Our Match.com Review Bottom Line:
- GOOD: Number of members, allows you more control
- BAD: Christian filters are not that great.
- TAKEAWAY: We’d like Match.com even better if it had more options for finding like-minded Christians.
A reminder: When we review the best Christian dating sites, we do not mean we review only Christian dating sites exclusively. We review both Christian and non-Christian online dating sites because many Christians are using them as tools to find other single Christians. We analyze numerous factors, including and especially how easy it is to find other like-minded Christians on the site.
So, about that Match.com review?
We like it.
For more details, read on…
We like it almost as much as we like eharmony. We could like it more, but there’s one big reason we don’t. First, let’s start with the three things we like best about the site:
Match.com Review :: Pros
Numbers
It’s the oldest site around and one of the biggest. If you’re in a city or a rural area, finding matches in your vicinity should not be as difficult as it would be for smaller, newer sites like Marry Well and Christian Crush. You’ll still probably have to expand your search area if you’re in a rural area, but you’ll probably still have more options than using a lesser-known site.
Control
Match.com allows you access to their entire membership database. For those who dislike eharmony’s system of measuring out daily matches with little other option, then Match certainly solves that problem. Any biographical information written must be approved by Customer Care, so the true Control Freaks might not like that, but those of us who don’t want to read inappropriate material are fans of that safety net.(eharmony has to approve your photos and text, too, by the way. So it’s kinda normal for some sites to require that.) Overall, you have significantly more control in your quest to find a date while using Match, despite having them approve your profile information.
Options
Sometimes there are so many options on a site that it becomes difficult to figure it all out. Match.com has a number of options, but the site still remains user-friendly and all of the bells and whistles are clearly explained. Also, the site doesn’t leave you on your own in your search if you want some assistance in finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. Besides giving you the freedom to search their entire database, Match also helps you out by narrowing down all of those profiles or by pointing out ones you might’ve missed. They offer 10 Daily Matches per day, Match Me (places you in the Daily Matches of someone you really like), Mutual Matches (based on profile information, you’re looking for someone like him/her and he/she is looking for someone like you), Reverse Matches (he/she may not meet your match criteria, but you meet his/hers), and other options such as favorites, email, winks or chatting. For the more adventurous, Match.com even has local meet-ups and live events in select cities, as well as trips. It may take a little minute to figure out what all of the Match options are and how they work, but the site is still user-friendly despite providing lots of options.
Match.com Review :: Cons
The issue that bugged us the most was the Match Christian filter. It’s just more difficult to narrow down matches to those who are like-minded Christians. Calling oneself a “Christian” can mean many things to many people. Granted, the site offers many search options that are helpful in narrowing the field. They let you mark if faith is a deal breaker for you, and in the custom search options, they allow you three choices in the “Christian” category: Christian/Catholic, Christian/Protestant, and Christian/Other.
eharmony takes things one step further and allows you to choose from a list of denominations and other sites, such as Christian Café, allow you to get even more specific and get into levels of church involvement.
You also can add keywords to your searches, so limiting profiles to ones that include words like “Christian” or other church-y terms could possibly help narrow down your results. (This also helps if you’re searching for matches who love coffee or the Green Bay Packers or travel, too. Just an FYI. Don’t go getting too crazy with your keyword searches lest you miss out on some stellar matches who might not be just like you.)
One tip for finding other like-minded Christians on Match is to search for those who identify themselves as “Christian-Protestant” or “Christian-Other” and then scroll down on each profile to see what religious preferences they are looking for in a match. If they don’t have anything marked at all or if they are open to Buddhists, Hindu, Christian-LDS/Mormons, insert religion of your choice here, then you’ll have a pretty good gauge on where they stand in matters of faith. Yes, it’s possibly they forgot to get specific in that section of their profile, but it’s definitely a good place to start. Even if you mark your faith as a “dealbreaker” in your initial set-up, Match will still give you Daily Matches of people who are not believers, so this is just one more way to help discern where a person stands in their relationship with Christ.
We know people who have found other like-minded Christians on Match, so it’s far from impossible. All we’re saying is it might be slightly more difficult to wade through lots of profiles to find the kind of Christian matches you might be looking for.
Match.com Review :: How Much Money Are We Talking About Here?
Match and eharmony are in the same ballparks when it comes to pricing. If you catch them on their initial promo rates when you sign up, you can get one month for around $35. Like most other online dating sites, the more months you commit to, the better deal you’re going to get.
[Pro Tip: If you’re considering more than a 1-month subscription of Match, consider the 6-month option. Match has their 6-month guarantee where you can get your money back if you don’t meet someone within the first 6 months of membership. But be sure and check out our post outlining the fine print of this deal before you try it. They make you jump through a few hoops, but it’s a sweet deal to fall back on if you do it right.]
Best Match.com Deals We Know of Right Now:
Match.com (USA Offers):
Match.com Review :: How It Compares to Other Sites
When compared to other online dating sites, especially the bigger ones like eharmony and Christian Mingle, how does Match.com stack up? Well, here’s what we’ve found…
Match.com vs. eharmony
- eharmony sends users an allotted amount of matches each day. Users are not allowed to search the entire database of profiles. However, Match gives users complete control over their searches.
- eharmony’s algorithm does a better job of matching Christian users to like-minded Christians. On Match.com, users have to search profiles for more clues.
- Read more: Best for Christian Singles? eharmony vs Match
Match.com vs. Christian Mingle
- There are many similarities between the two sites except one markets to the Christian demographic.
- Match is more user-friendly.
- Read more: Best for Christian Singles? Christian Mingle vs Match
Match.com Review :: People We Know Who Have Met Their Spouses on Match.com
Our research over the years has shown us that more Christian singles use and find love on eharmony more than any of the other online dating site, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible on Match.com. In fact, we know of some people personally who have made it to the altar thanks to Match. Each site has its own pros and cons and some have found it to do exactly what they hoped it would–match them with their spouse. Here’s one story:
Match.com Review :: Our Recommendation
Overall, when it comes to top Christian dating sites, we can’t help but find Match.com to be one of the best on the market today. We still think eharmony beats match when it comes to finding Christian matches online; however, if you’ve tried eharmony and don’t like it, Match is a good alternative.
It’s FREE to look at your matches by following this link to Match.com, so what do you have to lose? Or if you’re ready to sign-up, here’s the link for 20% Off of Match.com. It will open in a new window, and you can use this page to let us help walk you through the set-up process.
Match.com Review :: How to Set-up a Match Account
You’ll need your credit card and a valid email address to set-up your Match.com account.
Check out our video tutorial for a quick overview or keep reading below for step-by-step instructions:
[Pro Tip: Some people like to create a new email account for their online dating subscriptions because it keeps you from being buried under the tidal wave of emails that are forthcoming. Sites will communicate with you about new matches, when someone reaches out to you, as well as send you coupons and deals for future subscriptions. It’s fine to keep everything under the email account you already have, but if you can’t seem to get through the emails you have already, putting them under a separate “online dating only” account is a nice option.]
While not as extensive as the eharmony set-up process, the Match process will still take you about 15-20 minutes because you have to come up with a screen name. That alone takes some people longer than the eharmony personality inventory. (Funny? Serious? Too cheesy? Too Jesus-y?) At some point you’ll have to just go with the best name you’ve got and trust the Lord that you won’t miss the love of your life because you chose RangersFan393479274 over CowboysFan29383493.
Set Up Your Profile
You’ll go through a series of simple questions to let Match know more about you and who you are looking for. It’ll range from zip code radius to education level to ethnicity to favorite local hotspots.
In this section, you’ll also answer questions about your beliefs. You’ll be able to choose from a list of religious denominations. For Christian, you’ll have the choice of Christian/Catholic, Christian/LDS, Christian/Protestant, Christian/Other.
[Pro Tip: “LDS” isn’t really Christian. It stands for “Latter-Day Saints.” LDS=Mormon Church. You remember the childhood game of “Which of these things doesn’t belong here?” If you’re a Christian looking for another Christian, LDS doesn’t belong in this list.]
[Another Pro Tip: A lot of Christians don’t use the term “Protestant” anymore, so some may shy away from choosing that option, even though it means anything that’s not Catholic. So you’ll probably find a lot of Christians who identify themselves as Christian/Protestant or Christian/Other. Thanks, Match, for making things complicated.]
You’ll also be given the opportunity to write in a short answer box and explain more about your beliefs. Since Match doesn’t give you a ton of opportunities to share about your faith, this box is important for you to spell out what your relationship with Christ means to you. You can’t assume that simply marking “Christian” will net the kind of matches you’re looking for.
Determine Your Match’s Characteristics
After you’ve filled in all the questions about yourself—and you should fill them in because an incomplete profile only complicates matters—you’ll have the chance to identify the things you’re looking for in a match.
You’ll check boxes for things like body type, education level, language spoken, etc. You’ll also get to list certain things as “deal breakers.” This lets Match know what is of utmost importance to you, things like religion, ethnicity, relationship status, drinking, smoking, have kids/want kids, etc.
Catch People’s Attention
Remember how hard it was to come up with a screen name? Ugh. It can be just as hard to come up with a headline and a short description of who you are and what you’re looking for. But you can do it. Stressing out over being unique isn’t worth the time and energy. With millions of users, there’s no way someone hasn’t said what you’re going to say. Just be yourself.
After you upload some photos, you’re pretty much good to go. You can connect Match to your Facebook account to make the photo uploading even easier, too. Match does review all photos and text before they appear on your profile—which is kinda nice to know you’re not going to see or read anything too scandalous while you’re on there—so you won’t see it immediately.
They tell you it can take up to 24 hours to approve your information, but when we did ours, it took less than 10 minutes. However, time of day and site traffic has a lot to do with how quickly their reviewers can get to it. The good news is that while you’re waiting on approval, you can still peruse the site and your matches.
[Pro Tip: Every time you update your profile or text, it will go through the approval process, so maybe plan ahead of time what you want to say in a 200-word paragraph about what you’re looking for in a match. That way you won’t have to wait on their reviewers every time.]
Pay the People
If you want full use of the site, you’re going to have to pay them next. You can see your matches’ photos, unlike an unpaid eharmony subscription, but you can’t really take any action—or see any action someone has taken toward you—if you don’t pay them.
Match.com Review :: How to Close Your Match Account When You’ve Found the Love of Your Life
In the event that you’ve found your Ruth/Boaz on Match, you’ll need to close your account. Or, sometimes you just need to walk away for a little minute. Ok, we get it.
Either way, if you’ve paid Match for a subscription, you need to know that they don’t do refunds. You can use your account until your subscription runs out.
[Pro Tip: Before your subscription runs out or before you cancel your unpaid subscription, delete your photos from your account. Once you cancel it, you won’t be able to go in and delete them, and it’s just a safety measure to take them down first.]
To close your account, go to the wheel at the top right corner by your profile picture and go to your Account Settings. Click on Change/Cancel Membership. You’ll be asked if you want to cancel your membership and remove your profile. Once you do so, you will no longer be able to access your profile unless you reactivate your account.
The good news is that if you decide to reactivate, all of your answers are saved for you. The bad news is Match will only keep your profile for one year. If you decide to go back after a year, you’ll need to start all over with the set-up process.
Match.com Deals & Discounts
Match.com (USA Offers):
- 74% OFF Match.com Subscription ~ Limited Time Link!
20% OffNow, 25% Off Discount Link- 3 Day FREE Trial Link
Or first read how to take advantage of the Match.com Free Trial.
Have you used the site? What do you think about it? Love it, hate it, indifferent? Share your thoughts with us!
Current Online Dating Deals:
Last Updated: 10/1/2024
eharmony (USA Offers):
eharmony (Canada Offers):
Zoosk:
ChristianMingle.com:
Christian Cafe:
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