Ashley Madison is a Canadian dating service aimed at men and women who are married or in a relationship. Founded in 2002 by Darren J. Morgenstern, the site has received a lot of backlash for its services, including being accused of allowing fake accounts to make its userbase seem larger than it actually is. In 2015, a hacker famously breached the site’s customer data revealing the names of many elite and celebrity users, adding to Ashley Madison’s controversy. As of 2019, there were approximately sixty million users and growing.
#1 Zoosk
- Founded: 2007
- Headquarters: Berlin, Germany
Need To Know
Zoosk was founded by Shayan Zadeh and Alex Mehr and began in 2007. The popular dating site uses a proprietary “Behavior Matchmaking Engine” that actively learns from the behaviors of its users, including their clicks and messages, to help ensure their matches accurately fit their desires. To further its groundbreaking technological advances, in 2017, Zoosk added a photo identification service that prevents users from posting photos that are ten years younger or twenty pounds lighter. Users must take a current selfie from multiple angles so the AI can match their posted photos to their current appearance.
Currently, to message another user past the first interaction requires a paid subscription to the site. In 2014, Zoosk placed 1660 on Inc. Magazines, Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. Zoosk operates globally and receives revenue of around $178.23 million.
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#2 eHarmony
- Founded: 2000
- Headquarters: Los Angeles, California
Need to Know
EHarmony was founded in 2000 by Neil Clark Warren and his son-in-law, Greg Forgatch. Neil, a clinical psychologist, aimed at providing a dating site that matched its users on a psychological level, aiming to create deeper and more meaningful bonds. EHarmony is the first algorithm-centered dating site, and within its first ten years, it saw a massive growth of over 33 million users. EHarmony matches users with others that align with their key traits and values through an in-depth questionnaire. With the introduction of a service called “ The Two Of You Together,” users could see why the algorithm made the recommended pairing.
There is about a 30% rejection rate on eHarmony applications due to various reasons, including having a depressed disposition, being younger than the minimum required age, and providing inconsistent answers on the questionnaire.
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#3 Match
- Founded: 1995
- Headquarters: Dallas, Texas
Need To Know
Match is a popular online dating company that serves more than 50 countries globally in twelve languages. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the founders Gary Kremen, Peng T. Ong, and Simon Glinsky started the site in 1995. After a highly politicized lawsuit in 2011, where a woman claimed a man she met on the site raped her, Match began screening its users. However, the site continued to encounter abuse-related controversies.
Regardless of any impending lawsuits, Match continued to grow in popularity, and in 2014 introduced a mobile app that allowed users to connect with others in their area. This “Stream” looked at users’ photographs, determined their location, and suggested matches using an algorithm based on similar user data. The company’s auto-billing has also received criticism, claiming a lack of transparency.
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#4 Ok Cupid
- Founded: 2004
- Headquarters: New York City, New York
Need To Know
Ok Cupid began in 2004 by founders Chris Coyne, Sam Yagan, Christian Rudder, and Ariel Charytan. The site quickly gained popularity, operating internationally, receiving a place on Time Magazine’s 2007 Top 10 Dating Websites. With free registration, users can message their matches through the website or app; however, no other communication method is offered. Members have access to “Stacks,” a feature allowing users on the app to tailor their search by location.
The site launched a monthly blog in 2021 called “Dating Data Center” which helped link users through their questions and responses. Seeing how the pandemic affected people’s desires to find long-term relationships, Ok Cupid adjusted its algorithms while adding over 60 identity options that included 20 sexual orientations and 22 genders.
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#5 Tinder
- Founded: 2012
- Headquarters: West Holywood, Los Angeles, California
Need To Know
Tinder is a popular dating app where users can view potential matches and swipe to confirm or deny their interest. For users to receive a match and communicate with each other, they must both “swipe right,” indicating both parties have shown an interest in each other. Founded in 2021 by Sean Rad, Tinder quickly gained popularity, especially among younger adults, with the average user logging in an impressive eleven times every day.
As of 2020, Tinder boasts over 6.2 million subscribers and over 75 million active monthly users. Users have received more than 65 billion matches globally since the app’s 2012 launch. In 2021, Tinder launched a feature allowing its users to run background checks on their potential partners, in addition to an ID verification service that aims to help eliminate catfishing.
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#6 Plenty Of Fish
- Founded: 2003
- Headquarters: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Need To Know
Plenty Of Fish is a global dating app founded in 2003 by Markus Frind. Available to users in eight countries and nine different languages, it is most popular in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the Republic of Ireland. Plenty Of Fish offers both free and premium membership options and makes the majority of its revenue through advertising. Premium membership allows users to see who “liked” them and whether or not other users read their messages or deleted them.
Plenty Of Fish has over 100 million users and in 2011 was ranked the number one dating site in the UK with over 2 million page views per month. As the pandemic affected users worldwide, Plenty Of Fish saw a 0.7% increase in the activity of its monthly users. Although it has seen its fair share of issues, including a 2015 cyberattack and a $48,000 fine for violating Canada’s anti-spam law, Plenty Of Fish returned with increased app security to help protect its user’s private information. The company currently employs around 100 employees and sees a revenue of approximately $100 million.
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#7 Bumble
- Founded: 2014
- Headquarters: Austin, Texas
Need To Know
Bumble is an online dating app available to men and women looking to find a romantic relationship or search only for friends. Using the “swipe” method, users swipe left or right to either reject or show interest in their potential matches. Once both users swipe right, Bumble only allows females to contact males in a heterosexual pairing but allows either person in same-sex matches to contact each other. Users can sign up using their phone numbers or Facebook profiles, making the process easier and more streamlined.
Bumble offers a paid membership called Bumble Boost, which gives users more premium features, including a list of who has liked their profiles, Rematch, which allows you to keep expired matches in a queue for 24 hours, and unlimited 24-hour extensions for the users matches. Bumble boost costs $9.99/ month or $107 for a lifetime subscription. Currently, Bumble has 40 million users and 27 million downloads, making it one of the most popular dating apps in the U.S. Over 49% of Bumble’s users access the app daily, spending an average of 62 minutes scrolling through the site.