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Is This Dating Site Legit? How to Check Before You Pay

Short answer

Before you pay, find the company that runs the site in an official register, work out how it charges, and read what its terms say about who writes the profiles and messages. Check how to cancel, look for an official app and search regulator rulings. Below are seven checks, then our checks of sites readers ask about.

Seven checks for any dating site

  1. Find out who runs it

    The terms of use or the footer should name a company and a registered address. Look the company up in the official register for that country, such as Companies House in the UK or the secretary of state's business search in a US state. A site that names no company, or a company you cannot find in any register, gives you nobody to hold to account.

  2. Work out how it charges

    Most mainstream apps charge a monthly subscription. Some sites sell credits instead and charge them for each message, letter, chat minute, photo or video. On a credit site a single long conversation can cost more than a month on a subscription app, so add up what you would actually use.

  3. Read what the terms say about profiles and messages

    Search the terms for words such as "entertainment", "virtual", "fictitious", "operator", "moderator" and "translator". Some sites say in their terms that profiles or messages may come from staff or paid writers, or that the service is for entertainment and may not lead to a meeting. If the terms say that, take them at their word.

  4. Check renewal and cancelling

    Look for whether payments renew automatically, how much notice you must give, whether unused credits are refunded, and how to delete your account. Note the renewal date when you pay.

  5. Look for an official app

    Apple and Google review apps before listing them and show the developer's name. A site with no official app is not necessarily a problem, but an app listing gives you another way to confirm who runs it.

  6. Search for regulators and courts

    Search the site's name and its company name on the Advertising Standards Authority rulings page in the UK and the Federal Trade Commission's site in the US. Any action they have taken will be public.

  7. Never send money to someone you have not met

    Whatever the site, never send money, gift cards, crypto or gifts to someone you have only met online, and move to a video call early. Romance scammers use every kind of site.

Our site checks

Sites readers search for that we don't review. Each check reports what the site's own terms, official registers, app stores and regulators say, with sources and the date we read them.

Looking for a site we've reviewed?

Our editors review and score the main dating apps and sites. See all dating site reviews, the safest dating apps and how to spot a dating scammer.

Questions people also ask

How can I tell if a dating site is legit?
Check who runs it and find that company in an official register, read how it charges and what its terms say about profiles and messages, check renewal and cancelling, look for an official app, and search regulator rulings. Never send money to someone you have not met.
What is a credit-based dating site?
A site where you buy credits and spend them on each message, letter, chat minute, photo or video, rather than paying one monthly fee. The cost depends on how much you use it, so it can be much higher than a subscription.
Which dating apps has WhichDating reviewed?
Our editors have reviewed and scored the main dating apps and sites, including Hinge, Bumble, Tinder, Match, eHarmony, OurTime and OkCupid. Site checks cover other sites people ask about, using public documents only.