You’ve decided you’re ready to look for love, and you start thinking of all the dating sites out there. It’s probably no surprise that eHarmony is one that immediately comes to mind; they’ve been around forever. eHarmony seems to be good at what they do—making real love connections.
But this is a big decision. Are you sure it’s the right site for you? Check out my review here. When you are putting money into membership, you want to know the eHarmony pros and cons. You’re serious about finding a partner, so make sure you find the right place to meet them.
eHarmony: The Pros and Cons
As far as dating sites go, eHarmony has built its reputation as the place to find a long-term partner. They’ve had time to tweak the way they do things, and it works well. But don’t expect eHarmony to be like other dating sites. You’ll love them if you’re looking for love, not a fling.
I think if the goal is commitment, the benefits speak for themselves. There are some things you want to be aware of when you’re considering membership. Ultimately, the pros and cons depend on what you plan on getting out of the site.
Pros of eHarmony
First, let’s look at the pros of trusting eHarmony to help you find your soulmate.
1. 20 Years of Experience
It’s impressive that eHarmony has stayed at the top of the dating site game after two decades! Their website looked very different back in 2000. Back then, apps weren’t a thing, and their questionnaire had a whopping 400 questions!
The company has had periods of low memberships but adapted and came back stronger than before. Because they are serious about their reputation as a matchmaking company that looks at the numbers, you can trust theirs.
They boast 35 million members across 200 countries over 20 years. In the US alone, eHarmony claims over 16,000 weddings a month. When a company has been around this long with this much success, you trust their statistics. You want that kind of success when looking for love.
2. Male to Female Ratio
Dating sites notoriously attract more women than men. This can make it difficult to find your match. You don’t want to waste your time and money on this issue.
Thankfully, eHarmony has a pretty balanced rate of men to women on their site. They claim 49% female members and 51% male members across 15 million users every week. Numbers like that are in your favor when it comes to their algorithm as well.
You’re more likely to find your match with even ratios. There’s also something to be said about their ratios. eHarmony attracts a clientele that doesn’t go to other dating sites. I think that this is a great piece of information highlighting the quality-of-service eHarmony offers its members.
3. The Compatibility Quiz
We’ve all heard of eHarmony’s patented matchmaking technology. This is a 150-question quiz that considers things like your insecurities, spirituality, and communication style. You are encouraged to spend time reflecting on each answer before you submit it.
You will spend a good amount of time on this quiz, so be aware of that. The pro: the compatibility quiz works well at weeding out the less committed. This leaves room for lovers looking for forever.
There’s another benefit of the quiz. When you match with someone, you’ll know that it’s based on more than just their geographic location in relation to yours. They didn’t just swipe right. You already have some decent information when you begin communicating with them.
4. Easy to Use Site with New Features
Another pro is how well eHarmony has kept its technology up to date over the last 20 years. They recently had an overhaul of their website and mobile app, so they work similarly. The app is easy to use with no complicated bells and whistles that might turn some people off.
This year they added a Video Date feature to their site. It’s a safe and convenient feature in the app. Plus, you must meet a certain amount of communication requirements before having a video date. Feel secure knowing this keeps just anyone from trying to video chat with you.
The eHarmony algorithm also works intuitively throughout the site, keeping track of your interactions with others. If you like or dislike certain traits of members, your future recommendations will be based on this information.
5. Costs and Discounts
Once you are on the site, eHarmony is straightforward with its prices. You can use the app for free with limited use of features or pay for a premium membership and have all features available. Where things get more complicated is how you pay for your actual membership.
This is a pro: you can pay a basic monthly fee for 6, 12, or 24 months. Read my breakdown of their costs here. The more of a commitment you make, the more of a monthly discount you get. You can choose to pay for your commitment term in one to five installments.
They have a few deals. There’s something called free weekends where you can try out all the features for free. Occasionally they’ll offer discounts on new memberships. Also, if you don’t find a match in three months, they offer you the next three months free.
Cons of eHarmony
Now let’s check out any cons that you might come across with the site.
1. Higher Price Point
It’s difficult to find accurate membership prices for eHarmony until you register. At that point, you might be surprised at how much more expensive they are than other dating sites. There are reasons for this higher cost. It just isn’t something everyone will agree with or be able to afford.
2. Not Completely LGBTQ+ Inclusive (Yet)
eHarmony has been in the news recently for its efforts at becoming more inclusive with the LGBTQ+ community. This is a big step for a company with conservative religious beginnings.
Currently, members can only choose between male and female genders. They can pick straight, gay, or lesbian, but no other sexual orientations. Also, you can only pick one gender at a time for compatible matches. So even if you are interested in more than one gender, you have to pick one.
When asked about this matter, eHarmony has stated that they are working to become more inclusive. However, many would say that the site isn’t doing enough when compared to the efforts seen from other dating sites.
3. Limited Browsing Outside of Daily Matches
With a premium membership, you’re given daily recommended matches. You can also choose to browse outside of your daily matches but are limited to 30 a day. Some view this as a limitation on an already expensive membership that promises unlimited access to features.
This limit could be imposed to restrict members from making pointless connections outside of their compatibility criterion. However, this isn’t true since you can also set your criterion when doing your own searches.
The Pros Outweigh the Cons
When it comes to the pros and cons of eHarmony, the pros win. There are a few things that eHarmony could improve, such as cost transparency, inclusivity, and browsing limits. But the benefits shine in the quality of the site and the features that you are paying for.
What you’re looking for in a match decides if the dating site is for you. In the end, is it worth it? I think so. The point of eHarmony is to find committed true love. Use it once, and you won’t need it ever again.