Is eHarmony Worth the Price?
Published on March 15, 2010
This is a common question because the cost of eHarmony is expensive, even compared to other online dating service prices. My opinion is that as long as you are getting a reasonable number of matches, eHarmony is worth the price.
(Learn more: see my eHarmony Review for more details on this service)
As I will present here, I think too many people look at the price tag of eHarmony as money they don’t have to spend. Many wrongly believe that the other ways they are meeting people are costing them no money. I think this is unfortunate as these people will continue to pursue previously unsuccessful methods of meeting people while for a relatively small price tag they could be meeting the person who is right now waiting for them online.
The following charts shows very basic information on common ways to try to meet singles:
| Method | Est. Cost per Week | Odds of Getting a Date | Odds You'll Match Well |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staying at Home | $0 | None to Low | n/a |
| Going to the bar once a week | $10* | Moderately good, depending on personality | Not that great but occasionally people get lucky |
| Church or Temple or Mosque | $0 | Moderately good but lowers the longer you have been attending (unless frequently gaining new membership) | Good odds considering you'll already share some core beliefs |
| Through Friends | $0 | Good | Low** |
| Meetup.com Singles Group | $10 | Moderate to very good | Fairly good if you're selective |
| eHarmony | $9.98*** | Very good odds | Very good odds |
**If your friends are like mine, anyway
***Assuming you are using the 3 month plan which is a total of $119.85
You Might Be Spending More and Getting Less
I think I’m being very fair in my chart above. Whenever I go out with friends to a bar, I can’t remember a time where I spent as little as $10. Still, to try and be fair I’m assuming my readers are able to spend this small of an amount. Still, even if you were able to spend as small an amount as eHarmony would cost you, what about how well you get along with someone? At a bar, you’re gambling with any relationship you’ll find. Not only that, while at eHarmony you can know who is looking for a serious relationship, at the bar it won’t be nearly so clear.
You might be saying, “But what about other places aside from the bar? Having my friends set me up is free!” That’s true, it is free to have your friends match you up with someone but most of the time that doesn’t seem to work out all that well. Not only that, your friends are only going to know so many single people they can match you up with…they’ll evenutally run out!
How Much Time Are You Getting Out of Your Method to Meet People?
Also, consider this: if you go to the bar to meet people, or church or even a meetup group, how many hours a week are you able to actively try to find a relationship? Three hours? Four? At eHarmony you’ll be able to be much more active in your attempts to meet people. If you live in a well populated area, you may have the opportunity to speak to new people every day not just a few hours one day a week. Now you could argue that you could go to the bar or a singles group more often than once a week but now the original argument that eHarmony is too expensive has been shot down! You’re spending more that you would at eHarmony if you go out more than once unless someone is buying the drinks for you!
Reasons eHarmony is a Poor Choice for Some
Still, eHarmony won’t work for everyone. This service will not be a good choice if you live in a low population area and you want to limit your matches to within 30 miles of yourself. I had this happen to me when I lived in the country and after a month or two I just wasn’t getting enough matches any longer. This is when I tried Match.com and the ability to contact whoever I wanted worked much better in my case. Again, this option was still cheaper than going to the bar and was providing me with more opportunity to meeting other singles.
Overall, eHarmony is actually a great choice for meeting singles and when you break the numbers down, the price is very competitive with the “normal” methods used to meet people. I recommend that anyone who is on the fence give it a try. You only live once and it’s painful for me to even consider what my life would be like right now if I hadn’t turned to online dating.
Author: Brad
Brad initially struggled with online dating but over time became quite successful using it. He met his wife using online dating and has been giving advice and helping people improve their results since 2007. He has written a Free Online Dating Guide to help others find success with online dating. You can learn more about his personal experience using online dating and running this website here.
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