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Zoosk

Zoosk

Overall Rating

1.3

72 Customer Reviews

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Summary

Zoosk is a full-featured online dating service that lets you search for matches in various ways and spend coins to catch the attention of other users. However, customer reviews indicate a lack of viable matches.

Pros

  • Quick sign up process
  • Claims to have more active users than similar sites
  • Possible to browse member profiles for free

Cons

  • No guarantee that your matches will see your messages unless you pay extra
  • Confusing website interface
  • Cost of extra features adds up quickly
  • Many reviewers believe there is a high concentration of spam accounts

Zoosk Review: Is It Worth Your Time and Money?

By Lydia Noyes

Updated on: Jun 25, 2020

Zoosk is an online dating service designed to help you make a longterm match. The site claims to use Behavioural Matchmaking™ technology to learn from the actions of over 35 million members to give you better results the longer you subscribe.

The app is currently available in 80+ countries.

Our analysis of this dating service will help you decide whether it is worth your time and money.

How Does Zoosk Work?

Signing up for Zoosk requires you to share your age, gender, dating preferences, location, and other details like your physical build, highest education level, religious affiliation, whether you have kids, and more.

There are three main ways to look for matches:

1. Basic Search

Zoosk lets you view other members in your area for free. This means that you can see their pictures, bio information, and general location. You can narrow your search by age and geographic region.

However, you won’t be able to contact anyone unless you sign up for a paid subscription.

You can help others find you by filling out your own profile with photos, a background story, your favorite interests, what you’re looking for in a match, and what your ideal date would look like.

2. Zoosk Carousel

The Zoosk Carousel is a feature available for both free and paid accounts that lets you take a glance at other members and decide whether you are interested in meeting them. You can consider it to be the “Tinder” portion of the dating service.

The Carousel will display a member’s age and profile picture, and you can select “yes,” “no,” or “maybe” on them. If that same member choses “yes” for you, you will gain access to each other’s full profile and can message either other if your subscriptions allow for it.

This bonus subscription feature lets you tag up to five people a day as crushes on the Zoosk Carousel, which is a stronger sign of interest than the standard “like” option.

You will also receive unlimited “un-dos” for the times you accidentally swipe no on a match. Instant Crush costs $9.49 per month and will automatically renew until you cancel.

You won’t be able to message matches with this upgrade unless you also have a premium subscription.

3. SmartPick

Every 24 hours, Zoosk will show you one profile chosen for you specifically based on your match preferences, the kind of people you’ve liked and messaged, and more. If you click “like” on the SmartPick and they do the same to you, Zoosk will let you connect.

What Comes with a Zoosk Subscription?

Though it’s possible to browse Zoosk for free, you’ll need to pay for membership if you want to connect with anyone in a meaningful way.

A paid Zoosk subscription comes with the following benefits:

  • Unlimited messages
  • Full access to SmartPick introductions
  • The ability to see who’s viewed you
  • The ability to chat with your connections

The longer you commit to a membership, the lower the price per month will be.

Membership Length Total Cost Cost Per Month
1 Month $29.95 $29.95
3 Months $59.95 $19.98
6 Months $74.95 $12.49

You can add Premium Messaging to your order for $9.99 per month. This allows anyone to respond to messages, even if they aren’t a subscriber.

Each subscription will automatically renew unless canceled beforehand.

How to Pause or Cancel Your Subscription

You can pause or cancel your Zoosk subscription at any point, either through the app store that you purchased it from or through the “my account” section of the website.

Once you cancel, your account will no longer be visible to other Zoosk members. All purchases are nonrefundable, which means you won’t be reimbursed for any unused time or coins.

Zoosk Coins

In addition to a paid subscription, you can enhance your experience by using Zoosk coins, which are the site’s virtual currency.

You can use them to access premium features and make yourself stand out to other members. 180 coins cost $19.95, and you can purchase 480 coins for $39.95 or 1800 coins for $99.95. It’s possible to buy coins as both a free member and a paid subscriber.

Some of the most common uses for coins include the following:

  • Zoosk Boost: Gain the attention of other Zoosk members by using coins to purchase Boost, which highlights you in the search results, inbox, and Carousel. You can get 75 boosts for 150 coins.

  • Message Confirmation: Once you message someone, you can use 35 coins to find out if they read it. (Only paid subscribers can use coins for this feature.)

  • Buy Gifts for Other Members: You can get attention from other members by gifting them coins in increments of 10 to 100.

  • Unlock Matches in Carousel: If you like someone on Carousel, but they haven’t liked you back, you can use coins to unlock their profile. (You won’t be able to message them directly unless you are a paid subscriber.)

  • Buy Gifts for Other Members: You can get attention from other members by gifting them coins in increments of 10 to 100.

Analysis of Customer Reviews

Over 65 Zoosk members submitted reviews on our website for a combined average of 1.3-stars. Here are the key takeaways:

Many Matches Felt Like a Scam

A log of reviewers felt like Zoosk was a scam. They wrote that their attempts to connect with gorgeous singles in their area were ignored or met with robotic responses that made them question whether they were real people.

One member paid for a subscription to read a message from an attractive woman, only to have the message be an ad from the company to buy coins.

Others were upset that they never got messages that people were viewing their profile, even after they sent them gifts, smiles, and messages. This led them to believe that there weren’t always genuine people on the other side.

Some Users Found Love

Some reviewers stated that they made good friends or even met their fiancé through the service.

Too Expensive for the Features

Many members who paid for extra Zoosk features reported that they were too expensive for the benefits they got. Some wrote that they didn’t appreciate having to pay for coins in addition to the monthly subscription cost to get noticed and that they connected with few serious matches over a month, despite paying for boosts and gifts.

One user wrote that their biggest complaint with the app was that most people didn’t pay for premium, meaning that it was hard to connect with anyone without paying the additional monthly fee for Premium Messages to let them message back for free.

Complicated Cancellation Policy

Some Zoosk users struggled to cancel their accounts. They reported that the site offered them a discounted rate when they attempted to cancel but didn’t honor it during the billing process. These users ended up disputing the charge through their bank to get their money back.

Difficult to Navigate

A few users wrote that the Zoosk website and app were challenging to navigate. Some noted that they struggled to use the advanced search features to find people near them, while others took issue with the fact that the site logged them as “viewing” members even when they were merely trying to skip over their profile as a suggested match.

This made it difficult for them to determine which of their views were from members doing the same thing.

Others didn’t like the lack of information on the carousel feature, as they often matched with people who lived too far away to be a viable prospect.

Zoosk vs. Elite Singles and Match.com

Zoosk Elite Singles Match.com
Price Per Month $12.95–$29.99, plus extras $31.95–$57.95 $18.99–$37.99
Matching Process Shares suggested matches and lets you browse others with Carousel feature Assigns matches based on your personality tests results and your partner preferences Short quiz focused on your demographic information and your basic partner requirements
Free Search Available? No Only through the app Yes
Ability to Search by Income/ Education Level? No Yes Yes
Key Feature Possible to connect with members in unique ways by spending coins Claims to tailor to 30+, highly educated members No limit to daily matches
Overall App Rating Android: 3.8-stars (500,000 reviews)
iOS: 4.4-stars, (67,000 reviews)
Android: 2.4-stars (8,000 reviews)
iOS: 3.1-stars (13,000 reviews)
Android: 3-stars (85,000 reviews)
iOS: 3.8-stars (7,000 reviews)
Number of Members 40 million active users About 2 million 9 million active users

Zoosk has the most extensive member base and is available at the lowest monthly price if you commit to a six-month membership.

However, these stats are deceiving because you may feel pressured to purchase coins or subscription add-ons to get the full benefit from this service.

Likewise, a significant portion of Zoosk users never transitions to a paid account. This means that it will be impossible for you to contact them unless you pay for premium messaging.

Unlike Zoosk and Match.com, Elite Singles has an involved signup process based around the Five-Factor model of personality. The purpose of this quiz is to give the site key information about what you are looking for in a match so that it can suggest members with a seemingly higher chance of compatibility.

Zoosk, in contrast, only asks for your basic information when you sign up and doesn’t let you specify what you want in a partner.

In fact, you can only search for potential matches by age and location. Other sites often allow you to specify details like race, education level, religion, whether they smoke, and more.

Something nice about both Zoosk and Match.com is that you can view photos and full profiles with a free account. Elite Singles blurs out photos until you commit to premium.

Key Takeaways

If you’re choosing between these three services, we think you need to consider what you most want out of a dating service. If heavier-handed matchmaking and taking a personality test appeal to you, Elite Singles are better options than Zoosk.

Likewise, if you want to set up an account quickly and scan through lots of profiles before committing to a straightforward paid membership, then Match.com makes sense.

The most significant advantage of Zoosk is the larger membership base, but you might struggle to contact a lot of users. To address that, you will need to sign up for paid membership and premium messaging.

The Bottom Line

Zoosk is a full-featured online dating service with a unique virtual coin system that essentially allows users to pay for the features they care about a la carte.

This makes sense in theory, but in reality, the majority of reviews indicated that Zoosk members were disappointed in the app’s value and lack of viable matches.

Your experience might be different, but we think there are less expensive dating services to experiment with that give you a better chance of connecting with someone genuine.

For this reason, we suggest users start with a free Zoosk account and browse the profiles of nearby singles before committing to a long-term subscription.

Customer Reviews

1.3 Stars out of 72 Reviews
5 Star:2% 4 Star:2% 3 Star:1% 2 Star:11% 1 Star:81%
10% Recommend This Service
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Posted on Feb 10, 2016

Buyer beware with Zoosk

By Jon , Grand Rapids, Michigan

I sent numerous, very noninvasive messages, and didn't receive a single response. Some of these messages were to people I know on Facebook, that would normally respond, but I did not get a response from. I'm slow to cry wolf, but this site is highly suspect, and I would say borders on, fraudulent. My gut says that all the responses to winks are computer generated, and 90% of reviews online say the same thing.

It's hard to believe that it has great ratings, because I smell a big scam!

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Helpful Review? 27 People Have Voted

Posted on Aug 7, 2015

It is a scam, you are cheated out of money.

By Mike , Mississippi

The system is a scam, you will inadvertently buy coins and get tricked into auto renewing. It is very easy to sign up. However, almost impossible to get off the subscription. This should be illegal.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Helpful Review? 24 People Have Voted

Posted on Jan 6, 2014

Horrible Site

By Anonymous Zoosk User , U.S.A.

I would NOT recommend this site to anyone for the following reasons:

1. The site uses your profile and makes it appear that you have been repeatedly viewing other members when you have not even seen their profile. It makes you look like a stalker.

2. This site will not allow you to post any picture unless it is yet another ridiculous selfie. They delete any other photo you post, without your authorization, even if it is an appropriate, funny picture that you want to share. On your own profile, you should be entitled to share any (non flagrant) picture that you think represents you.

3. The search radius does not function correctly. You may search within 100 miles of your location and results from 500+ miles away will appear.

4. The subscriber messenger service is very unsophisticated. You can only view the first several words you type, then have to highlight and scroll back if you want to recheck what you typed. (For non-subscribers, you have to pay to message) 5. Finally, you have to pay coins to view "mutual matches." You either have to buy these or "earn" them by agreeing that you want to meet a certain number of people.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Helpful Review? 24 People Have Voted

Posted on Jan 13, 2018

Stay away

By Chris K, South Carolina, Verified Reviewer

This site is a legalized scam. There is no consumer protection anymore, so don't sign up. I was a free member for two days and got lots of very attractive women in views and matches, none of which I could communicate with without an upgrade. So I did. Now those matches and views are all gone. Over 90% of the profiles on here are non-members, so it is useless to communicate. I've emailed dozens and have gotten zero response. Everything is an upsell. Navigation on the site is really pathetic as well. Deleting people that view you reappear constantly. Age and distance matching never works. Why can't we give ZERO or NEGATIVE stars?

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Helpful Review? 24 People Have Voted

Posted on Jan 13, 2016

Complete Scam

By Hanz Vegan DeBartolo, Aurora, IL, Verified Reviewer

I'm good looking and messaged many, many people nice messages and got zero replies other than automated ones from winks. It claims people want to chat with me, but then when I attempt and send them a nice message they ignore me. I suspect that most of the female profiles on here are not real. My mom said that she used to be a member and got a bunch of messages so I suspect there are a bunch of real male members and mostly fake female members. That is why she got so many messages because most of the women are fake. Also they keep deleting a picture where I have my shirt lifted and they crop another picture where I have my shirt lifted to just show the face. They never said anything when I joined about only face pictures being allowed. If they did I would have never joined. Plus they said that you have 3 days to cancel after joining for full refund and I canceled the next day and they said it was non refundable.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Helpful Review? 22 People Have Voted

Posted on Oct 17, 2016

Absolutely Poor

By Adam, Minnesota, Verified Reviewer

I've found my girl, no thanks whatsoever to Zoosk. The profiles on this website are fake, and the system for finding a match is useless. I message them demanding a refund, but all they can do is send an automated message replying, “Sorry for the inconvenience, re-subscribe!”

I don't care if they state "nonrefundable". If their business is falsely advertising, and manipulating people's feelings to get money (and from what I hear over-charging canceled accounts, fortunately my card ends next month), then they ought to be shut down.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Helpful Review? 20 People Have Voted

Posted on Oct 29, 2016

Stay away, not worth the money nor your time

By Julie , Annapolis, MD, Verified Reviewer

I had over 8 scam artists contact me through this site. Had married men ask me out, and more requests from men for one night stands.

I finally met a nice man and been dating him steady for almost a year. After dating about a month, we both terminated our profiles.

My best friend was on the site the other night and came across my boyfriend's profile which I know has been deleted.

So she had a male friend check out the site and locate my profile that I deleted almost a year ago. I was shocked!

Stay away from this one!

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Helpful Review? 20 People Have Voted

Posted on Jan 26, 2017

Zoosk is a joke

By Peggy, Denver, CO, Verified Reviewer

I was never messaged by anyone and don't think that their chat or messaging even works. They just steal your money with no results. They are very untrustworthy for sure. Terrible website.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Helpful Review? 20 People Have Voted

Posted on Aug 12, 2015

Boost coins are a total rip off

By Matt Mcginty, South Sioux City, Nebraska, Verified Reviewer

I purchased 19.99 worth of boost coins, having no idea what I would need them for. It has immediately taken money from my checking account. After Zoosk had my money I was then offered the chance to use the coins. I had been sending messages and chats as I am a member. But as soon as I got boost coins, to send a message costs me an average of 30 coins per search and message. Never lost 20.00 that fast. 4 messages and 20.00 was gone. Zero responses. So for now I think most of their ads are staged females with auto responses to make it look like a message. I've never had a legit response and no way I will spend another dime on this site.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Helpful Review? 19 People Have Voted

Posted on Dec 5, 2015

They're all fake.

By BDog , Austin, Texas

I sent a message to over 60 real people just to see if I get a reply and I didn't. I am a good looking guy and I even started targeting very ugly people which would probably do anything to have a date with me, and still nothing. This is fake.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Helpful Review? 19 People Have Voted

Posted on Jul 18, 2015

Zoosk is nothing but about your money

By Layton , Harrisonburg, VA

Stay away unless you want to keep spending all your money because that's all this site is about. First you have to subscribe to even see who you like then you can't talk to them until you spend more money. I should have taken my money and bought something because you will never meet anyone on this site. It's funny because the first chat you get, they all ask same thing. Then you reply and it costs you to see what they say. I think it's a big rip off. Please save your money and don't join this website.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Helpful Review? 18 People Have Voted
Showing 1-11 of 72

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