You’ve of course heard the expression, “There are plenty of fish in the sea.” Nothing proves it like online dating, which shows you hundreds of singles in your area. Founded in 2003, Plenty of Fish (POF) is one of the oldest dating sites. And it’s free for everyone, even if you don’t want to pay for a membership. Without giving my credit card information, I could still message my mutual likes, see photos, and search for matches based on location, age, gender, distance, and other factors.
The free membership provides impressive access. But only 5 percent of online daters 65 and older use POF, according to a 2020 poll by Morning Consult posted on Statista, which makes it a poor choice if you’re looking to find another senior. Here’s what I thought of my experience testing out a paid membership with POF.
FYI: POF may be free, but it lacks some of the safety features of paid online dating services. To find affordable online dating, read our guide to the best dating sites for seniors.
Plenty of Fish Pros and Cons
Pros
- Robust free membership: While most free online dating blurs photos or doesn’t allow messaging, the free version of POF should be sufficient for most people, allowing unblurred photos and a limited number of likes and messages.
- Affordable premium memberships: The paid memberships, which have features like unlimited “first contact” messages and priority likes, start at just $14.40 a month, a fraction of competitors’ prices.
- Quick and easy setup: Unlike sites such as eHarmony, it took me less than 10 minutes to get set up on POF, giving me more time to browse, like, and message.
Cons
- Not popular with seniors: A 2020 poll found that only 12 percent of online daters 55 to 64 years old and only 5 percent of people 65 and older use Plenty of Fish. The website is most popular with the middle-aged crowd — people 45 to 54 — but still only has a 15 percent market share in that age range and a 10 percent market share overall.
- Confusing pricing: With three paid memberships, three contract lengths, and the ability to buy more “boosts,” “super likes,” and “first contacts,” I was utterly confused by POF’s membership options. And there is no guide or chart that sums it all up.
Plenty of Fish Memberships Compared
As I mentioned, POF’s membership tiers are confusing. But after doing some research, I found that there are only three paid membership options: two three-month plans costing around $14 to $22 a month, or a one-week plan, which would cost nearly $130 for one month if you paid by the week.
| Features | Free | POF Plus | POF Premium | POF Prestige (only available on iOS) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per pay period (with tax) | $0 | $43.19 | $64.79 | $32.39 |
| Term length | N/A | 3 months | 3 months | 1 week |
| Total cost per month | $0 | $14.40 | $21.60 | $129.56 |
| Filter search by gender, location, age, distance, religion, etc. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Live! streaming (until August 31, 2024) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| See and message | Mutual matches | Mutual matches | Mutual matches | Anyone, unlimited |
| See who likes you | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| First contacts a day | No | No | Additional | Unlimited |
| Rewind your last vote | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Likes | Limited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited priority |
| Search by usernames | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| First look at new members | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Extended profile viewing (whether they want children, lifestyle habits, etc.) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Read receipts | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Number of photos on profile | 8 | 16 | 16 | 16 |
| Ads | Yes | No | No | No |
| Photos | Unblurred | Unblurred | Unblurred | Unblurred |
In my opinion, it’s not really worth it to pay for a paid subscription on any level, because the free version lets you see unblurred photos, like people, and message people who liked you back, albeit on a limited basis. However, if you’d like to see new members first, see their entire profiles, and get a slew of other benefits, it may be worth it to upgrade.
And one of those benefits, a live streaming feature, will be discontinued on August 31, 2024. But honestly, I find the idea of live streaming your day-to-day life on a dating site a bit creepy, so it’s probably a good thing that it’s close to extinction.
Plenty of Fish Pricing
On a monthly basis, you could spend about $14 to $130 a month on Plenty of Fish, certainly the widest cost range I’ve ever seen. You can sign up for either three months or a week, but the week is the most expensive at $32.29 for only seven days.
Aside from the main memberships, POF offers some add-ons you can purchase on an ad hoc basis:
| Cost of each (tax included) | 1 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boosts | $4.99 | n/a | $3.60 | $2.50 | n/a |
| First contacts | n/a | $5 | n/a | $2 | $1.25 |
| Super likes | n/a | $5 | n/a | $3.50 | $2.50 |
Boosts will help you show up first before other members, which will hopefully lead to more visitors to your profile and more likes. First contacts means that you can send a message to anyone, even if they haven’t liked you back yet, and your message will appear at the top. Finally, super likes tell someone that you’re very interested, similar to sending a digital rose on Hinge. Personally, I don’t find any of these options necessary, but if you’re looking to get more exposure for your profile, they’re one way to do it.
Note that all of the subscriptions renew automatically, so make sure to mark that date in your calendar so you can cancel beforehand renewal if you want to.
My Experience With Plenty of Fish
Using Plenty of Fish was a bit confusing right from the beginning. First, I entered in my basic information like my gender, who I was looking to date, my age, my height, and my interests. This was pretty typical, and it only took about 10 minutes for me to set up my profile.
It wasn’t until I had filled out the entire profile that I finally got to see the pricing options. But it didn’t make it clear that there were different levels at all until I logged out and created another account. Initially, I was just offered a three-month, six-month, or one-year package, and it seemed that they were exactly the same. But with the second profile I made, I could see the membership tiers and their different features, which I detailed above. This made it a bit hard to figure out what I actually paid for, which is a pretty big drawback to POF.
But once I got into my account, it worked like any other dating site. I could search by gender, age, intent, last online, and other features such as background, lifestyle, or location.
I could also message anyone who liked me back and receive messages straight to my inbox. But since I didn’t pay for the highest-tier package, I couldn’t send anyone a message until they liked me back, which is called a “mutual match.”
Although the subscription options are confusing, I found Plenty of Fish to be an easy way to meet people in your area. On the first day alone, I had more than 99 people like me and three people sent messages, not to brag or anything!
All in all, the service works well, despite the pricing issues, and it’s especially great if you don’t want to pay for online dating. Unlike other dating sites, the free version gives you everything you need to succeed.
Plenty of Fish App
I used the POF app on my iPhone in addition to using the POF website. The app worked very similarly. I could see who liked me, view and like profiles, and search for more users. Because I allowed the app to use my location data, I could see the users who were nearby, too, making for quick and convenient dates. Finally, I could send and receive messages. There were no special features on the app that the website doesn’t provide, and I didn’t experience any bugs. No wonder the app has a 4.3 out of five-star rating on iOS and a 3.6 rating on Android.
Plenty of Fish User Reviews
Of course, my experience isn’t the only one that matters. To find out what other people thought of POF, I turned to Consumer Affairs and Trustpilot, where the website has ratings of 2.4 and 3.3, respectively.
More than half of the reviewers on Trustpilot (nearly 27,000!) rated POF five stars. A user from Illinois called it “one of the best dating apps,” writing “Well, i tried several dating apps in the past but upon trying plenty of fish app, I found it really useful with the filters they added. I can recommend it to other people who haven't tried it yet.” On a more neutral tone, one person complained about the free version, which only allows for a limited number of messages per day. “POF has changed, it used to be free and could send as many messages and repeat messages per day if I wanted. Now I have to pay a monthly fee for one message a day and no repeats.”
As with any business, you’re going to see some negative reviews: 54 percent of POF’s Consumer Affairs reviews were a mere one star. Take Nicola from Santa Barbara, California, for instance: “I tried the 3-month plan and spent a lot of time on the app. The bottom line is that it was a big waste of time and energy,” Nicola wrote. “I discontinued the pay service and deleted the app and they had the balls to bill me again. I am disputing the charge on my card. Be very careful when signing up. I had 0 results, and all they want is your $$$. PLUS, I found that they have a lot of fake accounts and ghosting. WORTHLESS CHEATS.”
I wish her the best on her journey to find love.
Plenty of Fish vs. SilverSingles
A key difference between SilverSingles and POF is that SilverSingles is composed mostly of seniors: The majority (80 percent) of SilverSingles users are 50 and older. Plenty of Fish doesn’t reveal the exact age makeup for its membership base. But we know it’s less popular among seniors polled, as it’s used by only 5 percent of those 65 and older. That means SilverSingles is much better for seniors seeking seniors, but POF is better if you want to go younger.
Another difference is price. Plenty of Fish has a pretty wide monthly fee range, from $14.40 to $129.56 with the week-by-week package. In contrast, SilverSingles has straightforward pricing in increments of three, six, or 12 months, with monthly prices ranging from $24.95 to $44.95. All of SilverSingles’ paid memberships offer the same benefits and features, while Plenty of Fish is plenty confusing when it comes to what you’re actually paying for, not to mention how much you’re actually paying.
But one area that POF dominates is with its free version. The POF site is fully functional without having to pay for a subscription. With SilverSingles, on the other hand, the free version will blur photos and does not allow messaging, only likes.
I’d recommend SilverSingles if you want to meet a fellow senior to form a serious relationship, and you’re willing to pay a fee to be able to send messages. However, if you want to use a functional free online dating site and meet people in a wide age range, stick with POF. If you’d like to know more about SilverSingles, you can read my SilverSingles review.
Bottom Line
Because its membership options are confusing, I only recommend using the free version of Plenty of Fish. Unlike other free options that only show blurred photos and don’t let you send likes or messages, POF lets you do all of that and more. It’s ideal if you’re looking to casually date online, but less than ideal if you’re looking for a serious relationship.
Plus, very few seniors use POF, so if you want to find a serious relationship with another senior, POF is not for you. Instead, I’d recommend checking out my list of the best online dating sites for seniors to view more of your options.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Plenty of Fish safe to use?
Plenty of Fish is safe to use and protects its members in various ways:
- Selfie verifications: Although they’re optional, selfie verifications make sure that people in the photos are who they say they are.
- Customer support team: The customer support team is available if you need to report someone.
- Crisis text line: Crisis Text Line gives POF members mental health support for free.
- Does Plenty of Fish have a free version?
Yes, Plenty of Fish has a free version that allows you to see unblurred photos, like members on a limited basis, and message mutual matches.
- Does Plenty of Fish have many senior users?
Plenty of Fish does not have many senior users compared to websites like SilverSingles and Match. Only 12 percent of online daters 55 to 64 and only 5 percent of online daters 65 and older use Plenty of Fish. Across all ages, it’s only used by 10 percent of online daters, and it’s most popular with people 45 to 54. Industrywide, POF has a market share of 15 percent, according to a 2020 poll from Morning Consult.
- How do I cancel my Plenty of Fish account?
To cancel your Plenty of Fish account:
- Sign into your account: https://www.pof.com/login.
- Click “My Profile.”
- Click “Manage Account.”
- Click “Cancel Your Membership.”
- Click “Cancel Your Membership” again.
- Does Plenty of Fish have a version for seniors?
No, Plenty of Fish does not have a version specifically for seniors. However, you can set an age range so the website only shows you other seniors, if you’d like. Match is the most commonly used dating website for people 50 and older. The Match Group owns both Match and Plenty of Fish, so they’re similar in terms of functionality.
