How I Rate Dating Sites

Every rating on TheDatingGal is out of 5, in half points, and every ranking is sorted by that rating. Here's what goes into it, so you can decide how much weight to give it.

The five things I rate

Value for money: what the free tier really lets you do (can you send a message?), and what a month of the paid plan costs compared with similar sites.
Safety and verification: photo or video verification, profile screening, blocking and reporting tools, and how the site handles scams and fake profiles.
An active user base: evidence that real people use it in the US, from app store rating counts, the company's own figures and, for the original reviews, what I saw myself.
Features for its audience: a kink site needs kink filters, a senior site needs a simple interface. I rate a site against what its own members came for.
Transparency: clear prices, honest auto-renewal, and an easy way to cancel and delete your account.

What the scores mean

4.5 to 5: the one I'd try first for that goal.
3.5 to 4: solid, with a catch worth knowing before you pay.
2.5 to 3: works for a narrow audience, or has a real downside.
2 and below: I'd skip it, and the review says why.

Hands-on reviews vs researched pages

The original reviews come from using each site myself. Newer pages are researched from official sources and say so (more on that on my About page). A newer page never changes the rating of an original review: it reuses it.

Where the facts come from

Prices, plans and features: the platform's own pricing page, help center or App Store / Google Play listing, with the month they were checked.
Statistics: primary sources only (Pew Research, the FTC, the FBI's IC3), linked.
When sources disagree and I can't settle it, the page says so instead of picking one.

What can't change a rating

Affiliate commissions, free accounts, or a platform asking nicely. Ratings move when the site changes: new prices, new safety features, or a drop in quality. If you think a rating is wrong, email contact@thedatinggal.com.