Zoosk Review September 2019: A Chance at True Love?

Alternatives to Zoosk

Last updated: August 2019

Our Review

For more than 12 years of providing a reliable dating app to single users in more than 80 countries worldwide, Zoosk has remained to be one of the preferred dating sites. Since its launch, it has gained over 40 million singles and has ranked in several lists such as The Next Big Thing of The Wall Street Journal.

The matchmaker functionality that Zoosk offers on its dating platform is different from other dating sites. It has what it calls 'SmartPick' and 'Dating Insights'.

Rather than asking their members to complete a personality test upfront, Zoosk’s Behavioral Matchmaking technology gets to know each member as they use the dating site. The matchmaking functionality SmartPick, makes use of the behavioral data the technology was able to gather and matches you with a user who they think would be perfect based on that. These data can be seen on the 'Dating Insights' page if you're curious about how Zoosk sees your behavior on the website.

Read our full Zoosk review to find out if this particular dating site will work wonders for you.

Member Structure

Members

20,000,000 from USA

Members activity

1,600,000 daily logins

Gender Proportion

45 %

55 %

40 million members worldwide
Most members are within the age range of 25-34
Gender distribution is closely proportional
Member activity is high
Most members have their profiles validated
Majority of members are looking for serious dating and long-term relationships

Zoosk dating is known for its extensive network of members, where the majority comes from the United States. Most members fall within the age range of 25 to 34 years old, but there is a good percentage of members of all age ranges. These members often use the site to look for serious dating and long-term relationships. With Zoosk’s large member base, it is highly likely that they get to find their match. In fact, Zoosk dating boasts thousands of success stories about their members finding their husband or wife through their dating site.

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

Signing Up

Registration takes 3 to 5 minutes
Profile photo upload can be skipped
You can sign up via Facebook or Google account
Provide basic information about yourself to sign up
Profile can be set up under 10 minutes

Signing up with Zoosk dating is a quick and easy process. You just need to fill out a personal information form disclosing your gender and gender preference, birthday, email address, and zip code. Zoosk detects VPN, so you have to sign-up using any zip code from the country where you reside.

After providing your necessary personal details, an activation link will be sent to the email address you provided. Once you click on that link, you can already freely access the website. However, your access is limited unless you validate your account by providing a number and entering the code sent to that number. You will also be encouraged to increase your profile credibility by connecting your Facebook and Twitter accounts to your Zoosk dating profile.

Making Contact

Sending messages is strictly a premium feature
You can send a smile or heart for free
You can buy digital gifts and send them to other users
There is a chatroom available

Contacting other Zoosk members may be quite a challenge if you’re not a premium member. As a free member, you can only browse profiles and send flirt pings. The people you send these flirt notifications to will be able to see them, but if they are also a free member, they wouldn’t be able to reply. Same with digital gifts — you could buy using Zoosk coins and send them as you wish, but they need a premium membership to allow you to reply.

Zoosk dating offers two kinds of matchmaking feature. The first one is called ‘Carousel’ where profile suggestions are shown to you. Here, you need to decide whether it’s an ‘x’, ‘maybe’, or a ‘check’. The Carousel shows two kinds of suggestions: ‘Meet’ and ‘Match’.

The Match tab is connected with Zoosk’s other matchmaking feature called ‘SmartPick’. SmartPick shows you match suggestions based on your behavior on the site — the profiles you view, your search queries, the profiles you send smiles and hearts to, etc.

Profile Quality

Profile pictures are visible to everyone
Members can compose a story
Profiles feature the digital gifts the members received
You can fill out your interests for different categories

Overall, the quality of the profiles on Zoosk is good. It is easy to get the gist of a member’s personality just by looking at their listed interests, which any member can view freely.

Most profiles are straightforward and somewhat complete, making it easy for you to determine whether the account you are viewing is a match or not. Validation of profile is also required in Zoosk—you can see from the profile view how the members verified their identities.

With this, there is a guarantee that the profile you are viewing is real. Seemingly, it is highly possible to get actual dates.

Safety and Privacy

Although there are forum discussions found online that complain about “fake profiles” on Zoosk, we didn’t find any. As mentioned earlier, Zoosk has a strict verification process that is required for all members to continue using the dating site.

Failing to verify your identity will disable you from using the platform to find potential matches. However, in the instance that you see a fake profile, you can easily report them to Zoosk administrators.

To report abuse and/or block a member, click the ‘Report/Block’ button found on the member's profile. Zoosk dating does not take the responsibility of routinely screening members, but the validation process makes up for this.

App

Available to download for free in Apple App store and Google Play Store
Mobile app has most of the functionality of the web version
Allows quicker sign-ups
Promotes easier contacting functions and account management
Dating Insights special feature is not available
App design is optimized for maximum mobile user experience

Zoosk’s mobile app has the same features as its website counterpart. The only thing missing on the mobile app is the Dating Insights feature. As this feature shows a lot of data, it simply won’t fit in the mobile app screen, or if it did, it would be hard to read.

Zoosk’s mobile app provides a seamless user experience for the on-the-go user. All its contacting and search features are easily accessible from the icons found at the bottom of the screen. The design of the mobile app is also simple—it mainly uses the colors blue and gray.

The only thing that is a downside of the mobile app is the set of ads that sometimes disrupt the user experience. However, if you get a premium subscription, these ads automatically disappear.

Real Life Review

“I searched for popular dating sites in the United States and came across several Zoosk review and tests. I signed up for an account immediately when I saw how many members the site has worldwide. As soon as I filled out my profile, I was asked by Zoosk to validate my identity by connecting my social media accounts or verifying my mobile number. I chose the latter. After putting the code to validate my account, I was encouraged more by Zoosk to increase my profile’s credibility by connecting my social media accounts. I did just that, and almost instantly, my profile views shot up. I subscribed to a 3-month premium subscription to see who viewed me and message the viewers of my profile. I got some replies and was even able to schedule some dates. In fact, I’m going on my third date with one of the ladies I met through Zoosk. I have a good feeling about where this relationship is going, and I have Zoosk to thank for that!” - Al, 27, NYC

Usability and Design

Zoosk was designed to give a simple and straightforward user experience to its members. The dating platform is easy to use that even members who are new to online dating will have no problem using all its features.

All contacting features are on the menu found on the left side of the page. The button for subscription to a premium account is right below this menu. Everything you need with regard to your profile is on the upper right side of the page through a drop-down menu. There is also a chat icon beside this menu, which will take you to the chat platform. On the header, there is a bell icon which compiles all your recent notifications, and a heart platform, which takes you to some paid special features.

Appearance-wise, Zoosk could use an upgrade to further appeal to the younger generation of users. Nevertheless, the platform is organized well enough for users to overlook this lack of design.

Zoosk Costs and Prices

Account registration
Profile creation
Send smiles and hearts
Access Carousel
View full profiles

Send messages
Full access to SmartPicks
Browse incognito mode
Use the chat feature
See who likes you

Duration / Credits / Coins	Costs per month	Total
Monthly Membership
1 Month	29.95 USD / Month	29.95 USD
3 Months	19.95 USD / Month	59.85 USD
6 Months	15.00 USD / Month	89.98 USD
Coins
50 Coins	0.10 USD / Coin	4.99 USD
250 Coins	0.08 USD / Coin	19.99 USD
750 Coins	0.07 USD / Coin	49.99 USD

Is Zoosk expensive or cheap?

In comparison to other providers Zoosk is average.

Credit Card
Direct Debit
PayPal

Zoosk has premium memberships offered in three different package durations. Getting a premium membership gives you full access to the dating site, including the sending of messages and seeing who viewed your profile. If you are not sure whether a premium membership is for you, you can load up on coins which gives you limited, but sufficient access to the dating site’s paid features.

Zoosk has a one-time activation fee of $24.95 on top of the premium membership cost you avail.

Special Features

Carousel

Carousel is Zoosk’s main matchmaking feature. It presents you with Zoosk members through a roulette, who you can send flirts to or skip if you’re not into them.

SmartPick™ Introductions via Behavior Matchmaking™

When you do things such as send a message, accept a connection, or express interest in someone, Zoosk’s Behavioral Matchmaking™ engine learns more about your preferences. Zoosk then uses this information to help introduce you to other users who it thinks you’ll be interested in.

The more you use Zoosk, the more information it has to help recommend better matches and SmartPick™ introductions. Make sure to respond before time runs out or else your SmartPick™ introduction will disappear.

Dating Insights

Zoosk collects data on your activity to give you insights regarding who you like, who likes you, and your dating style. You can use these dating insights to learn about what type of people you’re likely to attract, what you tend to have in common with the people you’re attracted to, and much more!

Connections

Adding someone as a connection lets him or her know you’re interested in them. Anytime you send a smile or a heart and they respond back, they automatically become a connection. Labeling someone as a connection is like putting them on your ‘Favorites’ list.

Super Send

Super Send allows you to send a flirty message to many people at once. Zoosk provides you with some pre-written messages so you wouldn’t have to think about what to say.

Boost

Boost increases your visibility to make even more connections. It is a great way to get noticed by other Zoosk members, but it is a paid feature.

Our rating

Signing Up:	4.5 / 5
Making Contact:	3.5 / 5
Profile Quality:	3.0 / 5
App:	4.0 / 5
Real Life Review:	4.0 / 5

Editors Conclusion

Zoosk is an excellent choice for modern singles who are looking to step up their dating game. The site boasts a lot of success stories of actual users who ended up in the altar. The user experience is simple and straightforward as you’ve read on this complete Zoosk review. And due to Zoosk’s strict account validation, you are sure that you are interacting with a real person. So whether you are new to the online dating scene or an expert dater, you might find who you’re looking for on Zoosk’s enormous network.

FAQ

Facts

Who owns Zoosk?

Zoosk is owned by Zoosk, Inc. and is based in San Francisco, California, USA.

When was Zoosk founded?

Zoosk was founded in the year 2007.

Membership

Who can join Zoosk?

Anyone over the age of 18 can join Zoosk.

How do I join Zoosk?

You can join Zoosk by filling out a personal information form or by signing up via your Facebook or Google account.

Does Zoosk offer premium membership?

Zoosk has premium membership offered in three different package durations.

Can I cancel my membership anytime?

Yes, you can cancel your membership anytime through your Account Settings. You can still use Zoosk’s premium features until your billing cycle ends.

Does Zoosk give out refunds for unused time?

Unfortunately, Zoosk does not give out refunds under any circumstance.

Do I need to verify my account?

Zoosk requires all its members to undergo profile verification. You can verify your account by connecting your social media accounts or by providing your mobile number.

Usability

What is Zoosk’s Dating Insights?

Dating Insights is a report of all your dating interactions and behavior in the dating site.

What is Zoosk’s SmartPick Technology?

SmartPick Technology recommends better matches for you by analyzing your behavior on the dating site.

How do I search for potential matches on Zoosk?

You can either use the Carousel function which is Zoosk’s roulette-type matching or by searching online users on the search tab.

How come I cannot message my matches on Zoosk?

Messaging other users is strictly a paid feature.

Security

Is using Zoosk safe?

As with other dating sites, users of Zoosk are expected to keep wary of fraudulent users and scamming.

How do I report and block an abusive user?

You can report and/or block an abusive Zoosk user by clicking the ‘Report/Block’ button found on his or her profile.

How do I deactivate my Zoosk account?

Go to your account settings, select 'Account status' and click edit. There you will find the option to deactivate your profile.

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Infos

Company:	Zoosk Inc.
Address:	989 Market Street, San Francisco, CA, 94103 USA
E-Mail:	support@zoosk.com