Badoo

Badoo was started in 2006 by a group of entrepreneurs in London and was recently introduced in the United States. Badoo is more of a social network than a dating service, a place where people can meet new friends locally and around the world.

Badoo currently has more than 192 million members in 180 different countries around the world. Badoo is completely global and they are available in 40 languages.

How Badoo Works

To get started on Badoo, you will need to register. You can register using your Facebook account or fill out a form. If you sign in using your Facebook account, Badoo will use the following information:

• Your public profile
• Friends list
• Email address
• Birthday
• Current city

If you do not want to use your Facebook account to register, you can fill out the registration form which asks you for the following information:

• First name
• Birthday
• Zip code or city
• If you are a male or female
• And why you are joining, which gives a choice of make new friends, chat or date.

When you search for new friends, Badoo has filters that allow you to narrow your search. For example, you can narrow your search to age groups, singles with or without children, education level, distance from your city and even their astrological sign.

Badoo is more of a social network than an actual dating site. You can view pictures of others and send and receive messages. It is a way to meet people for different reasons that are near you or in a city you might have just moved to.

Badoo Prices

Badoo basic service is free for anyone to use. Their basic membership allows members to chat, upload pictures and contact others. You can purchase credits to use their premium features, which costs $12.49 for 550 credits.

Badoo Premium Features

Badoo have premium features for paid members. These premium features allows users to be seen by more people who live in their area. Badoo premium services, Spotlight and Rise Up include the following.

• Their Spotlight feature puts your photo and a brief profile at the top of each main Badoo page within your area.

• Rise Up will instantly put your profile at the top of search results within your area or region.

• Badoo Super Powers has several features such as being able to browse without other members seeing you, profile customization, get direct access to the most popular people on Badoo and be the first to contact new people.

Super Powers is a subscription based service and you can buy one, three, six or 12 month subscriptions. The subscriptions renew automatically and the price and payment methods vary by country. Badoo does not list the cost of their subscription services.

You can also use Badoo with the iPhone, iPod, iPad and Android.

Badoo Customer Comments

Most of the complaints about Badoo concern getting junk email from members they never contacted or that seem to disappear. They have been rated a 1.6 out of 10 on TrustPilot.com with customer comments including:

• "I have been a free member of Badoo for over a year. Of course if you try to contact the ppl using the hottest pics, those are often fakes and scammers. I have met some really decent people there, one in person and have 2 solid friendships with real people for many months now. Care must be used on any dating site, but the features and opportunities to contact real people, free with no hidden costs is better than any site I've visited... premium features for paying members just enhance the user experience. i give this site a 8 on 1 to 10 scale."

Zoosk

Zoosk was founded in 2007 by Alex Mehr and Shayan Zadeh as a dating site, but more recently they have re-branded their website as a romantic social network. Zoosk is an international social network with members in more than 60 countries and Zoosk is available in 25 different languages

How Zoosk Works

You can join Zoosk by signing on with your Facebook account or registering. When you register, you will enter your email address, password, gender and your birthday. You can then search for people in your area or in places that interest you. You can send messages and receive messages from others that are interested in meeting you.

Zoosk Membership

Zoosk is free to join but they do not give much information on their website as to what you get for free. When you use Zoosk, you get Zoosk coins which are virtual currency that you can use on Zoosk to buy gifts, receive delivery confirmation of emails and boost your profile. Zoosk gifts are fun graphics that you can use on their website.

Zoosk prices can vary by country. At last notice, Zoosk has the following prices for the U.S.:

• A one month membership costs $29.95.
• A three month membership costs $19.98 per month billed at once for $59.95.
• The six month membership costs $12.49 but all at once for $74.95.

Zoosk has a disclaimer that states if you do not cancel prior to the end of the term, it will automatically renew. So be sure to read all of the fine print. They accept payment by credit cards, PayPal and bank transfer.

Zoosk Coins

Zoosk coins are different than the paid memberships. You can get coins by Liking Zoosk on their Facebook page, adding their phone app or inviting friends to join Zoosk.

Zoosk Boost

Zoosk Boost is a feature of Zoosk that is the best and easiest way to get noticed by other members. Each time you buy Boost, you will be put at the top of the search results of people searching in your area or region. You can buy Boost with Zoosk coins.

Zoosk Mobile

Zoosk has online dating apps for Facebook, iPhone and Android.

Zoosk Customer Comments

The main complain with Zoosk is about spam or junk email and fake profiles on the website. Yet there are also positive comments. SiteJabber.com rates them 1 star out of 5 with customer comments that include:

• "Okay site. I'm not sure why everyone is so upset about having to pay. Some things online actually have to be paid for."

Chemistry

Chemistry is more of a dating website than the other two companies, where you can meet others in your area. Chemistry is a premium service from Match.com. You start out taking a personality test and then Chemistry helps you get to know someone else, before you actually meet them.

Their personality test will give you an insight to what you really want in a relationship. Match.com first went online in 1995 with online personal ads and has been redefining the way people meet each other.

How Chemistry Works

When you sign onto Chemistry, you will take the personality test that was developed by Dr. Helen Fisher. Their personality test will teach you about yourself and what you would like in a relationship. The personality test is free for anyone living in the United States to take.

Once you have taken the personality test, you will be matched with others. Chemistry's matching is based on your preferences and on thousands of other successfully matched people.

As a trial or free member, you will then get five matches based on your personality test and you can see new matches each day. You cannot contact each other though until one or both of you have paid for a monthly membership.

Chemistry also offers chemistry coaching where they will show you what you can add to your profile or do better to attract matches.

Chemistry Membership

Chemistry has different membership and pricing plans.

• One month membership costs $49.95
• Three month membership costs $99.95 or $33.32 per month.
• A six month membership costs $159.90 or $26.65 per month.

Chemistry accepts the following credit cards and debit cards for payment.

• Visa
• MasterCard
• American Express
• Discover Card
• JCB

Your membership will be automatically renewed with the same membership if you do not cancel before your membership expires.

Chemistry Discounts

• Get 3 month's subscription for the price of 1 at Chemistry.com
• 14 day free trial at Chemistry.com

Chemistry Customer Comments

The main complaint about Chemistry is the amount of spam or junk emails you will get. Another problem seems to be canceling an account. They were rated 1 out of 5 stars by ConsumerAffairs.com with customer comments including.

• "I signed on for 3 months of Chemistry.com and found someone, so I cannot say it was all that bad. But when I tried to cancel to stop getting so many emails, the website would show an error screen …"

Online Dating Conclusion

Online dating can be great way to meet others for some and not so great for others. It is always important to read the fine print when registering so you will know exactly what prices you will be paying and what you can expect for your money. Both Badoo and Zoosk are more for meeting and getting to know people in a social network type of setting while Chemistry is more of an actual dating website.