JDate Dating Site Review: Is It Legit?
Monthly visits | 400K |
| Price | From $29.99 to $59.99 per month |
| Male to female ratio | 55 to 45% |
| Good for | Serious relationships Finding a perfect match Local & international dating |
| Mobile app | Yes |
| Site | jdate.com |
JDate is a niche platform that works only for a specific category of users—Jewish singles. The concept is great, but the questions are what else users can expect from the platform, what the features are, and what the prices are. Find the answers to these and many more questions about JDate in this review.
What is JDate?
JDate is a website where single Jewish women and men are looking for partners, in most cases, to start serious long-term relationships. Currently, the platform has around 400K monthly visits, most of which come from the United States. It’s one of the platforms with thousands of real success stories that ended up with marriage, which makes new and new members sign up and upgrade to the premium plan to find a perfect match.
Overall JDate.com rating
Our Rating
88%
Overall score
Member’s experience
4.4 of 5
Customer service
4.4 of 5
Features
4.4 of 5
Support
4.6 of 5
Cost
4.2 of 5
JDate: Pros and cons
You don’t have to read a lot of JDate reviews to understand what to expect from this platform. Take a look at the major benefits and drawbacks of this Jewish dating site to find out whether you need to learn more about the platform or move on to other dating sites.
Pros
- Works for all singles regardless of their relationship goals
- Lots of success stories and real marriages of Jewish couples
- Offline events for members of the community
- Great matching services
- Most profiles on the site are pretty detailed
Cons
- Very limited free features
- Not so many members compared to sites like Tinder, Badoo, and Zoosk
- Not for people seeking casual sex
For most singles in the Jewish community, the pros of JDate outweigh the cons, and we definitely understand why. The site really has much to offer to a user, so if it meets your basic criteria, just keep reading to learn more about the specific conditions, prices, user base, and other important aspects of its work.
JDate in 30 seconds
- A niche dating site designed exclusively for Jewish singles
- The vast majority of members are looking for serious relationships & marriage
- The site has around 400,000 monthly visits, most come from the United States
- The matchmaking algorithm connects singles based on their backgrounds and dating preferences
- Registration is free, and so is access to matches
- Only Premium JDate members can send messages, hide online status, see photos, and use other special features
- There are fixed prices for premium plans, no need to buy credits
- Mobile users can get a JDate app on App Store or Google Play Store
Who is JDate for and not for?
JDate will work for:
- Jewish singles who’d like to meet partners from the Jewish community
- Non-Jewish singles who’d like to date Jewish men and women
- Users who’d like to find local matches, as well as those who want to date internationally
JDate will hardly work for:
- Jewish singles looking for completely free online dating sites to find love
- People seeking casual relationships
- Users who’d like to meet non-Jewish singles
Pricing
Is JDate free? Not exactly – it’s one of the niche dating sites with both free and premium features. Free members can set up accounts and learn a bit more about the community, but only those who get a JDate subscription can use the best communication features. So, how much does JDate cost? Currently, the prices are as follows:
$ 59.99
1-month premium subscription
per month
$ 44.99
3-month premium subscription
per month
$ 29.99
6-month premium subscription
per month
We’ve been using the dating site both as free and premium members, so let’s move on to the most important part of our JDate review—the detailed descriptions of the premium and free features of the platform.
Free services
As free members, we could do the following:
- Set Up and Improve the Profile. There are a lot of details you can add, and you can’t actually even join the community without adding a profile photo that also must be approved by moderators.
- Use the Search. You can use the search filters and see matches with higher compatibility scores.
- Browse Profiles. We could view as many profiles on the dating app as we wanted to, but as free members, we could only see one profile photo—the rest of the pictures were unlocked only after an upgrade.
- Send Winks. Note that we could do it only after we added enough information and completed our profile.
- Set Discovery Preferences. There are a lot of criteria we could manually set to find the most compatible JDate users.
- Use the LookBook Feature. There’s the swiping feature just like on other online dating sites, so we could see profiles, swipe left, swipe right, but at this stage, we couldn’t actually contact our matches.
So, as we’ve noted previously, JDate is an online dating site that you can join for free, learn a lot about others, and even evaluate the level of interest in you, but if you want to actually communicate, you need to pay for a premium JDate membership.
Paid services
Just like many other niche dating apps, JDate has more free than paid features, but they significantly improve the experience. Once we upgrade our account, we can do the following.
- Send Messages. That’s the main reason why nearly all JDate users upgrade their accounts, and we appreciate that there are no extra fees—once you unlock messaging, it gets unlimited.
- Change Privacy Settings. If you want to take a break, you can hide your online status as well as your profile from others.
- Go Incognito. Also, premium members can browse profiles anonymously, and other users won’t see their accounts on the Viewers lists.
- Get Read Receipts. Once our message was read, we were notified about it.
- See Who Liked and Viewed You. An upgrade also automatically unlocks lists with profiles of people who’ve already viewed and/or liked your profile.
So, though JDate doesn’t offer something extraordinary, its premium features work well enough to provide a good online dating experience. It’s not one of the dating apps for international dating or long-distance dating so there’s no video chat, but it’s a dating site where local singles meet, and there are enough features to find someone special and get to know this person a bit better to then meet in real life.
Who are the members?
| 👥 Visits | 400K |
| 🇺🇸 Most visited by | United States |
| ⌛ Average age of female and male users | 25-34 |
| 🌐 Members activity | United States, United Kingdom, Israel |
How does JDate work?
Let’s talk about the system as a whole. The main stages of using the site are as follows:
Sign up
A user sets up an account on JDate for free
Search features
Unlimited access to search, matchmaking, and profiles is granted to every newcomer. Members can apply filters manually or use the LookBook swiping feature.
Upgrade your account
A new member browses profiles, sees who they can meet on the site, and decides to upgrade or leave the site.
Communication features
Those who stay and buy a premium plan start communicating with others until they find someone special.
It’s simple, but it works due to the great moderation, reasonable rules, and good basic and special features.
A user who sets up and account can see that all the profiles are sorted by the date of registration (New users), Online status, Distance, and Match Percentage. There’s also a Look Book feature—this is not a category or something but a swiping feature that lets you discover new profiles and like or skip users’ profiles.
You’ll also see the Message window after you browse a profile of a user you like—you can’t contact anyone before you get more information about the user.
Also, a member can go directly to the Matches section to see the profiles that are suggested by the JDate’s advanced matchmaking algorithm.
Likes are free and unlimited, and you can see everyone you liked, mutual likes, as well as the users you viewed and members who viewed you in the Activity section. It might be helpful for those who want to make their activity on the site more ogranized, evaluate the level of interest from others and contact people whose profiles they’ve already seen.
Signing up at JDate
- Registration is completely free
- No minors are accepted
- You don’t have to prove that you’re Jewish
- Adding a profile picture is a must
The sign-up process on this dating app takes just a few minutes. A user needs to provide some basic information, namely email address, last and first name, age, and zip code, and then, after they add a profile picture and answer a few simple questions, they get full access to profiles.
Not all new profiles are checked by moderators and you can’t join the site without adding a photo, so we’d recommend adding a valid email and a real photo—otherwise, your profiles just will be blocked.
Profile and pictures
How to join JDate and get that good online dating profile? Take a look at some tips below:
- Add At Least 3 Photos. That’s the minimal requirement for everyone who wants to get enough attention on this Jewish dating site.
- Focus on the About Me Section. Most profiles are detailed, but they look more or less the same, and self-descriptions actually distinguish them from each other.
- Add Information on Your Perfect First Date. that’s a good icebreaker, and we also recommend filling in all other sections, from education to pets.
It won’t take much time but will improve your chances of finding a perfect match on the site by 300%.
User interface and design
In JDate reviews, not that much attention is paid to this specific criterion, but we believe that if you’re going to use the websites for months, usability matters. In our opinion, in the case of JDate, it’s actually pretty good.
Don’t expect anything extraordinary from this Jewish dating site—the design is good but it’s even too minimalistic. The blue-and-white color scheme makes it look like all those social media and networking sites, and that’s not a bad thing—at least, colors aren’t annoying or distracting.
The interface, in turn, is 100% intuitive. Even if you have zero experience with dating sites, you will understand how the system works without any difficulty. You need just to follow the steps when signing up, and once you get access to the profiles and features, you need to focus on the top menu—all the main features can be accessed with just one click.
Making contact on JDate
- Messaging is a main communication feature
- Members can send winks
- Only members who complete their profiles can interact with others
- There are Read Receipts
Generally speaking, there are two ways to contact others on the site. You can send a private message or a wink if you’re just interested if another member is also willing to chat. Messenger works well enough, again, everything is super-intuitive, and members can exchange media files. As for the Winks, don’t expect every person you winked at to contact you, but some users who really liked you will reach you (at least, that was our scenario on the site.)
Also, you can like others, and a user will receive a notification, too. Remember that you can discover new matches on LookBook, too, and the principle is simple—you swipe left or swipe right, and if you like someone and match with this person, you’ll be able to start a conversation.
JDate profiles: Customization and special features
- Most profiles are detailed
- There are no verification procedures
- Most members share at least 3 photos
- Match percentage is displayed next to every profile picture
A lot of stories that ended up with Jewish marriages started on JDate, and we believe that this, in part, is explained by two things—a good matchmaking system and the high quality of profiles. As we’ve already mentioned previously, you can’t join the site without adding at least one photo, and all the pictures you share are checked by moderators. Also, here’s what we could see in every profile:
- Basic details (age, name, location, match percentage, headline, or summary)
- Profile photos (all public, but access is granted once you upgrade an account)
- Appearance & marital status
- Education & occupation
- Hobbies and interests
- Search interests
- Preferred first date
- Discovery preferences
Of course, just like on other online dating sites, a lot depends on the user. For example, you can write a good summary or just a short catchy headline or nothing—it’s completely up to you.
Tips on how to make your profile work:
- Provide both basic information on your hobbies and interests as well as add more specific information on what you are looking for.
- Focus on your self-description—make it creative and interesting to read.
- Add at least 3-5 photos to your profile—that’s the necessary minimum to become a popular member.
Remember that the better you profile, the sooner you will find the partner, and the less you will pay for JDate premium membership
Safety and privacy measures
- Special features aimed at helping members protect their privacy
- No way to set up a profile without a real photo
- Only safe payment methods
- Opportunity to block users and report scams
Is JDate a safe Jewish dating site? The truth is it could be safer if there was profile verification, but as for the rest, the system works well enough to create a safe online dating environment for the users. You can’t join the site without providing a valid email address, entering a zip code, and adding your profile picture. Your profile will be checked and then approved, which automatically reduces the number of fake profiles.
All the information that a user shares on the site is safe—the company doesn’t have the right to share it with third parties unless they provide certain services to JDate users (as, for example, your bank when processing the financial transaction).
Speaking of financial transactions, the company offers only safe payment options. Members can also report scams and block others if they notice something is wrong with a particular user.
JDate vs. JSwipe
| JDate | JSwipe |
|---|---|
| Around 400,000 monthly visits, the vast majority are Jewish singles | Up to 115,000 monthly visits, non-Jewish singles are accepted, too |
| Messaging is available only to premium members | Messaging is free, but there are special features available only to premium users, too |
| Detailed profiles and strict moderation | Less detailed profiles, members may not have photos |
| Advanced matchmaking, compatibility percentage is shown on every profile page | Basic search algorithm to find matches |
Editor’s conclusion
David Krant
Dating Expert
JDate is a great site, but again, it works only for people from a certain social group, namely, American Jewish singles. Yes, people from other countries can also join the site, but the chance of finding a perfect match will be significantly lower for them.
Anyway, it’s a great place for Jewish men and women seeking true love and relationships, so if you’re one of them, I definitely recommend this website.
Top JDate competitors and alternatives
If you have already looked through some JDate.com reviews and realized that this website will hardly work for you, take a look at some great alternatives to this platform. Maybe, one of these websites will offer something you’ve been missing on the JDate site.
Alternative dating sites
1
Zoosk
2
EliteSingles
3
AskMe4Date
FAQ
What kind of site is JDate?
JDate is a niche dating website created for a specific category of singles, namely, Jewish singles looking for serious relationships. There is a free version of the site, as well as a premium version. Free members can learn more about the site and the community, while premium members can actually interact with others on the platform.
Is JDate free?
No, JDate isn’t free. Non-paying users can only create an account, use search and access other members’ profiles. Those who buy Premium for 1, 3, or 6 months can boost their profiles, send and receive messages, and receive notifications, including notifications about their messages being read.
How do I create an account on JDate?
You only need to visit the official website, find the registration form, and provide basic information like age, gender, and email address. Then you’ll need to answer some additional questions about your height, education, and occupation. Registration is free and takes just a few minutes.
Is JDate safe?
Yes, it’s one of the safest online dating sites. It has a good security and moderation policy—all the materials shared by members are manually checked by moderators, and the profiles can’t be viewed by anyone besides the registered users. Also, the site uses the best data encryption software to ensure all the data is properly protected.
What is the average age on JDate?
Most users on the site are pretty young. Over 23% of members (that’s the largest age group) are aged 25-34, and around 19% of users (the second largest age group) are aged 35-44.
Is your phone number required for signing up at JDate?
No, you only need to provide a valid email address and some basic information like first and last name, location, date of birth, and zip code. You don’t have to enter your phone number or share your payment information when signing up.
What features does JDate offer?
On JDate, members get suggested matches and can see the compatibility percentage, can use the LookBook swiping feature, set their own search criteria, send Winks and private messages, go Incognito, and get Read Receipts when their messages are read by another user.
Are JDate subscription plans worth the money?
Yes, they’re worth it. Considering the fact that messaging gets unlocked only after you upgrade an account, using this Jewish dating website as a free user just doesn’t make much sense, but once you get a premium membership, all the best features from unlimited messaging to Incognito mode become available.
Is JDate available worldwide?
Yes, users from most countries can join and use JDate to find Jewish partners. However, currently, most of the registered members come from the United States and Israel.
Will your JDate profile pictures and/or profile information show up in Google search results?
No, access to the website and information that members share on JDate is restricted for all non-registered users, so you don’t have to worry about privacy.
