Best for: This is a very old and massively popular platform – there’s something for everyone.
User base: Various
Relationship format: Hookups/Serious Relationships/Friendships
The number of members: 90 million global users
Gender ratio: 40% Female, 60% Male
Recommended age: 18+
Customer support: FAQ, Email Support, Help Center
Free options: Yes
If you’ve been on the search for that special someone for a while now, and you just can’t seem to meet anyone attractive, you might want to try “Plenty of Fish.” Sure, you don’t have to use this website to find partners exclusively, but it is its primary purpose.
Let’s give the Plenty of Fish dating site a closer look and see if it is worth the effort of trying it out. After all, giving a dating platform a try isn’t something you can do properly in a couple of hours, and we don’t want you wasting your time. Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
How Does Plenty of Fish Work
If you are looking for a dating platform with a large user base that doesn’t force you to spend a lot of money to establish connections, Plenty of Fish is perfect for you. PoF is actually a platform famous for the number of messages exchanged daily, so you’re facing good odds.
The sign-up process takes a while as the platform floods you with many questions so they can match you with the right profiles. This platform has been around since 2003, and they’re good at what they do.
Sign-up process
- Find the registration page and click register at the top of the page;
- Enter your email;
- Pick your username;
- Fill out the necessary information;
- Answer the questions to complete your profile;
The process for registering on PoF is relatively straightforward. They don’t request too much personal information, and you don’t need an ID or credit card to create an account. We already mention the barrage of questions during account creation, but they serve the purpose of creating better matches for you, so it’s well worth it.
If you get stuck during the process, which is unlikely, you can always refer to their help center or contact their customer support in more dire cases. There are no call centers for PoF, and they warn users not to use numbers they find across the web as they are undoubtedly fake.
Search Filters
On PoF, there are two types of searches – the basic search and the advanced search option.
The basic search is quite robust as it provides 14 different parameters that go as deep as education and ethnicity.
The advanced search option allows you to search through more complex parameters like personality traits and openness, among many others. This is possible due to the integrated on-site personality test, which creates deeper and more detailed profiles.
Once you create your account, spend some time playing around with the search results and get used to the on-site search engines; you’re going to be using it a lot.
Messaging system
We already mentioned that messaging on PoF is free, but what other features does it offer? Well, voice messaging is an option, much like the voice messages on Facebook messenger. This cuts down on the impersonal chatting and helps users get closer to each other by engaging in a conversation but not putting yourself at risk by giving away your phone number.
One exciting feature is that only the ladies can send images. Males were banned due to excessive unrequested nudity in the message box.
The platform blocks links, abusive language, pornography, prostitution and prevents copying texts into the message box to avoid spam.
Mobile App
The mobile app for Plenty of Fish is also free and very user friendly in its design. It is available in all the major app stores, including Google Store, App Store, and Windows store, so no matter what phone you use, you’ll be able to use the PoF app.
It is important to note that the app contains all the features available in the platform’s desktop version. In all honesty, more people are using the app than the desktop version, which is understandable.
Remember that once you install the app, it will automatically gain access to your location, which can be turned off if you don’t want the app to keep track of your movement.
Reliability and Safety
The fact that PoF doesn’t perform identity confirmation, nor do they do background checks for criminal records, really hurts its overall security. Still, this doesn’t mean that it’s unsafe to use, but you need to do a bit more screening yourself.
Users are encouraged to report unruly behavior, and the platform makes an effort to keep undesirable people from the platform. We recommend that you check out their help center before you start chatting and look at the first message you get from the developer after account creation. It is packed with essential safety info you need to know.
As far as reliability goes, PoF has been around for almost two decades now, and there’s no sign it’s ever going down.
Help & Support
When it comes to helping, PoF’s help center is extensive, containing all the info you might need to find yourself someone special using their platform. It’s searchable and written straightforwardly.
Support is a bit limited. The only way to gain access to support is through email correspondence, and there is no call center. Still, their email support isn’t subpar, and they make an effort to help users enjoy their platform. They provide support for English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German-speaking users.
Pricing
Free Services:
- Account creation
- Messaging
- Matching
- Favorites list
- Voice messaging
- Online members list
- Profile browsing
- Forums
- See member based on proximity
- The app
Premium Services:
- View full user profiles
- Tracking message status
- Gifting (three times a day)
- “Meet Me” feature priority
- No ads
- Profile views reports
You can use PayPal, credit cards, and phone payment systems to subscribe for premium features. The process is quite simple and straightforward, but more importantly, you don’t have to worry about your payment information. PoF offers top-notch user data security and is at the forefront when it comes to its Privacy Policy.
- 1 Month: $19.99 / Month
- 2 Months: $18.59 / Month
- 4 Months: $13.39 / Month
- 8 Months: $10.68 / Month
Verdict
Plenty of Fish is a decent dating platform, and we mean this in the best sense of the term. They’ve been around for quite a while and have an excellent track record. The platform doesn’t make you dish out cash as soon as you start, and you can get used to it first and decide if you want to invest in it later on.
There’s a lot of people using the platform, and we can safely say that you’ll be able to find a lot of contacts here.
It’s a good dating platform, but it takes some time to get used to it, which is the case with most platforms out there. An additional upside of using PoF is that they focus more on messaging and less on media, so the platform isn’t exclusively hookup-oriented.
Give it a try – even the free version is worth it! We hope you liked our Plenty of Fish review!
FAQ block
What is PoF?
PoF is a dating platform with an international crowd present from 2003 onwards. They attract many members with 90 million users from around the world and are considered to be one of the industry pioneers.
What does PoF mean?
PoF stands for “Plenty of Fish,” which is a reference to the saying, “There is plenty of fish in the sea.” They chose this name because they hold one of the largest dating communities out there with a global audience, so yes, you can safely say there’s plenty of fish in this particular sea.
How to block a user on PoF?
In the app: Find the message that bothers you, tap the three vertical lines in the top right corner of the message, and tap “Block this user” in iOS or “Block user” on Android.
On the web: When you are in a message with a person that is bothering you, find the three horizontal dots above their profile picture and click them. Find the “Block Member” option, and you are done.
Blocking them deletes the conversations you had and stops them from contacting you again.
How to delete my PoF account?
By clicking “Help,” you’ll get access to the “Delete Account” option. You’ll get prompted by a survey about why you are leaving, which is optional to fill out, and after that, you can delete your account.
Testimonials
Richard, Denver
Hey, everyone! I read this review, and it made me give PoF a shot! It’s going well so far, as I have a few chats going. It’s quite a bit different than Tinder, and it feels more human to interact – if that makes sense. Fingers crossed!
Amber, New Jersey
You know what? I love the fact boys can’t send me nude photos unless I specifically ask for them! I feel kind of empowered due to that! 😀
It’s a great place, it’s free, so sometimes you need to block people, but otherwise, it works great!