How we keep our reviews honest

If you're reading this page there's a good chance you're finding it hard to pick the right dating website before jumping in and parting with your cash.

So far you may well have found a lot of so-called "advice", probably plastered with lifestyle photos of happy couples, complemented with big trophy award logos to make you buy. If you're wondering whether this advice is any good, you're right to be dubious.

Here's why you should be wary...

Review sites get paid for referrals - including us

Since most review sites get a commission when they refer a paying customer, they have a vested interest in pushing you into online dating. Dating Trail is no different. That's also why most sites (except us!) are biased towards companies who pay the biggest commissions.

If you've already seen the same old names recommended time and again, now you know why.

Why our ethos is different

We don't wake up in the morning hoping to make a quick buck out of dating. We believe if we make something utterly honest, people will use it, trust it and share it.

Therefore it makes more sense for us to get lots of happy visitors year on year, than a few cheap clicks. That's why our aim is a truly fair comparison system - even if that means sacrificing the really big payers.

Here's how we've done it:

Step 1: We ditched the woolly stuff

If you see any reviews that talk about "ease of use" or "design quality" your alarm bells should be ringing. These kinds of ratings require a reviewer's disgression which makes them the perfect way to push up scores on sites who pay big commissions.

Instead our reviews have in-depths lists of features. Sites either have these features or they don't - it's black and white. That makes it very difficult for us to game our own scores in favour of the biggest payers.

Step 2: We reward good service

Online dating may be very popular but it isn't without problems. The most common issues are to do with service and subscription cancellations.

So rather than bury the problem, we decided to highlight it.

Websites that offer good support, make it easy to cancel and put customers in control of payments get properly rewarded. You'll see these issues under Payment & Support in every review.

Step 3: We highlight anti-weirdo measures (Halo)

Perhaps the biggest point of infamy in online dating is the number of weirdos and scammers it attracts. This really drives us crazy because much of it is easily stopped.

That's why our Halo Score is made up of things that make life difficult for bad guys.

We like dating sites who make it easy to see which members are currently online, or last logged on, so you can see genuinely active profiles. We also like sites who have robust spam blocking mechanisms and allow you to remove your profile easily. This keeps their membership databases cleaner and more honest.

No website has yet achieved a perfect Halo score! That's because we haven't yet found a site that does even the most rudimentary ID check to stop fake profiles or West African scam artists. We think they should and we will hail up the first site to implement this feature.

Our door is always open...

Online dating technology is ever changing so our reviews are always under review. We don't promise to cover every website but we do promise to cover all the biggest or most notable ones.

If we missed anything or you spot something wrong with a review please tell us! These reviews are complex beasts and we rely on our ever-vigilant fans to keep things honest.

Enough talk, on with the show! See our latest reviews here »

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