Plenty Of Fish vs Match compared: Which app is best?

Going with the best dating app gives you the best chance to meet the right person. Plenty Of Fish, or POF for short, and Match are both well-established dating services. Find out which one is best suited to your dating needs. See how features and prices compare.

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Plenty Of Fish vs Match: The differences
Picking the right dating app: Plenty Of Fish vs Match
Which dating app is cheaper: Plenty Of Fish vs Match
Which dating app is better for you? Plenty Of Fish vs Match
Plenty Of Fish vs Match: Final thoughts
Plenty Of Fish vs Match FAQ

Plenty Of Fish vs Match: The differences

Here are the most important differences between Plenty Of Fish and Match.

	Plenty Of Fish	Match
Who is it for?	Singles looking for both casual and serious dating.	Singles looking for relationships and marriage
Registration detail	Fast registration process, lets you add details later.	Thorough registration process, lots of detail needed to start out.
Memberships and profiles	Plenty Of Fish has fewer members than Match. Profile quality uneven.	Match has more members than Plenty Of Fish with detailed profiles.
Premium Service	Main features are available for free, including messaging	Paid membership required for full messaging
Pros	Freedom to pick from a variety of users with filtering options	Quality over quantity approach with curated matches
Cons	Some profiles are misleading or fraudulent	Match has fewer features than Plenty Of Fish

How is Plenty Of Fish better than Match?

Plenty Of Fish gives you more control than Match when browsing through profiles. You can search for potential matches as you see fit. Plenty Of Fish has robust filtering options so you can be as picky or as broad as you want to be in your searches. You can change what you’re looking for with every search.

plenty of fish vs match app features for POF

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Just like the phrase its brand name is based on, there are plenty of fish in the sea, POF’s approach to dating is all about abundance. There is no shortage of features or different ways to meet people. This means that there is no one way to use Plenty Of Fish successfully.

Plenty Of Fish is great if you are looking for a flexible and feature-rich dating app. If you like to be proactive when looking for someone to date, then POF is the choice for you.

Did you know?

Plenty Of Fish has an app for iPhone and Android as well as one specially designed for iPad. The larger screen on the iPad makes it more convenient to browse through profiles with ease.

How is Match better than Plenty Of Fish?

Match is designed around a quality over quantity approach, which aims to simplify dating for those looking for a long-term partner or spouse. It does this by asking various questions to better understand the type of relationship and partner you’re looking for.

plenty of fish vs match features for match

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Match is the best app for people who don’t want to spend a lot of time browsing through profiles or setting up search filters to find the right person. Match’s selling point is that the app does the heavy lifting for you.

As long as you are upfront about yourself and who you’re looking for when you sign up, Match.com will select quality profiles that meet your dating needs. Match cuts out the overwhelming step of having to sort through endless profiles.

Did you know?

Match has an app for iPhone and Android as well as one specially designed for Apple Watch. This makes it easy to stay connected with your matches without having to pull out your phone.

Picking the right dating app: Plenty Of Fish vs Match

The right dating app for you will be the one that matches your relationship, romance, and intimacy preferences. You need to decide whether you are looking for a committed relationship or casual fun. Dating apps are a bit like a box of chocolates, you need to find your favorite. That could well be Match, Plenty Of Fish, or something completely different.

Online dating app recommendations

Before you pick your favorite, be sure to have a look at our dating app recommendations.

Which dating app is cheaper: Plenty Of Fish vs Match

Plenty Of Fish is cheaper than Match. Its pricing is also simpler with only one premium tier while Match has two paid options. Have a look at the price differences for Plenty Of Fish vs Match.

	Plenty Of Fish Upgrade	Match Standard	Match Premium
3 months	$21.32 per month	$34.45 per month	$40.41 per month
6 months	$15.99 per month	$24.48 per month	$26.51 per month
12 months	$10.66 per month	$21.84 per month	$23.11 per month

The Plenty Of Fish upgrade is noticeably cheaper than Match, even when compared against the Standard paid membership. If you are looking to save money, then POF is clearly the more affordable choice here.

Free vs paid features: How do these apps stack up?

Match and POF bring different approaches to their dating app services. Let’s take a closer look at what each one offers to its free and premium users.

Plenty Of Fish features: free vs paid options

Check out all the Plenty Of Fish features and compare the free and paid versions side-by-side.

Plenty Of Fish free features	Plenty Of Fish “Upgrade” paid features
✅ Create a profile	✅ Create a profile
✅ Add 8 photos	✅ Add up to 16 photos to your profile
✅ View main profiles	✅ View a user’s extended profile
✅ Send and receive messages	✅ Send and receive messages
	✅ No ads
	✅ Read receipts
	✅ “Triple your views” monthly boost
	✅ Your profile shows up in top search results
	✅ See when someone views your profile
	✅ Priority access to Meet Me feature

Plenty Of Fish gives its free users all the core features needed to start dating online: profile creation, viewing other profiles and messaging potential matches.

The paid features upgrade that experience by increasing the number of photos you can add to your profile and how many details you can see when viewing someone else’s profile. The rest of the paid features range from quality-of-life improvements, like no ads, to features that improve your chances of matching, like more views and priority access.

The key thing to remember is that Plenty Of Fish isn’t stopping you from matching or talking with someone just because you are using the free version. Paying to upgrade your experience is possible but it is not essential for this dating app to work as intended.

Match features: free vs paid options

Match’s features are spread over one free and two paid tiers. Find out what you can do at each level.

Free option	Standard paid option	Premium paid option
✅ Profile creation	✅ Profile creation	✅ Profile creation
✅ Unlimited likes	✅ Unlimited likes	✅ Unlimited likes
✅ Message top picks Match has selected for you	✅ Message top picks Match has selected for you	✅ Message top picks Match has selected for you
	✅ Unlimited messages (beyond top picks)	✅ Unlimited messages (beyond top picks)
		✅ Receive messages from non-matches
		✅ See who likes you
		✅ Read receipts
		✅ Monthly boosts
		✅ Unlimited rewinds
		✅ See who visited your profile
		✅ Weekly super likes

Match’s free option might seem similar to POF’s initially but the main difference is that you can only message top picks. These are a limited number of profiles that Match picks out for you. This means that you can’t message just anyone that catches your eye.

While you can view and like as many profiles as you want, you won’t be able to message them unless you pay for the Standard paid option, at least. That is the only extra feature that the Standard option gives you.

Essentially, you have to pay for Match to get the same feature set you get on POF for free. The premium paid tier matches the perks that Plenty Of Fish offers but at a much higher cost.

Which dating app is better for you? Plenty Of Fish vs Match

Find the pros and cons for Plenty Of Fish vs Match below, so you can decide which app is better for you.

Plenty Of Fish pros and cons

These are the advantages and disadvantages of the Plenty Of Fish dating app.

Pros	Cons
✅ Key features unlocked for free users	❌ Fewer users than Match
✅ Affordable paid upgrade	❌ Users have to sort through profiles to find a good match
✅ 4.2 out of 5 App Store review score

Match pros and cons

Here are the main benefits and drawbacks of the Match dating app.

Pros	Cons
✅ Quality over quantity approach	❌ You need to pay for basic messaging
✅ 3x more users than POF	❌ 3.8 out of 5 App Store review score
✅ Great track record for committed relationships and marriage.

Plenty Of Fish vs Match: Final thoughts

When considering Plenty Of Fish vs Match, one thing that is certain is that both apps are well established and popular. Your choice between the two apps comes down to the following factors:

Are you looking for a free dating app?
Are you exclusively looking for a long-term relationship or marriage?

If you want to use a free dating app, then Plenty Of Fish is the best dating app for you. Its free features are everything you need to start dating online.

If your online dating goal is to find a long-term partner or potential spouse, then Match is a better fit. You will need to pay for the Standard paid plan, at least, to access essential features so you can find your match.

Plenty Of Fish vs Match FAQ

Here are answers to common questions about Plenty Of Fish vs Match.

Is Match better than POF?

Match is better than POF if you are only looking for a committed relationship or marriage when dating online. For casual dating or if you’re unsure about the sort of relationship you are looking for, then POF is a better fit.

Match is also better if you don’t like browsing through lots of profiles and would rather get a selection of close matches. On the other hand, if you like to do searches and have full control over the results, then Plenty Of Fish has more features and is more customisable.

Is Plenty Of Fish legit?

Plenty Of Fish is legit and well-established. The company has been in operation for decades and was actually acquired by the Match Group, one of the largest companies in the online dating world. POF follows best online security practices and has a customer support team to respond to user needs.

Which dating app will help me get married, Match or Plenty Of Fish?

Match is potentially more likely to help you tie the knot because of its focus on traditional relationships. That doesn’t mean you can’t find the love of your life on Plenty Of Fish as long as you’re up front about what you’re looking for. However, you may come across people who don’t share your relationship preferences.

Which is cheaper: Match vs POF?

POF is cheaper than Match. This is because all the main dating features on Plenty Of Fish are available for free. On Match, you need to pay for the Standard option to unlock full messaging features. Additionally, the paid upgrade on Plenty Of Fish is cheaper than both paid options on Match.

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Check out our dating app comparisons so you can pick the best one for you.