Dating Online – types of dating site

Everyone is different and everyone wants different things from dating online, so naturally there are a variety of types of site to suit all tastes. As I said earlier, I've divided them into categories to make it easier.

While I'm on the subject, these are my ideas about categories and I don't expect everyone else to agree with all my decisions. (If you disagree, drop me a line and I'll be happy to attempt some justification in my choices). Some sites will of course fit into more than one category, so I've listed each one in what would seem to be the most obvious section.

Here’s an overview of my categories for Dating Online. Click on the headings for links to the full reviews:

These sites are what I call middle-of-the-road online dating sites. They are what most people will go for as they tend to target the average Internet dater - individuals looking for straightforward relationships, wants kids, to settle down etc. These sites usually avoid more specific areas favoured by other dating sites, such as extremes of sexual behaviour, unusual lifestyles etc. Mainstream dating sites are what might be termed the safe route to dating online and are more likely to appeal to people who don’t want to stray too far out of their comfort zone. These sites are a good way of finding your way around online dating and will prepare you, if the need arises, for other more specific sites. Follow the heading link to read Mainstream Dating site reviews.

Older people (50 upwards) may find specialised mature dating sites more user-friendly than some of the mainstream ones. Sites like Senior Fish Dating and Silver Cupid are the mature versions of mainstream dating.

Many sites are devoted to people who are interested in sexual relationships. There are sites for people seeking extra-marital affairs, discreet relationships or simply looking for a bit of fun. Sites such as Shagaholic, Be Naughty, Sex in the UK etc feature members who are looking for love, but the main membership of these sites is very much about adult relationships. Beware – many of these sites contain graphic images and strong language and are not for the fainthearted. Adult dating sites are also more prone to being frequented by people of a predatory nature, so take extra care when contacting members.

While some mainstream dating sites also cater for gay or lesbian daters – such as Match - it is likely that you’ll have more luck with a specialised site. Examples include One Good Love and Lesbian Dating.

There seem to be fewer sites aimed at young people, and they generally work slightly differently to mainstream sites. Chatbelt requires very little information form its members and the site has a very “young” feel about it.

Specific faiths are catered for on specific sites, and there are plenty to choose from if you'd like your ideal partner to follow or adhere to a particular religion or set of beliefs. Big Church, Christian Mingle and Muslim Single Solution are a good place to start.

Sites like Millionaire Dating and Sugardaddy cater for people with larger incomes and executive lifestyles. While it may be a bit of a cliché, these tend to be aimed at wealthy men looking for younger women. Sugardaddy is a good example and its members must have, or claim to have, large incomes.

Dating online doesn't always fit easily into general categories, so rather than create dozens of different ones, I've tried to keep things simple. Specialised online dating sites - in my book - are sites that are specific, so in this section I've included everything from farmers, fetishists, gardeners and people with STD's to horse-lovers, artists and sailing enthusiasts.

Uniform Dating for instance, is a dating site for people in the services or who have jobs that take them away from home for long periods. Plenty of Size is a site for larger people seeking similar-sized partners. Veggie Date is online dating for vegetarians, Free My Ability is aimed at people with disabilities and Nudist Dateaway is...well, I'm sure you can work it out.

Return to Guide to Dating Online home