How we test.
Every dating site and app in our directory goes through the same rigorous process. No shortcuts, no paid placements, no "sponsored reviews."
The process
We don't skim apps for a weekend and publish a verdict. Each review follows a minimum 60-day testing period where we create real profiles, use every feature, pay for premium tiers out of pocket, and document everything.
The 5-pillar framework
Every site is scored on five dimensions. The final score is a weighted average — not a simple mean. Safety carries more weight than features, because a beautiful app that leaks your data is still a bad app.
1. User Base & Activity
How many real, active users does this platform have? We look at gender ratios, age demographics, geographic coverage, and — critically — how many profiles show signs of genuine activity vs. abandoned accounts. A dating app with 10 million downloads but 50,000 active users is not a 10-million-user app.
2. Features & UX
App quality, matching algorithm sophistication, communication tools, and unique differentiators. We test on both iOS and Android. We evaluate the free experience separately from premium — because most users start free.
3. Pricing & Value
What does the free tier actually let you do? How much does premium cost, and is it worth it? We check cancellation policies, auto-renewal traps, and whether the app nudges you toward paying through dark patterns or genuine value.
4. Safety & Privacy
This is weighted highest. We evaluate profile verification methods, moderation response times, reporting mechanisms, data handling practices, and privacy policies. We check whether the app sells your data, how it handles photos, and what happens when you delete your account.
5. Success Rate
The hardest pillar to measure, and the most important. We look at real user outcomes: independent testimonials, long-term reputation, community sentiment, and — for AI companions — emotional satisfaction and ethical boundaries.
What we pay for
We purchase premium subscriptions ourselves. Currently we're paying for active subscriptions on 6 platforms. This means our reviews of premium features are based on first-hand experience, not marketing copy.
Conflicts of interest
We may earn revenue through affiliate partnerships with some of the sites we review. This is disclosed on relevant review pages. Affiliate relationships never influence our scores — a site that pays us commissions gets the same 5-pillar treatment as everyone else. If it's bad, we say so.
Updates
Dating apps change constantly. Features get added, pricing changes, user bases shift. We re-test and update our reviews on a rolling basis. Every review page shows when it was last updated.
Disagree with a review?
We want to hear about it. If you think we got something wrong, or if a platform has changed significantly since our last review, reach out at [email protected].
Know a site we should review?
We're always looking for dating apps, AI companions, and niche platforms to add to the directory. If you know one we've missed — or run one yourself — let us know.