Match is the grandparent of online dating, a name your aunt has heard of and your flatmate has probably tried. In the UK it now runs as part of the Meetic network inside Match Group, and it sells itself on detailed profiles, moderated photos and real-world singles nights rather than endless swiping. The question, as ever, is what you actually get for nothing, and what it costs once you want to reply to everyone.
Promo Code: none needed
Best real saving: the 6-month Pass at £79.99 in the UK App Store works out at £13.33 a month, against £39.99 for a single month
Free trial: no official free trial or free weekend was advertised on uk.match.com or in the App Store listing when we checked in October 2026
| Offer detail | What you get |
|---|---|
| Promo Code | None needed |
| Welcome offer | Free registration and profile, with paid Passes from £19.99 for one week (UK App Store) |
| Who qualifies | New members aged 18 or over in the UK |
| Key terms | App Store subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the renewal date; prices can vary by platform and age |
| How to claim | Sign up free at uk.match.com or in the app, then choose a Pass under the upgrade screen |
Match: key facts
- Official website: uk.match.com
- Owner: Meetic (Match Group); App Store seller Match.com International Limited
- Founded: 1995 (US); UK and European operations sold to Meetic in 2009
- Ratings: App Store 3.8 (41k ratings, UK App Store); Trustpilot 1.4 (5,590 reviews)
- Headline offer: Free registration; 6-month Pass £79.99 (£13.33 a month) in the UK App Store
- Promo Code: None needed
- Price from: £19.99 for one week (UK App Store)
- Free plan or trial: Yes: profile, browsing, daily recommendations and messaging once matched
- Best features: Detailed profiles with prompts and three core values; Incognito and Zen modes; Singles nights and events in UK cities
At a glance
- Owner: Meetic, part of Match Group; App Store seller Match.com International Limited
- Launched: 1995 in the US; UK and European operations sold to Meetic in 2009
- Best for: people over 30 looking for something serious, plus anyone who prefers meeting at events
- Free plan: yes; register, build a profile, browse and message once you have matched
- Premium from: £19.99 for one week (UK App Store)
- Verification: every profile photo and description is moderated, with a stated target of 24 hours
- Ratings: App Store (UK) 3.8/5 from 41k ratings; Trustpilot 1.4/5 from 5,590 reviews
Verdict
Match is the steady, slightly old-fashioned choice in a market obsessed with novelty. The profiles are fuller than on most apps, the moderation is real, and the singles nights give it something Tinder and Hinge cannot easily copy. Against that, the pricing is opaque, the best features sit behind a paywall, and its Trustpilot score is about as low as it gets. Pay for a short Pass first, and only commit to six months once you know there are enough people near you.
Pros
- Detailed profiles with prompts and three “core values”, which make openers easier
- Messaging is free once two members have matched
- Every photo and profile description is moderated
- Incognito and Zen modes give you real control over who sees and contacts you
- Singles nights and events in London, Edinburgh and Manchester
Cons
- Pricing is not published clearly on the website; you see it only after signing up
- Trustpilot score of 1.4/5, with recurring complaints about billing and cancellation
- Advanced filters, unlimited messaging and Boosts are paid extras
- Smaller towns can feel thin, with the same profiles appearing repeatedly
- No student discount or official promo codes
Match free vs paid: what you get without spending a penny
Registering is free on the website and in the app for iPhone and Android. A free account lets you build a full profile, answer the written prompts, choose three core values that sum up what matters to you, browse members and receive daily recommendations by email and push notification. Once two people have matched, messaging between them is free.
What you do not get is the run of the place. According to Match’s own App Store description, the paid tiers (Essential, Premium and Prestige) add unlimited messaging and advanced search filters, while Prestige includes a daily Boost to push your profile up the queue. In practice, the free version works best as a shop window: you can see who is out there and whether your area is busy before handing over a card.
Match.com prices and subscription lengths in the UK
Match does not publish a price list on its UK homepage. The most reliable public figures are the in-app purchases shown on the UK App Store, which list Passes by length. Prices on the website may differ, and like most dating services Match may charge different amounts by platform and by age.
| Plan (UK App Store) | £ | US$ | € | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium 1 week | £19.99 | $26.64 | €23.72 | n/a |
| 1 week Pass | £19.99 | $26.64 | €23.72 | n/a |
| Pass 1 month | £39.99 | $53.29 | €47.46 | £39.99 |
| Pass 6 months | £79.99 | $106.59 | €94.92 | £13.33 |
The App Store also lists purchases at £4.99, £7.99, £14.99, £29.99 and £59.99 without saying what they are, so check the upgrade screen to see what each one buys. We found no 12-month Pass in the UK listing.
Cheapest way to pay: the arithmetic is stark. One month costs £39.99; six months cost £79.99, or £13.33 a month, which is a third of the monthly rate. If you are confident you will stick with it, the longer Pass is far better value. If you are not, a single week at £19.99 is a cheaper way to test the water than a full month. Either way, note the renewal date in your diary.
Match.com discounts, promo codes and student deals
There is no Match promo code to enter, and you do not need one. We found no official discount codes on uk.match.com, and no student discount. Coupon sites carry “deals” that are simply links to the sign-up page, along with vague references to birthday discounts and a “free trial of premium features” with no terms attached; we could not confirm any of them with Match.
Nor is there a standing free trial or free weekend. Prices can differ between the website and the app, so it is worth comparing the upgrade screen on both before you buy. The one saving you can rely on is the six-month Pass.
Who owns Match and who uses it
Match.com launched in the US in 1995 and is the brand that gave its name to Match Group, the Dallas-based company that also owns Tinder, Hinge and Plenty of Fish. In the UK, the site describes itself as “a Meetic network website”; Meetic is Match Group’s European arm, and the App Store seller is Match.com International Limited. Match UK is a member of the Online Dating Association.
Match does not publish a UK member count. Its homepage instead claims that 2.6 million people have met someone on Match, a figure it says is extrapolated from a July 2021 Dynata survey, and that more than 300,000 conversations start each month, based on internal data from January to March 2023. It also says one in five Brits knows a Match couple.
Match does not publish an age breakdown, but its fuller profiles, singles nights and links to over-50s services point to an older crowd than on swipe-first apps. Picture a divorced teacher in Leeds who wants a proper profile to read before agreeing to a drink, or a new arrival in London who goes to a Match singles night as much for the company as the romance. Match users can choose to have their profiles shown on Meetic’s over-50s and single-parent services too.
Features that matter on Match
- Profiles and prompts: longer profiles than on most apps, with written prompts and three core values to help start conversations.
- Daily recommendations: a set of suggested profiles by email and push notification, based on your stated criteria.
- Detailed search: filter by location, age and more; the advanced filters are paid.
- Incognito mode: look at profiles without the other person knowing. Match also calls this Private mode in the app, where it hides you from search and lets you choose who sees you.
- Zen Mode: only members who meet your criteria can contact you, which will appeal to anyone tired of messages from people nowhere near their brief.
- Boost and Super Likes: visibility tools; a daily Boost is included with Prestige.
- Events: speak-easy evenings, drinks events and themed nights at selected venues, subject to availability.
We found no travel or passport mode, and no in-app video chat, in Match’s UK feature descriptions.
Is Match safe? Verification and privacy
Match says every profile photo and description is moderated, with a stated aim of doing so within 24 hours. The site publishes safety tips, community guidelines and a route for reporting illegal content, and Match UK is a member of the Online Dating Association, the UK trade body for dating services. We could not confirm whether Match UK offers a photo or ID verification badge.
On privacy, the App Store label says the app may use identifiers to track you across other companies’ apps and websites, and that data linked to you can include purchases, financial information, contact details, user content, search history, usage data and sensitive information.
In August 2025, Match Group agreed to pay $14 million to settle a US Federal Trade Commission case filed in 2019. The FTC alleged that Match.com in the US failed to disclose the conditions of a “guarantee” offering six free months to people who did not meet someone, made cancellation difficult, and suspended accounts of users who disputed charges. The settlement concerned US practices and did not include an admission of wrongdoing.
What users say about Match
Ratings are split. On the UK App Store, Match scores 3.8 out of 5 from about 41,000 ratings. On Trustpilot, uk.match.com scores 1.4 out of 5 from 5,590 reviews; 38% of those are five-star and 34% one-star, which suggests people tend either to meet someone or to leave feeling short-changed. Trustpilot notes that the company has not replied to negative reviews.
The recurring complaint is variety. “Initially I signed up for free only to find I was being shown the SAME profiles over and over again,” wrote Sara Maude from the UK on Trustpilot in September 2026. Others find the matching too loose rather than too narrow: “I do wish Match wouldn’t keep matching me with ladies whose requirements I don’t meet,” wrote RailwayRay in a UK App Store review.
Billing and cancellation also feature heavily in one-star reviews, so read the renewal terms before you pay.
How to sign up, build a good profile and cancel Match
Signing up
- Go to uk.match.com or download the Match app from the App Store or Google Play.
- Register with your email address and create a password.
- Enter what you are looking for: gender, age range and location.
- Add photos; they will be moderated before they go live.
- Answer the prompts and pick your three core values.
Building a profile that works
- Use recent photos, including one clear head-and-shoulders shot and one doing something you enjoy.
- Answer prompts with specifics; “Sunday walks up Arthur’s Seat” says more than “I love the outdoors”.
- Be honest about what you want, whether that is a relationship, marriage or something slower.
- Use the free browsing period to see whether your area is busy before buying a Pass.
Cancelling a subscription
- If you paid on the website, sign in and switch off automatic renewal in your account settings, or contact Match customer care.
- If you paid through Apple, open Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions, choose Match and cancel at least 24 hours before renewal.
- If you paid through Google Play, open the Play Store, tap your profile, go to Payments and subscriptions, then Subscriptions, and cancel Match.
- Deleting the app does not cancel a subscription. Refunds for App Store and Google Play purchases are handled by Apple and Google; for website purchases, check Match’s terms before you buy.
Match vs eharmony vs Plenty of Fish
| Match | eharmony | Plenty of Fish | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes; message once matched | Yes; Basic membership with limits | Yes; free messaging |
| Premium from | £19.99 a week (App Store) | Premium in-app from £149.99 (term not stated) | £19.99 a week, £29.99 a month (App Store) |
| Best for | Over-30s wanting depth and events | Long-term relationships via a compatibility questionnaire | Budget daters who want a big free pool |
| Verification | Photo and profile moderation | Optional SMS verification | Selfie video verification and Face Check |
| Owner | Match Group (via Meetic) | ParshipMeet Group | Match Group |
Who should pick which? Choose eharmony if you want the matching done for you and are happy to pay more for it. Choose Plenty of Fish if you would rather not pay at all and do not mind wading through more profiles. Choose Match if you want a middle path: proper profiles, filters that respect your criteria, and the option of meeting people at a bar in Manchester rather than only through a screen.
Match FAQs
Is Match.com free in the UK?
Registering, building a profile, browsing and messaging people you have matched with are free. Unlimited messaging, advanced filters and Boosts require a paid Pass.
How much does Match cost per month in the UK?
In the UK App Store, a one-month Pass costs £39.99 and a six-month Pass £79.99, which works out at £13.33 a month. A one-week Pass costs £19.99.
Does Match have a free trial or free weekend?
No official free trial or free weekend was advertised on uk.match.com or in the App Store when we checked in October 2026.
Is there a Match promo code or student discount?
No. Match does not offer official promo codes or a student discount. The best saving is buying a longer Pass.
Is Match.com worth it over 40?
It is one of the better options for over-40s, thanks to fuller profiles, Zen Mode and singles events, but test it with a short Pass first to check numbers in your area.
Is Match safe to use?
Match moderates all photos and profile descriptions and is a member of the Online Dating Association. Follow its safety tips and meet in public places.
How do I cancel my Match subscription?
Cancel through your account settings on the website, or through Apple or Google Play subscriptions if you paid in the app. Deleting the app does not cancel the subscription.
Who owns Match?
Match Group, which also owns Tinder, Hinge and Plenty of Fish. In the UK, Match is run as part of the Meetic network.
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