Dating apps are designed to help you find true love, dates, or romance, but some do it better than others. And some are better at setting up meaningful relationships too. Pinpointing the right dating app for your needs can make all the difference between finding an average relationship with passable compatibility and discovering “the one,” that special someone who completes you!
This “Success Rate Showdown” will review and compare our top three favorite dating apps: eharmony, Christian Mingle, and Jdate. We’ll go over everything we found regarding these sites and their matching algorithms, marriage success rates, the viability of the relationships created, and awards or accolades received for great results. Together, we’ll discover which platform is best overall when it comes to the success of its members in fulfilling their relational and dating needs.
Quick Facts
Before we can dig into which dating site is the most successful, we need to cover the basics to show you the scope and reach of these dating apps, who their customers are, and who they currently serve internationally. You can’t be as successful in the online dating world if you’re dealing in low volume. Fortunately, this is not the case with our three favorites!
| eharmony | Christian Mingle | Jdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
Total Registered Accounts | 66+ million | 16 million | 1+ million |
US Members | 29 million | 1.5 million | 750,000 |
Active Members | 16+ million | 154,000 | 240,000 |
Average Age | 25-34 years | 36-50 years | 30-50 years |
Gender Ratio | 48% men to 52% women | 44% men to 56% women | 53% men to 47% women |
Countries Served | 200+ | 7 | 70 |
Main Territories | US, Canada, UK, and Australia | US, Canada, UK, and Australia | US, Canada, UK, and Australia |
DatingApps.com Reviews |
Continue reading our comparison to find out which dating app will deliver the best results when it comes to romance, dating, and finding a spouse or soulmate!
Matching and Communication Systems
Let’s look at the matching systems these dating apps use to ensure their members are paired with ideal candidates for a marriage or a long-term commitment. Any successful relationship that got its start online began with a quality match. So how do our favorite dating apps create great matches? Let’s find out.
Match Methodology
| eharmony | Christian Mingle | Jdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
Searching for Matches | Daily matches based on compatibility test results | Discovery Preferences (Search filters) | Discovery Preferences (Search filters) |
Search Criteria | – Common ground | – Age | – Location/distance |
Communication Tools | Unlimited messaging and Video Dates | Unlimited messaging and send “likes” | Unlimited messaging and send “likes” |
Special Profile Features | – Compatibility reports and score | – LookBook allows members to swipe through profiles and either “like” or “pass” | – LookBook allows members to swipe through profiles and either “like” or “pass” |
Key Takeaways
- eharmony takes more control over your search. There’s no “search” function, and eharmony takes on most of the matching work due to their expertise in the field and the effectiveness of the 32 Dimensions testing.
- eharmony’s compatibility scores and reports on your daily matches make for strong connections based on complementary personalities and similar interests or goals.
- Jdate and Christian Mingle let you determine your matches by setting your search terms on your own. Discovery Preferences churn out strong match recommendations and give you all the power in the search.
Let’s break this information down into more detail for a better understanding of each dating site’s matching system:
eharmony
Did You Know?
- 15,000 people take the 32 Dimensions of Compatibility Quiz every day.
- 15 million total matches are generated every day.
- Every 14 minutes, someone finds a date.
- 2.3 million messages are sent between eharmony members every week.
- The Video Date feature increased communications on the app by over 30% when it was introduced.
Additional Details
All new members must take the 32 Dimensions of Compatibility testing when registering a new account with the site. eharmony sends match recommendations based on what they learned about you after taking the test: your personality, dating preferences, relational goals, and many others. Each match suggestion comes with a compatibility score so you can know which of your matches is best suited to you, compatibility-wise.
Christian Mingle
Did You Know?
- Christian Mingle gets 3.5 million visits each month.
- 60,000 new members sign up every month.
- Christian Mingle caters to over 10 denominations, including Lutheran, Catholic, Presbyterian, Southern Baptist, and many others.
- 80% of members would refer Christian Mingle and its services to a friend.
Additional Details
Christian Mingle is outfitted with Discovery Preferences, top-rated search filters that let you look for singles based on your dating preferences and parameters. Suggestions are sent to the LookBook, and you can express your interest by “liking” the profile or turning down profiles by “passing.” Your match suggestions will improve based on the preferences you state in the LookBook.
Jdate
Did You Know?
- Jdate is available in five different languages.
- There are around 180,000 visitors to Jdate each month.
- Choose from over 10 Jewish denominations (Hasidic, Orthodox, conservative, etc.).
- Members can search for matches based on synagogue attendance or kosher practices.
- Online and offline events are conducted by the site to get its members more connected with their matches. One of their favorite offline recommendations is speed dating events in New York City.
Additional Details
Adjust your search terms using the Jdate Discovery Preferences (Christian Mingle and Jdate are both owned and operated by the Sparks Network), and you’ll get match suggestions based on the parameters and preferences you expressed. Just like Christian Mingle, you can “like” or “pass” on Jdate profiles based on your interest level. Advanced matching follows once Jdate has a better idea of your “type.”
How Good Are These Dating Apps for Marriage-Seekers?
Long-term relationships and marriage seem to be the stock in trade for eharmony, Jdate, and Christian Mingle. We highly recommend any of these platforms to marriage-seekers or anyone looking for their soulmate. We found some impressive statistics for these sites when it comes to marriage, each site being able to claim some special bragging rights based on their past successes.
Marriage Stats
| Dating Site | Marriage Stats |
|---|---|
| • 71% women and 69% men find their spouse within a year using eharmony. |
| • 29% of all Christian marriage started at Christian Mingle. |
| • Jdate is responsible for 52% of Jewish marriages that originate online. |
We have nothing but high praise for each of these dating apps regarding marriage rates. Each is at the top of its field in its respective corner of the online dating market: eharmony dominates when it comes to compatible marriage partners. At the same time, Christian Mingle has the corner on Christian marriages, and Jdate has very little competition when it comes to Jewish matchmaking and fostering Jewish marriage online.
Do the Relationships Last?
It’s one thing for an online dating app to lay the groundwork for long-term relationships or marriage successfully, but then there’s the matter of those relationships having the legs to go the distance. And another thing to consider is how happy and fulfilled the couple feels if they’re still together. We’ve included some divorce and separation rates to see if these relationships last a lifetime or if they fizzle out prematurely.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t find any data for relationship retention or divorce rates at Jdate or Christian Mingle, but we did see plenty of helpful information on eharmony. We’ve shown you the high volume of marriages and other serious relationships that eharmony is so adept at creating, and now we’ll reveal how those people are staying together for the long haul!
Divorce Rate Comparison
| National Divorce Rate (US) | eharmony Divorce Rate |
|---|---|
48-50% | 3.86% |
While the US divorce rate currently sits around 48-50%, the rate at which eharmony marriages or connections go south is a super low 3.86%.
Let’s go back to the 438-542 people who are married each day because they used eharmony. Of the hundreds of singles wedded in holy matrimony to their special someone, only about 16-20 are bound to become divorced later. This is what makes eharmony such an excellent platform for marriages and long-term, committed relationships: the retention rate of the connections forged there.
Awards, Accolades, and Accomplishments
Another strong argument for why these are some of the best dating apps for successful, long-term relationships and dating is the awards and accolades they’ve accrued over the years. At one time or another, eharmony, Christian Mingle, and Jdate have been recognized for all their hard work in successful online matchmaking.
| Dating Site | Awards |
|---|---|
| • Dating Sites Reviews Editor’s Top Pick Match System Award (2016-2022) |
| • Dating Sites Reviews Editor’s Top Pick Christian Award (2015-2017, 2021-2023) |
| • 2006 winner of Webby Award for Social Networking |
The Dating App with the Best Success Rate
While all three of these dating apps were great choices for meaningful relationships characterized by satisfaction and commitment, there can only be one winner for the crown of the most successful dating app.
Our Pick: eharmony
eharmony promises love every 4 minutes, and while this might be an exaggeration on their part, there’s no denying how effective the service is for those looking to discover romance or true love that leads to marriage. Based on our deep dive into the history books, we found that eharmony lives up to the hype. Its 23-year track record in the online dating business is unparalleled, and they repeatedly prove that its matchmaking prowess is still the best out there!
eharmony is one of the best all-around options if you desire a serious relationship centered around compatibility. And we’ve found even more data that backs the idea that eharmony is the greener pasture for soulmate searchers and marriage-seekers alike.
2013 PNAS Study Solidifies eharmony as the Top Pick
This is an interesting study performed in 2013 by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) that found 45.01% of people surveyed between 2005 and 2012 met their spouse using an online dating site or mobile app. And, big surprise, eharmony was at the head of the pack, with 25.04% of respondents saying that the site was responsible for helping them find their spouse or soulmate.
Another part of the study was examining the original meeting place of the happiest couples surveyed. This included eharmony, other dating sites, other online networking or social media sites, and all other venues. An average was created, ranging between a mean of 5.50 and 6.
- eharmony: mean of 5.86
- Other Dating Site: mean of 5.63
- Social Media or Networking Sites: mean of 5.61
- All Other Venues: mean of 5.52
Far and away, eharmony was the leader when it came to fostering long-term connections and satisfied, happy couples. eharmony is the best of the three dating apps featured in our Success Rate Showdown due to its broader appeal compared with niche sites like Christian Mingle or Jdate and its terrific satisfaction rate based on its customers’ experiences.
