Tinder, Bumble, Coffee Meets Bagel, Hinge. There’s no shortage of dating apps on the market these days. And if you’re in your 20’s, you or your friends have probably downloaded at least one of them in an effort to figure out their appeal.
How do we know that? No, we’re not stalking you.
According to the Pew Research Center, 27% of 18-22 year olds have used a dating website or mobile app. And if you’re in the 25-34 year old age bracket, 22% of you have used them.
A lot of twenty somethings are finding a new side to online dating by using mobile-only dating apps. You are far more accepting and trusting of the internet than your forbearers were at your age, but you’re probably also seeing a lot of people who are interested in hook-ups and casual dating—not exactly marriage material.
At some point, if you’re marriage-minded, you’re going to tire of swiping right or left for dates and probably want to narrow down the vast field of casual connections and find the ones who are legitimately seeking a spouse.
Are there dating app users who are seeking marriage? Absolutely. But when you have a bunch of people using free apps, you’ve got to wade through people who are just downloading the app to check it out, those who are there for less-than-holy endeavors, and those who flake because there’s no financial commitment. It’s almost like a part-time job to manage apps, profiles, and swipe left so much. And then there are those of you who are experiencing dating app fatigue. (Yes, it’s a thing.)
So if you’ve spent some time on the apps and you tire of that, you might consider switching over to the traditional online dating sites. It stands to reason that those who pay for online dating are generally more serious, committed users because they want to be sure they’re getting their money’s worth. That’s not always the case—because traditional online dating sites still have their share of flakes, non-Christians, and inactive users—but if you tire of the app crowd, it’s definitely worth giving a traditional site a shot. Or, keep all of your options open and do both.
If you’ve decided to set up a profile on a traditional online dating site, the first question is: What are the best Christian dating sites for 20s? Well, that’s where we come in. We’re here to share what we know based on years of experience talking to Christian singles and ranking the best Christian dating sites.
Here’s what we’ve got on the top 5—eharmony, Match.com, Christian Mingle, Christian Café, and Christian Crush.
Who Has the Most Users?
For some, the number of members a site has is the single biggest factor when considering an online dating site. The way they see it, online dating is a numbers game, and the more the merrier…er, the more options they have, even if the database consists of more than Christians.
eharmony has been around since 2000 and makes over 15 million matches a day. Match was the first of the online dating sites, having been launched in 1995 and has around 10 million users. Twenty-five percent of Match users are under 30 years of age. Christian Mingle came on the scene in 2001. It bills itself as “the largest and fastest growing online community of Christian singles.” As of 2016, it had over 9 million registered users.
So considering those numbers, if having access to the most matches possible is your priority in your site for Christian Online Dating Sites for 20s, then Christian Café and Christian Crush probably won’t be the best sites for you. They have significantly less members over all than any of the other 3 sites. You’ll probably receive a couple of hundred matches throughout the United States on Christian Café and Christian Crush, instead of hundreds to thousands locally like on eharmony, Match, and Christian Mingle. But, since both Christian Café and Christian Crush target Christians specifically, it’s more likely for all of your matches to be like-minded Christians.
Still, if we’re talking the best Christian dating sites for 20s, numbers are important and Christian Café and Christian Crush are going to come in with far less matches than the other three.
SingleRoots Recommendation: eharmony, Match.com, and Christian Mingle
Which Site Is the Easiest to Use?
When you’re dealing with a paid online dating site, there really isn’t the option to connect your Facebook account and let it do the talking for you. You can connect your Match account to Facebook and pull over some profile pictures, but that’s about it. So, right out of the gate, a traditional online dating site is going to require a few minutes of your time to answer questions, upload photos, and get your profile set-up.
While it may take 15-20 minutes to take the personality inventory for eharmony, hands down it’s the easiest site out there. That’s probably because you don’t get access to the entire database of eharmony users. They send you an average of 7 matches per day for you to peruse and you decide if you want to converse with them. Because you’re not conducting daily searches, eharmony is a pretty straightforward, easy-to-use site. The profiles are easy to read and their matching process is easy to understand.
Match.com, Christian Mingle, and Christian Café have a slightly larger learning curve because they come with more search options, chat features, as well as other bells and whistles. That’s not to say that those three sites are difficult to figure out—especially to someone who grew up on technology, like yourself—but it does take a little more time and effort to understand all of their features when compared to eharmony.
Christian Crush is fairly straightforward, too, but it’s not as user friendly. The site involves more than online dating (Christian Counseling, marriage seminars, and porn seminars are also offered), so it can be a little cumbersome to find the online dating portion of the site. Once you’re in the site, conducting a search is simple enough, but the user experience could be better. Things like enlarging photos and returning to the home page need work. They also offer the option of uploading a video to your profile, which is a nice option that the others don’t have.
SingleRoots Recommendation: eharmony
Which Sites Are the Best for Finding Christians?
So one would probably guess that the sites with the word “Christian” in the title are the greatest options for finding the best Christian online datings sites for 20s. And that’s true…for the most part. Keep reading, though.
Using a site that specifically targets the Christian demographic, like Christian Mingle, Christian Café, or Christian Crush, is a good way to wade through the non-Christian matches on an online dating site. Granted, not all of those “Christian” sites are going to deliver Christians, let alone Christians that have the same level of commitment to Christ that you have, but they are a good start.
The problem goes back to the numbers conversation we had earlier. Christian Café and Christian Crush just don’t have the membership numbers that the Big Three—eharmony, Match.com, and Christian Mingle—have. Christian Mingle has the largest user base of the sites that specifically target Christians. Again, that doesn’t mean every user is going to be a Christian—not everyone tells the truth on the internet and not everyone defines the term “Christian” in the same way—but Christians are the demographic the site is targeting, nonetheless.
Christian Café has been around since 1999, and although we don’t know exact membership numbers, we do know that our research shows searches significantly less members in several age groups. However, the site does boast that they’ve seen over 25,000 marriages from their site.
If you’re in the Colorado area, Christian Crush might be a good option for you because it is located in Colorado and their user base relies heavily upon local singles. That’s not to say that it won’t work for those living beyond Colorado, but the chances are far less if you live elsewhere.
While eharmony isn’t a Christian-specific site, there’s something to be said for their personality assessment and your personal management of your match settings. Over and over, we hear from Christians who have met their spouses on eharmony more than we do from any other online dating site. Sure, you will be given the occasional non-Christian, but if you control your settings correctly, you’ll find their algorithm is pretty good about sending you Christian matches.
SingleRoots Recommendation: eharmony, Christian Mingle, and Christian Café
Which Site Gives the Most Control?
One of the arguments we hear against eharmony is that users aren’t allowed access to the entire database of eharmony. And that’s true. The algorithm matches you with users that fit your settings, as well as your personality. There’s also a “What If?” feature that you can scroll through to determine your interest in matches who don’t quite meet all of your setting criteria, but that’s the extent of your ability to control eharmony.
The other 4 sites—Match, Christian Mingle, Christian Café, and Christian Crush—allow you to search their sites fully to see all of their matches at any age. If the ability to view, search, and communicate with anyone and everyone is of utmost importance to you as you search online for dates, then you’ll be pleased with any of those four.
SingleRoots Recommendation: Match.com, Christian Mingle, Christian Café, and Christian Crush
Which Sites Have Mobile Options?
We live in a mobile world. Most of you are probably even reading this post from your phone or tablet, so it stands to reason that you want your online dating on-the-go, too. The good news is that all of the of the best Christian dating sites except Christian Crush offer fully-functioning mobile apps that allow you to view matches and communicate with them from your phone or tablet.
eharmony, Match, and Christian Mingle also offer Tinder-like options within their app so you can swipe on matches if you don’t want to conduct a full search.
SingleRoots Recommendation: eharmony, Match.com, Christian Mingle, and Christian Cafe
Which Site Is the Cheapest?
You’re a struggling twenty something and when you were growing up, all you heard on the radio was J. Lo’s telling you that “love don’t cost a thing.” Bless you, child.
It goes without saying that these are paid online dating sites and they’re going to cost you something. Some of the sites are more expensive than others; however, if you check our coupon block at the bottom of the page, we update it whenever we’re notified of new discounts that might help offset your quest to find your Boo.
Another thing to remember is the more months you sign up for, the greater your discount will probably be. Experts will tell you it takes a good 3 months, on average, to find something meaningful online. A one-month membership is a little short-sighted because it takes a little while to figure out the site, start communicating, and learn what you are and are not looking for, so keep that in mind when you’re determining the best site for you. But, if online dating makes you nervous, a one-month membership is a good way to get your feet wet and try it out.
It’s a fact that eharmony is the most expensive site on the list. One month on eharmony, without a discount, can run you nearly $60. But if you sign up for a year, you can see those monthly rates drop to around $20 a month.
Match.com, Christian Mingle, and Christian Café are usually similarly priced and run under $35 for a one-month subscription and can go as low as $15 for longer subscriptions, if not lower.
Christian Crush comes in the lowest priced, charging $14.99 for one month, or going as low as $8.33 a month for a 6-month subscription. If you upload a video on your Christian Crush profile, you can receive 2 weeks free.
SingleRoots Recommendation: Christian Crush
Best Christian Dating Site for 20s :: SingleRoots Recommends
If you’re looking for the best Christian dating sites for 20s, it’s our recommendation that you try eharmony first.
Our research shows that more Christian singles are using eharmony and finding marriage on that site than any of the others. The eharmony personality assessment, along with strict setting options about religious preferences, help to insure more like-minded Christian matches are delivered to your inbox instead of you having to wade through thousands of profiles to search for them.
Granted, you won’t have as much control over your selections and it will be a little more expensive than those other sites, but there are going to be downsides no matter which site you choose.
If eharmony doesn’t feel like a good fit for you, then we’d recommend Match.com. As much as we are rooting for the smaller sites like Christian Café and Christian Crush to grow, at this point, their numbers just don’t compare with the eharmony and Match. And the more profiles available, the more options you have for finding good Christian matches.
While certainly imperfect, we think you’ll find your time and money are best used on eharmony or Match so we recommend them as the best Christian online dating site for 20s.
And to help you get started, here are the most up-to-date deals we are aware of for each online dating site:
Current Online Dating Deals:
Last Updated: 12/3/2024
eharmony (USA Offers):
eharmony (Canada Offers):
Zoosk:
ChristianMingle.com:
Christian Cafe:
Best Christian Dating Sites Rankings
Monthly Price Range | Number of Members | Ease of Use | Christian Filters | Best Deal Link | |
$19.95 to $59.95 Tip: How to Get an eharmony Free Trial | High | Simple | Excellent | 25% Off Any Membership! Use this link with this code at checkout: SINGLEROOTS25 | |
$12.49 to $29.99 | High | Simple | Fair | Browse Zoosk for Free! | |
$16.99 to $32.99 | High | Option-Overload | Good | Review your Christian Mingle matches for free! | |
$8.99 to $34.97 | Medium | Option-Overload | Excellent | EXCLUSIVE 17-Day Free Trial! Use this link with this code at checkout: SINGLEROOTS17 | |