Back in the day, when it was time for our bubbes and zaydes to find their sig-o, their parents took them to a matchmaker to find the perfect husband. Fast forward to 2015. Websites and cellphone apps are the new yentas. You can find your b’sheret, or intended, with a little help from an algorithm, a cute pic and a few choice phrases.
There are a lot of new players in the online dating field, and it can be overwhelming. To help you choose the site or app for finding your match, we ranked some of the most popular ones based on aesthetics, user friendliness and, of course, ease of discovering your next date… and maybe even getting to the chuppah.
We Recommend:
Jswipe (Free)
This smartphone app offers its customers the most pleasing visuals, easy-to-use systems and quick matches, all for free. Because of that, it came in at the top of our list for taking the dating game to the web. It works by connecting your profile through Facebook without posting on your wall, the name, age and “tribe” of each match is listed along with a couple photos, and you can search matches by distance from your location to swipe left or right when you find a certain someone you think might be riding the same wavelength.
JDate ($39.99/month, $22.99/month for six months)
At almost $40 for one month on this site’s basic plan, JDate is by and far the most expensive dating service for Jewish singles on the market. That being said, it’s one of our favorites. Like many other dating sites, JDate asks you for your name and location when registering, but also asks questions about your smoking preferences, physical characteristics, profession and “Jewish-ness.” The site itself isn’t super sleek looking, but it’s easy to use and offers the largest selection of matches out of the websites we reviewed. Overall, if you’re committed to finding “the one,” we recommend shelling out a couple of extra bucks and subscribing to JDate.
Match.com ($36.99/month, $17.99/month for six months)
This service may not be exclusively Jewish, but it’s open to all shapes, sizes… and tribes. Match lets you describe your beliefs beyond checking the “Jewish” box, though the site’s other profile questions ask for more information about living preferences and physical descriptors over personality traits. Still, Match wants to know about your favorite places to hang out and whether you’re a dog or cat person, and asks what Mr. Perfect would look like to you. It even lets you decide if your man’s body type is a deal breaker! However, out of our first dozen matches, not one was Jewish (even though we chose that as our deal breaker). If you’re willing to sift through the haystack or aren’t too concerned about dating Jewish, this is stacked with options.
SuperTova (Free)
You’re probably starting to realize online dating can get a little pricey. On a tight budget? SuperTova is just for you. Like our other picks, SuperTova asks questions about your interests, political views and astrological sign (okay, that one was new) but the service itself is free. While that’s a plus, it comes with some downfalls, like a site that crashes with every click. We also got a little nervous when we learned the site was free; we’re looking for the loves of our lives here, not just some Joe Schmo. Still, the site is pretty easy to use and it offers a wide selection of singles, so it ranks fourth on our list.
Not Recommended:
Jewish Café ($32.95/month, $11.66/month for six months)
If you’re crunched for time and sitting down in a real café isn’t in the cards this week, you’re in luck — Jewish Café, a virtual meeting spot for you and your future hubby, is coming to your rescue. Unfortunately, we found only one Minnesotan on the site, which means you better be ready to pack your bags and hit the road if you’re looking to settle down with your perfect match.
Jewcier ($29.99/month, $14.99/month for six months)
Jewcier caught our eye with its generally pleasing aesthetics and easy-to-use navigation. When searching through matches, Jewcier lets you review a person’s photograph, age, “tribe” and location before shooting them a message. You even have the option of describing your perfect date in the process of creating your profile! However, we quickly realized not only were most of our matches non-Jews, many of them were middle-aged or older, so we can’t recommend for young singles. But, if you’re into someone with more experience…
JPeople Meet ($13.99/month, $6.49/month for six months)
Despite it’s easy-to-use look, JPeople Meet didn’t exactly meet our expectations. Unlike our other picks, this dating site didn’t ask us to fill out personal, in-depth questions to help find a match. Besides asking for a location and username, JPeople Meet didn’t want to know much else about myself or my perfect date. Still, we searched through profiles nearby… and were disappointed to find only one person in Minneapolis on the site. Overall, we wouldn’t recommend spending your dollars on this service.
Saw You At Sinai ($18.95/month, $10.95/month for six months)
Saw You At Sinai is about as close as you’ll get to visiting bubbe and zayde’s high-end matchmaker. Reserved for Conservative Jews and stricter-practicing, this dating service is not real casual. After asking for your full name, phone number and home address, Saw You At Sinai requires you to fill out the number of times you pray weekly, if you plan to own a television and your father’s Hebrew name. It goes on to ask for your native language and where you and your parents live before asking for two references (which I once thought were reserved for college and job applications). Despite the intensive application process, Saw You At Sinai hooks you up with a personal matchmaker, which is why we weren’t surprised the service doesn’t offer a free trial. This site made the bottom of our list because of its intense questions and niche audience. Still, if you’re an orthodox woman looking to find your true match, you might think about checking out this service.
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