BlackPlanet Review April 2024

Does BlackPlanet continue to be one of the top choices for black community? Was it able to keep up with the fast-changing online dating landscape? Find out more in this review.

250,000 Members
 60 % ♀ 
 40 % ♂ 
Good For:
4 / 5
3 / 5
3 / 5
Success Rate:
0 / 10
38 / 10
33 / 10
Compare BlackPlanet
Age Distribution:
18-24
25-34
35-49
50+

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BlackPlanet in 10 seconds

  • BlackPlanet is an online dating community that specifically caters to African-Americans
  • Its services are 100% free for everyone although it runs a few advertisements on its pages
  • Members are allowed to socialize through private messaging features and public forums
  • It claims to be one of the world's largest online community for African-Americans
  • The site's goal is to provide a platform where black men and women socialize for friendship, networking, or finding love
  • Non-black people can still join BlackPlanet
  • The website has no identity verification to filter out suspicious accounts - Learn more about the community here
  • BlackPlanet is available for iOS and Android users
  • You can use BlackPlanet for free
DatingScout.com Author Chris Pleines
Chris Pleines
Founder of Dating Scout and Author of the book "Online Dating for Dummies"
BlackPlanet may be one of the first sites created tailored to the needs of the African-American community, but it seems like it has been too slow in keeping up with the demands of the online world. It needs a lot of design and feature upgrades. 

Who is BlackPlanet for and not for?

  • For African-Americans looking for serious relationships and deep commitments
  • For singles who want to fall in love with black individuals
  • For people who are looking for friendships and profound connections with like-minded people
  • If you're searching for erotic adventures and casual encounters
  • Singles who are into casual flirting
  • People who don't want to date African-American singles
Back to Overview

BlackPlanet Pros & Cons

  • The platform is inclusive of all gender and sexuality
  • Has a large member base of black members
  • BlackPlanet offers great services for free
  • The app has occasional glitches
  • There are fake profiles due to its lack of verification system
  • It does not have a customer support toll-free number

How much does BlackPlanet cost?

Is BlackPlanet expensive or cheap?

In comparison to other providers BlackPlanet is free of charge.

The site's features are totally free.

Free Features
  • Registration
  • Profile creation
  • Messaging
  • Post updates and statuses on feed
  • Follow members
Back to Overview

Who is signed up on BlackPlanet?

Members
250,000 from USA
Members activity
50,000 active weekly
Gender Proportion
60 %
40 %
  • You get a personal profile which you can fill out
  • The site's main target population are African-American singles
  • Non-black people can join BlackPlanet
  • The website has a large member base worldwide
  • Female members dominate the platform
  • Most members are in their early 20s and 30s

BlackPlanet is targeted towards African-American singles who are looking for meaningful conversations and long-term relationships. Members sign up because they are looking for their perfect matches and possibly love. 

The website has a large number of members from all over the globe. The website is dominated by female members who are mostly in their early 20s and 30s. Although the website is generally created for black singles, anyone from any race can join and use BlackPlanet's free services.

Females
Males

BlackPlanet Age Range and Age Distribution

  • 18-24
  • 25-34
  • 35-44
  • 45-54
  • 55+

New members at BlackPlanet in April 2024 in comparison

Here you can see how membership figures at BlackPlanet are developing compared to others

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BlackPlanet in Detail

  • Reading time 16 minutes
  • Lots of insider information for more success

How to Sign Up for BlackPlanet

Signup
  • Registration is free
  • Quick and easy signup
  • The website is highly inclusive of gender and sexuality
  • Users who are 13 years old and up may join
  • No identity verification

Joining BlackPlanet is quick and easy, and it's free. The registration only takes three to five minutes and only requires you to provide basic information such as your display name, gender, email address, and birthday.

BlackPlanet is highly inclusive of gender and sexuality so anyone from the LGBTQ+ community may join. Users who are as young as 13 may join. 

The only downside of BlackPlanet's registration process is that it doesn't have proper identity verification to filter out fake profiles.

Making Contact on BlackPlanet

Contact
  • Join chatrooms
  • You can post a message like in a bulletin board where people can add comments
  • Messages are called "Notes" that can be embedded with a photo
  • 'Follow' members
  • All members can send messages for free
  • There is a chatroom

BlackPlanet is 100% free. All of its contacting features can be accessed by all members. Looking for people near you is possible because you can modify your search results based on gender, age, and zip code.

You can also enter any zip code that you want even those outside your area. Only the moderators can create a chat room, but they are available for everyone. The rooms are sorted according to age, gender preference, and location. You can follow other members so you can see what's happening on their feeds as well as view their posts and updates.

People are generally friendly and polite during conversations, but job advertisements are noticeable. Almost all rooms have a job advertisement posted by a member.

BlackPlanet Profile Quality

  • You can view all the photos uploaded into albums
  • Members can upload one profile and cover photo
  • Members can post updated on their feeds
  • Users can comment on any public post
  • There are fake profiles on the site due to lack of identity verification
  • The profile information can be changed later
  • Profile pictures are visible to everyone for free

Information on each profile is scarce, especially since adding details aside from basic information is not required. You will not get an overview of a person's personality by checking their profiles. You will need to get in touch and be friends with the person and see how they are like on social networking sites.

Members like posting status updates that are open for public comments. These posts can be pictures or text about anything and appear on the "Discover" section. BlackPlanet randomly selects the Discover section posts that appear for every member. The most liked posts will have a place in the "Propped Posts" tab.

BlackPlanet App

App
  • The app is available for Android and Apple devices
  • It is free to download
  • The app version receives a lot of usability complaints
  • The desktop version looks exactly like the mobile web version
  • The app's response to commands is slow

All the functionalities of BlackPlanet are free, even for the app version. The mobile app, however, has received a lot of complaints from users. The app version looks like it has not received an upgrade aesthetics and functionality-wise in a long time. Members are not happy about it.

The app version's button looks old and the response is slow. Also, some functionalities found in the desktop version are missing in the app.

Special Features

BlackPlanet has the following special features that make interaction and flirting with other members more memorable:

Notes

Create love letter-like messages that can be embedded with photos. You can send as many as you like for free.

Stories

Know the latest story about African-American celebrities. You can also add comments on the news article and discuss with other members your thoughts.

Discover

Check out what other people has to say about anything under the sun, just like in other social networking sites. Members can comment or like these posts so they can be popular.

Chat Room

Join a public chat room and discuss to get to know the other members of BlackPlanet and find friends. You can join the chat rooms for free.

BlackPlanet FAQ

Facts

What is Black Planet?

It is an African-American social networking service. Its primary services include matchmaking and job postings.

When was BlackPlanet launched?

It was launched on 2001 by internet analyst Omar Wasow and Community Connect's CEO Benjamin Sun.

Is BlackPlanet free?

BlackPlanet's features and services are free. You can also download its app on your Android or Apple device for free.

How can I remove the ads on BlackPlanet?

There is no way to remove the advertisements as of the moment. The video ads usually last for about 15 to 30 seconds, but most of it can be skipped.

Do I have to verify my email address after creating an account?

There is no verification process needed on BlackPlanet. You may log in to your account after registration.

What is the average age of users on BlackPlanet?

The average age of BlackPlanet users is between 26-34 years. You can find more information here

Usability

How do I comment on a news article on BlackPlanet?

Go to the "Stories" tab then choose the news article that you want. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see the comment box. Type your comment and click "post."

Where do I find the latest posts on BlackPlanet?

On the homepage, you will see three categories of public posts for you to see: Trending, Dope, and Now. Go to "Trending" for the most-liked posts, "Dope" for the most commented, and "Now" for the most recent.

How do I send a note on BlackPlanet?

Click the username of the member that you want to message. At the top of their profile page, click on the drop-down arrow beside "Contact." Click on "Send Note" and type your message on the text box.

What is the "prop" button's purpose?

Instead of "like," BlackPlanet uses the word "prop" in its site. Clicking this will give you a result similar to liking.

How do I like a public post on BlackPlanet?

Under every post, you will see two buttons: "skip" and "prop." Click "prop" to like, or "skip" to ignore.

Security

What is the "Not secure" warning at the address bar?

Web browsers tag BlackPlanet as not secure. The warning refers to the lack of security when connecting to that page.

How soon will my profile be visible in the search list?

Your BlackPlanet profile will immediately be visible after you finish the registration. Other members can see your profile if you post, or comment on different profiles.

Can I control over who can visit my account on BlackPlanet?

There is not yet a feature that can control the privacy settings of members. All posts are public as of the moment.

Can I block another user on BlackPlanet?

There is no feature to block other members yet, but you can skip their posts. This reduces the likelihood of you stumbling into their posts again.

How many "props" can I give to another member on BlackPlanet?

You can only give one "prop" or like to a person's profile per day.

Does BlackPlanet sell your data?

No, BlackPlanet does not sell your data.

Was BlackPlanet hacked in the past?

No, BlackPlanet was never hacked.

How accurately does BlackPlanet track your location?

BlackPlanet tracks your approximate location.

Do your BlackPlanet profile pictures or profile information appear in Google Search Results?

No, your BlackPlanet photos and personal information will not appear in Google Search Results.

Who can view your pictures on BlackPlanet?

All BlackPlanet users can view your pictures.

Is your phone number required for signing up at BlackPlanet?

No, you don't need a phone number to sign up on BlackPlanet.

Can you erase your personal data on BlackPlanet?

Yes, BlackPlanet provides an option for users to erase their data.

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Final Results table

Signing Up: 2.0 / 5
Making Contact: 3.0 / 5
Profile Quality: 3.0 / 5
App: 2.0 / 5
Real Life Review: 2.5 / 5

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Contact details

Company:Urban One
Address:205 Hudson Street, 6th Floor, New York, New York, USA
E-Mail:bpapp.feedback@interactiveone.com