Fun with Match.com

Since I quit OKCupid and Plenty of Fish, I decided to try an experiment by using Match.com.  Even though the website claims to be free to look, trust me, that is all you can do.  So what happens is people wink at you or email you, and Match won't even let you read their emails.  So basically, I had about a dozen emails piling up in my inbox.

I was rather torn about whether I should pay.  They were basically going to give me a deal so I could get 3 months for $42, which is not that unreasonable.  At the same time, I noticed many of the guys I saw on Match were the same guys that were on Plenty of Fish.  Since Plenty of Fish is free, why bother paying Match? 

In the end, I did actually decide to shell out the bucks to see who had been writing me.  After all, Match does have standards and must approve every photo and every profile.  The scary people that are lurking around on POF simply don't exist on Match.  So I paid.  I would now like to break down for you what I feel are the positives and the negatives of Match compared to the free sites:

POSITIVE ASPECTS:

• Better quality profiles
• A lot less creepy shirtless pics
• A lot less creepy dark mugshot-looking pics
• Most of the guys are interested in a relationship, not just a hookup.
• You can post plenty of photos.
• There is a lot of space to show your interests on your profile.
• Not as many random, terrible, or perverse messages from guys.

NEGATIVE ASPECTS:

• A lot of guys are not willing to pay to use the service, therefore you can never actually talk to them.
• The email system leaves a lot to be desired.  It is harder to use than other sites.
• There are less guys to pick from.
• There really aren't personality tests to help match you with someone.

As far as online dating sites go, Match is pretty decent, but it is not the best I have used.  Considering you have to pay to even communicate with anyone at all, it is probably not as nice as Plenty of Fish or OKCupid.  However, I do receive a lot less attention from creepy men.  If you are easily offended by random perverse messages or want to feel safer, it might just be worth the money!