Match.com versus Zoosk.com

Online Dating Sites: Match.com versus Zoosk.com

            If you are single and looking for a companion that can be potentially a husband or wife in the future, I’ve got a way just for you. Just finding someone at the bar or getting your friend to hook you up is not “in” anymore. Technology is flourishing and online dating is the reason people are finding love. The two websites I decided to compare and contrast are Match and Zoosk. While both attract single people across the country, Match caters more towards the older crowd and has a simple design. Zoosk is more bubbly and exciting for the younger generation and is not as easy to navigate.

            The great thing about both Match and Zoosk are that I could find what I was looking for. It did not matter if I was a single man looking for a woman, a single woman looking for a man, a single man looking for a man, or a single woman looking for a woman. They gave me the option to choose right when the site loaded up. I was also allowed to search by age and find local singles within a certain mile radius of me on both sites.

            Signing up was fairly simple for both Match and Zoosk. I had to put an e-mail, password, username, and background information. Match was very detailed and asked not only my background information, but my features, social status, values, favorites, and hobbies. On the other hand, Zoosk did not go into as much detail. This is important because it makes your profile more personal and someone looking at your profile may have some of the same interest you do. The inconvenience in signing up for Zoosk was that I had to confirm my e-mail address.

            Online dating has gotten a bad rap for catfishing and rapes that have happened while meeting a person from online. A positive factor is both websites give online dating tips for safety reasons. On Match, the tips were found at the bottom on the homepage. Zoosk sent their tips for online dating through the confirmation e-mail. This is an important factor because a lot of people are trying online dating for the first time and are not exactly sure what to do.

            The design of Match is generic and a tad boring and simple. It is very similar to Facebook. On the contrary, Zoosk is cute and fun, and attracts young people like me. One thing I did notice was that they were both used blue, which is common on social media sites. The menu was placed differently on both sites. Match’s was at the very top and was easy to access, while Zoosk’s menu was on the far left side. The fonts were similar, but unalike. Match was more Arial font and Zoosk was more Georgia font. The design shows us why older people are more attracted to Match and young people are attracted to Zoosk.

            The usability was reasonably painless for both. Zoosk options were sometimes confusing and I had to click on some of them to figure out what it was about. In my opinion, Zoosk is more for the younger people who are technologically sharp. The older generation that is not too wise about technology would understand how to navigate Match easier than Zoosk. Young people can learn new things and want to learn new things, while the older people just like it to be simple and know what to do without any help. It also helps that both websites uploaded fast with anything I clicked on to help the impatient people of all ages.

            Match and Zoosk are both consistent with their purpose of hopefully finding a person’s true love. They both allowed me to basically build my perfect man. From the way I want him to look and his social status. Zoosk does not accomplish this feature as well as Match, but they both have that option. Of course, as with many other websites, there is a choice to message people. Communicating is key when it comes to building a relationship. Match allows you to see who viewed your profile and it allows the person to “poke or wink” at you, which is normally a sign of interest. You could choose to poke or wink back at them. This could spark a conversation between two people. Although Zoosk does not have such a unique feature, they do have their own instant messenger system called Zoosk Messenger.

            One of the most annoying things on a website is the advertising. Both websites advertised in different ways. Zoosk advertised through ways to get “coins” on the site. These “coins” are used to enhance your experience on the site. The only way I could earn the coins were by completing surveys and accepting offers by a variety of vendors. While on the other hand, Match had ads that were noticeable, but because they had nothing to do with the purpose of the site, I did not pay a lot of attention. I saw an advertisement for some boots the first time I was on there. Another ad said “Click here and take the personality assessment” on Chemistry.com. I clicked on it and Chemistry.com is the sister site for Match.

            An important factor that makes or breaks a website is its functionality. After using both, I felt as if Match functioned better than Zoosk, because it was simple and easy to find what I was looking for under the main titles they gave. In contrast, Zoosk made me think a little bit harder on what I should click on to figure out what I was looking for. Neither site had many links, but when it did a new window did not pop up, which is a plus. Both sites had basic search options, but Match had the best way to search because they went in depth. The basic option to search on either site was to search for people by age and in a certain mile radius. Match was unique in their search process, because I could do a custom search. This custom search helped me figure out what I did and did not want in a future partner. It was various questions for his appearance, background, values, interests, and lifestyle. Zoosk had nothing like this, the most unique item that they had was a carousel. It is a game and when I played it had a picture of a random photo of someone on the site. I could choose yes, maybe, or no. If I choose no it would go to the next person like a carousel. On the other hand, Match made it simple and put two pictures side by side and asked “Who do you like?”

            Being a member of either site had its advantages and disadvantages. There are two levels of membership. I am a member, who signs up and only get to search for people. I could message people and communicate only if I became a subscriber. Basically, if I were to buy a subscription, I could do anything I wanted to do on the website. The subscriptions for both websites are reasonable, but it all depends on how long you plan on subscribing. Zoosk prices are $29.95 for one month, $19.98 for three months, $12.49 for six months, or make one easy payment and not have to worry about paying for however long the subscription was for. Match is cheaper, since all their subscriptions are under $20.

            It is excellent when websites can function with other social media and make a connection to each other. Zoosk was efficient, because it gave me the option to sign up through my Facebook or Twitter. In contrast, Match was on many different social sites. I could go like them on Facebook or go follow them on Blogger, Twitter, Instagram, or Pininterest. Both also had a mobile app. Apps are an easier way to just click that one thing instead of having to go to the web browser on a smartphone and typing their website in the URL.

            In my own opinion, Match was the better site. A few reasons why: 1. They asked more details about me and what I wanted my partner to be like. 2. The way I could customize a search and connect with others in unique ways. 3. The most fantastic thing is their guarantee to hopefully find me a match. However, Zoosk does have its own positives. It has fun games to play and will send e-mails, text messages, iPhone/iPad and Android notifications. Since both are relationship matching websites, they do accomplish their purpose to attract single men and women and help them find their perfect partner. The absolute worst thing about both websites is that you have to subscribe to actually enjoy your experience on either website. Overall, after researching both online dating sites, I might give Match a try in the future. I’ll know exactly what I want in a man by then and will be able to search for one by all the qualities I like. Online dating sites can be very useful, you just have to be careful.