Feb 14, 2013 A gay man from New Jersey named Eric McKinley filed suit against eHarmony in 2008 for not offering matchmaking for gays and lesbians. EHarmony settled by agreeing to launch a service for gay and lesbian customers called Compatible Partners. EHarmony’s launch of Compatible Partners was called a “shotgun wedding” by the Los Angeles Times.

• Online dating service eHarmony has agreed to create a new Web site — 'Compatible Partners' — for gay and lesbian users, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General announced.
• Yes, eHarmony strives to match up couples from all over the world. EHarmony sites are the most popular in the USA, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. Is eHarmony gay friendly? While the eHarmony network of singles is not geared towards gay relationships, they do believe that love knows no bounds.

EHarmony is one of the most popular websites that were created to match people who are looking for serious relationships and are ready to settle down instead of simply getting laid. Since the beginning of the 2000s, it has gained nearly 20 million users worldwide, and the dating app claims to be responsible for 600,000 happy marriages.

It claims to have one of the best capability matching systems. We should thank the owner of eHarmony who is a clinical psychologist and has the idea of what he is talking about when he says he will help to find your true love.

It all seems so magical and easy but I got curious whether that actually works in real life, and what is inside the app in general. Let’s see what eHarmony is really about when you try it in action.

Affordability

★★★☆☆

The application doesn’t give you a free version yet it does have three different member subscriptions. So eHarmony costs and the Plan choice will depend on the amount of time you are planning to spend on the platform.

Free service

First, you will have a chance to try it for free and decide whether you want to continue or not. You won’t have the full experience as there is no such thing as eHarmony free trial, yet you would have an opportunity to look around.

Basically, you are able to create an account, browse through the potential matches, and those who are outside of your preference list. You can add your matches to your favorites list too. If someone caught your attention, you can send them a wink, just to show that you are interested. But you can’t have a conversation if you’re still on the free account. The only function that is allowed is to send one of the 5 generated questions. And this is going to be a “love is blind” game because none of the profile photos are available for free users.

Paid service

There are three subscription plans at eHarmony: Light, Plus, and Extra. All three are long term. Starting with a 6 months plan, there are also 1 and 2 years plans. Long commitments seem to be worth it if you are truly committed to finding someone special and looking at it realistically. Although in my opinion, 2 years seems a little bit too extreme. If the matching algorithm is so precise, why would I want to stay at the platform for 2 years?

Even though the price for the subscription is not that high, you can find eHarmony promo code at Groupon or simply by searching in Google. You can pay in a lump sum or in two or three installments. The payment will be charged from your bank card or PayPal account.

All subscriptions offer the same features; the only difference is the number of months you pay for. Whether you choose Light, Plus, or Extra, you can view all uploaded photos of any profile, get notified who added you to their Favorite list, and see who viewed your profile. If you feel like experimenting, which is a completely normal thing to do, you can browse and match with people who are outside of your preference zone. You can also turn on an anonymous mood at any time. In addition, you get unlimited messaging with your matches.

Audience quality

★★★★☆

Since eHarmony dating was designed for a more serious relationship, the audience is more mature and ready to settle down. The gender proportion is almost equal to male and female genders.

Age distribution

The average user at eHarmony is between 25 and 35 years old. And of course, you are only able to join the platform if you are over 18. As I went through the user’s profiles, I couldn’t help but notice that most of the users have the education and that they all have quite stable lives. That gave me the impression that these people are real and active and ready to develop deeper feelings; not like on Craigslist dating where people would look for hookups. Here at eHarmony, it’s a very rare thing. However, If hookup is your thing at the moment, I would suggest Pure as it allows you to get connected with people who are only looking for casual hookups.

Fakes and scammers

I didn’t detect many fake accounts, although I did find a few old ones on the top of the search. I don’t know why they were there because they clearly were inactive for quite some time. There were gossips that eHarmony was great for gays. The eHarmony gay does exist but it’s not really friendly and you most likely won’t find many matches there. You would have more chances to meet someone within free gay sex sites.

There is also a chance for the scammers who pretend to be interested and looking for serious relationships and then try to get some money from you. I didn’t see any users like that while testing but I would suggest not sharing your personal information or bank card details with strangers.

Overall, the platform seems safe and legit to try if you are ready to settle down and look for a serious relationship and, maybe, marriage.

Interface

★★★★☆

The interface was designed in a minimalistic way and very user-friendly. You won’t find any confusing buttons even if you are a newbie.

Signing up

eHarmony signup takes around 10 to 15 minutes — three times more than any other platform. Somehow I spent nearly 35 minutes as the app kept sending me to the beginning of the quiz.

Apple fans can use Apple ID to sign up. You must answer all the questions, and it’s in your best interest to get as better matches. First things first, you need to specify your gender and who you are looking for. Even though it is possible to look for same-gender people, I should warn you that you might not find any matches at all. After that, you need to enter your name and Zip Code and country to get you connected with people only in your area.

Once you filled in all the basics, you will be forwarded to personalized questionnaire tests about you that look like “what would you do if…” Then you need to go through compatibility quizzes to give your own perspective on what you want your future matches to be like. You can specify body type, nationality, height, etc. You will have all kinds of questions at the eHarmony quiz, they even ask you what room temperature you prefer. In the end (if you survive), you need to add your profile photo and “About me” section.

Profile

Since everyone is required to spend 15 minutes, and, in my case, half an hour to set up an account and there is no way to skip it, all the profiles are very detailed and are telling a lot about the person you come across. You will also see the percentage of your compatibility. Those include:

• emotional intimacy,
• honesty,
• altruism,
• intellect,
• affection,
• romance,
• relationship and religious values,
• social principles,
• extraversion and many, many, many more. Believe me, the list you see now is a lot shorter that the list you’ll see in the app.

You can view full profiles for free yet only Premium users are able to see profile photos. You also will see only profiles that are matching your criteria. Once you upgrade your account to the Paid Plan, you will be able to access the list of people who are outside of your preferences — just in case you decide to experiment. Remember that tiny “hookup percentage” rate that you see in the official eHarmony statistics? This is where it comes from.

Searching

The search engine here is basically working for you. Unlike other dating sites for free no membership types, eHarmony gives you with most compatible matches. The secret is in answering all the questions and if you have time and really want to find a successful relationship on the website, take those quizzes. Also, I find it important that you will be connected only to people within your location. We’ve all been there at least once, when you meet that perfect person 10,000 km away. Another thing I like about searching is that with a premium membership you will be able to get to the list of people who are not really in your preference zone. You know, sometimes we are willing to give it a try too.

Chat

Is Eharmony Lgbt Friendly

First of all, messaging is available only for Premium members. As a free member, you can send winks to people you like and that’s about it.

Once you have an option to chat, you can either send a simple “hey” or choose already prepared questions. This might help if you’re running out of ideas; however, I personally would be more intrigued with a unique question or pick-up line rather than something typical.

Mobile app

The mobile app is available for free in iOS and Android stores. I was surprised that the mobile version actually has fewer ads than a website and I am totally loving it. It also seems to have all the same features as the desktop platform. So both in an app and on the laptop you are all set to get maximum experience. I very much preferred taking quizzes on my phone.

Special features

eHarmony offers only a few special features in comparison with other dating apps. I get it since the idea is to connect you with your potential life-long partner. Let’s see what are they about.

Send a smile — free for all members

It is similar to a winking thing that is available for a free user. Yet you see this option when you going through your match list, a smiley face is just out there in your corner so you can hit it and send it right away. In the mobile version, you have to tap plus sign and choose from there.

Send a question — for Premium members only

The same feature I’ve mentioned before where you can choose one out of five questions to send to your crush if you want an easy way to start a conversation. Questions are quite interesting and encourage you to answer.

Add to favorites — free for all members

If you see people that catch your attention, you can easily add them to your Favorite list. Thus, they all are stored there while you keep browsing through the potential matches.

What if? — for Premium members only

Extra matches for paid members that allow you to get extra 30 matches per day that are outside of your preference zone but might be worth trying if you keep your mind open.

Security and privacy

★★★★☆

The bad news is, you don’t have to verify your email. I don’t see it as secure as you can basically enter any email that comes to your mind. Yet Facebook registration or sign up with your Apple ID is available, and that is something that I like. Also, the entire idea behind the website is more serious so people are here only for serious stuff and not for playing around. Yet I would not recommend sharing any personal information such as bank card details or home address right away. Better to get to know the person a little better and have that trust bound.

Odds of success

★★★★☆

While being on the website and testing it, I matched with a few fellas that were very active to entertain me and have my attention focused on them. I would definitely say that before texting me, some of them read my profile and asked me relevant questions. They weren’t players that you can meet at Tinder or elsewhere. So I would say that the chances to meet like-minded people are quite high. The app is a bit more expensive than others but the precise matching algorithm seems to be worth it. Keep in mind, though: it works only if you answer all the questions given to you at the very beginning.

Matching algorithm

The more details you add about yourself, the higher are the chances to meet your 100% match. The system doesn’t have any additional filters that you can adjust but the matches are very precise. Besides, all your matches will be located in your area and fit your personal preferences.

User’s experience

So far everything seems nice and neat around eHarmony. Let’s take a look at what other users who also had tried the dating app have to say.

It took us one “Hi”
★★★★★
I was divorced 12/27/16 and a friend talked me into going on EHarmony beginning of February 2017 and it was a free weekend so I was hoping just to be able to see who was out there and maybe set up a date. I was so nervous putting myself out there since I have never been on a dating app. One guy named Jeff said hi and we talked and he gave me his phone number and we became friends on Facebook so I gave him my phone number as well. I was 36 years old and he was 42 years old at the time and we texted constantly. Our first face to face date was at Hoss’s Steak and Sea House and Jeff would take me to basketball games and see the Phillies play and I really fell in love so April 22, 2017, we got engaged at the blue and white game at PENN State football game and were married on Jeff’s birthday August 8, 2017, and we are still married as of today. EHarmony was the best website ever.
Erin D.

I needed one woman and I found one
★★★★★
I am a good looking man but on the inside, I am highly unique in a mostly negative way. As far as the rest of the population goes I have the rarest personality type in the world, INFJ. As a man, this makes me very effeminate in that I like things women like such as naked cuddles and talking for hours. I am highly sensitive, highly empathetic, and very prone to anxiety. I don’t really have any friends preferring to spend all my time with one woman. On my profile, I pretty much said these things in hopes of driving most rooms in a way that is exactly what happened. I ended up dating a local woman who has an INFP personality, Myers-Briggs inventory if you are curious about your own type. We are a perfect match. We can spend all day naked in bed just talking and snuggling and a couple of other things LOL but mostly the first two. We both love nature and can talk for hours and time flies when we are together. We have been dating for a year now and never get bored with one another. We are both highly sensitive, highly empathetic, highly neurotic neither of us have any real friends so we are up against each other’s butt all the time like peas in a pod. Long story short eHarmony matches our personalities extremely well. Don’t even try to make your profile so it appeals to the general masses. You need to show your flaws, not your strengths. Show your weaknesses and all your weirdness so you find someone like you.
Taylor B.

Disappointed
★☆☆☆☆
I joined eHarmony at the prompting of a friend who advised me to be patient with the dating site. I am however very disappointed by its mode of operation which I find misleading and deceitful. In July, I met a guy I thought we could try a relationship with. We had great conversations for two months and planned to meet while I was on vacation in Europe, where he was also doing some research work. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out as I had hoped after the meeting. He gave several reasons, but the bottom line was that he did not want the relationship to go on. I continued with my life, only to be matched with the same guy, under a different name, profile, and country!!!
eHarmony claims that it verifies its members, and while they do not do background checks, this guy must pay both the accounts to keep them. I felt like a fool, seeing that on the second profile, he had a whole different personality. This guy is actually a math professor at a state University in Chicago, which I checked, thanks to the public transparency of state employees.
On reporting to eHarmony, I got the response saying “we will evaluate if he has violated any of the eHarmony policies”. The guy himself claims that eHarmony failed to update or remove his old profile. Two things came to mind. Either 1) This man is a lying creep who is up to no good, and eHarmony will serve us best by banning him 2) The lawsuit brought against eHarmony claiming that it hires (or keeps non-paying people’s profiles) to bait singles has truth in it. The man bragged that eHarmony did not ban him. eHarmony, on the other hand, refuses to tell its exact action, and will also not refund or let me out of the membership.
After I reported this matter, I no longer get matches, but can not get out of the membership until March 2020 either. Each time I ask for matches, I am matched with people outside my preferences: from Wisconsin, Idaho, Canada, Mogadishu, Haiti, even Alaska… while I am in the New England area. Matches that I have almost zero chance of making it work. This has turned out to be such a con. Very disappointed.
Milly P.

Met my husband
★★★★★
My experience was wonderful, I met my husband via eHarmony in 2014. We were married in 2016 and it has been heaven ever since. We love the same activities, the same hobbies, and we have a great time with each other all the time.
Carmen B.

Final verdict

Overall, after a close eHarmony review, I could say that the app is very much straightforward and is dedicated to giving you the best possible experience while you are using it to find that one perfect match. Some might consider the lack of special features as a disadvantage but when your mind is set and determined to find a life partner, special features don’t matter. What matters is that you are connected to people who are like-minded and looking for the same thing as you.

Alternatives

If you want to have a few more options instead of or in addition to eHarmony, these ones below might be good.

eHarmony vs Match has been quite competitive throughout the years and both have a huge user’s pool. The Match would be a good alternative to eHarmony and you will get a bit more features to play with but not that precise matching algorithm. It will also be suitable if you want to start slowly with a serious relationship.

I like Pure dearly as this app makes it possible for you to connect online. Yet the chat that will last no longer than 24 hours so will automatically set your mind to go offline and meet the person as soon as possible. This also makes it way harder for scammers to use this platform because you can’t have months of online talking. Real people only.

Coffee Meets Bagel has a lot of fun features that you can test. The user’s pool number would make you keep going and going, having a bunch of possible matches in your area. I still like that you can only create an account via Facebook. They use your Facebook friends, and friends of friends to get you connected with, which, in my opinion, is quite a big circle of possible matches but most likely people you’ve already met or heard of. Great though if you have a crush on your friend’s friend.

FAQ

What is eHarmony?

eHarmony is the dating app that is focused on people to find each other and settle for committed relationships.

Is eHarmony free?

You can use the app for free to scroll through the profiles and see what’s out there; to get more features you would need to get a paid membership. Although eHarmony can seem pricey, you can use eHarmony coupons to get discounts.

How does eHarmony work?

After you register an account at eHarmony, you need to go through the detailed compatibility questionnaire to get ideal matches that would be as suitable as possible.

Is there any eHarmony discount code?

Yes, there is an eHarmony discount that you can find at Groupon or any other similar platform.

How to reach eHarmony customer service?

You can find it through the Help Center on the website of eHarmony.

Is there an eHarmony customer service number?

You can find an eHarmony customer service phone number here.

How much does eHarmony cost?

The average Premium package would cost you from $32.95 per month and also there are eHarmony discount codes that you can find online.

Is eHarmony worth it?

Overall, the platform is legit and safe to use based on the general registration process and purpose.

I don't see a lot of TV commercials anymore, but those saccharine eHarmony ads featuring Natalie Cole tra-la-laing the blight-on-humanity song 'This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)' have been unavoidable the last couple of years. (At your peril, you can check one out here).

The couples in the ads, many of them fed in the middle, seem to cling to each other with barely contained desperation, as though if they let go they will return to nights encumbered only by pints of ice cream for one and acres of Grey's Anatomy DVDs. So when I became single last year and started signing up with dating sites, I didn't even log on to eHarmony.

It turns out that if I had, I would not have been welcome. One has two choices on the first page of eharmony.com: 'Man seeking a woman' and 'Woman seeking a man.' In the first place, I'm not 'seeking' anyone. One seeks a job. Unless you're a bounty hunter, you don't seek another person. For my part, I'd like to meet a nice guy.

But the founder of eHarmony, Neil Clark Warren, has no interest in helping me meet a nice guy. Warren is a conservative Christian, a former recurring guest on James Dobson's radio show, a man who used the overweening right-wing group Focus on the Family to help promote eHarmony in its early days — and a man who apparently believes that gays are some kind of different species.

Warren, a psychologist, told NPR's Terry Gross a couple of years ago that 'I don't know exactly what the dynamics are [with gay couples]...We've done a deep amount of research on about 5,000 married people, but never on people who are same-sex. So we don't know how to do that, and we think the principles probably are different, and so we've never chosen to do it.' He noted later in the interview that 'same-sex marriage in this country is largely illegal at this time, and we do try to match people for marriage.'

Warren seems like a sweet guy in those ads, but this line of reasoning is transparently convenient: gays are just such an exotic and curious people, why, I could never understand them! And anyway their relationships are illegal — so best to ignore them completely.

Is Eharmony Gay Friendly

A class-action lawsuit was inevitable. It was filed yesterday by a lesbian from (naturally) the San Francisco Bay Area. She claims that eHarmony's no-gays policy is discriminatory under California law. The company replied that it might offer gay matching services in the future and denied that it discriminates.

Is Eharmony Gay Friendly

Which is silly: of course it discriminates, in the most basic sense of the term — it doesn't allow gays to use its site! Still, I think the lawsuit is a mistake, for two reasons: first, it once again casts gays in the role of victim. If you're wondering why kids still use 'faggot' as a slur to mean weak and simpering, it's because gays too often whine about silly things like not being able to use a dating website for fat suburbanites. Second, and more important, gays manifestly do not need eHarmony. We already have too many dating sites. All of eHarmony's competitors — match.com and its offshoot chemistry.com; true.com; personals.aol.com; lavalife.com and so on — allow gays. There are also many gay sites like gay.com and connexion.org, some of which could easily be charged with reverse discrimination. For instance, please visit manhunt.net for a second. I just did, and the main page says there are 'OVER 21,739 MEN ONLINE NOW!' Manhunt offers nothing for straight men. Maybe my heterosexual brother should file a class-action lawsuit.

Recently eHarmony competitor chemistry.com produced a funny ad you should watch. The ad is smarmily self-serving, but it approaches eHarmony the right way: not with a lawsuit, but with ridicule.