Our Verdict On POF(Plenty Of Fish)
Summary
Plenty of Fish has many advantages, including a huge pool of members, detailed search features, and the majority of essential features being available for free. However, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that Pof is only effective when you are interested in dating locally. If you are determined to find a loving Russian or Ukrainian bride, we suggest choosing one of the websites from our Top Reviews section.
Even if you are relatively new to the world of online dating, you have probably heard about Plenty Of Fish at least once. Pof is one of the best-known dating sites in the business. It claims to be the most popular dating website in the world, and with stats like 90 million users overall and over 3 million users logging into the website every day, it’s hard to argue with the popularity of Pof.
Over a million relationships are at PlentyOfFish every year, and while this number may be impressive, you need to keep in mind that most of those relationships happen between members living in close proximity from one another.
Despite the obvious success Pof has had in the dating scene, not all Plenty Of Fish reviews are 100% positive. Members often complain about the low quality of member pool, limited opportunities for searching international matches, and overly complicated design of the site. We decided to do our own Pof review to see whether it lives up to the hype.
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How it works
Your experience with Plenty Of Fish starts with registration. Unlike other dating sites, Pof is very meticulous about the sign-up process and require you to not only provide the basic information like your birth date and location, but also complete a lengthy questionnaire. The questionnaire is designed to improve your matches, but it can take a while to fill in.
After you complete the registration, you can begin your journey. There are several ways to discover the potential matches on Pof. The first one is to use the match system. The Pof algorithm calculates your compatibility with other members and displays members with the highest compatibility percentage.
If you are not happy with your matches or want to look beyond the algorithm results, you can use the search function. There are three types of searches available to Pof users: the username search, the basic search, and the advanced search. All of these search types are pretty self-explanatory. The advanced search gives you the most opportunities for describing your ideal partner, but keep in mind that the more specific you are, the fewer results you will get.
Whenever you see someone you like in your matches or search results, you can take the next step by opening the complete profile of a woman you are interested in. It’s worth noting that the extended profile is only available to paying users, so you’ll see a shorter version of the profile along with the member’s photos.
The communication options at Plenty of Fish include mostly messages. A cool feature that was recently launched at Pof is the voice message that you can attach to your message to another member.
In an attempt to keep up with the times, Pof is now available not only on desktop devices, but also on mobile phones thanks to the iOS and Android apps. With these apps, you can enjoy the same functionality no matter where you are. You can also use the special mobile version of the website if you don’t want to download the app.
While we found the design of the app to be rather convenient and simplistic, we cannot say the same about the design of the desktop site. It is filled with unnecessary elements and occasional ad banners, which makes the user experience less enjoyable.
Who can you find there?
The majority of Plenty of Fish users live in the US, which is why it is more than likely that you will only meet US-based members in your online dating quest. And while that may be a good thing if you are interested in local dating, it can complicate things if you are looking for a girlfriend from overseas.
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In case your goal is to find a woman from Russia, Ukraine, or another European country, you can expect a much better and faster result if you sign up for one of the specialized international dating sites. Pof is great for meeting women from your own city or state, but it cannot compete with international dating websites when it comes to foreign brides.
Prices
An essential part of most Pof reviews is the cost section, and our review is no exception. Surprisingly enough, Plenty of Fish allows access to a decent number of vital features for free. Without paying a cent, you can create an account, see your matches, use the search feature, and, most importantly, send messages and read inbox messages.
However, there is still a paid membership on offer. With a paid membership, you will be able to view extended profiles, remove the ads from the website, appear more visible in the search results, see who viewed your profile and whether your message has been read.
The minimal number of months you can sign up for is 2, and in this case, you will pay $19.35 per month. If you are ready to commit to your membership for 8 months, each month will cost you just $10.18.
Safety
Besides using SSL encryption throughout the website, Pof isn’t doing much to maintain the privacy and security of their members. There is no profile verification policy, which means the profile of an extremely attractive woman you stumble upon can very much turn out to be fake. There are, however, some guides on how to stay safe during your online dating experience, but they are more like general knowledge than secret techniques.