OKcupid —also known simply as “OKC” — is one of those online dating sites that you have heard a lot about, but probably never tried. It’s precisely for that reason that we undertook this little evaluation of OKC in hopes of giving you some insight into what makes it different. This is our OKcupid.com review.

— Pros and Cons of OKCupid —

Pros

• Full version is free to use
• Unique, fun and quirky twist to online dating
• Mobile apps

Cons

• High male to female ratio
• Presence of display ads (can be removed with paid membership)
• Prone to spammy messages if privacy settings not set properly

— In-Depth OKCupid.com Review —

What do you get when a group of dating app developers and math geniuses get together? No, it’s not the lead up to some silly joke. That’s actually how OKcupid.com came to be. Originally launched in 2004, it has since blossomed into one of the largest dating sites in the U.S. Its growth has been even more impressive since it was bought by Match.com’s parent company in 2011

— First Impression of OKCupid —

OKcupid has a web page that opts for the minimalist look. There are no images of attractive singles scattered all over the page. In fact, the center of attention on the home page is a large, but simple, field box with a drop menu from which you must select whether you are straight or gay and a man or a woman. By filling in those two fields and clicking on the green button that reads “continue,” you start the registration process with OKC.

What follows is a very short form that requires your date of birth, geographic location, and email. When you click “next,” a verification email will be sent to you from which you must click on the activation link. If you wish to bypass all of this, there is the option to sign in using your Facebook credentials — OKC never posts on your timeline.

— Building Your OKCupid Profile —

While on many online dating sites the simplified registration process described above is sufficient to let you start using the site, OKcupid is different. They require you to build out a profile. This is done my answering 50 multiple choice questions. These are selected at random from a database of over ten thousand profile questions in the OKC coffers.

Don’t worry, these questions are written in a witty and humorous fashion so you won’t get bored in filling them out. Some are pretty ordinary, such as “what is your favorite genre of music?” Others are goofy, such as “what’s your theory on how Smurfs reproduce?

As you answer the questions, you must also indicate what answers to the questions you would be willing to accept from potential matches and how important the answer is to you. You are also provided with a text field where you can elaborate more on your own answers.

As lighthearted as these questions might seem, they are designed to create deep insight into your personality and what you are looking for in a match. These answers are then transcoded to be used by the OKcupid proprietary algorithm to select matches.

Following the questionnaire, you can upload a profile picture and you can also add an optional bio about yourself.

— Features and Functionality —

OKC includes the features commonly found on most modern dating sites. These include a search function to find members matching your selected criteria, a discovery function to receive suggested matches based on your profile, messaging, and an online chat module.

What made the OKcupid experience different and interesting to us were the two features that are unique to it. First, the tab titled “The Two of Us” that appears on every profile you browse. By clicking on it, you can compare the answers that you and the user you selected gave on your profile questionnaire. If there are no matching answers you will be notified with a message that reads “You All Have Issues.” OKC even makes a mismatch humorous.

The second unique feature consists of the collection of funny and thought-provoking quizzes that OKC offers to its members. They are designed to bring people together by the answers you give. Our favorite was entitled “The Harry Potter Wand Test.” By comparing your answers to other users, OKC facilitates engagement.

Being designed with a modern audience in mind, OKC has mobile apps for iPhone and Android. The full functionality of the site can be obtained from these apps.

— Privacy Controls —

We were impressed by the security and privacy controls that OKC gives its members. While other dating sites pay only token service to security, OKC goes all out.

You can choose to have your profile appear only to members that are signed in. Also, you can browse other profiles in incognito mode. That way, you will not appear on their list of who has seen their profile. You can also block any member that you do not wish to engage.

In our tests, we found the blocking feature to be a real convenience. While we, in general, found the variety of members that were trying to make contact with us to be interesting or amusing — there were a few that were plain odd and persistent. By blocking them, our user experience was not tarnished.

— Overall OKCupid User Experience —

We found the overall experience on OKC to be fun — from registration through actually engaging with others on the site. The male to female ratio is a bit high. This can cause women to have to deal with unwanted messages early on, but if privacy blocking is used — this can be reduced significantly.

For people that are open minded and into fun and different experiences, OKCupid can be a worthwhile venture.

— Cost of OKCupid —

OKC is free to use — members have full access for free. It’s not just for a limited trial period either. It’s free forever — as the site promises and assures its users. The site is monetized by display advertising. These ads are ever present but do not distort the user experience. OKcupid does offer a premium version which is ad-free. This also places the premium members on their “A-List.” This means that those members get preferential placement in search results, have a larger volume of storage for messages and allows them to change usernames whenever they want without having to open a new account.

The cost for premium membership is $19.95 per month. This can be as low as $9.95 per month if you pay for six months in advance.