What Really Happened When We Tried Zoosk

Fact Checked by: John Stringfellow, CEH

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1. Dating

While I don’t actually know what the word Zoosk means (I think it’s German), I have learned and uncovered quite a bit about this dating app. With over 35 million members, 30 million+ downloads, and 3 million+ messages sent every day, Zoosk is one of the most popular dating sites on the market.

But is Zoosk the right dating site for you? Is Zoosk legit? How does it all work? In my latest Zoosk review, I’m going to share the key points of my personal experience, what the company has to say, and what other users are saying to help you decide if you should sign up or not.

Affordability, Membership Size, and Possibly Too Many Features?

Overall, I give Zoosk a pretty impressive 9.5 out of 10, specifically for singles who are looking for casual relationships or for singles who want to date with the option of something serious down the line. As you can probably infer from that, this also means that while Zoosk advertises it’s useful for serious relationships, there may be other options worthwhile.

Why this rating? Let’s look at the biggest pros I like about Zoosk, as well as some drawbacks and sub-optimal use-cases you should be aware of before making your final decision. Here’s what you need to know.

Affordability and membership size stand out as big positives.

The biggest pros of Zoosk are that it has an enormous membership base (like 30 million+), is one of the most affordable dating apps if you decided to upgrade to premium (memberships start just over $12 a month), and the core features work well. It has a lot of versatility when it comes to relationship goals with several options you can choose from to determine the types of matches you get.

Great features are everywhere, but if you’re easily overwhelmed, it could be a drawback.

That said, here are the biggest drawbacks. If you are looking for a dating site 100% dedicated to serious relationships, it’s not Zoosk. You’re better off checking out some other options that are better dating apps for relationships. Additionally, while the core features and really all the features work well, there are a lot of them…like too many (we’ll talk about this more later).
If you stick to the core features, it’s a super effective and easy to use app. But there are soooo many different features to use on Zoosk that it can quickly get overwhelming and frankly, I got myself a little lost more times than I can count.

With all of that in mind, I’m still really high on Zoosk, as long as you’re using it for something on the more casual side of things. It can work for serious dating and I’ve read a lot of success stories, but I just get more of a playful, casual vibe. At the price point, though, you might as well at least check it out for yourself because there aren’t many other dating apps where you’ll find tens of millions of people.

A Note About My Zoosk Review Steps

I always like to take just a few moments at the beginning of a review and share quickly how I arrived at my conclusions and what my review process looked like. With Zoosk, I’ve probably spent at least 30+ hours on this app over the years because there are so many little features and nooks and crannies to look into. I’ve used Zoosk as a free user, purchased a Zoosk premium account, and “kicked the tires” on just about every feature they have now and have had over the past several years.

In addition to that, I’ve read through the companies quarterly reports, scoured the investor presentations (Zoosk is owned by a publicly traded company called Spark Networks), researched what other users have said (both personal connections and what people are saying on public forums), and read just about every news story or press release about Zoosk.

By combining my personal experiences using Zoosk, the experiences of others, and what the company had to say, I think you’ll find this to be the most thorough Zoosk review that will help you to make the right decision today.

Zoosk follows the traditional dating app approach

Unlike the latest craze of swipe-style dating apps hitting the market, Zoosk follows a traditional online dating app approach. Users create profiles, upload photos, answer questions about themselves, and share what they’re looking for in a relationship. This information if used to show you matches that Zoosk thinks will be a good fit for you. If you see someone you like, you can send them a message!

That all being said, Zoosk does have a swipe dating feature in case that’s something you’re looking for, though, it’s not the focal point of the operation. I actually had a hard time finding it a few times during testing. It always feels like they move it somewhere new (I’m convinced just to bug me).

Regarding the types of relationships Zoosk is best for, it actually offers you the ability to select from one of six different options including friendship, short-term dating, long-term dating, hookups, I don’t know yet, or other. Again, long-term dating is an option here, but the overall feel of the site doesn’t mesh that way in my head, but that really could just be me.

The Sign-Up Process

The sign-up process on Zoosk is super straightforward and only took me about five minutes to complete. You don’t have to input a credit card or anything like that; you just have to answer a few questions about yourself and you’re seeing matches within minutes. While a lot of people will like this, I think this is where I started to get the more casual versus serious vibes.

What kind of people will I see if I sign up for Zoosk?

A lot. You will see a lot of people and from an incredibly eclectic range of backgrounds. For me personally, this was one of the coolest moments in my Zoosk review process because it’s neat to see one app successfully servicing such a unique array of people.

Here’s a few results from some test searches I did in a few areas.

• Were there members from all age brackets? Yes. The majority of members seemed to be from around 18 to 45. There were users who were older than this, just not quite as many. That being said, Zoosk for seniors is really starting to grow in popularity as shown by some recent Google search trends data.
• Were the members on Zoosk attractive? I thought so! While this is subjective, I saw a lot of men and women who were easy on the eyes and seemed to have a lot of good things going for them.
• Were the members on Zoosk active? While I’d like to be able to see a note on each profile that says when they were last active, it’s not a feature on Zoosk. However, you can click on the section that shows “Online Now,” and you can be pretty dang sure those people are still active. Update: Zoosk now shows if a person was recently online on their profile 🙂

Here’s what the profiles on Zoosk look like. I’ve blurred out the information, but you’ll be able to see all of that when you sign up.

One question I get asked a lot is whether there is a good mix of men and women on Zoosk. From my experience, Zoosk has always had a great mix of both sexes, and has actually seen a big increase in the number of female members recently, which is typically a tougher group to attract. According to the company, female paid subscriptions increased by an impressive 14% since just last year! And on top of that, total new subscribers have grown by 15% since last year!

Want to check for yourself? The neat part about the Zoosk free trial (linked below) is that you can see all the matches in your area, their complete profiles, and their photos!

Zoosk has a lot of great features, possibly too many

Zoosk has always been incredibly feature rich. However, recently after being acquired by Spark Networks, the company has worked hard to continue developing current features and deploying new ones. Here are some of our favorite Zoosk features and how they work.

• Zoosk Great Dates
• Zoosk Live
• SmartPick Technology
• Carousel Feature
• Four Forms of Verification
• Gifts
• Zoosk Coin Boosts
• Super Sends
• Boosts

As you can see, before I break down what each feature does, there are a lot of them. If you love features and love exploring, this will be neat for you. If you get lost easily and prefer simplicity, you can still make Zoosk work if you stay on the beaten path but there is a risk you may get frustrated.

Zoosk Great Dates

Launched in late 2021/early 2022, Zoosk Great Dates is a pretty unique concept in virtual live dating. Here’s how it works. When you want to go on a virtual date with someone, you connect through Zoosk via video chat. You’re both shown the other person on the screen, but you’re also shown a unique place in the world on the screen as well. You both can choose where to “go” on this virtual date and what you want to see next.

It might sound kind of weird, but it’s actually pretty neat. It allows you to check out unique parts of the world virtually while discussing what you’re seeing with your new match.

• First of it’s kind interactive dating
• Destination options include Japan, Italy, and Greece
• Officially launched December 6, 2021
• Comes free with a regular paid subscription
• Unique way to connect with someone new from the comfort of your home

Here are some screenshots as to what it looks like!

Zoosk Live

Video dating is the latest craze as a result of the recent worldwide events, and it’s something that I’m starting to see implemented into platforms directly. Many sites started it pre-pandemic, but the latest to join the craze is Zoosk with Zoosk Live.

According to the company, Zoosk Live (which is a way for you to “go live” by sharing a live feed of them from their phone or computer where other people can watch, chat, and send messages) is used by over 10,000 users daily! This feature won’t be for everyone, but if you love a lot of things like TikTok, Facebook Live, or any other major streaming platform—you’ll probably enjoy this

SmartPick Technology

The heart and soul of the Zoosk platform is the SmartPick technology. It’s the company’s algorithm that has a pretty good track record of helping people find love. Part of taking advantage of online dating is letting technology do what it does best. After you create your account, you can click on this from the menu and see the matches they think are best suited for you.

Carousel Feature

Like the swipe-style method of looking through matches? If you do, our Zoosk review revealed that the dating site has just that for you. It’s called Carousel. And you know what? It works just like Tinder but with a different dating pool.

If you like them, give them the green checkmark. If you don’t like them, give them the red X. and If you really like them, click the gold star! If two people click that they like each other, then Zoosk will let you both know. It gives new meaning to the phrase ‘clicking with someone.’

Four Forms of Verification

A big fear that comes with online dating is that there are going to be a lot of fake profiles. Zoosk allows singles to verify they are who they say they are through Facebook, Twitter, phone (SMS), and by manually approving pictures. While this system isn’t perfect, it’s way better than dating sites that do nothing.

Oh, and if you’re worried that Zoosk is going to post on your Facebook or Twitter, don’t worry; that’s not going to happen. The verification is only used to make sure you are who you say you are, which will increase your success on the site.

Zoosk Gifts

You are able to pay a few bucks extra and get coins (known as Zoosk coins) that allow you to buy gifts for other members. No, these aren’t real gifts; they’re just digital pictures/emojis that show up on the person’s profile. While they can’t do anything tangible with the gift, it does show an added layer of interest. If you want to put yourself right in their line of sight ahead of other singles, ‘gifts’ is a nice feature to use.

Zoosk Coin Boosts

Zoosk coins can be used for more than gifts; they can be used for profile boosts. This allows you to pay a few bucks and get your profile to the top of searches for a period of time. This can really help to turbocharge the number of messages you get and the number of other singles that take a look at your profile.

• $19.95 – 180 coins
• $39.95 – 480 coins
• $99.95 – 1,800 coins

Super Send

This is a newer feature that Zoosk implemented that allows you to send a lot of messages to a bunch of people at once to break the ice. While this might be great for some people, we’re not really huge fans of it as it promotes cookie-cutter messaging. However, if you’re really looking to get out there and meet people fast, you may be a fan of it! This is purchased through Zoosk boost coins.

Boost

By using coins, you can boost your profile to get up to 3 times more views by getting to the top of searches and people’s match feeds.

Is Zoosk Good for Black Singles?

Zoosk has always been a dating app that promoted itself on being diverse, inclusive, and accepting of all people from all backgrounds. And when it comes to supporting Black singles, the track record for Zoosk seems to be a positive one. Our search for any reports of systemic racism or unfavorable treatment of Black singles on the platform showed no signs of any problems.

What we did find on the company’s social media were several posts supportive of the Black community made over the years. For example, in June of 2020, Zoosk posted, “We are committed to continued dialogue and action as a team, as a community, and as an ally. Together we can effect (sic) the change we want to see in the world.” The post (pictured below) came shortly after the tragic events of the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.

Prior to this, we did see a post from Zoosk in 2017 showing a black and white hand touching with the quote, “When you choose love over hate, acceptance over intolerance, you’re doing your part to change the world.”

Digging a bit further, if you look at Zoosk’s corporate hiring page, you’ll see that they mention quite a bit about diversity in their employees and in their values.

How do I contact someone at Zoosk if I need help?

You’ve got two options for customer support that I found during my Zoosk review—contact forms and FAQs. The contact form is a bit tough to find, but it gets you in direct contact with the Zoosk customer support team. While I’d like to see a live chat or phone option, the team still does a great job of answering questions and solving issues.

And speaking of answering questions, Zoosk has one of the most expansive frequently asked questions sections to help answer all of the most common (and some obscure) questions.

A Quick Look at Zoosk’s Pricing Model

Compared with the rest of the online dating industry, Zoosk is very affordable. Below, you’ll find the most up to date list of pricing.

If you’d like to see a complete breakdown of Zoosk pricing, including different plans, features, payment options, and more, check out our dedicated Zoosk cost page.

Here are a few of the key takeaways:

• Memberships are available in 1, 3, or 6-month increments
• The longer the term you sign up for, the more you save
• Zoosk also sells coins for things like profile boosts and gifts
• You get all features with every membership, except for the gifts and boosts. There is only one membership level.

Is Zoosk worth it?

If you’re looking for a good “middle of the road” dating option that perfectly balances effectiveness and affordability, Zoosk is the perfect fit. The fact that there are over 30 million members sending over 3 million messages a day should be plenty to get you excited about the site.

Here’s what I recommend. Use the links provided below and take advantage of the free trial. Answer the sign-up questions and start searching for singles in your area. If you see people you may be interested in, upgrade to a paid account. If you don’t, come back and give another site a try.