I know…dating today has become more of a swiping sport than finding serious people for meaningful and romantic connections. That said, there are only two sites currently promising serious relationships, as you’ll discover in this Elite Singles vs eHarmony comparison.
With truckloads of bottom-of-the-barrel dating services mushrooming on the Net, Elite Singles and eHarmony have stood out with their huge dating pools of active, real users worldwide seeking long-term arrangements.
These two sites offer ideal spaces where you can develop friendships and meet new matches for committed relationships.
But between the two giants, which offers the best experience?
We’ve gauged the sites’ performances based on the membership quality, cost, interaction, matching, and site features.
Let’s get this bout started…
Elite Singles vs eHarmony Review: What’s Coming Up?
- EliteSingles vs eHarmony: A quick glance
- Who uses the dating sites
- Cost and premium features
- How the dating sites work
- Communication features
- FAQs
- Elite Singles vs eHarmony: The Verdict
EliteSingles vs eHarmony: A Quick Glance
Before we get stuck into the details about each dating site, I thought it would be helpful to give you a quick overview of the pros and cons of each online dating app:
Elite Singles
Pros
- Take the extensive personality test based on the big 5 personality traits
- Matching is done for you; there’s no need to search
- Geared up for educated singles and career-driven individuals
- It’s got a luxury dating feel
- Share videos and pictures
- The site filters out inactive & fake profiles
- SSL encryption enabled
- 90% of users are between 30 and 50 years old
- 12.5 million members worldwide
- 1200 successful matches every month
Cons
- Membership needs to be paid in full when you sign up
- There’s a minimum search radius of 50 miles
- Matches are limited to 3-7 a day; you can’t search for more
- Education isn’t verified
eHarmony
Pros
- Comprehensive compatibility test
- Let them match you up; there’s no need to search
- Broad user range – find long-term relationships, no matter what your age
- Dedicated trust and safety team who deal with complaints and red flags
- SSL encryption enabled
- 33 million members worldwide
- 2 million successful matches since 2000
- Responsible for 4% of U.S. marriages
Cons
- Pricing isn’t clear when you sign up
- There’s a 6-month minimum subscription period
- You have to speak to customer services to cancel a membership
Who Uses Elite Singles and eHarmony?
Understanding the target audience of a dating site is crucial when deciding which one to use, and that is no different when considering Elite Singles and eHarmony.
Although both dating sites focus on individuals seeking committed relationships, this is just one aspect of what you need to think about. There are lots of demographics that you should take into consideration because what they attract varies significantly.
As well as the type of relationship the site attracts, there are also a number of other demographics to consider:
- Age
- Niche factors – work, age, religion
- Sexual orientation
- Gender ratio
- Geographic location
- Number of users
Let’s delve deeper into who you’re likely to encounter on each of these dating platforms.
Users on eHarmony
eHarmony has a staggering amount of users, which might make you think straight away that this is the best site to use. But hold your horses. That is just one factor in the equation.
Yes, the site has 33 million users across a broad age range, but it does miss out on some niche factors that Elite Singles caters to (more on that shortly).
In terms of age:
- 36% of members fall below the age of 30.
- 40% belong to the 30-49 age bracket.
- The remaining 24% are aged 50 and above.
It also has a reasonably balanced male-to-female ratio. 51% of members are male, while 49% are female.
The site has people from a variety of backgrounds, making it a good overall site to use, however, it does have a slight downfall.
While you can pick whether you’re a man looking for a woman, or vice versa, or you’re non-binary, you can’t actually pick that you’re interested in both men and women.
If you’re bisexual, you will have to switch your profile to search for each or set up two profiles. While it’s not a major negative, it’s a little disappointing that the site hasn’t thought about adding an extra layer to the dating site.
Users on Elite Singles
Elite Singles has a smaller user base than eHarmony. At 12.5 million users, you might think that your chances of success here are significantly reduced. However, Elite Singles is one of the dating apps out there that caters to a niche audience.
Unlike eHarmony, which caters to everyone, Elite Singles targets educated professionals and people who are established in their careers. While the dating site is all about creating lasting connections and serious romance, it does have quite a different age range of users.
- 90% of the dating site users are over 30, with the majority being aged between 30 and 55 years old.
- 10% of users fall outside of this age bracket. You’ll find very few under 30s here.
Importantly, 85% of users are college-educated.
Like eHarmony, you are limited to who you can search for. You can search for men or women, but not both simultaneously.
Chances of Success
When it comes to user pool size, eHarmony outshines EliteSingles. You’ll have better odds of finding compatible matches if you’re in your 20s or you’re over 50 on this dating site, which is where the extra user base sits.
However, if you’re aged between 30 and 50 and prioritize education and career success in your compatibility, Elite Singles definitely reigns supreme. However, because it has a smaller user base, finding a match could take longer, especially in a rural area.
EliteSingles vs eHarmony: Cost and Premium Features of the Dating Sites
Before we get into how each site works, let’s cover one of the most important considerations: cost.
If you’re going to use one of the online dating apps, you need to know whether you can afford to join, especially while the cost of living remains high.
Yes, it is a factor that you have to consider. The cost of online dating sites can stack up.
Related: Hookup sites
eHarmony: How Much Does eHarmony Cost?
You can’t join eHarmony just for a month – their minimum subscription is for 6 months. While you can sign up for a free account, fill out the compatibility test (read questionnaire), and browse to see who you match with, you will need to upgrade to do anything more.
However, keep an eye out for the site’s frequent promotions. eHarmony regularly offers discounts of up to 60%. As a paid member, this can be a game-changer in terms of costs.
Here are the standard subscription rates without any promotional codes:
- $65.90 per month for a six-month subscription.
- $45.90 per month for a 12-month subscription.
- $35.90 per month for a 24-month subscription.
Subscription Features
Basic account:
- Complete the compatibility test
- See who you match with
- Receive and send smiles and icebreakers
- See who has looked at your profile
Paid account:
- See all member photos on a match profile
- Send messages
- Filter your matches
- Complete a more detailed profile
- Get daily match updates
Elite Singles: How Much Does EliteSingles Cost?
While eHarmony has a fairly hefty price tag, Elite Singles also follows suit. Like eHarmony, you’ll often find discounts being offered, though they can vary in size.
You’ll be able to sign up for free, take the personality test, and browse your matches, but you do need to take out one of the subscriptions to send a message and start a conversation with someone you like.
The standard subscriptions, without a discount code, are:
- $99.95 for one month
- $158.85 for three months
- $197.70 for six months
- $275.40 for 12 months
Subscription Features
Basic account:
- Sign up and complete the personality test
- See who you match with
- Browse profiles
Paid account:
- View all pictures of your matches
- See who has visited your profile
- See the personality test results of your matches
- Unlimited messaging view
- 20 wildcard matches a day
eHarmony vs EliteSingles: Comparing the Costs of Online Dating
While both eHarmony and Elite Singles have reasonably high costs compared to other dating sites, Elite Singles does come out cheaper when you consider both sites based on a 6-month sign-up.
Things to consider, though, are who you’re looking for. If you definitely want to match with someone over 30 who is established in their career and who has a good income, Elite Singles is worth the high cost of a monthly subscription. Of course, you may find that person on eHarmony, but there’s no guarantee.
If you just want to try out the sites and don’t want to commit to a full 6 months, Elite Singles is your better option.
EliteSingles vs eHarmony: How the Dating Sites Work
Both eHarmony and Elite Singles follow a comparable route: they kick off with a compatibility test as part of your sign-up process.
This test delves into various aspects, ranging from your stance on commitment to your conflict resolution tactics and even broader inquiries about your hobbies and interests.
It’s imperative to approach these questions with utmost honesty, as they essentially shape the pool of individuals you’re matched with.
Following your responses, you’ll receive a tailor-made array of potential matches.
Undoubtedly, the depth of consideration you dedicate to your answers directly influences the matchmaking algorithm’s ability to pair you with compatible individuals. While the tests may demand some time investment, it’s undoubtedly worthwhile to take your time with them.
Matching on eHarmony
At eHarmony, diving into the compatibility quiz is your first task post-registration, and yes, it’s a non-negotiable step. If you don’t fill it out, you can’t join.
This questionnaire typically takes around 20 minutes to complete, so set aside this time in advance. Brace yourself for questions spanning where you prefer to live (urban jungle, suburban haven, or rustic retreat) to the traits that pique your interest in a potential partner.
The quiz mainly employs a multiple-choice format, often presenting hypothetical scenarios that nudge you towards giving your probable reaction to that situation. You’ll also be given occasional prompts to mull over your choices, especially if you’ve picked the most common response.
It’s clever. That’s one thing I will say.
While some of the questions may make you question what they can possibly derive from you, the matchmaking algorithm on eHarmony does seem to work.
As well as great user reviews, this site has some pretty awesome success stats. Around 4% of all U.S. marriages start on eHarmony. Now, that’s quite something.
If you are looking for a serious relationship that could end with you walking down the aisle, the compatibility test here could be the thing that actually helps.
Once you’ve completed the test and divulged all your personality info, you’ll be given your potential matches.
While you can take a look at these with the free version, to do anything more (filtering, messaging, checking out all the user pictures on each match, etc), you’ll have to take out a paid membership.
At eHarmony, your matches are laid out comprehensively, with new ones continuously appearing as the matching algorithm churns away.
To amp up your match count pronto, filtering is the way to go.
Compatibility Score
After navigating through the thorough sign-up procedure, eHarmony’s sophisticated algorithm unveils your compatible matches.
Every profile presented to you arrives with a compatibility score, serving as a compass to gauge whether this person aligns with your preferences. This feature is truly transformative.
A compatibility score hovering around 70 signals an average match, offering a potential connection that you can consider pursuing or passing on. Scores inching closer to 100 denote exceptional matches worthy of deeper exploration. Keeping an eye on these scores can undoubtedly streamline your search process, saving you both time and effort.
If you’re a paid member, you can even look at your matches compatibility report to see how the two of you compare.
Filtering Your Matches
If you want to drill down further, this online dating platform provides an excellent filtering system to help you refine your search.
You can filter your matches based on age, height, smoking habits, religion, income, ethnicity, and preferences regarding children. You can also set parameters for how far you’re willing to travel to meet your date.
For me, this is a game-changer. When put together with the compatibility scores, this gives you pinpoint accuracy (or, as close as you can get to that) before you actually reach out and see if they’re interested in going on a date with you.
Matching on Elite Singles
EliteSingles takes a unique approach compared to other dating apps: instead of bombarding you with a flood of matches, you receive a curated selection of 3 to 7 compatible matches per day, handpicked by the site’s algorithm.
Additionally, you have the opportunity to explore a limited number of daily “Wild Card” matches. These are people who partially fit your preferences.
Like eHarmony, EliteSingles initiates the matching process with a comprehensive compatibility quiz. Here, you’ll be asked immediately about your educational background and how important you think educational compatibility in a partner is.
It’s reflective of its niche and shows one of the key things the dating app will use to match you with people.
Rather than simply selecting more options on the compatibility test, on Elite Singles, you’re presented with a spectrum, allowing you to express the importance of various attributes, from “not important” to “extremely important.”
Similarly, when assessing your own personality traits, the spectrum ranges from “doesn’t apply at all” to “completely applicable.”
When you’ve completed the questions, you’ll also be given the option to write your profile bio, or to skip and come back to this later.
Compatibility Score
Just like eHarmony, Elite Singles gives you a compatibility score for each of your matches. For this dating app, though, the score is based on 5 key areas:
- Openness
- Conscientiousness
- Neuroticism
- Extraversion
- Agreeableness
At first glance, this seems abrupt. However, when you look at each individual area, you’ll see that you’re scored along a spectrum. Each of the 5 areas helps to make up your overall compatibility score that plays a big role in finding the right person for you.
Elite Singles encourages you to reach out to your matches, even if they have a low compatibility score. Why? Well, that is reflective of how the scoring is put together.
You might have someone who scores highly on conscientiousness and agreeableness but low on extraversion and openness. That might just be an indication that they need to get to know someone better to open up and be comfortable. Many introverts are outgoing in the right company.
Just something to bear in mind.
Elite Singles: Filtering Your Matches
Just like eHarmony, once you’ve got your matches, you can filter more. While you’re only given a few a day, this can still help, particularly the distance you’re willing to travel.
One thing that is worth mentioning here: this dating platform will only allow you to filter down to 50 miles away. That’s actually a heck of a distance when it comes to finding someone to date, especially if you live in a high-traffic area.
Like eHarmony, you can also filter based on whether someone smokes, their age, height, whether they want to have children, education, ethnicity and their income.
eHarmony v EliteSingles: Communicating With Your Matches
EliteSingles and eHarmony offer a distinct advantage over online dating sites like Zoosk. You don’t have to wait for a potential match to start a conversation with someone. When you see someone you like, just drop them a message and see if they message you back.
As I mentioned above, you will need a paid subscription on either site to take advantage of this.
Messaging on eHarmony
If you’re anything like me, you might get completely tongue-tied when it comes to striking up a conversation with someone you haven’t met before, but eHarmony makes it easy. You can either send a like, a pre-scripted icebreaker, or a message of your own.
There’s also a video chat option that you can use. Heads up, though. You’re likely to get declined unless you’ve had a text chat first. It’s a bit creepy to jump straight in with a video chat when there’s been no prior communication.
Messaging on Elite Singles
Elite Singles isn’t quite so helpful with messaging. You can either send a like or a message. There aren’t any pre-scripted icebreakers here, I’m afraid.
Still, if you are struggling to know what to say, send a like and see if they come back to you. If they’re interested, you never know!
There’s no video chat option here either, but it’s no biggie. If things go well and you want to exchange details, Facetime or WhatsApp could stand in for a video call if you want to go down this route before deciding to meet up.
Elite Singles vs eHarmony: Which Dating App is Best?
As with any mature dating app, deciding which is best usually comes down to a number of factors. Both sites are perfect for singles looking for serious relationships.
But the age of the person you’re looking for and specific things that you find important in their personality are all going to be big things to consider.
Elite Singles is a niche dating app, focused on connecting professionals and people in similar social circles, whereas eHarmony is more generalized and has a much wider user base.
That said, if you don’t mind what background your potential partner has, and you aren’t particularly fussed about them being from a certain profession or having a specific education, eHarmony would be my choice for an online dating app.
The reasons are quite simple:
- The user base is broad, meaning there are options for any age range
- It has almost three times as many users
- Its track record for success is huge
- User reviews are excellent
- You can drill down to exactly how far you are willing to consider dating someone
- The paid subscription is affordable
Elite Singles vs eHarmony – FAQs
I’ve covered all of the key features, from personality tests to finding your most compatible matches, to the benefits of premium membership, and how to message a suggested match.
But, if you still have questions about these online dating sites, take a look at my FAQs.
eHarmony or EliteSingles: Which Dating Website is Better?
When it comes to eHarmony and EliteSingles, both dating websites are good – it simply depends on who you are looking for as a potential partner.
eHarmony is the best if you don’t mind what background your partner has. With its huge membership and broad age range, you’ll find many matches on this site.
However, if you want to find someone with a college degree with a great profession behind them, Elite Singles comes up trumps.
How do EliteSingles and eHarmony Compare in Price?
Both EliteSingles and eHarmony cost more than your average quality dating sites do, but that often comes when you’re using a site that gives you more than just casual daters.
While EliteSingles is a pricey $99.95 for one month, you can sign up for six months for $197.60.
On eHarmony, you have to subscribe for a minimum of 6 months, which will cost you $65.90 a month, which makes Elite Singles the cheaper option.
Who is the Target Audience for Elite Singles?
The target audience for Elite Singles is well-educated professionals who are looking for a long-term relationship. 90% of members of the dating service are aged between 30 and 50.
Who is the Target Audience for eHarmony?
Most people on eHarmony are users looking for love with the potential for marriage. The online dating site has a broad user base. 36% of users are under 30, 40% are between 30 and 49, and 24% are over 50.
No matter what age group you fall into, there are plenty of people on this dating site that you could match with.
Are Elite Singles and eHarmony Good for Casual Dating?
No, Elite Singles and eHarmony aren’t much good for casual dating. Both of these dating sites are set up for people looking for meaningful connections and love.
Is the EliteSingles App Worth It?
EliteSingles is definitely worth its salt and is a perfect place for meeting and matching with intellectual and successful singles looking for long-term relationships. The app also boasts one of the highest user verification, ensuring only real people join the platform.
While it may cost higher than most dating services, the quality of members, communication features, safety, and privacy make it worthwhile.
What Kind of People Use EliteSingles?
The majority of users on EliteSingles are educated and successful members mostly from the UK looking for stable and committed relationships. Over 80% of the members have at least a Bachelor’s degree (or higher), meaning you will only meet ambitious and focused singles here.
What Qualifies You for EliteSingles?
To qualify as one EliteSingles’ members, you must first be 18 years or older. That said, apart from the young intellectuals, the site is geared towards 30+ single users from the U.S. and Europe.
Also, you must be among the 20 countries where EliteSingles currently operates to access or create an account on the platform.
Moreover, you must do a compatibility test by filling in an extensive questionnaire before completing your profile creation. This helps the site’s matching algorithm pair you with potential partners sharing the same interests.
Final Word: Elite Singles vs eHarmony – Which One Should You Use?
If anything, this Elite Singles vs eHarmony showdown has proved that there’s no one-bullet-for-all answer when it comes to deciding between the two giants.
Both Elite Singles and eHarmony offer the best long-term dating services for individuals looking for mature members tired of casual sexcapades and meaningless hookups.
Having said that (and depending on your present preferences)…
You can try EliteSingles if you want to meet educated and successful singles looking for a serious partner (and hopefully tie the knot with).
On the other side of the tracks…
eHarmony has been in the dating scene longer with a clean, trusted track record as seen in the countless success stories online. Unlike EliteSingles, it has a more diversified user base, allowing you to match and interact with various, interesting singles.
Whichever dating site you pick, ensure you remain respectful to other members and get the premium membership to unlock and enjoy the full experience.
Happy matching!
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