Eharmony has been around a long time in the dating app world. It has built up a solid reputation, and with good reason. The brand name is strong, and synonymous with dating in the digital space.

Let’s take a deeper dive shall we and see if in 2024 eHarmony still leads the dating pack. Eharmony started in 2000. By now, one would assume it has learned all the tricks of the dating space, and has refined their formula where it becomes second nature to the user to find what they are looking for. Namely, a serious relationship.

Membership in eHarmony ranges depending on the source, but we believe its in the 16 million plus range. The site boasts they have 600,000 people have become married because of their services - that is impressive. The average age of the users on the site are between 25-35 - this is prime demographics and you can do no better than these numbers. The ratio - again - is almost ideal - with women making up a slightly larger base than the women. The difference is miniscule, and the mix is excellent. 

Some have complained that eharmony is expense when compared to the other matchmaking services. That is true, when compared to the others it is more expensive - however, eharmony prides itself on being the gold standard. and for that you have to pay. Do you agree?

Lets take a look at their membership levels - which range from 6 month, 12 month, or 24 month. Odd that it does not have much shorter options than its competitors, but, that is up to the buyer and user to decide if they are comfortable with these terms. Unlike many, eharmony offers a 4 part payment system, so you the end user does not need to pay everything up front - that is a nice feature to have.

Free trial. This is where I think they fail at. Usually dating sites will offer you a 7 day experience with limited features. Well, eharmony takes this limitation to a new level - what do I mean? Well, when you search for people you like with eharmony on their free trial, you don’t get to see any pictures? What’s the point of doing a free search if you cannot see the pictures? Completely useless tool. Next, even if you find a profile you like sans pictures, you cannot message them! What is the point of having a free trial if it is completely useless? Most dating apps will limit one or the other, but never both. Eharmony has pulled that off, and I see no use in someone getting a free trial if they cannot message nor see the person they are messaging. A fail here.

Auto Renewal

Well, eHarmony does nothing different here than its competitors. Once you sign up for a membership package - if you do not cancel in time, it will automatically bill for the next cycle. People continually complain about this feature, but this will never change in the dating app world, or for other industries as well. Auto renewal is here to stay, and with good reason, it’s free money for the site - since they are aware there will always be a certain percentage of people who forget to do this. C’est la vie!

What do you get if you finally pay for a premium membership?
Well, the usual bells and whistles it seems - view photos, can send as many messages as you want, see who saw your profile, and the classic video date i.e. the ability to face time with each other. The one added quality here is the “What if” feature. This allows eharmony to give you 30 wildcard matches outside your comfort zone. This is a nice feature, a nice bonus if you will, and has the chance to be useful to the client using the app. A cut above the other sites when it comes to useful features at no extra cost. Always a good thing.

Why eHarmony?
Fans of the site will exude its top notch service in delivering the best they say in the matchmaking app world. The reason being is that they point out the 32 dimensions test to get you “scientifically rooted” matches. Eharmony may be one of the best sites, but I don’t buy the scientifically rooted theory. As Sheldon would say in Big Bang Theory - the algorithm is nothing but hokum. Really, you are asked a more detailed questionnaire, thereby increasing the match pool, and increasing your chances of matching or meeting something. That I can agree with. The other is simply a marketing ploy for the desperate - and believe me- there are a lot of desperate people in the dating world, and with good reason.

Is it the best site for a serious relationship? They say they are, not only with 600,000 couples but over 2 million people matching up. The numbers may be fudged or exaggerated, but there is no denying they are the best in their field for what they do. If you want a grand vanilla base of daters, and you want something serious, it can’t really get better than this. They have the base of people you want to search, the question in the end will be, can you find them?

Drawbacks - most reviewers say that while the search by Eharmony is first rate, then when you join the site you have no choice to search on your own. That is weird that its taken out of your hands like that. Choice is the ultimate criteria you want, and to rely on the site, and not yourself, is extremely strange. Not a feature or policy that I admire from Eharmony.

Some people complain there is an intermingling between paid members and non paid members. What does this mean and where is the problem? They say paid members should only be matched with paid members since they are more serious in the process, while the free trial people are simply testing things out and may not be into the process of truly finding someone. I say nonsense, if someone is interested in you, paid or not, they will reply back. That;s all you can ask for from any dating app. A first time connection. The rest is up to you.

 

Written by:

Joyce DeWitt