Facebook Dating Review

By Rachel Martinez Updated on: March 18, 2024 Fact Checked by Kabelo Masalesa

2023 stats show that an astounding 3 billion+ people use the social media platform, Facebook. It’s run by Meta, which has a controversial history in terms of security and keeping user data safe. Despite the concerns, some may think it’s an easy community in which to find love, all thanks to the large dating pool.

Facebook probably thought the same, which is why Facebook Dating was launched in September 2019. However, it seems to have a much smaller following than its creators expected it to have, and it begs the question of whether it’s worth trying out.

You do have the benefit of the feature being 100% free to use. Still, we tested out and researched its details, so you understand all about its security, matchmaking potential, and user-friendliness. Use our summaries to determine if it’s another online dating platform you want to enter into.

✅ What We Like

• User friendly app: Facebook has been around for long enough to understand what its users want. This results in a very user-friendly application. Also, since it’s not a website that needs to adjust and be mobile responsive, you’re guaranteed that every feature, menu, and button is designed with mobile users in mind.
• Free service: You can use all the features of Facebook Dating at absolutely no charge. There are no premium plans to upgrade to and pay for, which gives all users the same chance of finding a match.
• Tell your crush without feeling awkward: If your crush is on Facebook, you can mark him or her as your crush, whether they use Facebook Dating or not. If they do the same with your Facebook or Instagram profile, the system will notify both of you. This creates a very safe and comfortable way of admitting your feelings to someone.
• Keeps dating private from Facebook friends: The Dating service operates separately from your other activities on Facebook, so no one in your friends’ network needs to know you’re using it.
• Integrated Instagram: Thanks to Meta owning both Facebook and Instagram, features like ‘Secret Crush’ can also incorporate people’s Instagram profiles.
• Registration is quick and easy: You’ve already shared basic information when signing up for Facebook, and the platform will use this to start your Dating profile. This saves some time in the onboarding process.

❌ What We Didn’t Like

• Nothing for desktop: Facebook decided to only offer this on their app. Although it’s great for finding matches on the go, users who prefer sitting at their desktops and scrolling through profiles to compare and identify the most compatible ones will prefer other platforms like Zoosk or Seeking.com.
• Safety and security: Although Facebook Dating’s data is managed differently than the regular profiles, concerns about the company’s use of people’s data are ongoing.
• Limited global availability: While brands such as eHarmony are available in over 100 countries, at the time of writing, Facebook Dating is only offered via the app in about 50 countries.   
• Notification limitations: This is not a separate app from your regular Facebook app. This makes it difficult to know when you have a new match or message from a potential partner. You’ll have to scroll through all your Facebook notifications to see if anyone new has liked or messaged you.
• Not many ways to communicate: It does keep the platform safe and free from unwanted, risqué content, but we found it very limiting to only have text as a resource to communicate. At least you can use Messenger later on, but for safety, we only advise you to do this once you’ve chatted for a while, and you believe you can trust someone to share more of your personal information with.
• Limited number of users: You would expect a huge community like Facebook users to result in a vibrant online dating group. But actually, it’s quite the opposite. The company doesn’t share a lot of usage data, but as recently as 2022, while there were over 3 million Bumble users in the New York area, only about 300,000 chose Facebook Dating to try and find matches. Also, a year after its launch, in 2020, over 50% of American Facebook users weren’t even aware of the service. 

💡 Features

💰 Facebook Dating Pricing

The good news is that Facebook Dating is a 100% free service. You get all its features at no cost, and there’s no option or need to upgrade to a paid subscription.

Along with other free online dating services, it makes dating opportunities very accessible, no matter your income or social status. The one drawback is that your ability to boost your chances of finding love faster or more efficiently is limited. With no premium features to pay for, you can simply hope that the platform will eventually put you in touch with appropriate users.

📱 Facebook Dating on Mobile

Facebook Dating is specifically only meant for mobile use, as it’s only available on Android and iOS Facebook apps – not via desktop. And, as is the case with other Meta products, the brand impresses when it comes to user-friendliness and responsiveness.

You’ll be able to quickly navigate through menus and enjoy online dating on the go.

Of course, mobile friendliness is a win, but there is a drawback for those online daters who like setting aside time in front of their desktops, in which case other quality dating sites will be more to your liking.

🤔 How to Use Facebook Dating

As mentioned, Facebook Dating is only accessible via your Facebook app. Note that it’s not a separate app to download, but simply a feature of your existing app, if it’s supported in your region.

Registration

Facebook created a simple registration process, and you start off by clicking on the hamburger menu button on your Facebook app. Click on the Dating icon – the pink and purple heart – and you’ll be guided through a registration process.

The process is similar to that of dating platforms like Tinder, but the platform already has a lot of your information thanks to you having a Facebook profile. So, registration is much quicker than on many other dating apps. If you do want to change some of those details you’re welcome to, and in addition, you’ll share information that’s not usually part of Facebook profiles, such as:

• Habits, including whether you’re a smoker or not
• Background and education
• Languages
• Religion
• A short biography so others can learn something about you when they view your profile

You can also complete some sentences, designed to reflect your personality and interests.

Just note that you can NOT change your name. So, while other platforms like OkCupid will allow you some anonymity through the use of pseudonyms, you don’t have that privilege here.

You can also add some images and since the Facebook crowd is big on photos, we suggest you use this to your advantage and upload a few.

Making Matches

A major focus of Facebook Dating is to help you find matches that will align with your personal preferences. So, unlike platforms like eHarmony and EliteSingles that use detailed personality profiles, with Facebook the focus is more on your likes and dislikes.

Still, features like completing sentences do shine some light on someone’s personality, so compared to other dating sites we view the profiles as fairly robust. Therefore, searching for matches this way can still be an excellent starting point to get a match and hopefully let it develop into a successful relationship.

The app will show you profiles, and you can show your interest or rather pass, by either tapping on the heart or an ‘X’ respectively. This works similarly to Tinder and with profile pictures taking up most of the space on the screen, it’s clear that looks play a big role in how matches are made. But, you can simply tap to see more details if you prioritize compatibility rather than what someone looks like.

Communicating with Matches

When both you and who you like have tapped that heart, you’re able to start messaging.

Interestingly, despite Facebook being such an active platform for sharing content, this is not supported on the dating pages. You won’t be able to money, links, or even images or recorded footage. Video chat is also not offered, but this is not necessarily a drawback. It makes it less likely that you’ll come across scammers or inappropriate content.

Once you feel comfortable with someone, you can easily transition and start talking on Messenger. This allows more freedom, as you can leave audio recordings or share videos.

Optimize Your Facebook Dating Experience

It’s up to you whether you want to take the risk of mixing your dating life with the rest of your personal interactions. The features below can come in handy, but they also create a bit of risk that you using Facebook Dating will no longer be a secret to your group of friends. If you’re up for the excitement or don’t mind that they know, we think you’ll like these features:

• Secret crush: As one of the standout features of Facebook Dating, it’s one of the few reasons to consider this dating platform, even if you’re already on some other free dating sites. On other platforms, you don’t have the guarantee that people in your usual circle will sign up, but chances are you’re already Facebook friends with your crush, or you follow each other on Instagram. With Facebook Dating you can secretly like them, without admitting anything unless they also do the same from their side. If you both used the Secret Crush feature with each other’s profiles, the platform will inform you, and it’s up to you whether you want to take it further. 
• Browse Facebook Groups and Events: Your Facebook network won’t instantly know you’re using Facebook Dating, but you can use other Facebook services from the dating portal. This includes browsing Groups and Events you find interesting. Use this to find like-minded individuals. Just be careful and take note of people who may know people in your Friends network. If you really want to stay anonymous and not let anyone know you’re using this online dating method, exit the groups that have too many people who are somehow connected to your own network.
• Maximum radius: Facebook Dating will show you individuals who are relatively close to your location, but you can set it to display people as far as 240 miles away from you. This is still much closer than some international dating platforms that allow you to connect with people across the globe, but it does help you make contact with people outside your immediate community, who are close enough to organize a meet-up with.

👥 General User Experience

A major benefit of using a dating feature on an established platform like Facebook is that the brand has learned what its audience really likes (and dislikes). This made it easier for them to create user-friendly features when they started Facebook Dating.

We do find it a drawback though that the service is only available as an app feature. Many people enjoy spending time in front of their desktops getting to know matches they meet online. So, Facebook Dating limits your online dating experiences.

Still, we do acknowledge the value of ease of use, such as how effortless it is to organize your images, making sure your best one is seen first.

A let-down is the fact that you won’t necessarily know when you have a new like or message from a match, as this service isn’t separate from the Facebook app. Your mobile device will inform you when there’s something new on the app as a whole. But if you’re anxious to hear from a certain match, it can be frustrating to simply get notifications from your usual group of friends who have tagged you in yet another selfie upload.

Many users are still missing out on this online dating opportunity, as at the time of writing, Facebook dating is only available in these countries:

🔐 User Safety & Security

We do appreciate that Facebook has put a high age limit on their dating features, even though anyone 13 or older can create a Facebook account. For the Facebook dating service, you must be at least 18. Also, you won’t get access if your account has been inactive, or it’s less than 30 days old. This helps prevent the number of scammers and fake profiles using the service to con others.

To keep your online dating activities private, Facebook does have guidelines in place to put your mind at ease. For example, just because you’re using a Facebook feature doesn’t mean everyone on your friends list will know what’s going on in your Facebook Dating world. Meta manages these as separate platforms, so only people who are part of Facebook Dating will be able to see your dating profile. Also, no one in your own list of friends will see you’re using the feature.

We were encouraged to find some safety guidelines clearly displayed on the platform. And these you can view on the app or on desktop.

A built-in safety feature is that you can also share information about an upcoming date with someone else via Messenger. This helps keep users stay safe once they get to the point of meeting up IRL.

However, privacy has been a concern with Meta’s products for a while. This is one of the reasons why you may not find it in your region yet. Though the company claims the Facebook Dating data is not managed the same or kept in the same way other Facebook data is, the EU actually requested that their launch in that part of the world would be delayed. This gave authorities some time to first investigate, and the service was only rolled out to 20 European countries in 2020.

Facebook does make it clear how they collect information and how it’s used. However, they have been accused of not acting ethically with users’ information.

☎️ Customer Support

Firstly, Facebook has always had an extensive Help section, where you’ll get detailed information about almost any of its features. They even include videos and practical examples, and this is much more helpful than the legal jargon often found on dating sites’ policy pages.

The same goes for Facebook Dating, so you can research how the service works before evening signing up for it.

However, when it comes to contacting Facebook, it’s a less than positive user experience. You won’t easily contact a specific customer service agent, and you’ll have to be satisfied with general, template answers. We also couldn’t find a way to easily ask questions about the Facebook Dating service specifically.

🎖️ How Does Facebook Dating Compare?

With Facebook having various unique features, it may help you decide if it’s worth a try by comparing it to a market leading platform like eHarmony. Here are some comparisons to consider:

• eHarmony uses a personality quiz to ensure compatible matches, while Facebook is more focused on personal preferences.
• The eHarmony community is much bigger and more active than Facebook’s Dating group, which increases the chances of finding love.
• People using eHarmony are often committed to making a relationship work, and they’re even willing to pay to enhance their chances. You may find Facebook Dating users are simply people who are lonely and looking for some interaction or a hookup.

Enjoy Compatible Matches, even on Free Membership

Visit Facebook Dating

Facebook Dating Review

Enjoy Compatible Matches, even on Free Membership

Visit eHarmony

eHarmony Review

🏆 Final Verdict: Is Facebook Dating Right for You?

Firstly, since Facebook won’t cost you a cent to join and use its features, there’s no reason not to at least try out the platform. We also really liked the ability to secretly like a crush and see what happens.

However, if you’re really hoping to find love and exposure to a broad dating pool is what you need, Facebook Dating may not be for you, as there aren’t that many people supporting it. We also don’t think that will change, as it’s simply another fun feature on the social media platform. It doesn’t seem like a priority to enhance its offerings so it may never get as great feedback as EliteSingles or Tinder does.

So, it’s all about your priorities. If you want to have some excitement, it could provide more fun than simply scrolling through your Facebook feed. So, IF it’s available in your region, the next time you open your Facebook app, take a few minutes to check out.

❓ FAQ