reviews of the top 5 UK dating sites

Dating Direct first went online in 1999, and is currently the largest UK dating site with more than 5 million members.

A very professional dating service all round. They have affiliations with many other dating sites around the world so cover many countries and have a huge database of international users too.

The website is well designed and fast. Using it for the first time is straightforward and the system allows you to sign up for free allowing you to decide as and when if you want to upgrade to their paid service. Free membership limits your site functionality but you can still get a flavour for what and who's there by signing up and having a look around.

Price-wise it's pretty competitive in the market and altogether this is a very polished dating site. Dating Direct comes highly recommended.

eHarmony launched in the UK in July 2008, as an alternative to online dating for serious singles, looking for a long-term relationship. The company started out in the USA in 2000, and has grown now to be the Internet's No. 1 trusted relationship services provider.

The eHarmony concept was developed by clinical psychologist Dr. Neil Clark Warren. After practicing for 35 years, counseling hundreds of married couples, he noted that the marriages that didn't last were those where couples had large differences, and set about defining the traits that led to a successful match.

Users are matched to other users using scientifically proven technology based on answers to questions you give when you join up. No need to search endless profiles, eHarmony brings the matches to you! They use their own complex matching system developed through extensive testing which has been further adapted to the UK using specific research data from the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford.

Unlike most Dating Sites where the men greatly out number the women there is actually more female members than male. eHarmony is very much a matchmaking site with emphasis placed on the compatibility test. This might explain partially why eHarmony appeals so much to women.

eHarmony has become the Internet's fastest growing online dating service and is now heavily promoting itself in the UK. If you are seeking a safe online dating experience where you know that the other members are serious enough to be completing the very thorough sign up process to communicate with you then this is the one for you!

Special Offer

From Friday the 12th to Monday 15th January, eHarmony are offering a Free Communication Weekend allowing users to communicate with all their matches without paying anything extra!

Parship.co.uk is the UK's first compatibility-based online dating service, specifically for people who want to form a lasting relationship. It is the British branch of Europe's largest and most successful serious online dating service, which now has nearly two million members - predominantly affluent, educated men and women between 28 and 55 years old. As with the other site's reviewed here basic membership is free.

Parship.co.uk, has grown considerably recently backed by a UK TV advertising campaign and it has one of the best success rates for matches due to it's advanced relationship profiling.

Their matching system is called the 'Parship Principle', a psychometric method developed for Parship by Psychologist Professor Hugo Schmale. This principle is based on 30 years of research into the way people behave in relationships and they use it to identify specific aspects of your personality that influence relationships and then suggest suitable partners who balance and complement you.

They state, "When two people are compatible, it's about more than mutual attraction and shared interests... Their characters both match and complement each other. Parship's unique psychometric test explores the factors that create the balance of a successful relationship - personality, behaviour, attitudes and values."

The website offers a tutorial, detailed description of their matching method, success stories and a free Parship test to begin. The results of your test are split into three sections, each dealing with intellect, instinct and feeling and when you search for a profile, you can see how a person ranks with your wants and needs in a mate. This is the dating site to go for if you are sensitive about who sees your photos as only premium paid for members can if you let them. The test itself takes about 20 mins so get a cuppa before you start!

Match.com is one of the longest running and arguably the largest paid dating site in the world today. They've been online since 1995 and claim to be the "most recognised dating service worldwide". They state that they have created over a million successful relationships in that time and currently have more than 20 million members in 37 countries worldwide.

First targeting the US their service has increasingly been used and adapted for use all over the world and in the last few years has seen huge growth in the UK. Who knows, perhaps next year they'll be number 1 in our chart!

A very polished website with lots of search functionality. They they allow users to sign up and create a profile for free and 'wink' for free. Subscribing allows you to view any additional members photos, send & receive unlimited emails, see who's favourited you and even who's been viewing your profile. When you register for free on Match.com you can create a profile of yourself including uploading photos if you wish. You'll be able to search the user database with this free registration and 'wink' at other members and see 'winks'from them also.

Competitive pricing plans allowing you to subscribe and receive discounts for longer periods. All in all one of the best UK dating sites around today. Why not give it a try - it's free to register and check them out!

Another strong contender is Date the UK with it's friendly approach and bright interface. Their strapline is the 'UK's Favourite Dating Site' and data shows that users think it to be one of the best around with over 3 million members.

The site allows visitors to sign up and create a personal profile for free very quickly. Then you can choose to add more detail & photos as and when you feel you want to.

The profile navigation and member browse/search is well designed offering many options that will allow standard (free) members to find others to flirt with eg. via SMS. The free membership allows you to browse member profiles, 'rate' other members and add them to your friend list amongst other things. The usual sending and reading of messages requires a Premium membership.

Searching for potential matches was easy and straightforward with the ability to search quickly and within a specific mile radius too. Their Premium Membership fees are reasonable and on a par with other premier 'pay for' services like Match.com and Dating Direct.

They state that "Our members stay on this site for an average 20 minutes compared to 3 mins spent on other similar dating sites", which is quite a difference when you think about it so they must be doing something right!