In Review – SilverSingles: Best Dating App For Over 50s?
Tinder, OKCupid, and nearly all other dating apps you can think of focus on young people – usually from the ages of 20 to 35. And the reason? Statistically, you’re more likely to be single in your 20s than in your 40s, so in this respect its a numbers game. And big tech companies always follow the numbers.
But this leaves a massive niche of people completely underrepresented. I’m talking, of course, about single, older people – specifically, those over 50. This is where SilverSingles comes into play: it’s entire MO is based around connecting like-minded people that are single and over the age of 50.
But is SilverSingles any good? Is it free? And how does it work? In this guide, I’ll detail everything you need to know about SilverSingles, so you can see if this dating app for over 50s is something you should be using in 2021.
What is SilverSingles And How Does It Work?
Like Eharmony and OK Cupid, SilverSingles uses questionnaires to better understand your personality and what you’re looking for. The questions aren’t as detailed or as focussed as Eharmony’s which, at first, seems like a good thing but, in the long run, is actually a negative. You see, the more details an app’s algorithm has one you, the better it can pair you up with someone compatible.
This is the #1 reason why Eharmony is so successful and is responsible for a mind-blowing one-in-four marriages in the USA. Details. The devil’s inside them, but so too is your next perfectly-matched date. And this is one area where SilverSingles loses ground to Eharmony.
At SilverSingles we are committed to bringing our members compatible matches. We base these match suggestions on several factors: on location in the USA, on lifestyle plans and relationship goals, and on personality. Once a new member takes our personality questionnaire and creates a profile, we will know enough to start bringing them compatible matches – between 3 and 7 per day! SilverSingles Blog
If you’re not big on questionnaires, however, you’ll enjoy how quickly you can get your SilverSingles profile set up. Once you’re up and running and you’ve complete the SilverSingles questionnaire, you can start bulking out your profile with pictures, details on your hobbies and interests, and other useful information.
Again, as with ALL dating platforms, the more open and transparent you are, the better. Use recent photos, be honest about your appearance, and always be up front about what you’re looking for – even if it is just a bit of fun!
All new profiles are verified by SilverSingles’ staff. It doesn’t take long to get your account live, however, and this additional step is just one of the ways SilverSingles makes sure its platform is safe and free from trolls and spammers. Again, your safety and security is always important, so it is good to see that SilverSingles takes this aspect of its platform seriously.
How To Get Matches
Once your profile is complete and approved, SilverSingles will start sending it out into the wild. After a day or so, your Matches section will start to populate with potential matches based on how you answer the questionnaire. The number of matches you get tends to vary pretty wildly which is why it always pays to give detailed answers and make your profile as interesting as possible.
Once you have some potential matches, you can LIKE their profile, send them a message, or add them to a favorites list. From here, you can start chatting and lining up dates. But unlike eHarmony, SilverSingles has ZERO video-calling options in place, so actually meeting anyone at the moment, with COVID still around, is going to be tricky. Another win for Eharmony, then!
Is SilverSingles Free?
Yes, SilverSingles is free. But the free version is comically limited – as you’d expect. With a free SilverSingles profile, you’re limited to liking other people’s profiles, seeing matches, and sending pre-written icebreaker questions. It’s not great, basically, so to unlock SilverSingles’ full potential you’re effectively strong-armed into getting a premium membership.
How much does SilverSingles cost? You have a few options when it comes to SilverSingles premium membership. Here’s quick breakdown:
Membership Cost
- 3 Month Subscription – $51
- 6 Month Subscription – $57
- 12 Month Subscription – $103 For The Year
Obviously, the 12 month membership is the best value for money option. But if you’re confident you could get what you’re looking for within 3 months, by all means go for the cheapest options. All the paid-for memberships on SilverSingles come with the same features. With a SilverSingles premium membership, you basically have the freedom to do whatever you like on the platform. You can do as many Wildcard Matches as you want and you’re free to send personal messages to potential matches. You also get better search options and more matches sent through on a day to day basis.
Basically, if you’re going to use SilverSingles you need to pay for it – otherwise it simply isn’t worth it. The free version of SilverSingles is just too light on features to make it worthwhile, especially when compared to apps like OKCupid which is free and, arguably, better with its free features.
Wrapping Up: Is SilverSingles Any Good?
If you’re over 50 and you don’t want to use Tinder, and you’re comfortable paying for a membership, then SilverSingles is a decent option to be sure. I do think Eharmony is a better option – it has more users, better features, and is already a well established platform for users over 50.
You also get things like video-dating (AKA virtual dating) on Eharmony which has become a totally essential tool in 2020 and 2021. Why SilverSingles hasn’t updated its app inline with COVID restrictions is beyond me; there is no way anyone can date properly at the moment, so virtual dating – especially on a paid-for dating app – is a must-have feature.
On the positive side, SilverSingles is simple to use, easy to setup, and its focus on over-50s dating is great. I just feel that the VAST majority of users would be better served by Eharmony; it is a better overall service and it has been matching up people for over 20 years. And while it does cost more, you do get more features and a better overall experience. And when it comes to dating apps, you really do get what you pay for…