Cupid.com is one of the top and oldest match-making sites. The website is based in the UK and is a part of the EasyDate dating site network and owned by the NSI Holdings Limited (since 2014). It was launched in June 2002 but had a major website redesign and rebrand in June 2016. The website interface was updated, and features were added to give them an edge over competitors.
Cupid didn’t initially use a matchmaking algorithm to automatically match users with compatible personalities. The 2016 redesign introduced features like Q-Match and LikeBook.
Subscription PlansFree (basic membership)
• £2.97 for a 3-day membership
• £23.99 for a one-month membership
• £62.37 for a three-month membership
• £95.94 for a six-month membership
Accepted modes of payment:
credit/debit card (Visa and Mastercard) and PayPal.
Number of members:
7.8 million total registered members (including Cupid local dating site members) with 450,000 members from the UK. Cupid has an average of 80,000 weekly active users and 616,000 monthly active users.
Cupid.com has more than 1.7 million worldwide monthly visits. About 70,000 of these unique visits are from the UK.
Member gender proportion:
35% female and 65% male
Member locations:
The website is targeted at the Australian, Canadian, UK, and USA markets
Special features include:
Q-Match (Quiz Matching) Is Cupid’s automated matching algorithm. You just need to answer a compatibility test and complete your profile especially your preferences for best results.
Free users can get a 50% on any premium membership if they answer at least half of the Quiz Matching statements.
LikeBook
The “LikeBook” feature provides you with suggested matches. The system shows user profiles one at a time. You can either like, message, or ignore the suggestion and move on to the next.
Cupid Arrow
This feature allows users can purchase perks or upgrades for $7.99 a month each. These perks include:
• LikeBook priority
• Appear on top of search results
• Larger profile photo in search results
• Receive messages from free users
• Browse user profiles in incognito mode
You purchase a perk at a discounted price of $5.59 if you purchase it together with two or more perks.
Wingman Barney
Wingman Barney serves as your virtual guide in Cupid.com. Barney will give you tips and regular reminders via the site’s built-in messaging function.
Other interesting features include:
• Signup via Facebook or email.
• There are multiple interaction methods. Free users can use the heart (like) and wink icons to interact with other users. An upgrade to a paid membership is necessary to access direct messaging options.
• The chatroom feature is for free. Users join and chat with random users.
• There are three chat options: text, audio, and video (flash-based)
• You can add users as friends (paid feature)
• You can add and edit profile pictures (up to 20 photo uploads), background pictures, upload videos (only one video), and up to three interests.
• You can edit profile information as needed.
• Personality Sliders enable you to rate different aspects of your personality. You can drag the slider left or right to indicate the percentage of the dominance of that specific character trait.
• Relation types include straight, gay, lesbian, and bisexual. Relationship statuses that are allowed are single, divorced, and widowed.
• There are search filters to narrow down search results. General search filter categories include new members, last online, distance, and match level. You can further narrow your search by specifying the age range, distance from your location, or country.
• There are badges on user profiles that can tell you if they are a premium user or if they used any upgrades to boost their profile visibility.
• Paid features include direct messaging, viewing all user photos, seeing users who viewed and liked your profile, and access to Full Safe Mode feature.
• View previous matches (within 10 days)
• Cupid has a Local Dating site service that allows users to meet people from their city or local area.
• Cupid has an iOS app with the same number of features, layout, and design theme.
The sign-up process is straightforward and can only take a few minutes. You can browse for matches right after you register and complete necessary profile information, set your preferences for matches, and complete the Quiz Matching statements. This improves your chances of receiving highly compatible matches.
After that, the website somehow becomes tricky. Some features aren’t straightforward like the perks from Cupid Arrow, the Safe Modes, interaction icons, and search filters. There’s a learning curve especially for those that aren’t tech-savvy, but Wingman Barry can help a lot with this issue.
There’s personal information protection for every user. Users can sign up and interact with other users anonymously. There is a “Safe Mode” where users can control who can contact them. When Safe Mode is off, any Cupid.com user can contact you. With the Basic Safe Mode, only reputable members can contact you (as judged by Cupid). Finally, opting in for Full Safe Mode blocks unverified users from contacting you.
Cupid.com also has an anti-scam system. You can also report suspected fake accounts yourself.
Cupid provides 24/7 support via email, chat, and phone. You can also contact them via a contact form on their website or via their social media accounts.
Email: support@cupid.com
Hotline: 1-800-840-1726
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cupid_com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cupidcom/
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/Cupid/
Positives:
• There are many ways to interact with other users
• You can browse for user profiles even as a free user
• The short profile snippets make for easy browsing
• Personality and matching quizzes make matches highly compatible
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Negatives:
• It can be tricky to use for non-tech savvy individuals. You’ll need to first learn how to use a considerable number of icons, buttons, and features that are available
• The website will sometimes bombard you with prompts to buy a paid membership.
• You can’t save search settings and filters
Match.com
OKCupid
Cupid.com is very interactive with a sleek website design. The navigation is straightforward, and features are easy to access. But the bold colors coupled with eye-catching icons point to the website being targeted to a young adult audience (18-34 demographics).
The website has a learning curve, but its features function effectively and are relevant to the needs of the users. The subscription plans are also budget-friendly and flexible especially if you consider the real amount of time users will be spending on the site. The security features are more than adequate in comparison to similar dating services. All in all, Cupid.com is an excellent dating service website for those serious about finding the perfect match.
