POF Review

Welcome To The Plenty Of Fish Dating Site!

From the dating leviathan that is the Match Group comes a very popular choice among online daters. Founded in 2003 in Canada, Plenty of Fish is an online dating site that rubs shoulders with the likes of Tinder, Meetic, OkCupid, Match.com and Hinge. There are plenty of fish in the sea when it comes to dating platforms so choosing the one that best suits your needs can be tricky! The big question that people face is “which one is right for me?”

This is where we come in. We have done the hard work and scoured every nook and cranny of Plenty of Fish to show you exactly what they offer and whether they deserve a place on your shortlist. We should also just mention if it does not become clear but you might think to yourself, “what does POF stand for” it is the abbreviated form of Plenty of Fish. We will be using both interchangeably throughout the review. So sit back, relax, and let’s take a deep dive into the eagerly waiting waters of the POF sea!

What Is Plenty Of Fish All About?

POF is an online dating site but what makes POF dating stand out from the crowd? Well, we’re happy to report that the Plenty of Fish dating experience is clearly open to most people - it only takes a few minutes of exploring the site to know that POF has something for everyone. While most sites tend to be oriented more toward hookups or towards something long-term, POF casts its net far and wide to make sure everyone is happy! 

It’s ideal for people who are looking for:

• Casual interactions
• Making friends
• Meetups
• Longer-term relationships
• Affairs

When you create your profile, there are also options to choose your marital status which means that technically people who are looking for affairs or open relationships are also welcome (even though this isn’t what POF is known for). Even though the majority of users seem to be after something platonic or long-term, there are some features which we will cover later that show it’s possible to use POF for hookups if that is what you’re after.

It’s important to note that this is not an exhaustive list and sometimes what people are looking for overlaps with two or three other things, but it’s reassuring to know that there are so many possibilities and options on Plenty of Fish.

Who Is POF For?

PlentyOfFish dating has an impressive array of options for people of various sexual orientations and gender identities: 

• Straight
• Gay/Lesbian
• Bisexual
• Transgender
• Non-binary

While these are very progressive options for a mainstream dating site, there are one or two hiccups along the way. At the start of the Plenty of Fish sign up process, you are able to choose your gender from many options but then you are left with only the choice of saying whether you prefer a man or a woman. So if you identify as transgender or non-binary, your choices are limited by the binary gender options. In addition to this, when you select the “non-binary” gender option, you have to choose whether you want your profile to be seen by people who are looking for men or women. This completely defeats the purpose of identifying as non-binary and we thought that not having more options is a very strange oversight (but one that is easily remedied).

Despite this, POF is much more inclusive and open to a wider range of people than most dating sites on the market.

Stats & Infographics Of POF.com

PlentyOfFish boasts some very impressive numbers - this is not surprising considering that they are part of the Match.com family tree. Here are some quick numbers for you before we get down to the nitty-gritty of the POF website usage:

• 100 million users worldwide as of March 2015
• Ranked as the #1 dating site in the UK in May 2011 (according to ComScore)
• 2 billion (yes that’s a billion with a “B”!) page views each month
• Available in 9 languages:

Male - Female Ratio

Age Demographics

Country Distribution

We should mention that despite the distribution of users largely being contained to these three countries, Plenty of Fish is an international site, it is supported in many locations worldwide.

The POF Sign Up Process

When setting up your profile for the first time, be sure to set aside a few minutes as the PlentyOfFish sign in process is very lengthy and in-depth. You have a choice of using the POF desktop site or downloading the Plenty of Fish app from the app store supported on your mobile device. (For the purposes of this review, we mainly focused on the POF app but the process is essentially the same for the POF desktop version.)

In order to create your profile, all that is needed to get started is a valid email address and a password. A verification link is sent to your inbox (check your junk or spam folder if it does not appear) and from there you are redirected to your Plenty of Fish login where you need to fill out various profile information fields.

First up, you enter what gender you are looking for (from what we could see there were only male or female options regardless of the gender you choose) and what sort of relationship you are after. 

You are also able to filter out whether you are open to connecting with smokers, people with children or people with “a few extra pounds”. These sorts of filters are normally options that you can choose after your profile has been created so it’s interesting that POF has it this early on in the signup process.

After these basic questions, things get much more detailed and almost a bit invasive with how much they want to know about you. Along with your occupation and education level, POF also asks you about your yearly income bracket and although this is not visible to other users, it is still an odd question for a dating site. Other peculiar facts required about you are your parents’ marital status, how many siblings you have and where you fall age-wise among them.

Setting up your profile also includes questions about your religion, whether you speak any second languages and also your appearance (hair and eye colour, height, body type etc). As we said earlier, it would be wise to set aside a decent amount of time when creating your account otherwise you could easily get frustrated with how much they want to know about you.

The information fields at the end of the account creation process are a bit more intuitive and they enable other users to get a better idea about you. You are asked to create a headline for your profile as well as share some goals or hobbies that you might have. The final steps are account verification with your mobile number and selecting a profile photo.

It is almost impressive how detailed the entire process is and the sheer amount of information that you are expected to fill in to create a profile. However, we can’t help but feel that a “skip” option for some of the fields might be a bit more beneficial so that you are able to fill out more details later on - or opt-out of some fields completely.

POF Dating App And Mobile Compatibility

As we mentioned earlier, we based our review on the Plenty of Fish dating app version of the site but the experience on a desktop is no different. The platform is very well-designed and easy to use and the transition from desktop to dedicated app is seamless. It is clear that POF was designed from the outset with both interfaces in mind and whichever option you choose it will be a user-friendly experience - although we would recommend the free Plenty of Fish app.

Men Vs Women On Plenty Of Fish.com

There is no difference in the www.pof.com sign up process whether you join as a man or a woman. Regardless of who you are, exactly the same information is required of you and the prices for the various subscription and token packages are the same for everyone. This is quite a refreshing feature as many sites tend to charge male users more in order to entice more female users to the site with the offer of discounted rates or bonus features.

Top 5 Features Of PlentyofFish.com 

Live Shows

If you are someone who would prefer something a bit more personal and exciting than just texting, then POF Live is perfect for you. What is POF Live you ask? Essentially these are live cam shows that you are able to watch. You can choose to either join a group that is hosted by a single user or you can opt for one-on-one interactions for a bit more intimacy. Browsing through the different groups that were available, we were quite impressed by the sheer variety and you will be hard-pressed to find a crowd that you don’t fit in!

Tokens

Many sites have a token or coin system where you are expected to purchase a package in order to send messages. Plenty of Fish does things differently though, as messaging on the site is completely free (as well as having unlimited matches).

Tokens essentially give your profile a boost. You are also given access to additional features such as sending priority messages (your messages stay at the top of their inbox), “Super Yes” someone’s profile when going through the Meet Me section, and also bumping your profile to the top of recommended lists to maximise your views.

Meet Me

If you have used Tinder before then you will instantly recognise the POF Meet Me feature. Simply swipe left or right depending on whether someone’s profile appeals to you and if you both swiped “Yes” then it’s a match and you can start chatting. This is a much simpler and quicker way of going through potential matches as opposed to searching for people or scrolling through page after page of users. 

Recommendations

Remember that lengthy and detailed registration process we covered earlier? We’re happy to report that it was not all for nothing! Based on what you filled out for each section, Plenty of Fish plays the role of matchmaker and recommends other users who best line up with your interests and desires. POF really knows how to make your life simpler by nudging you in the direction of potential matches - it’s almost like they can read your mind at times!

Priority Messaging 

This nifty feature is something that we wish a lot more sites had. When you send or receive a priority message, they appear at the very top of your Plenty of Fish inbox and they stay there! If you have a lot of active chats going on then this is a great way to make sure that your favourites don’t get lost among the others.

Is Plenty Of Fish Free? (Offers, Prices & Costs)

Subscription Packages

While there are many free features available on POF, upgrading your account might just be worth it depending on what sort of experience you want. Each subscription package offers exactly the same thing but for different durations and prices.

When you upgrade your account by purchasing a subscription, some of the more notable features that are unlocked include:

• Access to a more extensive version of someone’s profile
• Read receipts for messages
• Removal of third-party pop-up ads
• Send up to three “gifts” daily
• Priority listing when someone uses the Meet Me feature

Token Packages

Tokens on Plenty of Fish are your way to make your profile stand out and increase your engagement and reach. Think of it as a way of “boosting” your profile and showing others that you mean business!

Tokens unlock the ability to do a few very useful things such as: 

• Promoting your profile to appear at the top of the Meet Me tab
• Super Yes (showing someone that you are really interested in them)
• Priority messaging whereby your messages remain at the top of the recipient’s inbox

Pros & Cons Of POF Dating Site

Pros

• No subscription is required for messaging (the Plenty of Fish free version allows you to do quite a bit and you don’t need to spend money to connect with people)
• Well-designed and user-friendly dedicated mobile app 
• A very large user base increases the likelihood of successful matches
• The various Plenty of Fish search filters enable you to easily narrow down and refine your search to your specific wants and desires
• Many intuitive features such as live video chat, tokens and a section to quickly and easily swipe through profiles

Cons

• There is no option to link a social media account (linking a social media account not only provides identity verification but also lets potential matches see a bit more of you)
• No option to link music streaming profiles like Spotify
• Profile verification is not very thorough which can increase the possibility of fake profiles popping up
• The sign-up process and profile creation takes quite a bit of time and there is no option to skip or leave certain information fields blank (this would have been a handy feature, especially for the more invasive questions)

Plenty Of Fish Safety & Security

No Background Or Identity Verification Checks

A rather worrying clause in the Terms of Use is that they do not conduct any identity verification checks when someone creates a profile. It is left to your own judgement whom you interact with and how you interact with them and Plenty of Fish takes no responsibility for the conduct of any user. While it is understandable that they cannot be responsible for how users act, it would give us a bit more peace of mind if the profile verification process was a bit more thorough in order to prevent fake and scam accounts from being set up. 

Apart from mobile number verification, there is no way of ensuring that someone is genuine. Many sites offer the opportunity to link a social media account like Facebook or Instagram to verify someone’s identity but that is not the case here. We should also note, however, that Plenty of Fish is authorised to conduct a background search on any user using public records if they decide to investigate potentially suspicious activity. 

 Information Collection From POF

In their Privacy Policy, POF covers what information they gather from you while you use the site. While this is unremarkable in itself and most sites do this, there are some noteworthy points that we came across. 

Plenty of Fish records information such as when you log in, what third-party ads you interact with as well as analytics about your interactions with other users. The device you are using and your IP address as well as your geolocation are also collected. Your location may even be collected in the background when you are not using the site. 

You might understandably be wondering what they do with this information when it has been collected. From what we could see, it is in order to enhance the overall user experience. Your information is collected to help them recommend better matches as well as improve the platform as a whole. Third parties and affiliates in the Match Group are also sent your information when required in order to perform various tasks (marketing, customer care, security etc).

Rights To Any Content You Post Or Upload Are Granted To POF Automatically

As with many dating sites, the Terms of Use make it clear that they are granted a worldwide and perpetual royalty-free right to any content you make public on their platform. This is limited to information that you authorise them to use upon agreement of the Ts & Cs but it includes the majority of the content you upload. 

The right to use your content includes the freedom to store, copy, adapt, edit, publish, modify, advertise and distribute it to the general public. This is something that is common with many dating sites but it is still slightly worrying that your content may be used essentially in any way that the company sees fit.

Dating Safety Tips

Quite a useful feature that Plenty of Fish has is an entire webpage dedicated specifically to giving you tips on how to be safe when it comes to online dating. They include the usual caveats about sending money or financial information to others and not giving out your home or work address or information about your family.

Also, if you get to the stage where you would like to meet someone in real life, there are also some handy tips on how to do this in a manner that puts your personal safety first.

Lastly, there are numerous numbers and resources that you can contact such as Planned Parenthood, hotlines for sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking and even a transgender lifeline. This shows that they truly care about their users and want to equip them with the best possible information to ensure they are safe and taken care of at all times.

Our Conclusion Of The Plenty Of Fish Dating Experience

So where does all of this leave us? Should you add the Plenty of Fish dating site to your shortlist and download POF as soon as possible? Let’s go through some of the highlights that we mentioned first. 

Because they are part of the Match Group of dating sites, Plenty of Fosh comes from a very well-established and reputable background. Much like their other platforms, whether you choose to use the app or the Plenty of Fish website, both are intuitively designed and very easy to use. 

POF messages are free to send for everyone and there is plenty that you can do without needing to upgrade to one of their subscriptions. This is a very solid budget-friendly option for online dating. When it comes to upgrading your account, the prices are reasonable and there are a few perks to make it worth your while! The token system is also a great feature to help you stand out from other fish in the sea - and it’s a VERY large sea due to the sheer number of active users!

Another standout feature would undoubtedly be the live shows - many of the larger dating sites do not even have this! It’s perfect if you would like a different take on the online dating experience.

Some downsides are that creating your POF profile takes a fair bit of time and some questions can be invasive. The whole Plenty of Fish sign in process would be much quicker and smoother if you were able to skip certain information fields altogether. There is also very little in the way of identity verification so the chances of POF scam messages ending up in your inbox are a bit higher than we would like. Considering the large and reputable parent company (the Match Group), you’d think that there would be a bit more security or checks in place to make sure that whoever signs up is genuine. 

Despite this, we are confident that if you do decide to create a Plenty of Fish account, you will not regret it. Free messaging, reasonably priced subscriptions, a large user base and class-leading features all come together to make this a site that is easy to recommend!

So the next time you are looking for a dating site to meet friends, make connections, or even looking for something more, do yourself a favour and try out POF. Who knows, you might just find that special someone that will have you thinking “there may be plenty of fish in the sea but I want this one”!

Tips For Making The Most Out Of POF. com

• While they are not free to use, the tokens offer a genuinely enhanced experience of the platform. Not only do they boost your profile to others but they also increase the quality of your engagement so you can stand out from the crowd.
• As with most dating sites, the photos you upload to your profile will have a big impact on the success you can have. When you decide to create a POF account, try and use a varied selection of photos to capture as many facets of your personality as possible!
• The POF desktop site is great to use but the mobile app provides an even better experience. Not only intuitively designed but you can take it with you and keep connections going while you’re out and about. 
• In “Mail Settings” you are able to set filter parameters to determine who is able to reach out to you. This prevents you from being contacted by people who are either too old or too young, too far away, or even people who send very short messages!
• Cancelling Plenty of Fish is easy to do if you decide that you are done with it. To easily terminate your subscription from renewing, go to the “My Account” page and deselect the Automatic Renewals option.

FAQ About POF

Do I Need To Sign Up To Use Plenty Of Fish?

Yes - in order to use even the free features of the platform, you need to go through the full sign-up process and create an account (there is no “guest” or trial version of the site).

How Is My Account Verified? 

Account verification is done via text message. A unique one-time code is sent to your phone and this is used to finalise your account. During the sign-up process, you are also sent an email link confirming the creation of your account but this does not verify it.

Is Plenty Of Fish LGBTQ+ Friendly?

Yes! Plenty of Fish has many options that cater specifically to the LGBTQ+ community. From a wide selection of gender identities to choose from upon the creation of your profile to various dedicated LGBTQ+ Live Chat groups for you to join in. On the home page of the site where they give tips on safe dating, Plenty of Fish has added contact information for various help hotlines (including one for transgender people).

Is Plenty Of Fish Good For Hookups? 

It can be! If you are after something a bit more fleeting and casual then Plenty of Fish has a lot of potential to help you reach this goal. The Meet Me feature works very similar to Tinder’s swiping interface and this quick way of going through profiles is great at encouraging interactions that don’t necessarily have a long-term goal. The live shows are also a very easy way to have a bit of online fun.

What Language Options Are Available?

Plenty of Fish is available in 9 languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, German, Swedish and Dutch.

Is There A POF App And Is It Compatible With My Phone?

Yes! The free POF mobile app is easy to download and is compatible with iOS as well as Android operating systems.

Do I Need To Pay To Send Messages?

No! Along with other free-to-use features, the most important of these is the ability to send messages - and not just for female users either! Unlimited free messaging is a great feature but be warned that this could result in getting a lot of messages from people you might not be interested in! An easy way to get around this though is to adjust your Mail Settings as we mentioned earlier.

What If My Messages Are Not Going Through?

If you are trying to send messages but they aren’t being received then it could be one of two things. Either the person you are messaging has search filters in place that prevent you from contacting them or you are sending out too many similar messages (copy and pasting them to multiple people). If you know that you have been spamming messages, wait 24 hours and then try again (but try mixing things up a bit more this time!

I’m Trying To Upload Photos But They Aren’t Getting Approved, Why Is This?

When uploading photos to Plenty of Fish, they go through a moderation process in order to make sure that they follow the photo guidelines. If your photos are being denied, double-check the guidelines and whether there is anything in your photos that goes against them.

How Do I Cancel My Subscription?

Simply go to your Account page and turn off Automatic Renewals for your subscription. You will no longer be billed from the following month and your account will revert to the free version. Another way of cancelling your subscription is to go to the app store subscription page on your device and then cancelling it through there instead.

Can I Take A Break From The Site And Not Be Available To Receive Messages Without Having To Delete My Account?

Yes! A handy feature that POF offers is the ability to hide your profile. On your dashboard, click the “Edit Profile” link and select “To hide your profile from others, click here”. Your profile will still be accessible to you but it won’t show up for any other user.

Is It Difficult To Delete My Profile?

No! While deleting the app does not delete your profile, it is still a very straightforward process. The first step is to cancel your Automatic Renewals (see the previous answer) and from here go to the “Manage Account” tab on your profile to select the “Delete Account” option. You are then asked 2 questions (whether you would recommend POF and for the reason that you want to delete your account) after which your account deletion will be complete!

How Do I Get Hold Of Customer Support If I Have An Issue?

The Plenty of Fish customer support team is only able to be reached via email - there is no hotline or semi-automated support chat feature. (Any issues or queries can be sent to csr@plentyoffish.com)