The number of options can be completely overwhelming, as there are 2,500 online dating sites in the United States alone. Not only is the internet full of options, but more are coming out everyday! It is so nice to have a lot of options, but when you have so many it can leave your head spinning. That is where we come in, to research all of the nitty gritty details, and figure out which sites are worth all of the money, time, and effort it takes to set up an account and utilize it. In this guide, we look at Tinder vs PoF in detail.
Quick Navigation
Tinder vs PoF: Overall Review
If there are any iconic dating sites in 2019, Tinder and Plenty of Fish would be on the shortlist to be it. Between Plenty of Fish being around since 2003, and Tinder making its way into pop culture references, they’ve managed to make quite a name for themselves. While their reputation may not be perfect, they certainly do have a reputation for hooking people up, but are these accurate? Well here is the good, the bad, and the ugly about Plenty of Fish vs Tinder.
Tinder Rating: 7/10
Tinder has nearly 50 million members and plenty of matches being made everyday. It has gained a reputation as being just for younger people who want to hook up. However, when we look at the facts it shows that more users tend to be in their late 20’s to early 30’s than any other age group. Also, 80% of its members want a serious or long term relationship.
Tinder also is fairly safe as far as the company keeping its users safe and honest, though they might not have the most tact in its billing options. Tinders reputation may not be as accurate as previously thought. So here is an in depth look at why that might be and how it compares to Plenty of Fish.
PoF Rating: 8/10
Plenty of Fish has so many useful features, 100 million members, and many pricing options that it seems like the perfect site. While it certainly does have many awesome traits it isn’t flawless. You still have to deal with an uneven male to female ratio and may have fewer messages per user per day, than Tinder. So, how exactly does PoF hold up to head to head with Tinder, well, let’s take it one aspect at a time.
Winner: Plenty of Fish
Plenty of Fish simply has more features, more free options, more users than Tinder. All of these factors mixed with the fact that Plenty of Fish has won in most of these areas makes it the winner in Tinder vs PoF
Tinder vs PoF: Pricing
Nothing in this world is free, the same goes for the world wide web, where even finding potential partners costs money. If the dating site works though, it should be worth paying for, but will you be paying a fair amount? Comparing these sites head to head may just help to clarify what exactly is best for your budget.
Tinder Rating: 6/10
Downloading, and initially using the Tinder app, is totally free. That is, until you upgrade to open up more features. Most users do upgrade the app at least once, if not more. There has been a lot of drama with Tinders’ payment packages, because of how they bill. In fact the “drama” ended in a lawsuit that was then settled with Tinder paying over 11 million in compensation to its users. There are a couple different options that you might choose when using Tinder. The basic Tinder app is free, Tinder Plus is $9.99 for people 29 or under, and $19.99 for those over 30, then there is an extra $4.99 a month to upgrade to Tinder Gold.
PoF Rating: 8/10
Plenty of Fish has its’ most basic version free, just like Tinder. It does cause most of the features to be either not accessible or to be much simpler versions. There are several pricing options, and opting into multiple month packages saves you far more money in the long run, without the prices every going over $13 a month!
- For a 3 month premium membership to Plenty of Fish the price is $36.99 ($12.33/month),
- For a 6 month premium membership the price is $60 ($10/month),
- For a 12 month premium membership the price is $90 ($7.50/month).
Winner: PoF
Even though Plenty of Fish has some pricing options that may be slightly more expensive than the $9.99 option that Tinder offers, the site offers more options that are far less expensive. Also, Tinder charging customers more based on older age is just not cool.
Tinder vs PoF: Demographics
Who is on a dating site is probably one of the most important factors. After all, why would you use a dating site that is filled with people you wouldn’t want to date? Both of these sites have many users, but who are they?
Tinder Members
Tinder has become a huge part of hookup culture, which means that most of its members are younger. However, with 50 million users, Tinder has many people in each age group.
- 38% of users are between 16-24
- 45% of users are 25-34
- 76% of users live in urban areas
- 62% of users are male and 38% are female
While Tinder has become an important part of hookup culture, that doesn’t mean that everyone on there is looking for just a fling. In fact, 80% of users have stated that their looking for a meaningful relationship. This means that even though the app has garnered a reputation as a hookup app, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
PoF Members
With nearly double the user base of Tinder, at just about 100 million, Plenty of Fish seems to be taken more seriously as a dating app compared to Tinder. The user base certainly may reflect that as the age groups tend to be slightly older and perhaps seen as “ready to settle down”.
- 40% of users are 35-49
- 52% of users are male and 48% are female
- 28% of users make an average of $30,000-$60,000 a year
Winner: PoF
While Tinder may get a bad reputation as just a hookup site and may get unfairly judged, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s perfect. Plenty of Fish has an older user base, however the male to female ratio is far closer and has almost double the number of total users than that of Tinder. This makes your chances of finding that special someone increase, and the likelihood of wasting your time decreases.
Tinder vs PoF: Who is better at being Scam-Free?
Dating will always have its dangers, when you start to date online these dangers are harder to spot. It seems like every which way you look, someone is trying to swindle money from someone else. This doesn’t mean you have to be a victim though, there are plenty of ways to keep yourself safe, and many site that make it easier to stay safe. One would be hard pressed to find a totally scam-free site, but starting with a legitimate company is the first, and arguably the most important, step.
Tinder is run by InterActiveCorp, and is a legitimate company. They are also very responsible when it comes to keeping their users honest. Plenty of Fish is also owned by InterActiveCorp, in fact InterActiveCorp owns many big name dating sites. The individual running of each site will of course differ, but both Tinder and Plenty of Fish have very few scammers on the sites. Probably the most common “scam” run on these platforms is profiles that are really bots. These types of profiles normally out themselves, though, as the pictures are too perfect and the profile is too bare.
Winner: Tie
These two sites have a tie when it comes to being scam free. They both are run by a trustworthy company and most members seem to be kept honest by the sites.
Tinder vs PoF: Features Comparison
What you can do on dating sites is almost the total reason why people get them. After all, why would you use a site where you couldn’t even message other members? Both of these sites offer wonderful and diverse features that make the usage of the sites both easy and fun. But, which one is better? Well, here is a concise list and rating about whose features are the best and worth your while.
Tinder Rating: 7/10
Tinder is able to be downloaded and used for free, however if you chose the basic free option, your features are, well, basic. Tinder has become very popular for their swipe to match styled app, in fact that might be their most well known feature. Tinder does have much more than just left swipes, right swipes, and super likes. Other features include,
- Private messaging
- Concise bio sections
Features included in Tinder Plus are,
- “Rewind” which is the ability to redo a swipe if you accidentally swiped the wrong direction
- Unlimited right swipes (potential matches)
- The ability to hide your distance and age
- No ads
Features included in Tinder Gold are,
- “Likes You” in Tinder Gold gives you the ability to look at the total list of people who liked you
- “Top Picks” gives you the opportunity to look at profiles that have been picked specifically for you
Overall, the more you pay for Tinder the more you tend to get. With all of these features that are specifically targeted toward individual users paying for a membership with Tinder Plus or Tinder Gold may just be worth the price.
PoF Rating: 8/10
Unlike Tinder, you have far more options with Plenty of Fish in the basic, free, app. While you do get more features if you upgrade, you don’t necessarily have to, to enjoy the site. Some features you can enjoy for free in Plenty of Fish include,
- Private messaging
- The Chemistry Predictor, which will ensure you’re matched with someone you would actually want to be with
- Ability to browse and search
profiles at your leisure
- When you pay for a membership, you really pay for more features to enjoy within the app. Some of those include,
- Ability to upload more photos
- Ability to see if your messages have been read and when
- Unlock everybody “extended
profile” to get to know more about them
- While your experience may get better with the premium membership, you don’t need it to communicate and meet others on the app.
Winner: Plenty of Fish
With the ability to still enjoy many of the sites features without having to spring for a premium membership, Plenty of Fish is the clear winner in terms of features.
Tinder vs PoF: Dating Success
For the most part, the reason people use dating apps is because, well, they want to date someone. There are people who use sites for hookups, flings, or cheating, but overall those people are much fewer than those looking for a relationship.
Tinder may not have a reputation or public image as having a lot of dating success, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, 80% of users say they are looking for a serious relationship. Among statistics, success stories, and even media articles, we can see a pattern that, regardless of what reputation Tinder has, it has proven successful for a lot of people!
Plenty of Fish may have a better reputation as a slightly more serious dating site, it is still overall seen as a hookup site. If you learn nothing else within this article it is to not judge a book by its’ cover (or to not judge a dating site by its reputation). There are hundreds of success stories, some of which end in marriage, and there are also over 10 million conversations had every single day. With that many conversations everyday, your chances of having one are very good.
Winner: Tinder
While this winner may seem surprising, the number of users looking for a serious relationship and the number of successful relationships born from Tinder is enough to make it the clear winner.
Verdict: Which is Best?
Plenty of Fish is the winner since it has won most of the rounds. Plenty of Fish can be a great option for both casual and serious dating. While many people have preconceived notions about what dating sites are like, you’ll never really know until you try it for yourself.
This isn’t to say Tinder is a bad site, in fact it seems really good, it just didn’t hold its own very well against Plenty of Fish. If you are looking for laid back, casual dating, and quick to use app, Tinder might just be the winner for you. The only real, purely negative aspect about Tinder, was its prices going up with age. Plenty of Fish seems to be the most value whether you choose to pay for a membership or not, it seems to have all sorts of people available to potentially match with, and the features tend to be geared more towards compatibility which may just lead to more solid relationships.
