Zoosk Review: How Does It Work, Pros & Cons, Cost

Zoosk is one of the most popular dating sites in the world and, in particular, in the US. That's just a fact one will hardly deny. However, people obviously have different opinions on the dating service—some say that it is the best dating site ever and note that they totally love their Smart Pick matchmaking service, profile quality, and reasonable pricing, while others complain about no replies, not the best potential matches or auto-renewals.

So, is Zoosk a good dating site? You'll find the answer and all the information on all its controversies, perks, drawbacks, and actual cost in our Zoosk review.

• ?? Number of Members - 40 million
• ??? Starting Price - $15 per month
• ?? Best For - Serious relationships, flirting, meeting new friends, etc.
• ?? Mobile app - Yes
• ?? Favorite Features - Super Send, Instant Crushes, virtual gifts, Smart Picks
• ?? Site - Zoosk.com

Zoosk rating

You can never rely on just one criterion—when it comes to dating sites, a lot of things actually matter. I distinguished 5 to evaluate dating sites, and in the case of Zoosk, the scores are as follows.

• Member’s experience - 10/10
• Customer service - 8/10
• Features - 10/10
• Support - 8.5/10
• Cost - 9/10
• Overall - 9.1/10 ?

Zoosk pros and cons

There are ultimately bad sites, but there are not ultimately good dating platforms. Zoosk is no exception—it also has its pros and cons, and here are the most important benefits and drawbacks you should consider before using this app.

?? Pros:

• Works for all types of users regardless of how serious their relationship goals are
• Innovative matchmaking technology
• Real members, advanced moderation system
• Straightforward experience, intuitive website & app
• Active community
• A lot of special features

?? Cons:

• No video chat
• No free unlimited messaging
• No cheap membership plan/free trial for newcomers

Zoosk review: Our thoughts and basic info

?? Try Zoosk now: The longer the plan, the lower the monthly fee

What is Zoosk? Some say it's just another dating site, but it's not exactly true.

Zoosk is a versatile online dating site and a mobile dating app launched by Alex Mehr and Shayan Zadeh in the United States in 2007. It works for all categories of singles, from marriage-minded people to people who are seeking online flirting with the most attractive partners in their areas.

Currently, Zoosk is available in over 80 countries, but now, it's rather an American dating site as over 83% of users are from the United States (the headquarters of Zoosk is now in Germany, though.)

Zoosk now has around 40 million members, which makes it some of the most popular dating platforms in the country, as well as one of the most popular dating sites in Australia and Canada.

Fast facts about Zoosk

• Number of users: 40 million members as of 2023
• Zoosk app info: 4.2 stars & 70K reviews on App Store, 3.2 stars & 627K reviews on Google Play Store
• Site name: zoosk.com
• Paid or free: Paid dating app with some free features
• Average sign-up time: 5 minutes
• Paid membership pricing: From $15 per month, from $19.95 for 180 Zoosk coins

Who is Zoosk for and not for?

?? Zoosk will work for:

• People who want to choose the greatest number of potential partners
• Singles looking for serious relationships
• People looking for a reliable dating platform that will not let them down

?? Zoosk will hardly work for:

• People who’d like to use a completely free dating site
• Singles seeking long-distance relationship
• Those who are looking for nothing but hookups, one-night stands, and affairs

How does Zoosk work?

Though it may seem that Zoosk works like any other website that uses swiping as the main feature to connect people, it's not exactly true.

Here are some key points that everyone who's considering joining the community should know:

1. There's the Carousel, but Smart Picks is an alternative. You can use the Carousel swiping feature, but you can also manually set the search filters and use the Smart Picks to teach the algorithm to find top matches for you.
2. Messaging is the main communication feature. The principle is simple - you just find someone attractive, like a profile, send a message, communicate, get to know this person better, and if everything goes right, meet IRL.
3. Virtual gifts, boosts, Crushes, and Super Sends are extra features that must not be used by all. There are many extra features that can help you achieve two main goals—get more attention on the site overall or make someone special notice you.

So, these are the main principles. If you're okay with them, take a look at the more detailed explanation of the pricing policy.

?? Zoosk special offer: 5-10% discounts for users with promo codes

How much does Zoosk cost?

Zoosk is not an entirely free dating site. You can join it for free and learn more about potential matches and the community at large, but you need to become a premium user to use premium features, and messaging is one of them.

So, now, the prices for premium plans are as follows:

• 3 months—$64.99 ($21.66 per month)
• 6 months—$89.99 ($15 per month)
• Instant Crush—$9.50 (optional, for those who want to use the Crush & Undo features)

Those who want to use extra special features, for example, sending virtual gifts, can also buy some Zoosk coins, and currently, the costs are as follows:

• 180 coins—$19.95
• 480 coins—$39.95
• 1800 coins—$99.95

If you read some negative Zoosk reviews, complaints, at least most of them, will be about the inability to use the dating app for free. However, buying coins is absolutely optional—it improves the experience, but you don't have to pay extra money to meet someone on the Zoosk app.

What can I do for free?

Zoosk members who've just joined the community and haven't upgraded their accounts yet can use the following features:

• Profile editing & verification. All Zoosk users can write good profiles and add a lot of photos to make their profiles work, and there are multiple verification procedures (via Facebook, phone, etc) that work as free profile boosts.
• Carousel feature. That's the good old swiping, and in the case of the Zoosk dating platform, you not only swipe left or swipe right but also make the choices that let algorithms understand your preferences and suggest better matches for you.
• Super Send. All the newcomers can send messages (not custom but pre-made) to many potential matches who meet their basic criteria to see how popular they can be on Zoosk.
• Customer support. If you experience any difficulty or want to ask any questions about how this online dating site works, you can reach support in plenty of different ways, including making a direct call.
• Dating insights. Zoosk has a great blog with multiple useful articles from dating experts and researchers to help members find a partner.

So, just like some other dating apps, Zoosk lets members set up their profiles, browse other users' profiles and use some other features to understand how this dating app actually works.

What can I do with a premium plan/coins?

There are not so many Zoosk dating app reviews from customers that actually explain what you get as a premium user, so I decided to describe all the top premium features below:

• Messaging. Zoosk offers a pretty good online messenger, but as I've mentioned previously, it gets available only after you upgrade your account.
• Smart Pick. That's the best thing about the website—the behavioral matchmaking technology not only narrows the search to the best matches over time but also makes you make more conscious choices on the platform.
• Invisible Mode. Members can see their profile viewers, and if you don't want to appear on those lists for an hour or more, you can get Invisible.
• Virtual gifts. If you realize you found your perfect match on the site, you can get their attention by spending some Zoosk coins and giving a virtual gift.
• Profile boost. Some of Zoosk complaints are about the lack of new and/or good matches.Well, at a relatively low price, your profile will be shown to a lot of people with the same interests and goals on both Carousel and Smart Pick.
• Instant Crushes. Crushes on Zoosk work like Super Like on Tinder, while Undos let you cancel your last action and get back to a previous user's profile.

Is Zoosk good for premium members? Yes, and it's even better than most other dating sites.

Registration on Zoosk

• Registration is completely free
• All adult users from 20 countries, including the US, are accepted
• You can sign up with your Google or Facebook account
• The entire process takes just a few minutes

?? Try Zoosk now: The longer the plan, the lower the monthly fee

Registration won't take much time—Zoosk isn't one of the sites where you have to answer dozens of questions before you are able to see how the members of the community are.

There'll be the registration form at the top right corner of the main page, and after you provide basic details (gender, age, and email), you'll move on to answering some basic questions about your education, habits, height, weight, etc.

At this stage, a user can also add a photo, but you can skip and do it later. Generally speaking, though you can join the site almost immediately, some extra work should be done by a user to make their profile stand out and attract potential matches.

User base

Is Zoosk a scam? Sometimes, figures can tell you more than words, and I analyzed statistics & analytics on the site to draw some preliminary conclusions.

? Spoiler alert—no, it's not, though there are some fake accounts, as on all other sites, over 99% of members are real people. Who are they?

Let's take a look at some figures:

• The site has around 12 million monthly visits on average.
• Most registered users are from the United States (83%), Australia (5%), and Canada (4%).
• The gender distribution is pretty good for such a dating site—there are 65% of male users to 35% of female members.
• The age distribution is diverse. The smallest age group (only 13% of members) consists of users aged 18-24. Over 18% are aged 25-34, 15% are people who are 35-44 years old, and 17% and 18% of users are aged 45-54 and 55-64, respectively.

Interface

Zoosk is a great modern platform, and that goes both for the site and the app. The design is minimalistic, and it actually helps every member who comes to the platform to enjoy communication with others, meet new people, and use special features to do it with ease and without confusion.

There are no unnecessary elements—only the main features and settings. The system is completely intuitive. You don't have to worry about the speed or bugs either—fast loading time, along with consistent branding and memorability, make Zoosk some of the best dating sites in terms of usability.

READ ALSO: Best Ukrainian Dating Sites & Apps

What I like as a user

The online dating industry is more than just diverse, and each site needs to offer something unique and special to make a user choose them over all other dating platforms.

In the case of Zoosk, special features that improve the experience are as follows:

• Matching technology. Spark Networks always take matchmaking seriously. On Zoosk, you make choices and algorithms consider that and suggest the best matches, and I personally like this new approach better.
• Good dating pool and versatility. There are enough users from different age groups, the gender gap isn't that large, and the vast majority of members are genuinely interested in meeting someone here.
• Different ways to boost your account. You can easily get a lot of attention on the site, and there are even free ways to do it, like Super Send. If you want your profile to be shown to a larger number of people, you can use Boost.
• Useful information and full transparency. There's a blog with some really helpful and interesting articles written by top dating experts, and you can find a lot of information on how the system works on the official website in the FAQ section.

Is Zoosk worth it? The truth is it largely depends on your own priorities. If the above-mentioned features matter as much to you as they matter to me, probably, you'll like this popular dating site and have a really satisfying experience here.

Making contact on Zoosk

Making contacts is super easy on Zoosk. If you're using the Carousel or the Smart Pick feature, you see members' profiles, and the chat window is right under the profile picture.

You don't even need to click any extra links to start a conversation—just type your message, and it will be delivered to a member immediately.

There's also the gift icon next to the chat window, so you can send a virtual gift with two clicks, too. There's no video chatting, phone calls, or other extra special communication tools—there's only text chat, but it works well enough, especially considering that this is not the site for long-distance relationships.

Zoosk: Personal profile overview

• Icebreakers to help members contact each other in a more creative way
• Users can write their Stories
• Verified badges for those who passed verification procedures
• The Interests feature helps learn more about potential matches

What about profile quality on Zoosk? It's pretty high, actually, but a lot depends on the user. You can see all those standard details—username, bio (here, it's called Stories), Interests, and of course, photos. You can see if the user passed verification procedures, too.

But again, profile quality is the thing that clearly shows you how much a particular member is interested in finding a partner here, and I'd definitely recommend skipping all low-effort pages.

Profile pictures

Of course, though your choices shouldn't be based on photos only, they matter a lot.

Here are some tips that will help you make your Zoosk profile stand out pretty easily:

• Verify your photos. It takes just a minute but will make you 300% more popular on the site.
• Add at least 3-4 profile pictures. Add more if you can, but that's the minimal requirement you should meet.
• Follow the rules. Add photos with no other people on them, avoid nudity, etc.

Simply put, you need more high-quality verified photos. Using Zoosk with low-quality blurred pictures doesn't make much sense—after all, it's not a free dating site.

Safety and security on Zoosk

• Multiple verification procedures
• Only safe payment methods are offered
• Photos are checked by moderators

Does such a thing as a Zoosk scam exist? The platform itself is legit, and multiple measures are taken to protect users from scammers and catfishes. In particular, members can verify their photos and phone numbers and connect their Zoosk account to Facebook and Twitter accounts (no information will be posted on your social networking pages).

All photos are checked by the system and moderators, even if a member doesn't want to verify them. Also, the best data encryption software is used to protect the information, and non-registered members can't view the profiles of Zoosk members.

Success stories and user feedback on other sites

Though I always check the sites carefully and try to test every single feature, I also understand that some people spend more time on the site and may have different experiences that must be considered, too.

What do they say? Are the reviews complaints and nothing but complaints about Zoosk fake messages or any other problems or something exactly the opposite? Take a look at a few most illustrative stories below.

Top Zoosk competitors and alternatives

If, for some reason, the Zoosk platform doesn't work for you, there are pretty good alternatives. However, each site has its pros and cons, and it's important to consider all the features before you make a final choice.

Zoosk

Match

Tinder

eHarmony

Best for

Advanced matchmaking

Serious relationships

Free messaging

Meeting like-minded people

??Free app

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Starting price

$15 per month

$22 per month

$0

$30

Users from

US, Canada, Australia

US, UK, Canada

Most countries of the world

US, Canada, UK

Conclusion

So, is Zoosk a serious dating site or just another online flirting platform? In fact, it's both. Does Zoosk have fake profiles? Yes, it does, but there are even fewer fake users than on most other sites, especially free ones.

Is Zoosk good for hookups? Undoubtedly, yes, as you have a lot of tools to find a person with similar relationship goals and make someone attractive and notice you on the site, and paradoxically, it's good for serious relationships for exactly the same reason. I hope my Zoosk dating app review was useful for you and helped you understand to what extent it might be a good place for you personally.

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FAQ

Is Zoosk legit?

Yes, Zoosk is a legit website owned by Spark Networks, an American-German company with headquarters in Germany (the site was initially founded in the US in 2007, but the company has moved recently.) It provides legal dating services to people in 20+ countries and follows the existing laws.

How does Zoosk match people?

At first, algorithms work based on some basic criteria and information provided by a user. But while you are using the site and liking or skipping profiles, the algorithm analyzes the choices you make and then suggests people who are more similar to users that you liked previously.

How much does Zoosk cost and is it worth the price?

The price for a Zoosk subscription starts at $15 per month at the moment (that's the price for those who buy a 6-month premium plan). There are also coins and additional premium features you can buy, but it's absolutely optional. Yes, considering the quality of services and the dating pool, it's a good value for money.

Disclaimer:

The above is a sponsored post, the views expressed are those of the sponsor/author and do not represent the stand and views of Outlook Editorial.