datingappradar tests dating apps independently and against a fixed, published methodology. Every app goes through the same eight criteria: seriousness, pricing fairness, gender balance, cultural relevance, safety and verification, user experience, data protection and reach. Each is scored on a scale from 1 to 5, and the overall score is the unweighted average.
The ratings are based on our own use of the apps, an examination of their pricing and feature models, and an evaluation of publicly available information on safety and data processing. We update tests whenever something substantial changes in an app; the date of the last update is shown on every guide, and the comparison matrix carries the date of the test.
There are no paid placements and no score that can be bought. Links to providers may generate a commission; this has no influence on scores or verdicts. Where an app is weak, the test says so, even when it is inconvenient.
The test procedure is the same for every app: create an account, use it for seven days in daily life, document the payment page and subscription terms, try the verification and reporting paths, check the privacy statements and the deletion function. Only then are points awarded. A criterion we could not check gets no estimate; it stays visible as a gap.
The overall score is the unweighted average of the eight criteria. That is deliberate: weighting would turn our priorities into yours. Anyone who knows what matters to them reads the individual scores and the category winners, because those say more than any overall grade.
Limits of the test: we measure no user numbers and no success rates, because reliable public data does not exist. We rate reach by market presence and availability in the target regions, not by provider claims. Where a figure comes from a press release, we say so.
Updates and corrections: prices and features change constantly. Every test report carries the date of its last check, the matrix carries the date of the whole round. If a value turns out to be outdated it gets corrected in the next round, and the change is not hidden.
What this site is not
A recommendation list. We name an overall winner because a test has one, but the category winners say more. Someone who needs reach reads a different row than someone who needs verification. The matrix is deliberately harder to read than a top ten, and it carries further than a single number.