Match Group

Recipient
OkCupid

The Editor's Top Pick - Free Award goes to OkCupid. While not the largest free dating site it does have a large membership base thanks to almost 4.5 million people logging in every month. What makes OkCupid in the world of free dating sites unique though is their attention to detail. As soon as you visit the site and create a dating profile you can tell that it is well crafted. All the features and dating tools just flow together and the site itself just plain looks good. OkCupid also has an interesting matching feature where members can design tests for other members to take. These tests can be about almost anything and can give you a different perspective on your matches who are interested in you.

In 2010 OkCupid added a number of things to their service. Members can now login using their Facebook account by either signing up directly through their Facebook account or by linking their current OkCupid account and Facebook account together. OkCupid also now offers their site through smart phones with dating applications available both on the iPhone and Android based phones. Their homepage also got an overhaul. Gone now are the feature profiles which first greeted users and back is a simple sign up form for new users.

If you are interested in trying out a free dating site (that has some paid options) then OkCupid.com should definitely be on your radar. Their friendly community and feature rich dating service makes finding a relationship online fun.

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

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

This weekend all Chemistry users will be able to communicate for free. This promotion starts first thing, Friday January 7, and runs Saturday, and all day Sunday January 9. Free communication means that any member of Chemistry can send and receive email from any other Chemistry member. This is at no cost and with no credit card required.

This is a busy time of year for online dating which means it is an excellent time to try out Chemistry to see if it is the right dating site for you. Chemistry's in-depth profile and matchmaking system make it ideal for singles looking for a long-term relationship and marriage.

The last free communication weekend was held in November (see Story). This upcoming one will be Chemistry.com's 12th they have run. For more information on this online dating site that matches you with members based on personality, you can read our review of Chemistry.

Recipient
Match.com

After four years Match.com is still is our number one recommendation for singles interested in online dating. This is why they are the recipient of the Editor's Top Pick - Over All Award for 2010.

In North America Match.com is ideal for almost any single to join. There male to female membership ratio is almost at 50 percent and they have one of the largest active membership databases. Other attributes that may be deal breakers for a person like age, Religion and specific interests also are not a factor due to the large number of members Match.com has. Best yet, when you purchase a six month membership at Match.com, you are guaranteed that you will find a match within the first six months, or your membership will be extended an additional six months at no cost to you.

Match.com is not standing still either. Throughout 2010 they continued to innovate and add new features to make online dating not only easier but more successful for their members. For example, mobile dating applications were released for Android and Blackberry phones (the iPhone app was released in 2009) as well for the iPad. Partnerships also were expanded. Trusted companies like Yahoo! and Glamour magazine choose Match.com as the official destination for online dating on their respective websites.

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

This Year's Runner Up for this award is: Zoosk

I have not seen this commercial on TV yet for PlentyOfFish.com but it was suppose to start airing last week in North America. This is PlentyOfFish's first TV commercial.

For more on this dating service take a look at our review of PlentyOfFish.com.

Back in July we mentioned that the PlentyOfFish iPhone App would be here in a few weeks. Well it is now December and I must confess, I forgot all about it.

It looks like the iPhone PlentyOfFish Mobile App has been available on iTunes since August. The current version is 1.02 which was released on Oct 22, 2010. It is compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch and the iPad as long as they have iOS 3.0 or later installed on them. Most of the reviews of this iPhone dating app seem to indicate that is okay (it has a 3 out of 5 star rating) but lacks a few features and should just be used as a supplement if you can't use your laptop at the moment.

Features of the app include searching, checking your matches and sending and receiving PlentyOfFish email messages.

For more information on this dating site, read our review of PlentyOfFish.

It looks like PlentyofFish.com has a new payment option that enables members to purchase credits to use on gifts and other features of the dating site. To buy these Goldfish Credits (they are also called PlentyOfFish Credits or POF Credits on the site) you will need to try sending a Gift, Ice Breaker or attempt to view the Sent Message Status. From any of these pages you will be shown your Goldfish Credit status and have the option to visit a page to buy some.

POF updated their site a few days ago with this new credit system. There was no official word as far as I could find on the topic so I am sure it caught a few members off guard. I think members will probably complain most about requiring credits for the View Sent Message Status. Since, this means free members of POF will now not be able to tell if a member has read or deleted their message anymore unless they pay for the privilege first.

The cost of Goldfish credits vary on the amount you buy. The costs listed are in USD:

• 100 credits for $9.95 (10 cents a credit)
• 215 credits for $18.95 (9 cents a credit)
• 500 credits for $37.95 (8 cents a credit)

Now don't confuse Goldfish credits with POF points. Points still do exist and are earned by doing certain activities on the site like creating an account, and every time you login.

On a related note, the first time POF wasn't 100% free happened in March 2009 when they first offered the Serious Member Profile Upgrade (see Story).

For more information on this story you can visit Bonny's Dating Blog who got the scoop first. To find out more about this popular dating site, you can read our PlentyOfFish review.