Overall Results:
In the chart below you will see the overall results for Mate1 compared to the average results of all 10 reviewed online dating sites including Match.com, the overall winner.
| Average 10 Sites |  |  |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Score (1-10) | 6.89 | 6.51 | 9.23 |
| Search/Find Members (1-10 Score) | 6.80 | 7.65 | 7.65 |
| Communication with Other Members (1-10 Score) | 6.16 | 4.09 | 5.91 |
| Free Registration (1-10 Score) | 5.74 | 8.33 | 7.50 |
| Prices (1-10 Score) | 5.61 | 5.01 | 5.87 |
| Number of Monthly Visitors | 2,321,000 | 689,000 | 7,100,000 |
Mate1 scored 6th place of all the reviewed sites. This site was ranked second in its ability to “Search/Find Members” and also ranked highly in the features it offers with the free trial and registration. For the lack of chat rooms and message boards, the site got low results in the “Communication with Other Members” category and also scored low in the number of visitors. A huge perk of this site is its free membership for women.
See the Overall Test Results for All Sites
Free Registration:
Registration is free for both genders; however, all of the site’s features are absolutely free for women. Call it a gender bias, or call it they way of the dating world. I’m sure the male members don’t mind having more profiles of ladies to check out.
Type of Dating Website:
Mate1 is a general dating website for straights, gays, and lesbians. It is simple and easy to use. You can search for people based on basic to more detailed info and find your own matches.
Filling Out Your Online Dating Profile:
The initial profile quiz upon registration is very simple and only takes a minute. It includes the basics: gender, hair and eye color, height, body type, ethnicity, education, occupation, income and a brief headline. The site then prompts you to upload a picture of yourself. You may upload up to four pictures.
After you register, you will be able to fill out your entire profile. This includes many short answers about yourself, what you’re looking for, lifestyle and interests, favorite things, (from artist and hero, to airline and beverage!), and least favorite things. The least favorite things is a pretty intriguing vice pile of pet peeves, music that drives you nuts, things that make you angry, biggest fears, turn-offs, and other cobwebs that help you get to know a person’s shadow.
Seeing Other Singles Profiles:
Every member’s profile shows his or her gender, age, location, and a headline of his or her own making. You will see basic information like height, ethnicity, body type, hair and eye color, relationship status, religion, field of study, astrological sign, occupation, education, annual income, smoking, and drinking. You will also see lifestyle and interests, which includes information like diet, physical fitness, sexual fetishes, and whether s/he travels for fun or work. You may see from one to four pictures.
A unique dimension that Mate1 offers is “favorite things” and “least favorite things,” a strange elixir of odds and ends. In your own words list your favorite comedian, candy, book, indulgence, turn-on, virtue, leisure activity, and even your favorite gadget and appliance. Among your least favorite things, you will be able to tell people your worst job, bad habits, and world’s worst evil-doers. “Least favorite things” is a delightfully warped car wreck that you can’t help but check out.
Eh hem…back to basics. You will able to see when a member was last online. You have the ability to email a member, add him or her to your hotlist, or flirt with her/him by asking for more photos, saying hi, or “Let’s Correspond!” Just don’t ask about his nail-biting habit in the first email and you should be fine.
Preferences for Your Dating Profile:
Mate1.com offers a number of different search options to make sure you find who you’re looking for. These include an advanced search, keyword search, nickname search, who’s online now, who’s in your area, new photos, and your matches. Your matches will include anyone in the age range and distance you specify.
If you wish to do an advanced search, you can search for a member based on body type, hair and eye color, height, ethnicity, religion, work, education, and lifestyle. Lifestyle includes a person’s food and drinking preferences, travel for fun, sexual preference, exercise habits, and relationship status.
You have the option of adding a recording of your voice to your profile and seeing who’s viewed your profile. You may hotlist or blocklist any member who makes you smile or gives you the creeps. Or maybe you’re feeling chatty and want to see who’s available to talk. You may send a chat request to someone, but you may not get a reply.
Online Dating Paid Subscription:
There is no paid requirement for women to enjoy all of Mate1.com’s features. Men, however, have to pay. Mate1.com offers a 3-day trial period for $1.95 that gives men access to all of the site’s features. While a guy may flirt with a member for free, he will only be able to chat, email, see extra pictures, see who’s viewed his profile, and listen to voice recordings with a paid subscription.
Enjoy all the site’s features for $49.95 per month. You will be re-billed automatically every 30 days until you cancel your subscription.
What I Liked Most About Mate1:
I liked that you could check out who has viewed your profile. I also really appreciated free registration for women and the ability to add voice to my profile. “Least favorite things” satisfied my morbid curiosity as I’ve only ever seen “favorite things” on any online dating website. I think it’s important to know what ticks someone off. If you hate country music and you see that it is listed under a member’s “music that drives me nuts,” do you really need to be wasting a car ride with that person?
What I Liked Least About Mate1:
I found it suspicious that it was not upfront in clear and bold writing that the site charges $49.95 every month. It’s not that the information wasn’t available, it just wasn’t obvious. This information was listed in fine print at the bottom of the $1.95 trial page as “forty-nine dollars and ninety-five cents.” Who writes prices out like that except for on a personal check?