The short answer: eharmony is a long-established dating service for adults of every age, and it matches people through a detailed compatibility quiz. Silver Senior Dating is a smaller community where most members are over 55, and you choose who you see by age, distance and what they want. If a personality-led match appeals, eharmony is strong. If you want a room full of people your own age, that is us.
Ask a friend in their sixties which dating site they have heard of and eharmony will often come up first. It has been running since 2000, it advertises widely, and it has a clear idea of what it does well. We think that deserves a fair hearing, so here is how the two sites compare on the things older daters ask us about.
Side by side
| What matters | Silver Senior Dating | eharmony |
|---|---|---|
| Age of members | Mostly 55 and over; the over-65s are the biggest group | Every adult age from 18, with guides for over-50s and over-60s |
| How you are matched | Your own age range, distance and preferences, plus daily suggestions | A compatibility quiz builds a personality profile and a score with each match |
| Without paying | Profile, browsing, daily matches, some messages a day, replies to VIP members | Quiz, profiles, likes and first messages; photos and full profiles need Premium |
| Proving you are real | Free optional ID check and badge, video check, moderators | A Trust and Safety team reviews suspicious and reported profiles |
| Phone | Browser on any device, can be saved to your home screen | iPhone and Android apps |
Meet people at your own stage of life
eharmony is open to all adults. That makes for a broad mix of members, and it has published plenty of advice for daters over 50 and 60. The trade-off is that you share the site with people of every age, and your quiz answers decide much of who appears.
Silver Senior Dating was built for later life from the start. Most of our members are in their late fifties, sixties and seventies, and plenty are dating again after a long marriage, a divorce or losing a partner. You will not have to explain why you have not been on a date since the 1980s. Our over 60s dating guide talks about exactly that.
How eharmony matches people
Everyone on eharmony starts with its Compatibility Quiz, which asks about your personality, interests and the way you communicate. Your answers build a Personality Profile, and the people it shows you come with a compatibility score. If you like the idea of a service doing the sorting for you, this is eharmony's great strength, and it is the thing people tend to remember about it.
We put the choices in your hands instead. You say what you are looking for, from friendship to something lasting, and set the ages and distance that suit you. The site then suggests new people each day, weighing interests and lifestyle details such as whether someone smokes. You can also browse freely, comment on members' posts or answer a poll, which many people find a gentler opening than a cold message. See how the features work.
What you get on a free account
A free eharmony membership lets you take the quiz, look at profiles, send likes and first messages, and see who has visited you. Seeing everyone's photos and the full personality reports needs Premium.
Joining us is free as well. Free members can build a full profile with photos, browse, receive daily matches, send a limited number of messages each day and reply to any VIP member who writes to them. VIP adds unlimited messaging, advanced search and private group chats. Plans and currencies are on our pricing page.
Feeling safe while you get to know someone
eharmony says a dedicated Trust and Safety team checks suspicious profiles every day, along with any that members report, and removes them where needed. That is a sensible approach for a site that size.
Our approach adds checks you can see. Members can verify their ID for free and wear a Verified badge, or do a short video check with a moderator, so you can tell at a glance who has proved they are real. Your real name and email stay hidden, your location shows only as your nearest town, and the site warns you if someone pushes to move the chat to WhatsApp. Our safety page covers how to block and report.
Where each one operates
eharmony runs its own sites for Australia, the UK, the USA and Canada, and its app is in the Irish App Store. New Zealand addresses lead to the Australian site. We could not find an eharmony service for South Africa.
Silver Senior Dating has members in all seven of those countries, South Africa included, with Australia our biggest community. Read about senior dating in South Africa or New Zealand.
Apps, browsers and small screens
eharmony has downloadable apps for iPhone and Android, which suits people who live on their phones. We work in the web browser on any phone, tablet or laptop, with easy-to-read pages and clear buttons, and you can add us to your home screen in a couple of taps. There is nothing to download or keep updated.
When eharmony might suit you better
eharmony is a good fit if you enjoy the idea of a long questionnaire, want compatibility scores to guide you, or are happy to meet people across a wide age range. It is also the bigger name, and some people find that reassuring. We suit you better if you want to meet people of your own generation, prefer to choose for yourself, and like being able to see who has verified their ID.
Weighing up the over-50s brands too? Read how we compare with OurTime or with SilverSingles, or go back to all comparisons.
Questions about eharmony for older singles
Is eharmony good for over 60s?
It is open to every age and runs dedicated guides for daters over 50 and over 60. You share it with younger members, and the quiz shapes who you see.
Can you use eharmony for free?
You can join, take the quiz, view profiles and send likes and first messages. Seeing all photos and full personality profiles needs Premium.
Is eharmony available in New Zealand and South Africa?
Its New Zealand address leads to the Australian site. We found no South African eharmony site.
Is Silver Senior Dating part of eharmony?
No. We have no connection to eharmony.
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