- The Most Popular Free Dating Sites In Europe For Americans
- The Most Popular Free Dating Sites In Europe 2019
- The Most Popular Free Dating Sites In Europe With No Credit Card
- Best Dating Sites In Europe
- Free Dating Sites
Dating platforms that are 100% free forever are rare, but they do exist. These sites and apps rely primarily on ad revenue, partnerships, and sometimes even user donations to stay profitable. OkCupid is an example of a free dating site because it offers unlimited free communication, though it does have premium features that cost a pretty penny. Lovoo, a German dating app that’s also popular across Southern Europe, is a great option for dating in Italy. There’s a section that’s similar to Tinder, called the “Match Game”. Here, you can like (or not) a profile by swiping, and when the interest is mutual you can begin to exchange messages with each other.
If you did not move to Germany to reunite with your loved one, we have great news for you. According to a representative survey, every third German uses an online dating service. Those are great news for all the single expats out there. To fast-track your dating success in Germany, we reviewed the 19 best dating sites in Germany for you.
We focus on the best dating sites for serious relationships, the best dating apps, the best dating for gays and lesbians, and the best free dating sites in Germany.
Related Guide:Dating in Germany – Expat Guide
As per Statista, paid dating services are the most popular amongst Germans, followed by freemium dating apps.
What is the best dating site for serious relationships in Germany?
For those looking for a serious long term relationship, quality dating is essential. Germans are willing to pay quite some money to find love. All sites listed below are only available in German.
Here are our picks for the best dating site for serious relationships in Germany.
1. ElitePartner
ElitePartner is a leading dating site in Germany for serious relationships and we know several couples who have met through ElitePartner. They check every profile and only accept sign-ups that are interested in serious long term relationships. They review every profile manually. ElitePartner focuses on academic singles; about 70% of its 3,8 million members have an academic degree. The personality test of ElitePartner takes around 20 minutes, and after a successful sign-up, you will already get matching suggestions. ElitePartner has 47% male and 53% female members.
ElitaPartner focuses on quality on every level; they offer Single Coaching, Flirt Seminars, and discounted photo-shootings to increase your matching potential. However, the website and app are only available in German.
ElitePartner offers three different Premium models:
| Membership duration | Costs per month | Total costs |
|---|---|---|
| 6 months | €69,90 | €419,40 |
| 12 months | €49,90 | €598,80 |
| 24 months | €35,90 | €861,60 |
2. Parship
Parship is the most popular dating website in Germany, thanks to its aggressive marketing. They promise that every 11 minutes, a single is falling in love via Parship. Their focus is also long-term serious relationships. Parship targets educated and professional Singles. Each year they have 1,8 million new sign-ups with 3 million contact requests each week. The website and app are only available in German. Here are some more stats about Parship:
The sign-up process takes about 30 minutes and includes a personality test with 80 questions. Parship avoids fake profiles with its ID-check. You cannot view any pictures with the free basic version.
Parship offers three different Premium models:
| Membership duration | Costs per month | Total costs |
|---|---|---|
| 6 months | €74,90 | €449,40 |
| 12 months | €65,90 | €790,80 |
| 24 months | €45,90 | €1.101,60 |
3. LoveScout24
LoveScout24 is another big dating site in Germany, with 6 million members. Their focus lies on flirts as well as on long-term relationships. Next to their website and app, they also offer Single Events. The website and member profiles are of high quality; however, you have to actively start your profile search. There is no auto-suggest. The website and app for Germany are only available in German.
Love Scout24 also has 200.000 gay members and a different portal secret.de, for discrete erotic casual dating.
LoveScout24 offers various pricing models, depending on age and duration. Unlike the previous websites, membership starts already with one month.
LoveScout24 price example for 18-29 year olds:
| Membership duration | Costs per month | Total costs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | €39,90 | €39,90 |
| 3 months | €29,90 | €89,70 |
| 6 months | €19,90 | €119,40 |
4. eDarling
eDarling is a favorite dating website in Germany. eDarling focuses on scientifically designed matching for long-term relationships. Anyone is welcome at eDarling as it doesn’t focus on a specific customer type. It has 2,6 million members with an equal ratio of men (48%) and women (52%) in Germany.
All profiles get checked manually, which increases the quality of contacts and, therefore, chances to find serious relationships.
To create your profile and take the personality test, you should prepare around 40 minutes. With the free version, your usage is limited, and you only get the full potential with the Premium version, which offers great price-value and a free app.
eDarling has three different Premium models:
| Membership duration | Costs per month | Total costs |
|---|---|---|
| 6 months (Premium Lite) | €49,90 | €299,40 |
| 12 months (Premium Classic) | €29,90 | €358,80 |
| 24 months (Premium Comfort) | €27,90 | €669,60 |
5. C-Date
C-Date is another big dating site in Germany, with 3.7 million members in Germany and 35 million members worldwide. Their focus lies on casual dating, open relationships, and affairs. Next to their website, C-Date is also available via their app. Anyone is welcome at C-Date and it offers a very active community. The application process happens via a responsive chat rather than a form and profiles get checked and pictures manually validated.
The unique feature of C-Date is that the premium version is free for women who are looking for men. Women looking for women or couples, however, have to pay, while men pay the highest premium.
C-Date pricing for men example:
| Membership duration | Costs per month | Total costs |
|---|---|---|
| 3 months | €39,90 | €179,70 |
| 6 months | €49,90 | €299,40 |
| 12 months | €32,90 | €394,80 |
C-Date pricing for women looking for women or couples example:
| Membership duration | Costs per month | Total costs |
|---|---|---|
| 3 months | €14,90 | €44,70 |
| 6 months | €9,90 | €59,40 |
| 12 months | €6,90 | €82,80 |
6. NextLove
NextLove is a European dating site for single and divorced parents with more than 5 million users. It is also available via app and in English (🎉). The sign-up is quick and free, and you need to verify your profile with an SMS and one other method. NextLove also monitors new sign-ups to only have real users.
NextLove offers a premium and premium Plus model, giving you more possibilities to interacts with other users.
What is the Best Dating App in Germany?
Compared to the mentioned German online dating sites above, dating apps take a lot less effort to sign up. There is no personality test and scientific matching algorithm. Dating apps tend to aim more for casual dating. However, that does not imply immediate one-night stands, as a survey from SimpleTexting uncovered.
Dating Apps have two significant advantages over dating sites. They are all available in English, so they are ideal for expats in Germany. And they all operate on a freemium business model. The primary functions with which you can start dating are free; however, all apps also offer premium features via in-app purchases.
Here are our top picks for the best dating app in Germany.
1. Tinder
Tinder needs no introduction, as it is the largest international dating app with 66 million monthly active users in 190 countries. And yes, Tinder works in Germany as well.
Be ready to upload your photos and start swiping left or right and find out whether you got a match from a future date. Once you get a match, you can begin writing direct messages. Tinder offers in-app purchases for premium features.
2. Lovoo
Lovoo is a direct Tinder competitor and works similarly. The main difference is that you can contact someone directly, without having to match first. You can browse profiles incognito with Lovoo’s ghost mode. Lovoo also offers a live video chat option.
Lovoo was founded in Dresden, Germany, and has 28 million users worldwide. With four stars from 43k reviews in the iOS App Store, Lovoo has the best review ratio from all listed dating apps in this article.
As you can see in the graphic below, Tinder and Badoo are fighting for the reign of being the most popular dating app in Europe. Lovoo, however, is the most popular and best dating app in Germany.
3. Badoo
Badoo is another swiping contender and functions similar to Tinder. Badoo’s unique feature is that it shows you users who are near you and share similar interests. While swiping through the users, it also shows you whether you have met a user in real life and gives you an idea of the time and approximate location.
4. OkCupid
OkCupid separates itself from the swiping apps by pushing a story feature that goes beyond just pictures. You can write messages at any time; however, women can only view a man’s first message if she has liked his profile beforehand. OkCupid is popular among LGBT+ Singles as well.
The Most Popular Free Dating Sites In Europe For Americans
5. Once
Once is a Swiss dating app, marketing itself as an app for those looking for a more serious relationship. As such, you can not swipe through unlimited pictures per day, but instead, you get one match sent to you every day at noon. Each person has 24 hours to like the match, should you both ‘like’ it, you can start to exchange messages.
6. Bumble
Bumble is a popular swiping app that attracts users with more serious intentions. Bumble empowers women to make the first step in terms of messaging. After she has received a match, she has 24h to send that first message. Men cannot send the first message and, in return, also only have 24h to reply to the first message. Otherwise, the match will expire.
7. Happn
Happn is a French dating app with a twist to it. The app only shows you, users, you have crossed paths with the same day, giving it an extra hint of excitement.
You can set the maximum distance (up to 90 km) for your match feed to show anyone in that area. Happn shows you how many times you have crossed paths and the place and time of your last encounter. If a user is in your set proximity, while you are online, the profile will show ‘NOW’, without offering you the exact location for privacy reasons.
8. Candidate
Candidate is a unique gamified dating app founded in Austria. Their focus lies on personality rather than looks. You first have to answer questions other users send you. In return, you also pose your questions. If two users ‘like’ each other’s answers, you form a match and see each other’s pictures. Each question can have up to 300 characters and can be answered by five other users. You rate each answer and choose your top 3. These three then answer another question; you get to choose your top 2 for the final question out of their responses.
What are the Best LGBTQ+ Dating sites and apps in Germany?
Parship and LoveScout24 also offer gay versions, and OkCupid is quite popular among the gay and lesbian community. There are, of course, dating sites and apps that exclusively focus on LGBTQ+ singles. Here are our top picks for the best dating app for gay and lesbian singles in Germany.
1. PlanetRomeo
PlanetRomeo claims to have the world’s biggest community of gay, bi, and trans men. Whether you are looking for a hook-up or a serious relationship, Planet Romeo addresses both.
The Most Popular Free Dating Sites In Europe 2019
2. Grindr
Grindr is a direct competitor to PlanetRomeo and, in exchange, claims to have grown the largest social networking app for gay, bi, and trans people. Grindr is almost exclusively popular among men and known for its fast hook-ups.
3. Lesarion
Lesarion is Germany’s biggest lesbian dating website and app. The design is still stuck in the last decade, but it claims to have the largest lesbian community in Germany. A big plus compared to other German dating websites is that Lesarion is also available in English. Next to the dating function, it also has a lively forum.
4. Zoe
Zoe is a global lesbian dating app with more than 3,9 million users. Compared to Lesarion, Zoe has a modern design and a better review ratio in the iOS App Store. At Zoe, you also swipe for a pass or a match.
What is the Best Free Dating Site in Germany?
Here is our pick for the best free dating site in Germany without a credit card.
1. Finya
Finya is a 100% free German dating site, as it is financing through ads. You have the option to fill in a personality test after sign-up to get more compatible matches. Finya has over one million users and has won multiple awards. However, Finya is only available in German.
Conclusion
With this extensive list of the best online dating sites in Germany, you are all equipped to choose the type of online dating that fits you most.
Related Guide:Dating in Germany – Expat Guide
To make sure you always have the best reception and never run out of data on your phone, we have written a guide for Germany’s best mobile network for you.
We wish you lots of fun and success! ❤️
Spend your money on your dates, not on the dating sites.
8 Best Free Dating Sites in 2021
Deciding what type of online dating website is right for you is a little like finding the right partner.(Getty Images)
In the last year, COVID-19 has made online dating sites even more indispensable for the single set. It has been hard for singles to meet potential significant others, since going out and being social is discouraged during the pandemic. But with an online dating website, you could try to get to know someone online through emails, texting and video chat. Then, if you were both assured that the other was being safe, you might try to meet.
But you can still meet that special someone during a pandemic, according to Amy Schoen, a professional life, dating and relationship coach in Rockville, Maryland, and the founder of the website Motivated to Marry. 'You can meet people through socially distant meetups,' Schoen says. 'I've had clients meet people through outdoor activities like archery and axe throwing. You can go to parks, hike, play tennis or some of the more socially distant sports.' But Schoen also endorses trying to make connections digitally. 'I recommend online dating sites as part of your dating plan,' she says.
[The Most Popular Free Dating Sites In Europe With No Credit Card
Read:
Dating Apps: How to Go on a Virtual Date. ]But what online dating websites should you try? Deciding what type of online dating website is right for you is a little like finding the right partner. What you think is a great dating site, others may hate. Read on for a list of some of the best free dating sites that you may want to try. Keep in mind that not all of these websites are purely free – some have free components that are worth your consideration. Here are some of the most popular free dating sites:
- Tinder.
- Bumble.
- Match.
- OurTime.
- OKCupid.
- Plenty of Fish.
- Facebook Dating.
- Hinge.
With this popular app (also available on desktop), you can simply swipe through profiles – albeit with scant information on each potential match. As you look at photos, you can select a heart icon or an X; alternatively, you can swipe to the right if you like a profile or swipe to the left if you don't. If you like somebody who also likes your photo, then you'll be alerted that you have a match, and you'll be able to message your potential date. While the app is free, you can pay for Tinder Plus (around $9.99 a month if you're under 30, or $19.99 if you're older) and Tinder Gold (around $29.99 per month, depending on your location and age), which offer additional features, such as a rewind button that enables you to update your selection if you accidentally swiped the wrong way.
Bumble
Similar to Tinder, Bumble enables users to find a match by swiping right if you like the person or left if you don't. The major differentiating factor is, for heterosexual couples, the woman must send a message first. Conversely, with same-sex couples, either person can initiate contact. There's also a premium service that can screen your matches for certain qualities or criteria, like level of education. Prices vary from $7.99 a week to $32.99 a month, or you can pay $199.99 for a lifetime subscription of the premium service.
While Match.com's full services aren't free, it belongs in this list because it's a well-known website that offers a free 72-hour trial period. You can set up a profile and search through profiles for free, but if you want to contact the person, you'll have to pay for the service unless you're still in the free three-day trial period. Still, at least you can determine who you might want to contact if you do pay for the service, rather than paying for a service and then hoping that there are some people you'd like to meet. As for the prices, they vary. For one month's access to the site, you'll pay $35.99. But you can get longer plans that last anywhere from three to six to 12 months. You'll fork over more money at once, but you'll pay less per month (i.e., $19.99 for three months).
OurTime
As advertised on their many TV commercials, OurTime is for people 50 years old and up. Like Match.com, OurTime is a paid service. While it isn't free, you can browse profiles for free, and that is worth something in the online dating world. The last thing anybody wants is to pony up money for a dating site, put up a profile and then look around and find out that the nearest potential person you might be interested in is 300 miles away. As for the prices, they vary, but you can expect to pay about $35 a month, with the price dropping considerably if you sign up for the six-month plan.
[See:
7 Signs Your Romantic Partner Is Financially Unstable. ]OKCupid
This popular dating website and app is free, allowing you to browse profiles and reach out to anyone you want to connect with. That said, you can pay for premium services, and those premium services can make the site a little easier to navigate. For instance, with the paid version, there are unlimited likes and no outside ads. You can also see who 'likes' you before you like them. However, with the free version, you don't know who has clicked 'like' on your profile unless you also 'like' them. Prices vary.
Plenty of Fish, as its name suggests, features a wide selection of dating profiles. It is free, but you'll probably find it far easier to use if you pay for the premium services. Prices vary, but you can expect to pay $12.90 a month for three months or $6.78 a month for 12 months. You can send and receive messages for free; the premium membership is an ad-free version that allows users to search more easily, using filtering options such as education and income.
Best Dating Sites In Europe
Facebook recently entered the dating scene with Facebook.com/dating. You can set up a dating profile, which won't be shared with anyone outside of the Facebook dating app. In other words, your friends and family on Facebook won't be able to see that you're a member of Facebook Dating. As an added bonus, you can use your Facebook profile to automatically fill in your profile. It's only available on the Facebook app on your phone and not on the Facebook website. It's completely free.
Hinge is only available on your phone and not on your desktop or laptop. It is a free site, but like all of these sites, you can navigate the site more easily if you pay for its premium version. Prices vary for the premium version, but it starts at around $19.99 a month, and then the price per month goes down after that if you get a three or six month membership.
[READ:
Cheap Date Night Ideas. ]Tips for Dating in the Age of COVID
Free Dating Sites
Acamea Deadwiler, based out of Las Vegas, is the author of 'Single That: Dispelling the Top 10 Myths of the Single Woman.' She points out that because of COVID, something is lost by not going out to dinner or the movies – and one should think carefully about how they're starting a relationship.
'Instead of going to a movie theater, you're streaming movies and inviting people to join you on the couch. Instead of meeting at a bar, you're allowing someone you may have just met into your home for cocktails,' Deadwiler says. 'So those initial 'getting to know you' steps in the dating process are being skipped and you may end up dating someone exclusively by default or getting serious with someone more quickly than you normally would.'
She points out that inviting somebody you don't know well into your home too soon isn't just potentially unsafe – it 'accelerates the relationship's progression.' She says that there's the risk that the pandemic forces you into a dating bubble where you're seeing one person instead of perhaps seeing several people and having one relationship form more naturally.
'We've had more free time than ever over the past year,' Deadwiler says. 'It hasn't been much of an inconvenience to fit someone into your schedule. Just because you're spending a bunch of time with someone doesn't mean they're 'the one.' Ask yourself if they're someone you would've pursued a relationship with in the pre-COVID world.'
And if not, then you may need to go back to the drawing board and ask your friends and family if they know anyone. And, yes, you may want to check out some of the free dating sites.
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