How We Research, Test and Review Online Dating Sites for Older Adults

Maintaining strong social and romantic relationships is important for everyone. Our social lives support our mental wellbeing, cognitive function and overall physical health. But as we age, loneliness and social isolation become more common. About one-quarter of adults ages 65 and older are socially isolated, and almost half of adults ages 60 and older report feeling lonely, according to the National Library of Medicine. Social isolation and loneliness have been linked to an increased risk of a range of health problems, including:

• Premature death
• High blood pressure
• Dementia Heart disease
• Stroke

There are a variety of reasons why older adults may feel lonely or socially isolated, such as the death of a spouse or friends, mobility challenges, cognitive decline, hearing loss and living alone. While creating a profile on an online dating site can’t solve these problems, online dating sites can make it easier for older adults to form new connections and friendships, spark romantic relationships and foster the development of their social lives.

If you're thinking about trying online dating for the first time or diving back into the dating scene after a period of inactivity, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve identified the best dating sites for seniors by performing a detailed survey of older adults, conducting an in-depth focus group and doing firsthand testing.

How we vet and test online dating services

1. Research the marketplace. We started by surveying 300 older adults who are currently active on an online dating platform or who’ve used one in the last three years. We wanted to know: What online dating services are popular and why? What sites have the highest satisfaction scores? What features do users value — and what features do they think are missing from online dating sites?
2. Conduct a focus group to dig deeper. We assembled a focus group of older adults who are active on at least one online dating service. The purpose was to dig deeper into our survey results to find out: What services were participants’ favorites? Why did they choose the services they did? What were they hoping to gain from using the service? Would they recommend it to a friend?
3. Test each site. After narrowing down our list of services based on survey and focus group feedback, our testers set about assessing each platform. They set up profiles (but didn’t initiate contact with other users) to stress-test each platform’s features, rating each site’s ease of setup, inclusivity of users, affordability and the matching process.
4. Explore the customer service experience. We contacted each service to find out whether customers can get help when needed, whether it’s easy to cancel a paid subscription and other key information.

What we tested

Products that ace these assessments make it onto our lists of the best online dating sites for older adults.

Ease of signup

• How easy was it to sign up?
• How long did it take?