Popularity of online dating soars
Finding love online has never been so popular! The number of young adults (18-24) using online dating have almost tripled in the last 3 years.
In the early naughties, online dating was not a popular avenue for those in their late teens and early twenties – as it was commonly seen as ‘un-cool’. At this time, speed dating became the fashionable trend which became extremely popular, albeit for a relatively short period of time.
Roll on to 2015 and online dating has become increasingly accepted both with younger and older adults, with the early twenties experiencing the greatest rise in numbers.
Half of all single people now use online dating sites to find love.
Number of online dating sites and apps
Not only have people’s perception of online dating changed, but the number of dating sites and apps has grown dramatically over the past few years. Each of these sites has their own character, giving all those single people plenty of choice to find the best match for them. The list is endless, so here are our favourites:
E-harmony
Specifically targeted to match men and women looking for long-term relationships. E-harmony dedicates a lot of time to setting up an accurate profile based on character and what type of person you are looking for. They pride themselves on pairing up couples that lead to meaningful connections.
With a monthly subscription fee, the people on the site are more dedicated to find the right match for the long-run, rather than a quick hook-up!
Tinder

Tinder, unlike E-harmony has a widely different approach. It has become the world’s most popular dating app – with more than 9 billion matches made to date! With no sign up fees, and a quick route to setting up a profile, the attraction for the younger adult is clearly defined. With over 50 million active users, Tinder has clearly taken the online dating industry by storm.
Matches are based on age and location, so the scope for matches is much wider than some of the other sites.
Match.com

Match.com claims to be responsible for more dates, marriages and relationships than any other site. Along with eHarmony, match.com is one of the biggest subscription based sites, with over 3 million UK members.
With an advanced ‘smart search’, it allows users to filter their matches by location and personality traits.
Mysinglefriend

Launched by property developer and tv presenter for Channel 4 property shows, Sarah Beeny, mysinglefriend has a unique approach to dating. Perhaps a less daunting approach for singles, mysinglefriend puts the onus on the single person’s best friend to sign up and create their profile.
Muddy matches

Finding their niche with countryside folk, muddy matches aims specifically at those in rural areas, such as farmers, equestrian singles and countryside lovers. Not only are muddy matches online and have a easy to use app, but they provide rural social events too.
Plenty of fish

With over 3 million active users, Plenty of fish is a popular dating site with no subscription fees. To us, this site is the least engaging of designs, however, they have developed their unique ‘Chemistry test tool’ which helps you find matches based on your personality and emotional needs, which has proved popular amongst users. If you’re new to online dating and want access to a large database of single people, then it’s a good place to start.
With Valentine’s Day round the corner, we hope we’ve provided plenty of options to find love!