The cheapest online dating websites and apps



Updated on 23 January 2020

Want to give online dating a go? We compare the top dating websites and apps and look at the different features, costs and more so you can find the right one for you.

Cheap dating apps and websites

With Valentine's Day around the corner, there are already plenty of shopfronts and TV adverts serving as reminders that time is ticking to find somebody to share it with.

It's estimated that one in three relationships now start online, so matchmaking websites and apps are booming as a result.

But which one should you go for? We have a look at the best free apps and websites, the ones that you have to pay for, and some niche ones that cater for more specialist interests...

Free apps and websites

Paid subscriptions

Niche dating platforms

If none of the above seems the right place for you to find love, then there is a whole range of other niche dating websites bursting with members.

Think your beauty is wasted on normal mass dating websites? Try beautifulpeople.com – a site for the not-so-modest where you can hunt for someone as attractive as yourself.

Signing up is quite a brutal process, however. 

Current members are given 48 hours to rate how you look before there's a verdict as to whether you're good looking enough to join.

You can even watch the whole process unfurl and see how many people rank you as 'beautiful', 'hmmm OK', 'no', or the rather unflattering 'absolutely not'.

A good choice for those who are overly content with their own aesthetic qualities but probably to be avoided if your self-esteem isn't at its highest.

The newspaper you read often reflects the way that you view the world, so their dating sections might be a good place to find likeminded singles: Telegraph Dating and Guardian Soulmates are just a couple of examples of bustling hubs full of witty and well-written profiles.

Gamers looking for love might want to have a look at dateagamer.com, which has over 150,000 single gamers ready to find a match.

There’s also greensingles.com, a dating site for people who are interested in helping the environment and it claims to be the best site for vegan and vegetarian dating.

One niche website that didn't quite get off the ground was RemainderApp, which was designed after the EU Referendum as a place for Remainers to find soul mates who were also sad about the Brexit result.

The website has only reached 5% of its goal in terms of the necessary funds to get it started however, so it wasn't quite as popular as the founders had hoped.

Lastly, mylovelyparent.com is primarily designed for people wanting to help their older parents find love after loss, separation or divorce.

The website allows you to sign you up on their behalf, write a profile and search for matches. Although the name highlights parents, the site can be used to endorse any old relatives, from aunts and uncles to father-in-laws or siblings.

Is online dating worth doing?

As we've already mentioned, there are some really promising statistics when it comes to online dating, which suggests that it's an avenue worth venturing down if you're looking for love.

There are plenty of free apps and sites to play around with if you're just wanting to dabble, whilst the sites that require a paid membership are probably best-suited to those who are really on the hunt for something serious.

Tell us where you’ve found love in the comment boxes below, whether it was online or otherwise!

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