It can be daunting to date in later life, especially if the last time you were on the market your options were meeting through friends, sending your info to a newspaper’s matching pages, or getting really chatty at the bar.
Online dating is its own micro-society, and it has its own rules.
There’s no shame in asking for help getting started online dating, or advice on which of the plethora of dating sites and apps out there will work best for you.
You can be incredibly accomplished for the rest of your life — whether you’re a CEO, a sportsman, or have spent the last 40 years running a home like a well-oiled machine — but it probably hasn’t prepared you for the world of online dating!
Luckily, there are plenty of resources out there, from my own guide to the best dating sites for people over 50, to books by people who have been there, done that, and now want to help out others.
First, though, you probably want to know which dating site is best for users over 60. Opinions will differ on this, and there are plenty of sites for senior daters out there, but to my mind, Silver Singles is the best.
Silver Singles is easy to navigate the site with a quick sign-up process and a clientele primarily interested in something serious, with a few open to whatever might happen.
It’s all older users, so there’s no sifting out the profiles of people young enough to be your children (…or grandchildren).
Silver Singles offers you matches, so if you don’t have time to paw through profiles or are confounded by the search functions then you still get great candidates for dating suggested to you.
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And with over 50,000 active members a month, it seems likely that at least one of your matches will be a great fit!
Silver Singles is a site you need to pay for to get the full experience, but as I will get into it in a little bit, that may well be a good thing. Paid sites tend to be more secure and contain a higher caliber of users overall.
To learn more about Silver Singles specifically, you can have a look at my full guide. And to learn more about dating online as a senior, read on!
Now, what’s the best dating app for those over their 60s? If you spend a lot of time on your phone, you might want to know…
What Is The Best Dating App For Over 60’s?
It is important to distinguish here between dating sites that have apps available, dating sites that have really good apps available, and dating apps – that is, dating platforms designed for use as apps rather than desktop sites.
Almost all dating sites have apps, but many are hard to use or don’t let you access all features. The quality of apps that are secondary to websites is increasing though, and some sites have great apps.
The only way to really find out is to do some research, though I can say for certain that Silver Singles has a very user-friendly app with full functionality on both iOS and Android.
One of the only apps (as in, a dating platform designed for use as an app) aimed solely at seniors is Lumen. Lumen is kind of like a safer, less rowdy Tinder.
Every profile is verified, with at least three profile photos also a prerequisite for the app. Some seniors use other dating apps, like Bumble and even Tinder, but the over 40s, and particularly over 50s or 60s, are a minority on these apps.
You can set age range preferences though, so if you want to have a go at swiping then by all means go ahead! Just remember, free apps are not always as safe as they might seem so be wary of anything a little suspicious or too good to be true.
Friendship Sites For Over 60’s
Whether you’re looking for friends for yourself or worried about a parent or relative, there’s no doubt that finding friends is a good idea. Friendship is incredibly important to health and well-being, with loneliness contributing to a whole host of health problems that are often faced later in life.
And while the modern world can sometimes feel particularly lonely, with face-to-face interaction and the physical community at a historic low for older people, it also provides unique opportunities for connection.
Many of the dating sites built for over 50s or over 60s have the option to look for just friendship – Silver Singles allows this.
If you’re feeling adventurous or like to use apps, then Bumble BFFs might be a fun way to look for friends too. There’s also a social network for over 50s, Stitch.net, which is designed to fight isolation and loneliness in older people.
No matter your age, things can get lonely sometimes. But connecting online is a great way to fight loneliness!
Free Dating Sites For Over 60’s
A lot of dating sites have free basic membership, with the option to become a premium member and get access to additional features.
If you want to have a go using Silver Singles, for example, then go through this link and start trying out for free before you decide whether to upgrade or not (there are also several tiers of membership once you finish your trial, so if Silver Singles is a fit you will hopefully find one to suit your income).
Lumen has a basic free membership option too, which limits you to six new conversations a day. If you are okay with your dating adventure going a little slower or you can’t afford a membership to a paid site then I would advise using the free version of an app or dating site that has a premium option.
Though there are totally free sites out there they tend to be full of spammy advertising and generally have fewer controls for stopping scammers and fake profiles.
What Is The Safest Dating Site For Seniors?
There are certain dating sites that are more and less safe for older people. Very reputable sites, such as eharmony or Silver Singles, tend to have fewer fake profiles than, say, free message boards.
Silver Singles, for example, uses Fraud Detection software and SSL Encryption to ensure the safety of its users. There is, however, no totally safe site for online dating.
The best way to ensure safety online is to make sure you know the telltale signs of fraudsters, and familiarize yourself with best practices for avoiding them.
You should also be open about your adventures in online dating – first of all, people knowing what you’re doing will keep you safer, and secondly your friends and family might surprise you with their own dating stories or even advice!
There are plenty of resources out there to help you learn how to stay safe online. This may all sound daunting if you’re new to online dating, or maybe even new to dating in general, but once you get the hang of it I promise it’s actually really fun! Just take things at your own pace, and try a few sites out until you find one you like and can commit to.
