Among the biggest names in the online dating field, eHarmony.com can rightfully claim the title of being the first to bring online dating into the mainstream. Curious about how the site is performing today, we joined and tested it for a few days to bring you this in-depth eHarmony review.

— Pros and Cons of eHarmony —

Pros

• Innovative and precise matchmaking engine
• In existence since 2000
• Has recently made the in-depth questionnaire optional

Cons

• Pricey
• Completing full registration questionnaire is very time-consuming
• Need a paid membership to communicate with other members

— Full eHarmony Review —

Prior to the launch of eHarmony in 2000, online dating was the bastion of the tech savvy. This meant that online dating, although well known as a concept, was quite narrow in terms of actual usage.

By making online dating more of a scientific matchmaking service as opposed to a “luck of the draw” affair, eHarmony changed all that. No longer was online dating the realm of tech geeks, introverts or sleazy pervs hiding in the shadows — it became something for “normal” people. Presently, it is second only to Match.com in terms of the U.S. online dating market. Being in the business for so long — and with literally thousands of competing dating sites now in existence — sometimes one forgets about the unique service offered by eHarmony.

For the benefit of those new to online dating, we felt it was a good time to revisit eHarmony and gauge how it performs today. This is our latest eHarmony.com review.

— How is eHarmony Different —

What makes eHarmony unique among dating sites is that it is very top-heavy in the personal and biographical data that it requires of its members. On other dating sites your profile consists of basic information, such as age, gender, physical traits and some miscellaneous biographical data, but there are no real minimum requirements.

With eHarmony it’s different. When you join, the first thing that you have to do is fill out a 149-question profile. This information is then used by the eHarmony match finding algorithms to find compatible members. In addition to the profile data, the eHarmony algos also use behavioral data — such as time spent on the site, time spent viewing specific recommended profiles and metadata pertaining to the type of device and location from which you access the site.

Some users may find the time required to provide such detailed information as being too time-consuming. Others may find it to be too invasive. For this reason, eHarmony recently began allowing new users to skip the in-depth profile. Users who skip the profile will be matched based on the more rudimentary information that they provide at sign-up. Essentially, this speeds up the time required to enroll by sacrificing some of the matching criteria.

When we tested the site for our eHarmony.com review, we opted for the full questionnaire. It took us just over eight hours to complete the profile. Keep in mind that since it was a test, our pace may have been somewhat brisker than that of a person registering to find a real match. So, yes, entering your full profile information does require a lot of time. Those that have had success with it, however, rationalize it by saying that the time it saves them in filtering suitable matches more than makes up for it in the long run.

— Differences in Not Completing the Questionnaire —

Prior to 2016, eHarmony denied membership to approximately twenty percent of the people that submitted a questionnaire. As of December 2016, eHarmony made a huge shift by making the questionnaire optional, That means that members are no longer vetted based on the eHarmony algorithm’s determination of suitability.

Individuals that do complete the full profile questionnaire are given the option of only being matched with other members that have likewise filled out the full profile.

From our point of view, forgoing the full questionnaire denies a user of the full power and benefit of eHarmony’s matchmaking engine. Without it, eHarmony pretty much functions like any other dating site. Even though it is time-consuming to complete, in our evaluation the value in terms of the accuracy and compatibility of the matches received is definitely worth it

— What You Can’t Do on the Site —

People familiar with online dating sites may expect to be able to conduct match searches on eHarmony. This CANNOT be done in the traditional sense because eHarmony purposely doesn’t have a search feature. You cannot browse through other member profiles either. You can only see people that eHarmony has matched you with.

— Matching Process —

The eHarmony algo makes all matchmaking selections and submits a list containing a predetermined number of suggested matches to members each day. From that list, members can browse through the matched member’s details and determine if they wish to initiate communication.

— Communicating With Potential Matches —

In order to communicate with a potential match, eHarmony members must have a paid membership. Those with free memberships will receive their list of compatible members, but will not be able to communicate with them.

With a paid membership members can communicate via eH mail (internal emailing platform) or through the “secure call” feature. The latter allows users to engage in a phone call without revealing either of their phone numbers.

An additional communication feature on eHarmony is the “quick questions” module. We found this to be a very useful tool, especially in breaking the ice the first time you make contact with a match. It consists of a list of questions that eHarmony generates for you to help you gain more insight on your match. You can select from their list of questions and add your own.

— eHarmony Cost —

During our eHarmony.com review, we discovered that membership is quite expensive compared to other online dating sites. The shortest subscription is for three months at a cost of $49.95 per month. An average monthly price of 25.95 per month can be obtained if users pay for 12 months in advance. By paying for 2 years you can obtain a rate of only $9.95 a month.