Dating websites have gone from having the reputation of attracting lonely desperates to being a good place to filter out the ‘rubbish' and find ‘the one' or at least, the one for right now. For anyone who is too busy - or incredibly picky - a dating website can take all of the leg work out of dating. With so many different types and tastes out there though, finding the right dating website that holds your special someone can be a minefield so, to make the job easier we've rounded up the best dating websites so you can start the new year with a bang...
match.com
Best for: Covering all bases.
match.com was the first major dating site and remains popular today thanks to its huge database of 15 million men and women, which increases your chances of finding ‘the one'. They also have a Make Love Happen Guarantee, a promise that if you don't find love within six months, you'll receive another six months free. For really busy people you have the option of upgrading to Match Platinum where you are assigned your very own matchmaker to weed out the unsuitables and team you up with that special someone.
The cost: Prices vary on how hopeful you are of finding love quickly. A one-month subscription costs £34.99, a three-month subscription costs £20 a month and a six-month plan costs £12.99 a month. Visit uk.match.com for more information.
darwindating.com
Best for: Beautiful people between the ages of 18 and 35 who only like to be seen with other beautiful people.
If you want to join this dating site not only will you have to think a lot of yourself but everyone else will too, because if you're not hot you're not getting in. Every applicant to Darwin dating has to adhere to their strict, if amusing, criteria such as no redheads, no sweaty people, no overweight people and absolutely no mullets. To check if you might stand a chance of being accepted, and let's face it most of us won't, you can take the chimp calculator which can save you the time of applying if you're simply not up to scratch.
The cost: Free, because beautiful people shouldn't have to pay for anything (their words, not ours). Visit www.darwindating.com for more information.
eharmony.com
Best for: If you want to get married.
eharmony has taken internet dating and added some science to improve your chances of meeting Mr Right. Using their Compatibility Matching System each applicant is pre-screened on 29 dimensions of compatibility so you can be matched with someone who is perfect for you according to their looks, personality, hobbies, interests and background. The system is so reliable that 2% of all marriages in America are as a result of the couple meeting on eharmony, if that's not enough evidence to convince you to sign up then we don't know what will.
The cost: £34.65 for a one-month subscription, £74.85 for three months, £89.70 for six months and £143.40 for a year. Visit www.eharmony.co.uk for more information.
mysinglefriend.com
Best for: Shy types.
If you can't stand singing your own praises and the thought of joining a dating site makes you cringe, this is the perfect option for you. You can only join if a friend recommends you and, once you've registered, they have to write your profile listing all the great things about you which you may never have thought of. After you've approved your friends listing of you, you can search other singles and link up with your other single friends already on the site to help you meet people in your current friend's network. Set up by Sarah Beeny and her childhood friend Amanda Christie, the site currently has over half a million members and has proven popular due to its informal approach to dating so, whether you're looking for a fling or a long-term love, the website has all bases covered.
The cost: £18 for one month, £27 for two months, £34 for three months and £50 for six months. Visit mysinglefriend.com for more information.
datingforparents.com
Best for: Single parents who have been out of the dating circuit for a while.
Dating is daunting enough but if you've also got kids in tow it can be even more of a terrifying experience. Dating For Parents is, as the name suggests, a dating site purely for parents so you don't have to worry about when to mention the kids. This site is ideal if you're looking for someone who understands the difficulties of having children because they already have their own and don't want to go through the whole hassle of finding a partner who is happy to date you and your offspring.
The cost: £7.99 for one week, £19.99 for one month, £13.33 per month for a three-month subscription and £9.99 per month for a six-month subscription. Visit datingforparents.com for more information.
datingdirect.com
Best for: Maximum choice.
DatingDirect is from the same family as match.com but if you're looking for a different pool of potentials to search from this is the place to do it. With 20 million users across Europe to search through the site is the largest in existence and contains plenty of useful, fun tools to help you hunt down your perfect other half. DatingDirect also has the added bonus of having a relationship expert, Celia d'Felice to help guide you through the minefield of dating and make the entire process flow that little bit smoother.
The cost: £22.80 for one month, £44.97 for three months, £49.94 for six months or £14.99 per month if you subscribe for three months or £9.99 per month if you subscribe for six months. Visit datingdirect.com for more details.
gaydar.co.uk
Best for: Gay men and women looking for friendship fun and flirting.
As the largest gay dating website for men and women in the world whether you're gay or not it's likely you will have heard of gaydar. As a worldwide site it's the perfect place to meet men and women who either live around the corner or on the other side of the world and whether you're after a bit of weekend fun or something a little more permanent you won't have any trouble finding it on here.
The cost: Registration is free, visit gaydar.co.uk for more information.
flirtbox.co.uk
Best for: First-timers and anyone suffering at the hands of the recession.
As the UK's only free dating website, flirtbox is incredibly popular with over 700,000 members worldwide. The site is very informal with users looking to chat with each other, engage in discussions in the forums and, for fun, rate each other in the Hot Or Not category. This dating site is ideal for complete beginners and anyone wanting to get a feel of online dating without paying expensive membership costs. Consisting of people from all walks of life, at the very least you'll leave having made plenty of new friends and learning plenty about the dating scene.
The cost: Free. Visit www.flirtbox.co.uk for more information.
