Dating Sites In The Uk For Free
Online dating has become the go-to solution for today’s singles. It’s just common sense. You’re unattached, and you want to meet people. So, you go online. According to Infogram, one in five relationships in the U.K. begin online, and many experts predict that number will grow as a new tech-savvy generation comes of age and starts dating in earnest.
Once you’ve decided to meet people online, though, the question becomes: Where? There are over 1,400 dating sites and apps available in Britain alone, so going to any old dating platform isn’t going to get the job done. You have to know which sites and apps have the reputation and the network to hook you up with a compatible first date. We’ve reviewed the top 12 U.K. dating websites and apps to help British singles weed out the rejects and select the cream of the crop.
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7 Best U.K. Dating Sites
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The best dating sites set users up for success by recommending matches, promoting easy search filters, and facilitating private conversations. They make a name for themselves as a helpful place for singles, and thus earn a following of thousands, if not millions, of users. We set high standards for these well-reputed dating sites — expecting them to find us a dream date in a few clicks — and many of them carry out the task admirably well.
MySingleFriend is a U.K.-based dating site with over 200,000 users to its name. The site’s intelligent matching system puts highly eligible bachelors and bachelorettes in your sight line, and the private messaging feature fosters deep connections between members. Midsummer's Eve is the UK's first and oldest free dating site. We pioneered the concept of offering online dating services free of charge. We were not set up as a business, but set up to try to make a genuine difference in people's lives.
1. Match
Since 1995, Match has been a pioneer in the online dating scene and set the bar high for the sites to come after it. This premium dating site now maintains an international following and millions of users in the U.K. alone. You can create a profile, use the advanced search filters, and send likes for free on Match, and it’s easy to upgrade your account whenever you’re ready to make a real and lasting connection.
Match provides an online dating coach to guide users to the ideal match.
The thing we love most about Match is how effective it is at determining long-term compatibility. The site’s time-tested match algorithm can direct relationship-minded singles toward the best date candidates based on their criteria and personalities.
2. OurTime
OurTime isn’t like other dating sites in the U.K. This niche dating platform caters to a mature audience of singles over 50. The site creates a pathway to love for folks who may not be familiar with online dating, but nevertheless want to find companionship in their golden years.
OurTime only allows singles over the age of 50 to join its membership base.
Another upside of OurTime is how hands-on it is throughout the dating process. OurTime’s team partners alongside its members and offers advice, events, and match recommendations to help them find exactly what they’re looking for online.
3. Soulmates
The Guardian’s Soulmates dating site caters to old-fashioned newspaper readers who remember with fondness the days of submitting personal ads to a paper. This is an updated version of that. You create a profile for free under a username and start browsing for promising date candidates. The search results favor completed profiles with at least one photo, so keep that in mind when you’re filling out your profile.
On average, over 15,000 new users join Soulmates every month, and around 80% are loyal Guardian readers. The Soulmates website offers one-month, three-month, and six-month subscription plans that enable users to view photos, use the site’s advanced search results, and chat with other members online.
4. MySingleFriend
MySingleFriend is a U.K.-based dating site with over 200,000 users to its name. The site’s intelligent matching system puts highly eligible bachelors and bachelorettes in your sight line, and the private messaging feature fosters deep connections between members.
The Dating Lab launched MySingleFriend as a matchmaking tool for singles who want to fall in love.
The profiles on MySingleFriend focus on mutual compatibility and highlight commonalities between users. You can see your common interests at a glance, and that can help break the ice once you start chatting.
You can find MySingleFriend’s recent success stories posted here. These stories offer a hopeful look at what’s possible on the site. In March 2018, Leslie gave the MySingleFriend team a thrill when she sent this short note: “I have found the love of my life. The site was successful for me — many thanks.”
5. Date British Guys
As you can probably tell from its name, Date British Guys is a dating site where British guys can meet women from around the world. The website was founded by a British man and American woman who found love on foreign soil, and the couple has made it their mission to encourage love without borders. You can read its success stories here.
From the outset, Date British Guys offers a quick signup process using Facebook or Google+ accounts, so singles don’t have to fill in every personal detail to complete their profiles.
6. OkCupid
OkCupid has been around a good long while now — the first version of the site launched in 2004 — and it has collected a tremendous amount of personal data thanks to its questions section. Users can fill out thousands of questions about their likes, dislikes, dealbreakers, goals, values, political views, and on and on. OkCupid uses those insights as well as profile information to calculate compatibility in a percentage rating that’s incredibly accurate.
OkCupid promotes lengthy profiles, interest-based matches, and fun conversations.
Today, OkCupid facilitates over 50,000 first dates a week and sees over 7.3 messages sent on its website and companion app. Its personality-driven features can help singles seeking short-term dates or long-term relationships. The dating site welcomes people of all stripes, and it was even the first dating app to introduce 22 gender and 13 orientation options.
7. I Love Your Accent
Finally, here’s a little something for you international daters out there. I Love Your Accent is a brilliant dating site designed to connect British singles with American dates across the pond. If you’ve got a thing for a guy or gal with an accent, then this is the place for you.
ILoveYourAccent.com supports a fast-growing database of over 46,000 members in the U.K., the U.S., Canada, Australia, and other English-speaking countries.
5 Best U.K. Dating Apps
Modern singles rely on their phones for everything from ordering a pizza to browsing the web, so it’s no wonder that millions of people have begun turning to dating apps when they want to meet people. The location-based tools on the average dating app can help singles pinpoint viable dates while on the go, and the fast-paced matching system puts people on the fast-track to a promising romance.
1. Match
Match is our top pick for dating apps in the U.K. because it has brought its massive singles network and personality-driven match system to the mobile world, and we have to give it props for pulling that off.
The Match app allows users to search for dates by age, gender, or location from their phone.
The curated Match dating app makes it easy to chat up your love interests from your phone, so you have a hassle-free dating experience from start to finish. Instead of being chained to your computer, now you can take your favorite dating network with you wherever you go and enjoy the convenience of having your match recommendations always at your fingertips.
You can download Match on Google Play or iTunes for free and start browsing through millions of profiles.
“Great application. I have no complaints,” said Jae Prez in a review on Google Play. “I would recommend this to anyone seriously looking for someone.”
2. OurTime
Even if you’re not that tech-savvy, OurTime makes it easy for newcomers to get the hang of how online dating works. This beginners-friendly space caters to singles over 50. These folks have decades of experience in the offline world and want to bring that wisdom to the online world.
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The OurTime dating app helps seniors use modern technology to make a date.
When it comes to senior dating, OurTime is as good as it gets. U.K. singles of a certain age can use OurTime to build friendships and relationships with people who share similar values and life experiences. This friendly community gives folks a sense of belonging and shared history, and that leads to strong online connections.
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You can find OurTime on Google Play and iTunes to expand your horizons and meet mature singles. It’s free to download the app, create a profile, and view and rate your Daily Matches.
Tracey Gray said it best in her review: “It’s great to be able to look for and be looked for by people in the age bracket I chose. OurTime has been a great chance for me to move forward…and hopefully find the right person.”
3. Happn
The Happn team believes in the idea of kismet and works hard to nudge local singles together. The dating app keeps tabs on its users as they go through their days and notifies them when they cross paths with another user. Maybe you’re getting coffee, and a potential date is standing in line behind you. Maybe you’re walking to the bar, and someone you’re interested in is headed that way, too. The profile will pop up, and you can introduce yourself online.
The Happn app seeks to combine the romance of a chance meeting with the cleverness of a match algorithm, thus empowering users to match with people who share similar routines, habits, and lifestyles.
4. Bumble
Bumble has distinguished itself as the female-friendly dating app where women set the tone for the relationship. Women must make the first move on Bumble and send a message, or the connection will disappear. In 2014, Bumble Founder Whitney Wolfe Herd left Tinder to found Bumble and create a quality-driven alternative for singles dissatisfied by online dating’s free-for-all messaging system.
Bumble has made waves as the first feminist dating app in the online dating scene.
In one fell swoop, Bumble aims to civilize online dating and keep the creeps at bay. To use the words of the website, “Bumble was first founded to challenge the antiquated rules of dating. Now, Bumble empowers users to connect with confidence whether dating, networking, or meeting friends online.”
5. Tinder
Finally, no list of best dating apps would be complete without Tinder. Like it or not, this dating app is the original swipe-based dating app, and it remains one of the most popular dating resources out there. While some criticize it for being superficial, others praise it for facilitating fast connections. Its innovative swiping system forever changed how dating apps operate, and we have to give credit where credit is due.
Tinder may be infamous, but it is widespread — 60% of U.K. singles ages 18 to 29 have used Tinder at least once — and it can help you fill your date calendar in a hurry. You can quickly create mutual matches by flipping through photos on your phone, but you should expect to do a lot of screening in your online chats to find someone truly compatible and worth meeting IRL.
Meet Your Match by Creating a Profile Today
There you have it. Now you’re equipped to tackle the dating scene like a pro with time-tested resources behind you. The dating sites and apps on this list have proven their mettle over the years and facilitated countless dates, relationships, and marriages.
Online dating has proven effective for singles of all ages and backgrounds because so many upstanding dating platforms have worked tirelessly to tailor their services to the individual’s dating goals and preferences. With them at the helm, you can’t go wrong.