Online dating as a senior in 2021

Thinking of getting back into the world of dating but wondering whether it's too late? Questioning yourself whether you are too old? Well age is just a number when it comes to love and we’re only as old as we feel at the end of the day!

Well okay, we might be a little too old to be out partying till the early hours of the morning, but we should always remember we are never too old to meet up with someone new... we’re not over that hill just yet!

Yes we’re older now, the hips need a little greasing up and don’t move as fast as they did. Sometimes we prefer quiet nights in with a refreshing glass of wine but wouldn’t the bottle taste that much better if we had some nice company to share it with?

Just because we may be divorced, widowed or just single, it doesn’t mean that we should give up on looking!

There couldn’t actually be a better time for the senior age group to find that perfect match. With online dating growing, there is a large selection of dating sites available to find someone who shares the same thoughts and interests. However, you may be thinking “Are people my age really using dating sites, and if so, how successful are they?”.

According to ChoiceMutual who surveyed 2,000 seniors (55+) in 2021, the second best way to find love is through dating apps, which ended up with a 13% success rate! The study found roughly a third of seniors who have dated in the last five years have turned to dating sites and 66% of those have had a relationship with someone through those platforms. I don’t know about you, but to me that sounds quite promising!

So if there is a whole range of different dating sites to sign up to, how do we pick the right one? I agree, it can be overwhelming at first, but remember, more options should lead to better opportunities!

So where can we actually find that companionship, romance or maybe even a soulmate? I know we want it all but it's important to take one step at a time. The first thing you need to do is sign up and create your profile!

Let's take a look at some of the most popular go-to sites according to CleveScene.

Even though they selected 10 different dating sites, we have narrowed the selection down to the best three, which will surely help you in your search for love.

Top spot goes to - Eharmony

Eharmony has been active since 2000 and they claim to make a ‘connection’ every 14 minutes which is pretty impressive!

Pros:

Effortless matching system - It’s designed so that it finds a compatible match and not random strangers. Its emphasis is on building long term relationships and it’s completely personalised. This is achieved by making each user answer a range of personality questions to ensure it finds the right person for you.

User friendly interface - Very modern and easy to find your way around the site, making the experience more enjoyable and stress-free.

Large database of users - Eharmony has a huge community of members in around 190 countries, just in case you’re looking for someone further afield.

Cons:

Free membership is very limited - Although this can be seen as a negative point, it's the easiest way to weed out the ones who are serious about finding a relationship and those who are not.

Very long sign up process - There are a lot of questions to answer through the signup process which are mostly based on personality and compatibility. While it can get a bit tedious, this is what has given Eharmony the credibility it deserves!

No search feature - Okay, another negative that can also be seen as a positive - When it comes to online dating, it's easy to filter your choices for the good-looking people but Eharmony does not allow that! Your matches are solely based on your and their answers to the personality / compatibility questions.

If you‘re still wondering whether Eharmony can be successful for you, you can take a look at a story from MrsImperfect, a user who has only ever had 2 successful long term relationships and both have been thanks to Eharmony.

Second spot - SilverSingles

They have been in the industry for over 17 years now. Both paid and free memberships are available and they claim to get 3-7 matches every day. Their main aim is to find long lasting relationships.

Pros:

Best matches are sent to you daily - This can be helpful if you don’t have much time to browse through different profiles. The browsing option is there but, this can help you match with people you have not matched with so far.

Matching Algorithm - All the matches are based on personality, which is determined through a questionnaire you take during the signing up process.

Safety - Safety comes first with SilverSingles as they closely monitor every new profile so you can feel at ease and protected at the same time.

Cons:

Exclusively for over 50s - Now this can be a good thing but also a bad thing if you want the option to find someone who makes you feel a little younger!

Extensive signing up questionnaire - It can be time-consuming with around 100 questions on your likes and dislikes, turn-offs and preferences - you need to have some time to go through the signup process.

Location not taken into account - If you’re someone who is unable to travel, you may want all your matches to be local.

Third spot - Zoosk

They claim to be one of the top dating sites in the world with over 4 million users. The gender distribution is also rather even with 54% being male and 46% female.

Pros:

Live Support - If you need to ask any questions or need any assistance, help is available with the click of a button.

Helpful profile verification and safety features - Can help put your mind at ease about whether someone is genuine or not. It also helps reduce any chances of coming across fake profiles.

A professional match-making algorithm - This can be very helpful towards finding the right match for you. If you don’t like their match-making, they also have a search and filter feature that allows you to manually search for someone else.

Cons:

Have to pay extra for additional features - They have different features like buying coins for virtual gifts if you’re feeling like you want to impress your ‘match’, but this is optional.

Lots of different features and upgrades - This can make it less user friendly and very confusing for some people, along with upgrade costs adding up along the way.

Limited features if no photo - In order to use one of their features called carousel, you need to upload a photo of yourself. If you are someone who'd rather stay discreet or are simply too shy to share your face online, this might not be your cup of tea.

So now you know the top 3 best dating sites for seniors and if one of those doesn’t fit your needs, there are plenty of other dating sites out there for you as well!

Don’t have regrets later in life, nobody deserves to be alone, no matter what age you are. When it comes to online dating, all it takes is some searching! At the end of it all, you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain! Good luck!