If you're reading this page, you've probably narrowed down your choices to the two best sites focused exclusively on serious daters looking for long-term relationships. eHarmony is well known in the industry as the best site for those looking for a relationship leading to marriage. Their in-depth personality matching technology has been refined over the past 8 years with the top relationship psychologists to really match you up with people you have a good shot at being compatible with. On average, 236 people who met on eHarmony get married each day! PerfectMatch is a newer entrant to the serious relationship matching market, and their Duet personality test was developed by relationship psychology Dr. Pepper Schwartz, Professor of Sociology at the University of Washington in Seattle and regular guest on “Oprah.” The test has received rave reviews from people who have met their lifelong matches through it.
eHarmony's technology has been around longer and has more of a track record, plus the site has a larger pool of potential mates, so it may be a more sure-fire bet to sign up with eHarmony, especially if you're 100% sure that you want to be paired up using a compatibility system. PerfectMatch's main advantage is that you can search other members using their advanced search tools - so if you prefer to combine compatibility matches with your own proactive searching and browsing, PerfectMatch is the better choice.
eHarmony vs. PerfectMatch: Dating site comparison
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| eHarmony | PerfectMatch | |
| Members | 20 million | 5 million |
| How it works | In-depth personality matching technology, no search | Duet personality matching technology, advanced search |
| Target dater | Serious dater, looking for marriage | Serious daters |
| What you get for free | Personality quiz, see matches | Free profile, see matches |
| Matching technology | Personality profile, based on Christian principles | Duet personality text by Dr. Pepper Schwartz |
| Time to get started | 20 - 30 minutes | 15 minutes |
| Communication with other members | Email, private | Email, private |
| Pros | High-quality matches. We felt comfortable with the people we met on eHarmony. Most people are very serious about relationships on eHarmony. | Same high-quality matches based on personality - but the site is easier to use and get started. Good option for newbie users. |
| Cons | Very long personality questionnaire during signup. Restrictive policies can make profile approval difficult. | Smaller dating pool means inadequate number of matches in some smaller cities |
| Vendor site | More info | More info |
| Match types | Match types | |
| Types of girls on the site | Looking for serious relationship. Mostly in 23 - 45 age range. | Mostly serious daters looking for a serious relationship. All age ranges. 50% of users are female. |
| Types of guys on the site | Looking for lifelong partnership / marriage. Mostly in 26-55 age range. | Looking for serious dating partners. 50% of users are male. |
| Gay dating | No | Yes |
| Lesbian dating | No | No |
| 40s+ dating | Yes | Yes |
| 50s+ dating | Yes | Yes |
| Christian dating | Yes | Yes |
| Jewish dating | Yes | Yes |
| Muslim dating | Yes | Yes |
| Asian dating | Yes | Yes |
| Black dating | Yes | Yes |
| Hispanic dating | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | Pricing | |
| One-month subscription price | $59.95 | $59.95 |
| Lowest subscription price (monthly) | $19.95 (12 months) | $33.32 (12 months) |
| Coupons / discounts | Find coupon | Find coupon |
| Site guarantees | 6 months money-back | "Match found" guarantee |
| Support | Email + phone | Email + phone |
| Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating | A | A+ |
| Vendor site | Sign up | Sign up |
Hopefully this gives you some good information to help you make your decision. We'd love to hear about your experiences with either of these two sites here - please drop your thoughts in the comments box.
Sources: http://www.eharmony.com, http://www.PerfectMatch.com, photo credit