Our Verdict:
Plenty of Fish is a popular online dating option for those interested in finding a potential partner. Although the platform has undergone many changes over the years, it remains a popular dating site with unique features.
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eHarmony, Your Journey to Lasting Love
- Provides users with a curated selection of matches based on their compatibility
- Have complete confidence that all of your compatible matches are looking for the same thing you are, love that lasts
- Align with individuals who desire deeper and more meaningful relationships
- Millions of couples have found lasting love
Key Features
- Plenty of Fish takes a conversational approach to online dating, rather than a photo-heavy approach, like other match-making platforms.
- The site features games to help potential matches get to know one another better.
- It’s free to sign up for Plenty of Fish and to create a profile. However, the site now offers POF Plus and POF Premium membership options that may enhance your experience and help you find more potential matches.
Established in 2003, Plenty of Fish is an online dating site that’s available as an app or as a desktop site. It’s well-known for its abundance of completely free features, from messaging to profile photos. This has made Plenty of Fish a standout for those looking for a bargain online dating experience. If you’re looking for a more robust experience, POF Plus and POF Premium membership options include all the benefits of the basic, free membership, plus features like in-depth profile information, unlimited number of “likes” and the ability to see who has read messages you’ve sent.
Plenty of Fish differentiates itself from other dating sites by claiming to take a “fun” approach to online dating. The Plenty of Fish website says, “Whether you’re into spicy dating games, live streaming or sending a good-old-fashioned DM, we’ve got lots of options to make finding your person actually fun.”
Recent new features include a compatibility quiz and Cue Me!, a game featuring a series of quirky questions designed to show a side others may not see from basic profile prompts. The site places a stronger focus on messaging and compatibility than photos, encouraging users to get to know a bit about each other before deciding whether to swipe left or right.
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Plenty of Fish at a Glance
- POF Live! allows users to create a 90-second livestream.
- Cue’d Up! is a game that gives users a funny question with several suggested answers.
- Are you Sure? is a feature that prompts you if you’re trying to send something inappropriate to another user on the platform.
How Plenty of Fish Works
Plenty of Fish is available online or as an app on either Apple or Android devices. It’s simple to get started on the site, and free to build your profile. After providing basic information like your name and location, you’ll be directed to a screen that allows you to set preferences for the type of experience you’re hoping to get on the site. You’ll tell the site whether you’re looking for something serious or just dating around, specifics about your gender and sexuality preferences and in what age bracket you’re interested in being matched with. Once this step is complete, you’re ready to start browsing the site.
Meet Me
Upon entering the site once your profile is complete, you’ll find a “Meet Me” page that shows you several photos of singles who match your basic demographic desires (think: location, sex and age). Similar to other online dating platforms, you can make instantaneous decisions about these potential matches through a swipe right/swipe left feature.
Messaging
Plenty of Fish encourages connection by providing users with a few different ways to connect. The Mutual Match feature allows for unlimited communication between any two users who have liked one another’s profile. You can like a profile either by visiting it directly, or through the Meet Me feature outlined above.
The other way to get those messages flowing is by using the First Contacts feature, which sends your message to the top of your potential match’s inbox, making a connection more likely. If you don’t have a paid membership, you’re limited to just a few First Contacts in a 24-hour period, but the company’s help feature was unclear on the exact number. Upgrading to a Premium membership allows for additional First Contacts each day.
In-App Currency
You can earn tokens on the Plenty of Fish site, and they may be purchased or gifted to you. You’re able to redeem tokens for a Highlight or Boost, both features that elevate your profile to the “Today’s Catch” banner on the Meet Me page, for the Super Yes! feature, which shows extra interest in a particular user and to send priority messages to a particular user.
You can buy tokens in groups of one, five or 10, and the price ranges from $1.70 and $2.20 on a sliding scale based on how many you purchase. Tokens last for six months before expiring.
We Specialize In Compatibility
At eHarmony we offer the opportunity to experience real love through our Compatibility Matching System. We give each of our members the ability to find compatibility and connection through our unique features.
Plenty of Fish Cost
Perhaps the biggest change Plenty of Fish has undergone in recent years is their pricing structure. While you can enjoy a robust free experience on the Plenty of Fish platform, you’ll unlock enhanced features when you sign up for either of the site’s two paid membership options. The following features remain free when you create a profile on Plenty of Fish:
- Sending messages to other users
- A limited number of First Contacts each day
- Uploading a limited number of photos to your profile
- Setting up advanced search filters
- Viewing a limited number of profiles
- Taking the Compatibility Predictor quiz
According to Plenty of Fish, there are plans for three, six and 12 month memberships. The cost is $25, $60 and $110 respectively. With a membership, you have the following features available:
- Uploading 16 photos to your profile
- Using the Live! Feature
- Unlocking extended profiles with more personal details about a potential match
- Have your profile on top of the “Meet Me” list
- See who views your profile
- See who reads your messages
- Sending virtual gifts (up to three each day)
What Experts Say About Plenty of Fish
There are a lot of pros and cons to online dating, says Megan Harrison, a licensed marriage and family therapist, who runs Couples Candy––a project dedicated to providing couples with information to help promote happy and successful relationships. “On the plus side, you can find a large pool of potential matches to choose from,” explains Harrison. “You can also get to know someone quite well online before you ever meet in person. On the downside, however, some people lie about themselves on their dating profiles. And it can be difficult to get to know someone online as well as you could in person.”
“Plenty of Fish is one of the most popular dating sites on the market today, and for good reason,” says Harrison. “The site has a large user base, which means there are plenty of potential matches to choose from. Additionally, the site offers a variety of features that make it easy to find someone who is compatible with you.”
But she notes several drawbacks as well. “The site is free to use, which means that there are more scammers and fake profiles on the site. This can make it difficult to find a real and genuine match,” she adds. “Plenty of scammers and fake profiles [likely] go undetected.” And finally, customer service is limited: The site does have a robust help page, and a Live Chat feature, but it can be quite difficult to get someone on the phone if you run into an issue.
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The Plenty of Fish Experience
In general, reviews of the Plenty of Fish site tend to skew negative, with many users complaining of constant changes to the platform, including the features that are monetized versus free. Other complaints center around a seemingly increasing number of spam or fake profiles, and users who aren’t looking for a serious dating experience.
However, the site boasts a large number of users, encourages users to get to know one another rather than just connecting based on appearances and offers a variety of features that many may find fun and engaging.
Get Who Gets You
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can you search Plenty of Fish without joining?
From our experience, we did not find a way to search profiles on Plenty of Fish without first signing up for an account. Of course, you don’t have to pay a membership fee in order to find matches, but you do at least have to have an active account on the site.
Is Plenty of Fish free?
It is free to sign up and create a profile on the Plenty of Fish online dating site. It’s also possible to send messages to potential matches and enjoy other basic functionality on the site (like adding photos to your profile). However, in order to use the Live! feature, which allows you to create and share a 90-second livestream, and to see who has viewed your profile and messages you’ve sent, along with other, more advanced functionality, you’ll need to have a paid subscription to the site.
How much is Plenty of Fish per month?
According to Plenty of Fish, there are plans for three, six and 12 month memberships. The cost is $25, $60 and $110 respectively.
