SilverSingles vs. OurTime: Which Dating Site Is Better?

SilverSingles vs. OurTime: Key Findings

If you’re short on time, these are my key findings after testing out both SilverSingles and OurTime:

• Both are dating sites specifically for seniors, although anyone 18 and older can join.
• OurTime has lower membership costs than SilverSingles, unless you sign up for a week.
• OurTime has more web searches, which translates to more users.
• Both offer free subscriptions, but SilverSingles blurs photos unless you pay.

Pricing Comparison

The premium versions of OurTime and SilverSingles are very similar in terms of features, with unlimited likes, unlimited messages, and read receipts so you can see when someone reads your messages. But if you want a shorter commitment, OurTime is a better option. Prices will be high, though. One week costs $19.99, which comes out to nearly $80 a month, by far the most expensive subscription between the two sites.

However, unless you only sign up for a week, OurTime is much cheaper than SilverSingles no matter the term length — unless you want one of the add-ons below, of course.

While SilverSingles doesn’t offer any add-ons once you pay for a premium package, OurTime has a few to choose from:

• Private mode: For an extra $9.99 a month, you can have your profile hidden to everyone you haven’t already communicated with. This means that you can view other profiles without them knowing.
• Reply for free: Since free members have limited messaging and can’t unlock their conversations with matches, this feature would let these free members receive messages from you for $6.99 a month.
• Super Likes: A Super Like is a way to show someone you’re extra-interested in them. You can pay a minimum of $1.17 for Super Likes on an ad hoc basis.
• ConnectMe: For $3.99 a month, which will renew as $12.93 a month, you can talk on the phone with matches and receive voicemails without having to reveal your phone number.

Now, OurTime’s lower subscription costs should make sense. It’s sort of like how Spirit Airlines has the lowest ticket prices, but you end up spending more on Wi-Fi, a carry-on, and a snack onboard. With SilverSingles, the initial price may be higher, but it’s more inclusive, just like my favorite airlines (looking at you, JetBlue!)

Of course, you don’t have to buy a paid subscription, as both sites offer free online dating for seniors. Both free memberships allow you to like other profiles, but only OurTime will show unblurred photos. Neither lets you message people for free. You’re going to want to spend money using either site, but particularly with SilverSingles, because you’ll likely want to see what people look like before you like them.

Membership Makeup

Unfortunately, most dating sites are tight-lipped about their members. We know that 80 percent of SilverSingles members are 50 and older, but both sites accept people 18 and older. Still, since both are senior-focused, you can expect that each site will have a senior majority.

However, Statista did poll U.S. online daters 18-to-64 years old in 2023 and asked them about OurTime (they didn’t do a similar poll for SilverSingles, unfortunately.) Although the poll doesn’t show how many members OurTime has, it did reveal the following statistics:

• Awareness: 47 percent, or nearly half, of online daters have heard of OurTime.
• Popularity: 9 percent of U.S. online daters like OurTime.
• Usage: 7 percent actually use it.
• Loyalty: Nearly six in 10 OurTime users said they are likely to use it again.

One way to compare sites is to look at Google Trends data to see how many people search for OurTime vs. SilverSingles in any given year.

Clearly, many more people are searching for OurTime, which suggests they have more members. Additionally, while SilverSingles has a total of 115 reviews on Consumer Affairs, OurTime has 625 reviews, which is over five times more. It’s clear that there are more people using OurTime compared with SilverSingles, but what’s not clear is how many OurTime members are seniors.

Features

In terms of functionality, OurTime and SilverSingles work very similarly. For both sites, I took a 10-minute personality test first. Then once I got in, I was able to search, like, and message people. OurTime works better on a free level, as I could see unblurred pictures. With the paid subscriptions, I had unblurred photos and unlimited likes and messages with each. I could search by distance, age, whether or not people had children, ethnicity, and religion with SilverSingles. Using OurTime, I had more options regarding people’s interests, looks, lifestyle, and more. I could also set filters to only see members with photos and who was online now.

Unlike eHarmony, which requires a lengthy personality quiz, SilverSingles and OurTime work primarily on the information you enter: your demographics, interests, and what you’re looking for in a partner. This made for straightforward dating, although it lacked the more deeper psychological element of eHarmony.

User Testimonials

Customers wrote pretty harsh things about both websites on Consumer Affairs. While OurTime has a 1.6 out of five-star rating, SilverSingles has an even lower score of 1.2.

With OurTime, people appreciated the curated matches, easy-to-use app, and free trial, which are offered to some members as a promotion. But people complained about the fact that the app has ads even with a paid subscription. People also complained about the high prices of the monthly subscriptions, though compared to SilverSingles, OurTime is more affordable in most cases. One user complained of scammers in a three-star review, “I guess you can't blame Our Time for the scammers of this world. You have to be your own advocate for safety. If you get contacted by a man with a Swiss accent from ** delete immediately. Don't waste your time. Another rich man who needs iTunes gift cards.”

As far as SilverSingles goes, customers loved the personality test, plus the safety features like the encrypted sensitive data and fraud detection. However, many complained that the algorithm favors people who use the website and app a lot, and the free membership is limited. Also, many people accused the site of having fake members. One user named Pattie wrote in a one-star review, “Mostly, I've experienced scammers on this site. I'm getting really good at identifying them by being on here! Sometimes I get a notification that someone has messaged me, but there's no message. Most profiles had one photo or no photos, and most suggestions were not even close to what I was looking for. The matching technology is pretty much worthless. I wouldn't waste my money again!”

Bottom Line

While we don’t have much information to go on when it comes to members, it’s clear that OurTime is a more affordable option, with cheaper memberships than SilverSingles, at least at first glance. However, OurTime does a lot of upselling once you’re in a paid membership, which could make SilverSingles cheaper overall. Additionally, having such a simple membership structure makes SilverSingles a straightforward option for seniors dating online. Because SilverSingles is transparent that 80 percent of its members are 50 and older, it may be a better option for seniors seeking seniors. OurTime may have more members, but across all ages. For more information, read my SilverSingles review and my OurTime review.