Online dating used to be viewed as something only used by the truly desperate. It was thought that such websites were set up only for those who had no way of getting a date in the real world. This is no longer the case though. As it happens, many relationships (perhaps as many as 20%) are being initiated online. The question that many are left asking now is what they should do in terms of using either a paid online service or a free one.
Free Dating Services
Clearly, the free dating services have the built in advantage of not costing anything. They are risk-free so to speak for the user. As such, these websites may appeal to those who have never used online dating in the past. They can get their feet wet when it comes to the online dating world without taking the risk of spending money on it.
The type of individuals that one might find on a free dating website are definitely going to be diverse. Since they are free and open to anyone, that is exactly who is going to come and visit these sites. It means that while you may find some great people on these websites, it is also possible that you could have to deal with some people that you would rather not have had to deal with.
Generally speaking, search is a bit more difficult when it comes to using the free online dating websites. This is because they have such a broad base of people who are using them. You are probably not going to be able to narrow down the results that you get for yourself very easily. Still, you can at least enjoy the fact that you are not spending any money to get the enjoyment of the online dating experience.
Paid Online Dating
Some swear by paid online dating services. Yes, they have to fork over the monthly fee, but at least the results are more narrow and well defined. People are able to see the kind of people that they are truly interested in finding. It means that before long they are just viewing the kind of individuals that they are interested in meeting in the first place.
You have to understand that paid online services are likely to have better quality individuals using them as a result of the investment. If one has put their money into an online dating website, then they are probably more dedicated to using the website. This means that you are likely to get responses to your messages and such from those who use the site.
The search metrics that one can use on paid sites are typically stronger. The paid sites work to make sure that people are better able to come together and find each other.
In the end, one must decide if they want to use a paid site or if they are okay with simply using a free website. Many will decide to use the free website until they get comfortable with it and decide to use a paid site after that.