Recipient of Gold Match.com

Recipient of Silver eHarmony

Recipient of Bronze Yahoo! Personals

We closed the 2009 Dating Sites Reviews Single's Choice Award poll last month (Feb. 18) with a total of 705 votes from the public. This is over 100 more votes than last year's Single's Choice Awards. It is good to see people participating in the poll since ultimately it is online daters like yourselves who decide which service becomes the popular one to use. Plus, singles who visit our site and are new to online dating use our awards as a tool to indicate which dating sites to try out first.

As with last year we listed the top 10 dating sites for our visitors to vote on. The top 3 voted dating sites got an award, Gold, Silver and Bronze. The one thing we did different this year was we added a second question to our poll asking which free dating site would be your top choice for an award. To find out the answer to this question, check out this story.

The recipient of the Gold 2009 Singles's Choice Award is Match.com. This is the third year in a row that this dating site has won the Gold Single's Choice Award which shows Match.com continues to be the market leader in online dating. Match.com has a proven record of success and many members worldwide who know if you want to be serious about finding a partner, Match.com is the leading dating site to join. This year Match.com received 2 percent more votes than in 2008 for a total of 201 (29% of the total vote).

The recipient of the Silver 2009 Singles's Choice Award is eHarmony. This is eHarmony's second year to win this award. They earned 22 percent of the votes (same as last year) which was 153 total votes out of 705. The dating site with the famous matching system certainly had a number of changes this year. There was new features added, profile tweaks and a successful Facebook fan page.

The recipient of the Bronze 2009 Singles's Choice Award is Yahoo! Personals. Yahoo also won this award last year as well except they slipped 2 percent this year and ended up with 11 percent of the total vote, which means they had 74 votes. While Yahoo may have taken 3rd place they still run a first rate dating service. All you have to do is log into their dating site to find out why.

This year's standings for the Single's Choice award for all dating sites in the poll are (click the dating site name to read our full review):

1. Match.com
2. eHarmony
3. Yahoo! Personals
4. Chemistry
5. Lavalife
6. SinglesNet.com
7. PerfectMatch.com
8. FriendFinder.com
9. True.com
10. Date.com

We would like to give a big THANKS to everyone who participated this year in the Single's Choice Award.

Recipient PlentyOfFish.com

Our 2009 Dating Sites Reviews Single's Choice Award had over 700 people participate in voting by February. New to the poll this year is voting for your favorite free dating site (question 2 of the poll). On this question, we listed 6 of the most popular free dating sites. There was a bit of an issue in the first half of the poll when one of the dating sites we listed (DownToEarth.com) became a new service called Stir (see Story). In the end, since people already had voted for the dating site and we didn't want to skew the results, DownToEarth was left in the poll but with the notification that it had closed.

The recipient of the 2009 Single's Choice Award for a Free Dating Site is PlentyOfFish.com. They received over 33 percent of the 705 votes. Plenty Of Fish also received our Editor's Top Pick - Free Award as well (see Story). PlentyofFish.com beat the other sites by over 10 percent. This is a wide margin but not as wide as I thought it was going to be. To be honest I expected them to receive around 50 percent of the vote. The popularity of PlentyofFish.com compared to the other free sites is the reason they won. POF has about 4 times more traffic than OKCupid receives. Their popularity is in part thanks to a great marketing campaign, word of mouth, and by them offering a solid online dating experience.

Here are the final results of the poll:

1. PlentyOfFish.com
2. OkCupid.com
3. Craigslist
4. DateHookUp.com
5. Matchdoctor.com - Review coming soon.
6. Down To Earth

This year's runner up was OkCupid with 22 percent of the vote followed by Craigslist with 21 percent of the vote. PlentyofFish.com had an additional 80 votes (or 10% more) over the runner up OkCupid. Following Craigslist was Datehookup with just over 11 percent of the vote. Matchdoctor came in at 9 percent followed by Down To Earth with 3 percent.

Read our review of PlentyOfFish.com.com for more information about this dating service or visit PlentyOfFIsh.com directly.

Recipient Passion.com

The Editor's choice for the Top Pick - Sexy Award goes to Passion.com. This intimate encounters website community continues to be popular with the singles crowd, thanks in large part to how easy it is to meet and interact with new people. Members can email, instant message, text chat and webcam chat (as a group or one on one). There are special interest groups to join and blogs to read. With these features and tools, Passion.com makes it is easy to expand your network of friends and partners.

Passion.com is an international adult dating site which has many men and women actively meeting and communicating with each other. They now have over 33 million members with at least 100,000 members logged in at any one time. This interactive dating service even has a guarantee. If you do not meet up with someone in 3 months, your membership will be extended an additional 3 months for free.

Read our review of Passion.com for more information about this dating service or visit Passion.com directly.

This Year's Runner Up for this award is: Lavalife.

Recipient Plentyoffish.com

After careful review, we have determined that Plentyoffish.com is the winner of the Editor's Top Pick - Free Award. This service is by far the largest of the free dating sites on the internet. While PlentyofFish.com (POF) does offer a paid component now, most features of the dating site continue to be free, including all communication between members.

So why did we decide on POF? The answer is easy, members! This dating site has many active users; no other free dating site even comes close. Part of the reason why PlentyofFish.com is so popular is they offer all the tools needed for online dating. When user's signup you get to fill out a typical profile for yourself that contains most attributes people consider when dating someone. When searching for singles comes into play you will have a number of options available to you, from the basic search which is quick and easy, to the advance search which allows you to search on any attribute in a profile. With members you like, communication is a breeze with the built in and easy to use private messaging system. Privacy and safety is also important on POF, for example you can specify the types of members you do not want contacting you.

PlentyofFish.com also has a few other free relationship services for members. You can take the Relationship Chemistry Predictor which contains 48 questions about yourself and your personality. Once completed POF will then match you with other members based on the answers you have given. There is also a Relationship Needs Assessment which better helps you understand what you require in a relationship. Once you have taken the assessment you are given an action plan to help you discover if your potential partners will meet your needs.

If you are looking for a dating site which is free to use then PlentyofFish.com should be the first service on your list. Chances are they will have plenty of members actively seeking a relationship living in your area.

Read our review of Plentyoffish.com for more information about this online dating service or visit Plentyoffish.com directly.

This Year's Runner Up for this award is: OkCupid.com.

Recipient Match.com UK

The Editor's Top Pick - United Kingdom Award goes to the dating site, Match.com UK. This is the first year for an award specifically given to a United Kingdom dating service. We decided to offer one this year as our UK readership has increased substantially. Why is UK.Match.com the winner of this award? You can read below to find out.

First off, Match.com in the UK had a busy year in 2009. We saw a partnership deal between Meetic and IAC (who owns Match.com) which saw the handing over of the Match.com European operations to one of Europe's biggest dating service, Meetic. By consolidating services between the 2 companies, not only did the 2 companies save money, which could now be spent in other important areas, but overall customer service and satisfaction increased as well. Match.com UK also went in a new direction with marketing. They hired a new advertising agency named Mother, and have spent according to some estimates over £6m on advertising in the United Kingdom over the last year. There new ads are smart and have informed the public on what Match.com offers. This has resulted in an increase in quality traffic to the dating service. A prime indication of how well a dating service is doing, is by how many members they have.

Match.com also continues to research relationships and love, to see what attitudes, personality traits and expectations are compatible or not between people. This research is not only used to improve their matching tools, but to educate Match.com members as well. Visitors to the dating site can view their latest research study called "The LoveGeist Report 2009". The data in the report is the result of a study of over 16,000 people. Included with the report is an interactive map which allows you to view the summary results of the report by regions in Britain.

There are about 3 popular dating services in Britain and we feel the UK version of Match.com comes out on top. For singles who wish to meet the love of their life, there is no better spot to start than Match.com.

Read our review of Match.com UK for more information about this dating service or visit Match.com UKdirectly.

This Year's Runner Up for this award is: DatingDirect.com.

Recipient MillionaireMatch.com

The recipient of the Editor's Top Pick - Wealthy Award is MillionaireMatch.com. Since we started our Dating Sites Reviews Choice Awards in 2007, MillionaireMatch.com has won in this category each year. Why do they keep winning? It is simple, this dating site offers what most Sugar Daddy sites do not, active members. This service continues to grow every year while it leaves the competition in the dust. Sure there are other dating sites aimed at matching wealthy men with attractive women but, none offer the quantity and quality of members in which MillionaireMatch.com has.

MillionaireMatch.com also has implemented other features, which contributes to their success. Guest members (free) can reply to other member's emails for no cost. This means, paid members can contact any person on the site they find without having to worry about if the person can respond or not. Another important aspect of Millionairematch.com is, there is no on site advertising. Their goal is help find you a match, not try and distract you with advertisements for other products or dating sites. It always makes me wonder if a dating site is advertising their competitors to make money, how well are they actually doing?

If you are a wealthy single, or interested in meeting one, then MillionaireMatch.com should be your first stop online in your search. Their membership base is huge, and members can get their photos, education and income level verified by the dating site. This means if you are interested in a verified member, you do not have to worry about if the person is actually who they say they are, since it already has been confirmed.

Read our review of MillionaireMatch.com for more information about this dating service or visit MillionaireMatch.com directly.

This Year's Runner Ups for this award include (in no particular order): Sugardaddie.com and WealthyMen.com .

Recipient Match.com

The recipient of the Editor's Top Pick - Innovative Award is Match.com. In 2009 Match.com introduced a number of new features and it was also the year in which Match.com embraced the smartphone. MatchMobile has been around since 2005 (I believe) and allows the everyday cell phone to connect to Match.com, search for matches, view profiles, and send emails. Match.com decided to expand on this functionality and last March released an iPhone App. With its larger high quality screen and touch interface the iPhone made mobile dating easier to view and simpler to use (no typing on a 10 digit pad). iPhone users also were able to edit their profiles and use other features of Match.com which is not available on MatchMobile. The iPhone with its built in GPS also allowed Match.com to offer location based dating to its members. This opt-in feature allowed you to see if there are other Match.com members nearby in which you could communicate with. This is ideal for singles who enjoy the bar scene and want to find other singles in the vicinity. Later in the year the Palm Pixi and Palm Pre also saw the release of a similar Match.com dating application and in January 2010 an App for the Blackberry was released. An app for Andriod is also expected soon and once released Match.com will have a dating application for 90 percent of all smartphones. This gives them a huge jump on the competition.

Late in December of 2009 Match.com released a suite of matching tools called "My Match". These tools were designed to complement Match.com's existing search capabilities. In the suite members will be familiar with the "Daily 5" which Match first launch in December of 2008. The Daily 5 provides a quick and easy way for you to review qualified matches based on your profile information and preferences. The next tool is called "Mutual Match". It works by sifting through Match.com's database of members to identify those who not only match your criteria, but whose criteria also match you. The third dating tool is called "Singled Out". This feature allows Match.com when they find a member who really stands out as someone they think you'll have a connection with, to "single this match out" for your consideration. The last tool in the suite is called "Like At First Sight". This tool has an additional quiz component which concentrates on finding out what makes a good first impression to you. Based on your answers Match.com will introduce you to members which should have immediate appeal for you.

If you are interested in a dating service which continues to innovate and create a better overall online dating experience then Match.com is an ideal choice.

Read our review of Match.com for more information about this online dating service or visit Match.com directly.

This Year's Runner Up for this award is: OkCupid.

Recipient eHarmony

For the Editor's Top Pick - Match System Award, the recipient this year is eHarmony. This is the second year in a row for eHarmony to win this award, and the reason why is, this dating service continues to push the boundaries in matching singles. eHarmony also achieved a major membership milestone in 2009. By September they had surpassed 30 million member accounts since the launch of their dating site in 2000.

eHarmony has always been about matching people through compatibility. This is the reason for the in-depth profile and the 200 plus questions. eHarmony needs to get to know you before they can match you with someone. Most dating sites rush you through the sign up process in under 5 minutes; eHarmony's takes a good hour. This means most members you find on eHarmony are serious about finding love since they need to make a fair commitment in time before they can view their matches. Another thing that makes eHarmony different is they send you matches of compatible singles. You do not search for them. This may put some people off, but what this allows eHarmony do is make sure you see the right people who are compatible with you. Not the people you think should be compatible, by the searches you perform.

If you are someone who is interested in a long term relationship and are someone who believes matching involves compatible personalities then eHarmony is the dating site for you. If you need proof that eHarmony works, all you need to do is visit their Facebook Fan Page to see the thousands of submitted success stories and pictures on their wall.

Read our review of eHarmony for more information about this dating service or visit eHarmony directly.

This Year's Runner Up for this award is: Chemistry.

Recipient SeniorPeopleMeet.com

The 2009 Editor's Top Pick - Senior Award goes to SeniorPeopleMeet.com. This up and coming dating service has become quite popular with senior singles. SeniorPeopleMeet.com receives over half a million unique visitors in a month and over 1000 new members' sign up every day. Plus, 66 percent of all members are 50 years and older. No other dating site dedicated to senior singles even comes close to these impressive statistics.

SeniorPeopleMeet.com is a dating service which is easy to use for internet savvy singles as well as those who are new to the online dating world. Their free profile signup process takes under 2 minutes and once you have logged into the dating site, it doesn't take long to become familiar with how the dating site works. All the dating tools you will need to search and communicate with potential matches are available on the left column of the website, including your inbox, searching and community tools. Once you have logged on, click on "Search Profiles" and perform a search of singles in your Zip Code. The result will be a long list of high quality profiles made by real members.

With over 1300 submitted success stories of happy senior couples who met on SeniorPeopleMeet.com, this dating site is an ideal spot for any person 50 years or older to find like minded singles to date.

Read our review of SeniorPeopleMeet.com for more information about this dating service or visit SeniorPeopleMeet.com directly.

This Year's Runner Ups for this award include (in no particular order): Lavalife Prime and Senior FriendFinder.

Recipient ChristianCafe.com

Our Editor's Top Pick - Christian Award for 2009 goes to the dating site ChrsitianCafe.com. We like this service for it's no nonsense approach to online dating and the passion in which the owners of ChristianCafe.com have for matching their members.

Most dating sites accept Christian singles as members. The thing is, what makes ChrisitianCafe.com so popular with single Christians is that it doesn't try to be a dating site for everybody. It is a community for people who are likeminded in faith. This is also part of their search criteria. When you search for your match on ChristianCafe.com you can select the Christian denomination, the amount of church involvement someone has, and how close a members Christian Faith is too them. You cannot do this on other larger, but generic dating sites. If you try, all you end up doing is scanning numerous pages of singles just looking for the Christian members.

ChristianCafe.com is a dating site which (refreshingly) takes the straight forward approach to online dating. As a new member you automatically get a 10 day free trial (no Credit Card # needed) which includes not only winks but communicating with email or text instant messaging to anyone on the site you want. This gives you virtually full access to the site to see how it works and to find out if there are any members who interest you. It is also easy to see when a member was last on, as well as who is currently online, and how many people have joined this week. ChristianCafe.com is as open as possible with its members.

It is easy to see why this Christian dating site is so popular. All you have to do is browse the members to see all the genuine profiles and pictures of real members. This is the main reason why we gave ChristianCafe.com the Top Pick - Christian Award, the quality and sincerity of their members.

Read our review of ChristianCafe.com for more information about this dating service or visit ChristianCafe.com directly.

This Year's Runner Ups for this award include (in no particular order): Catholic Match and ChristianMingle.com.