature allows you to narrow down your matches to the ones you like most by adding them to your favorites list. To create a list of favorite profiles, just click on the star icon located on the profile pages.

Safety and Privacy

There are some things you should watch for to protect yourself from users who don’t have good intentions. Be wary of those who want to move communications off the platform. Never share private or financial information, such as bank information, social security number, your address, your last name, email address, etc. Moreover, make sure you meet in a public place for your first few dates.

Mobile Usability

The eharmony mobile app allows you to upload photos as well as communicate, manage, and review your matches from wherever you are. However, before you use the mobile app, you will have to complete the questionnaire on their website.

You can use the app to:

• Review matches
• Upload Photos
• Communicate with matches
• Use Icebreakers and send messages from a list of choices
• Sort by name or date

You can’t use the app to:

• Update your profile page
• Review your communication history
• Change your match settings
• To use premium services

Note: While anyone may download the app, to use it, you must be a member who registered and filled out the relationship questionnaire on the eharmony.com website.

Pricing

Although eharmony is free to use, some functions are limited. To get full access and use eharmony’s extra features to boost your membership, there are three subscription plans available for you to choose from:

• Premium Light 6-month plan for $17.90 per month
• Premium Plus 12-month plan for $11.90 per month (most popular)
• Premium Extra 24-month plan for $7.90 per month

Here is what’s included with each plan:

• View unlimited photos
• See who’s viewed you
• Unlimited messaging
• Filtered matches
• Detailed personality profile
• Profile check
• Distance search
• Matches updated regularly

What are the Differences Between the “free” version and a “paid” plan?

There are some limitations to the free version of the eharmony.com dating site that you should be aware of.

Free members can browse profiles, complete a profile, add photos, fill out the questionnaire, highlight traits, receive matches, and use some of the features. However, if you want to read and send messages, you will have to be a paid member. The communication method on the platform allows paid premium members only, to send messages where free members can only send five of their favorite site-generated questions, which the recipient can either opt to answer or not. In addition, although standard members cannot reply to messages they receive, they can send smileys and add individuals to their favorites list.

Another thing free membership lacks is the ability to see all of the users online who are currently active; however, they can view a list of matches proposed by the site. Therefore, if you are not interested in any of the five proposed matches, then you will have to wait until the next day to view your updated matches. Thus, upgrading to a premium membership, also allows you to meet people beyond your compatibility range.

Screenshots

Editor’s Verdict

The eharmony platform is one of the oldest, popular, and trusted dating sites online. While the site boasts members can use its services absolutely free, it just doesn’t seem logical to use services to meet people that you can’t really communicate with. Therefore, in order to increase your chances of meeting someone on the site, you may require the use of all the features available and must consider a paid subscription plan for this.

Nevertheless, the platform does offer quality matchmaking services that use algorithms, research, and scientific information to put people together who are highly compatible with basically the same interests and desires. With such great matchmaking abilities, you can assume that it shouldn’t be long before these dating services are no longer required since you would probably meet your match within a month or two. Therefore, the pricing is really a great deal since finding love and companionship is invaluable.

Pros

• You will get matched with people you are compatible with by a sophisticated effective method.
• You can choose from numerous matches.
• The site provides help to break the ice and communicate with others.
• You may be able to start your membership off with a free trial, if available.
• There are many ways to get discounts on paid membership.

Cons

• You need a paid subscription to use all the features.
• You have to pay for a free trial and get a refund if you decide it’s not for you.
• As with all dating sites, you never really know whom you are talking to.
• The mobile app is very limited in what you can do.

If you are currently single and looking for a partner for a serious relationship, eharmony is a good place to start. There are thousands of people just like you on the site who want the same things you do that — thanks to modern scientific methods and new innovative algorithms — eharmony will find for you so all you have to do is choose between your most relevant matches. If thousands of others found love on eharmony, chances are, so will you. Good luck to you.

Sites Like eharmony

• MillionaireMatch
• EliteSingles