In-Depth POF Review

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POF App at a Glance

Is Plenty of Fish Right for Me?

Although POF existed long before mobile phone apps became widely popular, it has managed to transform itself to attend to the needs of both old and young singles. Despite their many upgrades, however, there is still a belief that POF’s services are fundamentally suited to old-timers. 

We think this site caters better to people mostly between 30 to 60 years of age looking for some old-school dating and long-term commitment. This means that if you are a young person searching for something casual without many obligations, there’s a chance POF might not be the best dating site for you.

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• What is POF?
• How Does POF Work?
• How Much Does POF Cost?
• User Reviews of POF
• What Kind of Relationships is POF For?
• Is POF Worth It?
• POF vs. The Other Guys
• Plenty of Fish FAQ

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What is POF?

POF (Plenty of Fish) is a virtual dating community with over a hundred million registered users. The site’s got an estimated 4 million daily active users who send about a billion messages on average every month. POF is predominantly popular in Canada (where it originated), the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, Brazil, New Zealand, and Ireland.

POF History

Markus Frind launched POF in 2003. He managed the site from his bedroom for the first five years, and under his management, POF attained its first 10 million members. In 2008, POF opened its first office and hired its first employees. The site was free to use until 2009, when paid membership with extra features came into the equation. In that same year, having amassed over 30 million users, the company rebranded from PlentyOfFish.com to POF.com. Frind held on to the ownership of POF up until 2015, when he sold it to Match Group for $575 million. 

In 2017, a major controversy arose when authorities arrested 27-year-old Scott Lazenby for raping and assaulting two women. It turned out that he was a POF user, and he had met both women separately on POF.com, where they exchanged messages and then agreed to meet for a date. Scott Lazenby was tried, found guilty, and sentenced to seven-year imprisonment for his crimes. 

In 2019, POF went through another rebranding, changing its logo and user interface,  dropping some old features, and introducing a couple of new ones. These changes were targeted at ensuring the site remained relevant in the fast-changing world and met the increasing needs of its members. 

What Makes POF Different?

POF has a few features similar to those you can find on a few other online dating sites. For example, swiping left or right indicates your interest in a person’s profile, like with Tinder and a couple of other sites. 

However, several other features make the app unique and stand out from the dating industry crowd. For instance, the Live! feature allows you to broadcast a live video or watch other members as they broadcast a live video. The site also has a detailed search option, with filters organized based on location, bio, background, lifestyle, making it easier for members to sort through the large populace for a perfect fit.

Pros and Cons of POF

Like any online dating app, Plenty of Fish has several advantages and a few disadvantages. Here, we will list out a few of each.

How Does POF Work? – Features Overview

Going by Plenty of Fish’s 100-million-strong user base, we’d say there indeed is plenty of fish for members to pick from. The site uses a detailed search tool and an automated matching system to help its users navigate its congested seas as they find their potential partners. Let’s discuss in detail the features of the POF dating site.

Signup process

Although long and complicated sign-up procedures can be time-consuming and discouraging, they help dating sites gather necessary information about their users. With POF, there’s a quick signup process – takes only about five minutes – that manages to be detailed enough. To sign up, simply visit the site, tap on the ‘sign-up button’ and follow the prompts. 

Personal information that POF will ask you to provide includes your gender, date of birth, address, email, dating preferences, marital status, eye/hair color, and many more. This information is essential for the site to match you with a partner it considers suitable.  

Matchmaking Process

POF matches singles on both the website and app using an automated matching system that brings singles together based on their compatibility levels. This feature is great for users who would rather rely on the site to do the work for them.  

But if you still want a say in who the site matches you with, then there’s an in-depth search tool available for both free and paid members. By clicking the “Refine Search” button on the app, you can update your search filters, organizing them based on gender, age range, state/city of residence, ethnicity, religion, income, and several others. 

Unique Features

Here are a few exclusive POF features that may just catch your fancy:

Live! (App only)

The Live! feature is only available on the POF mobile app. It allows POF users to live-stream themselves to other members and lets them view the live streams of other members. While this is a great way to let potential matches know more about your personality and daily activities, it also helps you find out more about people you’re interested in before spending too much time messaging and planning to meet.

When watching a member’s broadcast or live streaming yourself, you may ‘favorite’ anyone you pick an interest in. You could also chat with a member during a live stream. 

NextDate

This is a fantastic subfeature of POF’s Live!. NextDate is an interactive speed dating game that connects you to a two-way live video stream with a date every 90 seconds. During the 90-second timeline session, you ask your date questions and reply to their questions. At the end of the speed date, you could either press the ‘Next’ button to move to the next video stream or the ‘Match’ button to proceed to a private one-on-one video between you and your date. 

The NextDate feature also comes with an incognito mode called Blind Dates. It works just like NextDate, with the only difference being that the app blurs your date’s face from the start of your two-way stream. As the stream goes on, the blur begins to clear up. Towards the end of the date, the video becomes clear and reveals who you had been chatting with. 

How Much Does POF Cost?

Free vs. Paid membership

The POF free membership allows singles to get a feel of the site and decide whether it suits them before making any paid commitments. However, there’s a limit on the number of features you have access to with the free trial. Here’s a list of the things you get from setting up a free trial:

• Create a profile and upload as many as eight photos 
• View profiles and photos of other singles
• Send and reply to messages from members 
• View profile and pictures of other members 
• Favorite other users
• Like profiles using the Meet Me feature
• See members who have viewed your profile
• View your matches and recommended profiles 
• Search for members using POF’s advanced search tools

With a POF paid membership, you get everything that comes with a free trial and then some. Premium features on POF include: 

• No ads. 
• Priority listing on the Meet Me feature.
• See users who have viewed and liked your profile.
• View users’ extended profiles. 
• Upload up to 16 photos on your profile.
• Change username. 
• Search for singles by username.
• View read receipts for messages you send.

User Reviews of POF

We found several positive reviews about the POF website and app and a bunch of reviews that weren’t so flattering. There’s a lot to like about the site, judging from the sheer number of people who were satisfied with the service and those who were glad they met other singles who turned out to be great partners. 

Some complaints which crept up a few times in the reviews included lack of security for personal info, overpricing, and defects with the search engine. There were also mentions of singles having to navigate through several fake accounts, which we’re guessing is an issue courtesy of POF’s vast user base.

What Kind of Relationships is POF For?

POF appears to be primarily for older people (30+) looking to build long-term relationships. However, thanks to a few adjustments to POF’s services in recent years, we think it could also do a pretty good job of catering to younger singles interested in casual dating.

The Bottom Line – Is POF Worth It?

Seeing as a large percentage of POF’s users are older, the bottom line is that the site is worth it if you’re a single above age 35 searching for a serious relationship. 

POF is also worth your time if you are young and looking for a non-complicated site with an expansive reach. Plus, in recent years, POF has tweaked its services to include some modern features such as its live streaming and virtual blind date. These upgrades are no doubt aimed at making the site a better fit for younger people.

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POF vs. The Other Guys

POF vs. Tinder

Tinder is great for people under 30 looking for casual relationships or non-committed dating. On the other hand, POF is mainly dominated by an older crowd primarily looking for long-lasting commitments. If you fall in the former category, you’d be better off sticking with Tinder. However, if you are more about long-term commitments, you should give POF a shot. 

POF vs. Bumble

POF has been around for way longer than the Bumble app and uses more traditional means to match potential partners. However, suppose you would rather use a dating site that gives women more power over the partner selection process. In that case, Bumble, where women are required to make the first move, might be a better option. 

POF vs. Silver Singles

Silver Singles, just like POF, has a high percentage of older people. One main difference between both sites is that while you have to be a paid member on Silver Singles to communicate with other users, POF offers the communication feature for free.

POF FAQ

What percentage of POF members are men? 

51% of the user base on Plenty of Fish identify their genders as male.

What percentage of POF members are women?

49% of the user base on Plenty of Fish identify their genders as female.

Casual relationships or long-term relationships; which is POF best for? 

POF has a more significant percentage of older members, making it better for people looking for long-term relationships than casual dating.