The best dating apps and sites in March 2024

Read our full review of AdultFriendFinder.

The theme of EliteSingles is pretty self-explanatory, with the target demographic being successful, educated professionals (82% of members hold a degree), who boast deep pockets and are searching for a serious, long-term relationship with someone of the same ilk. 

Although you can sign up via the Elite Singles mobile app, we recommend that you sign up through a desktop to get more of a personalised experience, such as pop-ups explaining how best to use the site and tips on how to start a conversation with your matches. You're also able to see your full personality profile on a desktop, a feature that is lacking in the app. 

Unlike most dating sites, Elite Singles asks you to fill out an extensive personality questionnaire (I'm talking 45-minutes-extensive) in order to match you to the most appropriate users. Observing the answers you give to the questionnaire, the site then uses this data to show you quality, data-driven matches.   

Tinder pioneered the now-ubiquitous swiping function, revolutionising the world of online dating and boasting 1.6 billion swipes per day. 

It's also a pioneer of dating app safety, with emergency features like a panic button and anti-catfishing technology. The company also announced that users will soon be able to run background checks on matches, which is great news.

We all know those couples who met on Tinder and have been together for years. It's fast, easy, and if there's one app that even the shyest, most skeptical people will be on, it's Tinder. 

Match is one of the most recognisable names in the online dating industry. 

It has been around for 23 years and claims to be committed to finding a serious relationship for you. It consistently and actively listens to feedback to improve and optimise the user experience. 

Unlike other sites which bombard you with lengthy questionnaires and notifications, Match has a unique algorithm which takes into account what exactly you want. It also monitors your on-site habits, and then presents potential partners to the user based on this information. For example, if you put brunette as your preferred hair colour but then you begin to look at blondes, Match's algorithm will pick this up and begin to add more blondes in your searches.  

With over 15 years of experience in online dating, eharmony's unique selling point is perhaps their advanced matching algorithm. 

The site claims to lead to more marriages than other dating sites using its Compatibility Matching System. Registration is lengthy as it requires you to fill in an in-depth questionnaire, although this enables the site to get to know what exactly you're looking for in order to begin sending you suggestions straight away.  

You'll get a certain number of matches that they think you'll like per day, but you also have free reign over the search bar and can see who's nearby. This means you're able to feel out the selection and see if there are any certified hotties in your area, rather than waiting for them to give you choices or going one by one (like on Tinder). 

With over 75 million members, the sex-focused site XMatch adheres to your short-term needs, whether you're looking for a no-strings attached one-night-stand or someone who shares a unique sex fetish.

Registration is extremely easy and allows members to plunge into their sexual fantasies. Unfortunately, when you note down details (like gender, age, location) XMatch doesn't really take this into account. While this means you'll match more users, compatibility suffers. 

Users do have a compatibility score, so you'll get some indication of how well you and another member match. 

Parship is ideally suited to people looking for a long-term relationship and who would like to leave the searching to someone else. The Parship system recommends matches to its members based on their compatibility score. 

Parship uses its own formula-based approach to matchmaking. That means you’ll have to take a pretty lengthy compatibility test, similar to eHarmony's. This can feel a little clinical (and let's face it, nobody likes tests) but the experts at Parship attest to its effectiveness. The test helps to determine each member's personality type. Once you’ve made it through, profiles of suggested matches will be sent to you as they turn up. You have the option of taking a look closer at your matches, or ignore them. The choice is yours!

Access for non-paying members is severely restricted. The matchmaking system can be used and it's possible to send ice-breakers, but emails can't be sent or opened until you upgrade to premium. So you are kind of forced into making a decision. Continue with ice-breakers and blurry pictures, or find your perfect match for cuffing season? The choice is yours again.