Zoosk Review

Short Info

• 20 000 000 active users in the US

• 25-45 age range of users

• Free mobile app (Android, iOS)

• Behavioral matching system

• 45% women vs 55% men

Our Review

Launched in 2007, Zoosk is a matchmaking website for people who are searching for either casual or serious relationships. It is under Zoosk, Inc. which belongs to the parent company Spark Networks that also operates SilverSingles and EliteSingles.

Is there a place where you could have some fun while searching for your true love? Yes, it is! Zoosk is something between a social network and a serious dating site (originally Zoosk was a Facebook app). It offers a unique matchmaking functionality - a behavioral matching system instead of strict algorithms that are based on the results of personality tests. In fact, this is some kind of machine learning engine that is constantly learning from the user’s actions and suggests matches based on that. Excited to learn more about it? Read our full review below.

In order to join Zoosk and become one of the Zooskers, first of all you need to register.

Registration Process (<5 Minutes)

The registration process is really quick and easy.

Step 1. Indicate who you are interested in (men or women).

Step 2. Enter your date of birth.

Step 3. Specify your email address and create your password. You can also sign up with a Facebook or Google account.

Step 4. Confirm your email address via the verification email.

Step 5. Login and personalize your profile at your will (add more relevant information or upload photos).

Design and User Experience

The website has a nice and simple design that aims to appeal to a wide range of users. The main theme uses light blue and pink colors. New users can easily adapt to the interface which is intuitive and easy-to-navigate. The main menu is located on the left hand side of the screen. From there, you can find all the needed functions to communicate with other users. On the right hand side, you can see your profile settings as a drop-down menu. Next to it, there are also such icons as chat, notifications and boosting your profile.

The mobile app looks pretty much the same as the desktop version. It has a similar simple design and all the features that are easily accessible from the mobile interface. Both desktop and mobile versions are full of ads that can be annoying and disruptive for the users. However, the ads will stop showing up once you upgrade to a Premium membership.

Main Features

The main feature of the site is its SmartPick™ function based on Behavior Matchmaking Engine. Basically it works similarly to Facebook or YouTube algorithms. The system provides you with the contact suggestions based upon your profile description. You need to review the profiles of suggested users and then you can either Like this person or Dislike. This remains private to you unless the other person also Likes your profile. In this case, both of you will get a notification in regards to that. The more you use Zoosk, the more profiles you Like, the better understanding of your preferences the systems gets, thus it can provide you with better matches over time.

Additionally, Zoosk offers a lot of special features. Keep in mind that you might need to subscribe to a paid membership in order to use them. The most interesting features are:

• Carousel - a fun feature that provides you with your possible matches in a random order so that you can select “Yes” or “Maybe” if you are interested in the person or simply choose “No” and move on to the next profile

• Dating Insights - the system gathers information about you and then provides you with the insights about your personality, your preferences, your lifestyle

• Super Send - you can send pre-written messages to many users at once

• Virtual Gifts - you can send special images and other gifts to the person you like

Pricing Structure

Upon registration, you can use these services for free:

• Profile creation

• Receive daily matches and access Carousel feature

• View full profiles of other members

• Send smiles

In order to send messages, use chat, gain access to SmartPicks, see who likes you, browse invisibly and use the full functionality of the website, you are advised to subscribe to one of the Premium packages:

1 month - $29.99/month

3 months - $20.00/month or $59.99 in total

6 months - $12.50/month or $74.99 in total

As an option, free users can buy coins if they do not want to subscribe to a Premium account. With the use of coins, they can unlock some of the special services like sending messages and virtual gifts, better profile ranking in the search results, invisible browsing, etc. For example, incognito mode costs 30 coins for 30 minutes. However, Premium users also might need to purchase coins in order to use some extra features that are not included in the package.

Zoosk coin packages are the following ones:

180 coins - $0.11/coin or $19.99 in total

480 coins - $0.08/coin or $39.99 in total

Advantages and Disadvantages

• Free registration and profile creation

• Huge user base

• Verified profiles and reviewed pictures

• Intelligent matchmaking based on user’s behavior

• Well-suited daily matches that increase your chance to find a partner quickly

• Good balance between genders

• 100% secure and anonymous experience

• Super Send - pre-written ice-breaking messages the users can send to their matches

• A lot of special features

• Free users can gain some coins for free by performing some simple tasks like recommending service to friends, liking Zoosk page on Facebook and so on

• Minimum 1 month subscription

• Premium subscription can be cancelled online at any time

• Paid subscriptions are cheaper in comparison to other dating sites

• You need to have a Premium account to at least send messages (like the majority of dating sites do)

• Auto-renewable subscriptions (like most of the dating sites have)

• Premium members still might need to buy coins to use some extra features

Important Things You Need to Pay Attention to

Before you decide to subscribe to a paid membership, please test the website and consider the pricing for each package to understand if it is worth your time and money. Also, be sure to cancel your subscription after you find your partner, otherwise it will be automatically renewed for the period of the same length as the initial one. Make sure to use all the coins on your balance if you purchased them, otherwise they will not be refunded after the account cancellation. Date wisely and responsibly!