close
t Plenty Of Fish
Free communication
313 Ratings 2.23 / 5
Cost
Ease Of Use
Effectiveness
Members
Quick Facts
Cost 3 Month $35.40
Very cheap
Popularity 2.2 million active users
Very popular
Gender make-up More men
(2 to 1)
Better for women

Plenty Of Fish is one of the world's largest free online dating services, and is also one of the most popular social communities in the world by number of visitors. It has its strongest following in Canada and the U.S, but is growing in the UK and other parts of Europe.

POF claims 30 million registered users worldwide with about 200,000 logged in at any given time.


Plentyoffish

POF may have lost a few people to newer rivals such as Tinder but it's still big by any standards. Estimates of the number of users active on there (not just registered) is likely to be around 2.2 million. This still makes it one of the most popular dating communities in the world.

PoF highlights being a free site; however their lack of funds does mean navigating around extra advertisements for other dating services. They offer a full array of options including free messaging for the non-paying customer, with a few extra perks like being on the front page for those willing to pay.

Regularly on editor's top pick lists, those at Dating Site Reviews have awarded the site a badge of honor since "2009".

In their latest review they say "Don't let the nonexistent price tag fool you - PoF is a fully functional site with every feature you would expect from a dating site (plus a few fun bonuses)."

Expect to spend a fair amount of time filling out forms


In short, PoF strives to provide all (or at least most) of the features you'd find on pay sites, without the price tag.

Sign Up

PlentyofFish has increased their security early in 2011 due to several hacker attacks. This means the sign up process is a bit of a pain. They require you to choose a password that is so complicated that you're bound to forget it. If you think your usual assortment of passwords is good enough think again or you will be facing the "your password is too weak" page on more than one occasion.

Also, pray that they don't think your IP is from one of the countries they have banned. It took my borrowing a friend's computer to get signed up because for some reason PlentyofFish was convinced I was located in a banned African country 3,000 miles away from my current location.

Once you do manage to get signed up expect to spend a fair amount of time filling out forms ranging from basic profile questions to a chemistry test. In addition, the site requires new joiners to upload a face photo or risk being banned. This might not be the best for those of us that are shy, but they do have an option to make pictures private.



The Vibe

So you've somehow managed to duck security, get in, and not get banned for forgetting a part of your profile. What now? You will find that PlentyofFish is a self-policing community for the most part. That means if a person has been reported for asking for sex then everyone on the site can block them simply by clicking the button that says to block those that have been reported.



The site will log you out a lot for inactivity so always save a copy of any long thought out messages before hitting the send button.


It also means that anyone with pictures of their private regions will be banned from the site. At this point, you're likely either feeling really safe or like the place is run by an overzealous prison guard, or a bit of both.



Forums

The main way to meet and contact people is through their profiles, or if you would rather get your toes wet before jumping in and accidentally telling some stranger you love them, then the active forums are for you. The crowd is for the most part friendly, honest, open, and talkative. It might be an effective way of meeting people without the pressure if you don't mind getting caught in the distance relationship trap, as it's unlikely that you will find a significant amount of people in the forums from your location.



Profiles

Most profiles have at least two pictures, the basic form info, and a few lines of text that normally go along the lines of "I'm a nice guy, I don't know what to write here really so I'll just say something hopefully humorous for the next sentence or two." The form information includes children (wants/has), smoking, zodiac sign, age, religion, drug use, if they have a car, profession, drinking, marital status, and education. Things like hobbies, interests, and political affiliation are blatantly missing from the list.



Using the Site


Inbox

The inbox is pretty self explanatory, although it does have an extensive list of options for the types of people you would like to ban from contacting you. You are allowed to send and receive in-site emails with a free account. Men on average can expect about a 5-10% response rate, with women tending to get significantly more replies to any messages they send out.

The site will log you out a lot for inactivity so always save a copy of any long thought out messages before hitting the send button. If you have a temporary lapse of brain activity there is a convenient list of date ideas (zoo, comedy show, etc) right next to the send button to help you get to that first date.



Instant Messaging and Virtual Gifts:

The sites allows members to instant message each other as well as send virtual gifts, although the gifts cost points that mainly only paid members will have enough of.



Search

There are plenty of search options including age, location, what type of relationship they are looking for, height, hair color, religion, drugs (but who would actually answer yes to the "do you do drugs" question?), if they want children, and more. Interestingly thanks to the chemistry test you can also choose people based on if they are family centric, easy going, have self confidence, or if they are dependent on others emotionally.


Special Features:


  • Chemistry: The site shows a list of your potential matches based on the chemistry test. However, it doesn't show exactly what personality points you might be matched on. You can click on the overview of your potential matches chemistry results, but they're a long read and more like personality survey results rather than the point by point matchup of sites like Match.com.


  • Date Night: Find users who want to go on a date this upcoming Friday night within a certain amount of miles (sadly no one in my area has used this feature).


  • Users most likely to respond list: This is just what it says. It's a list of users near you that actually tend to respond to messages sent to them.


  • Favorites list: Always useful for keeping a list of those profiles you'd like to go back to.


  • Who has viewed me: Lists the profiles of those that have viewed your profile recently.


  • Meet Me: Random pictures pop up (paid ones first) of potential matches in your area. You can hit "yes" "no" or "maybe" for if you would like to meet them. If you say yes or maybe they will see your profile on their "Would like to meet you" page.


Free versus Paid

Paid members get highlighted more in searches, can send unlimited virtual gifts, can see if their messages were read or deleted, and use themes in their profiles. You can use the site as a free member without much hassle. The perks of paid membership are just that, perks, not necessities.



Conclusion

PlentyofFish is a genuine, if a bit knocked around and defensive, site full of real people. It doesn't have that feeling of being packed with model photos and false profiles like a lot of others. However, it also doesn't have the depth of profiles that commercial sites such as Match.com have. It's a good way to meet people, but it might take sorting through a lot of fish to find your soul mate.

The good

  • Their upgrade is optional - all essential features, including sending messages are free
  • They have a very large number of users, particularly in the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia
  • Fast and easy to use
  • Good forums (if you don't mind sifting through to find the interesting topics)

The bad

  • New joiners required to fill in a lot of information and upload a face photo, or risk being banned
  • Expect very little in the way of support or customer care
  • Response rates on the site can be low, especially for men
Rating from 315 customers

5 Star: (45)

4 Star: (41)

3 Star: (40)

2 Star: (35)

1 Star: (131)

Total 315 Ratings
35 Reviews
280 Comments
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  • Avatar

    PhillJanuary 7th, 2021

    Useless

    I don't know how you can find a good wife on POF if all they want is a thick wallet and they don't even talk about themselves. I discovered another kind of world: with very attractive women who take care of themselves, they are in great shape, they are very family-oriented, they put their husbands and kids at first place. They are able to hold an interesting conversation and remain fascinating. I can't find this in women from Pof. So I see no point in keeping my membership any longer.
  • Avatar

    BHAugust 1st, 2020

    Useless

    Im recently divorced from a dead beat i met on POF. Had a few dates after my divorce and I have to say, POF doesn't attract a positive demographic. I believe its because it's a free dating site, makes people who are not stable within their lives attracted to it. Most of the people i met and wrote had no income, had a mountain of problems, and things that frankly need a professional to fix. Now as an individual with asperger syndrome, Im not perfect either. Which is why i go to dating sites, its easier for me to be social on the computer. If you want something that lasts and you actually understand what your looking for. Go to a subscription only dating site. Then you'll at least know that an individual has some form of income and most likely more stable in their life. Plenty of fish has a good heart, but majority of its users make it a catch and release program.
  • Avatar

    biglou775July 14th, 2020

    Useless

    just looking for a good time
  • Avatar

    OliverJanuary 24th, 2020

    Avoid

    Utter rubbish site - most of the profiles are fake and the verification process doesn't work. It's full of catfish, scammers, **** bots and the occasional escort (or scammer pretending to be one) There's so few actual real people that there's a serious question mark over the publicised user numbers. At least a lot of the fakes are so obviously fake that it might have some amusement value, but if you' actually want to talk with a real person that's unlikely. If you ever have to use their customer service then forget it, they just send copy and paste replies and are utterly useless. Save your time and avoid this site!!
  • Avatar

    KEOctober 24th, 2019

    Useless

    Scammers, shills, and blackballing. You get what you pay for, unless you're actually paying in which case it's a complete rip-off. Lots of scammers and POF does nothing when I report them. Also lots of shills, which I also report. There is nothing rude or offensive about my profile but i keep getting kicked off. Not by other users, because i keep my profile hidden, but by POF because i call out the shills. Don't use it. It's a waste of time and dangerous.
  • Avatar

    Chriss427July 16th, 2019

    Useless

    TROLL CENTRAL IS POF. so if you are a female with their life together and don't ask for money then you are considered a fake profile and reported, then deleted????? WTF?

    let me tell you if you are woman or man with your life together then DO NOT USE POF you are so much better then that!!! if your life is in order

    its a horrible, horrible service that doesn't allow decent people to thrive but allows phonies and scammer along with sexual predators to????
  • Avatar

    TCJanuary 28th, 2019

    Avoid

    For all the men using POF---First off if you are over 60 go look someplace else most the women and I am saying most as in 99% are totally tied up with there Grandkids so if you do not want to raise more kids and be around them all the time you better look someplace else---also if you are not 5'7'' or taller you will not have a chance in the world. Zip none. The women on POF are the most self centered and some think like they are still in High School. You will see them complain about your photos --but then they will post pictures of themselves when they where in there 40's---but don't you dare put anything like that on your profile---If you do not have a degree in college that also puts you in another category. If you are open minded to younger women it will not happen on this site --think it will only let you go back 15 years---someone needs to tell those people out in Hollywood that---Oh I forgot they have more Money so they can date get married to anyone they wish haha---can go on and on but found that most the women are in there own little world and maybe have watched way to many Hallmark Movies. Give POF a try ---lots of luck---oh one more thing not saying all the States are the same but will say Florida West Coast is a JOKE(Tampa,St.Pete,Clearwater,Largo area) on POF---Have been on for almost three years so have to rate this site very bad.
  • Avatar

    Hinojosajoey512December 17th, 2018

    Avoid

    This site was ok about 14 years ago but now it's all fake!! Now they have escorts that I think POF sends out to all the free users to try and get us to pay for the up grade to do what the site says is free but it's really not I can understanding if it was low cost to upgrade but $78 and $53 and $22 for memberships is way to much to charge for something you haven't even got to try out or may not even get to try out so I would recommend you stay away from this no good money pit site, your probably better off buying a Prostitute or even going on backpage lol jk but for real this site is garbage!!
  • Avatar

    wasted2December 5th, 2018

    Useless

    Free means you have ZERO value to them because you don't pay them. Their real customers?? Advertisers and those that pay. There is no something for nothing in this world.
  • Avatar

    Allothernamesweretaken1986November 20th, 2018

    Avoid

    I thought I could possibly meet a good woman to get to know and maybe date.. 98% of the women that talked to me were fakes or whores that wanted money for sex.. and the 2% left were stuck up or just plain out not my type.. I have never used a dating site before this one but I MOST CERTAINLY WOULD NOT RECOMMEND POF TO TRY TO FIND SOMEONE... if you think I'm being unfair then just give it a go and see for yourself..
Plenty Of Fish 2.23 313 A review of Pof.com. Plenty Of Fish is the largest free online dating service, and is also one of the most popular social communities in the world by number of visitors. Cost : $35.40, Active users: 2.2 million.