If finding love, your next relationship, or even just a date is becoming difficult and you feel like you can’t do it on your own, you have two options: hire a matchmaking service or join an online dating website. If you’re having a tough time deciding which option is best for you, comparing the price of each may be the best way to make a choice.
Matchmaking Services
Matchmaking services are much more in-depth than online dating sites. You work with an individual or team that acts as your dating advocate. These professionals find you a match, give you dating tips, and coach you through the beginning stages of your relationship. If the date didn’t work out they help you figure out why, and either how to fix it or assist in finding you a new match. As you can see, these services are extremely dependent on one-on-one relationships.
Because these services are customized, you’ll have to pay a pretty penny. Matchmaking services can range anywhere from $675 to $25,000 — on average, many matchmaking services charge around $1,800 to $2,000. The services are usually non-refundable, last a year, and require the whole amount must be paid up-front.
Online Dating
Online dating is much less managed — and it’s up to you to find someone that you feel compatible with. Granted, most websites have a formula they use to determine would be best suited for you. Most of the sites have you start by filling out some sort of questionnaire or personality quiz. From there, you’ll be matched with people that have similar answers or responses that are compatible with yours. However, if you want to go out on a date with someone, you must also approach them through the website on your own.
While many of these online dating services are free, most require membership for full access to the website. The total price of dating sites varies from service to service. Some sites can be as little as $6.78 or as high as $41.99 per month. While this price is quite high, the price per year is a little over $500 —much less than the average matchmaking service. Thankfully, if you do decide to subscribe to an online dating site for a year, there are usually deep discounts so you’ll pay much less than $500 annually.
Price Comparison
Popular matchmaking services like It’s Just Lunch can cost as much as $1,800 per year — which is very expensive for the majority of the population. Alternatively, even the most expensive online dating membership will only be as high as $500 a year. Additionally, the price is usually paid out over the span of the year, rather than the full amount up-front. With that being said, matchmaking services provide one-on-one coaching that’s lacking with online dating websites. In the end, the cheapest option may not always be the best choice for you. Weigh price as well as features offered by both dating options.
