Find the best dating sites in South Africa
Lost in the jungle of South African dating services? -
Welcome to dating-navigator.co.za
Dating websites are springing up like mushrooms, with thousands of flirting and dating apps or websites offering their services in South Africa. Someone new to online dating may find it hard to orientate themselves in their search for the best and most reputable singles websites that actually provide results.
We take the risk out of your search by testing and comparing the different online dating websites on your behalf. As experienced market observers and analysts we have been keeping a close eye on the industry for years. All singles websites are tested by us before undergoing a systematic analysis. We not only tell you whether a website is reliable and secure, but also whether it really is efficient in helping you find a new partner. So forget about wasting hours looking for a suitable website on your own. Start your online dating experience sooner by taking advantage of our comprehensive and free reports.
The best dating sites in South Africa:
# 1: EliteSingles
in our evaluation *)- Members in South Africa: 2.000.000
- Dating category: Love
- Leading elite dating site in South Africa
- 18,000 new members each week
EliteSingles Overview
Last update: 08.04.2024A personality test – detailed and extensive – is used by this dating service to match up its ambitious, well-educated singles. The test ...
Score: 10/10
for EliteSingles42 responses to 100 messages in our test. *)
# 2: Zoosk
in our evaluation *)- Members in South Africa: 2.500.000
- Dating category: Flirt
- Good instant messaging function
- Carousel is a fun feature
Zoosk Overview
Last update: 08.04.2024Zoosk in South Africa is a well liked and appreciated service. Despite its longevity, Zoosk never compromised on its principles and customer ...
Score: 4/10
for Zoosk6 responses to 100 messages in our test. *)
# 3: match.com
in our evaluation *)- Members in South Africa: 200.000
- Dating category: Love
- Easy and relaxed flirting on Match
- Tried and tested approach still works for singles
match.com Overview
Last update: 11.04.2024Match a great place for flirting, fun and quality interactions. A trusted provider all over the world and still many people’s first choice ...
Score: 3/10
for match.com7 responses to 100 messages in our test. *)
Let’s take a look at the three most important singles website categories.
Love: Matchmaking Agencies
Are you looking for the love of your life? Then good partner matchmaking agencies are your best choice. You might be in a serious relationship sooner than you know it.
Are you looking for the love of your life? Then good partner matchmaking agencies are your best choice. You might be in a serious relationship sooner than you know it.
Flirting: Singles websites and dating apps
In the mood for some flirting and not too worried about how it will end? There are countless flirting apps in South Africa for those who don’t want to seriously commit.
Adventure: Casual dating websites and apps
Are you looking for a fellow South African to share an erotic adventure with? Find out who else have the same thing in mind. We tell you which apps are worth your while.
We are experts on dating websites and apps in South Africa
Dating-Compass is a website that provides information aimed at providing helpful and practical support on the topic of online dating in South Africa. Our focus is on the testing and evaluation of different dating websites and apps. With numerous online dating service available in South Africa, the average customer finds it hard to assess the quality and performance of the individual sites or apps. Our test reports and comparisons, which provide a valuable overview, are available free of charge to all interested parties. In the process, we bring transparency to the market.
Not every online dating website or app is equally good. The team from Dating-Compass have been evaluating the South African dating websites and apps for years. The expertise of our entire team is evident in our editorial tests. More about Dating-Compass!
Every dating website and every dating app is thoroughly tested by us.
Flirting? Love? Adventure? There is a suitable dating website for your needs.
Depending on what you have in mind when you embark on an online dating experience, there are websites to match your needs. On this page, we categorise the South African dating websites and dating apps in three categories. You must only decide what you are looking for.
- Flirting
- Love
- Adventure
Flirting: dating websites and dating apps
The primary goal in the flirting category is to meet new people. Contact and communication centre mostly around flirting. The parties are not concerned about a long term relationship, but about meeting interesting new people in a fun way. Of course there is always the possibility of falling in love. But sometimes it remains a flirtation and other times there is even an erotic interlude. To summarise: anything can happen in the flirting category, but nothing has to.
The flirting category is basically present in all classic dating websites that have sprung up after the more conventional personal advertisements in newspapers were made redundant by the internet. In essence, a flirt presents himself to other flirts based on his or her profile. The profile is found and read by other website users through the search function.
Match.com is probably the largest and best known provider of a flirting service in South Africa. Most of the dating apps, like Tinder, Badoo and Zoosk, are also included in the flirting category. These apps are becoming increasingly popular, especially with young South Africans. Armed with a smartphone and a flirting app, they can flirt anytime and anywhere. While this is the greatest advantage of an app, they are continuously developed and updated with new innovations, providing additional flirting fun.
Love: matchmaking websites
An online matchmaking service is the place to look for love. The chances are good you will find your soulmate or a long-term partner here. On a matchmaking website there is no doubt about the intentions of the users meeting and flirting with each other. Everyone is looking for love or for a long-term relationship. Matchmaking agencies specialize in sifting through profiles to find the best possible suitable partner to propose to the user. In-depth, scientific personality determinates are used to produce the proposals.
Matchmaking websites are top class online dating services. No other dating service can generate such accurate partner proposals. In our opinion, Eharmony and EliteSingles are among the best matchmaking services in South Africa. You will find our comparisons of the best matchmaking agencies in the country in the love category.
Adventure: casual dating websites
If you are looking for an erotic adventure with no strings attached, you will feel at home in this category. Casual dating is becoming increasingly popular in South Africa. The goal of casual dating websites is to connect people who want to meet up for sex. In this category, no-one frowns upon a one-night stand. Both parties agree and understand that no feelings are involved. It is about non-committal casual sex only. If a relationship, romantic or otherwise, develops from the meeting it is an added bonus. In general, the following rules apply: strictly sex, no obligations, no emotions.
There might be a perception that casual dating is just for men. On the contrary, more and more women are taking advantage of online services to live out their erotic fantasies. BeNaughty is the best provider of online dating services in South Africa.
Dating categories
Adventures
We can help you to find the right casual sex dating site. We have analysed all the major causal sex dating websites so we can recommend the... (more)
Reliable tests form the basis of our comparisons of singles websites
Dating-Compass provides helpful and insightful comparisons of dating websites and flirting apps. The tests, based on established criteria, are done thoroughly and regularly. Our goal is to provide an authentic and realistic overview for everyone visiting dating websites.
While quality and value for money are important, we also place emphasis on the contact test. This test determines how easy it is to connect with other members, which after all is the real purpose of the online dating market. Is it quick and easy to connect with another member, or are there glitches in communication? We recommend that you read the results of our contact tests to compare them with those of other online dating websites in the same category, keeping in mind that actual results will vary from case to case.
Our analyses help you to evaluate dating websites at a glance. Here is an outline of how we summarise our main results:
- Advantages and disadvantages
- Tips
- Success rate
- Membership statistics
- Suitability for flirting/love/adventure
We examine the following points in detail in our tests, with each one described in detail in its own chapter. The result is a comprehensive picture of the respective singles website:
- Practice test and experience with test profile
- Features and profiles
- User friendliness
- Value for money
Free vs paid dating websites
People often ask us about the difference between free and paid dating websites. Is it necessary to pay for membership of a dating website? The straight and simple answer is that people who take advantage of free dating sites in our experience have a very casual attitude towards dating. It is also a fact that free dating sites attract significantly more fake profiles and ladies promoting their professional services.
Warning lights must come on when you receive a message from a woman on a free dating site, sending you a link to another site where she allegedly has a better, more complete profile. Such scams are almost always present on free dating sites.
Looking at our test reports, it is obvious that we have analysed a lot more paid than free dating websites. Given the above explanation, the reason is simple. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t one or two free online dating services we like. You will also find them in our test reports.
Our assessment of value for money is present in all our test reports. For example, we recommend a longer membership if you want to save on the monthly price of a paid dating website. However, this will only make sense if you are going to use the service that long. As a rule of thumb we think six months on a large dating website is enough time to find a partner. On the other hand, you might rush if your membership is less than six months, resulting in hasty decisions that can spoil your chances of finding love.
Free singles websites are never entirely free
Even if you don’t notice it at first, free dating websites almost always have a price attached. If it’s not in monetary terms, it is through advertising.
Remember that all dating websites cost money to operate. The development of the platform, the server, the maintenance of security features and customer support all require money. It means even a free dating site must make money. Therefore, the free dating website relies on advertising revenue. Ultimately, the user data, which is of great interest to the advertising industry, is traded as currency.