When you are looking to build your own dating website, you might struggle with choosing the right platform and company to work with. WordPress is one of the most popular website builders, and that's why the idea of using this CMS as a base might cross your mind. By default, WordPress, of course, doesn't provide you with all features a dating site will need, so you will have to buy a theme and plugin with proper built-in functionality.
There are several WordPress dating plugins and themes on the market. The question is, should you consider WordPress in the first place or go for another dating software solution? In this article, I've analyzed all pros and cons of having a dating website on WP, the popular plugins on the market, and the alternative software you may use to help you with the decision about the best-suited option. We will look at the key features each platform offers, discuss their advantages and disadvantages, and make a conclusion.
Popular WP dating plugins
WP Dating Plugin is one of the most popular dating plugins for WordPress. The plugin offers a range of features such as custom profile fields, advanced search, a matching system, and more.
The plugin provides a user-friendly interface, making it easy for website owners to set up and manage their dating sites. It also includes features such as customizable email notifications, spam protection, and PayPal payment integration.
Cons
However, it is essential to note that WP Dating Plugin may not be suitable for any dating business. One of the most important and essential features - a Real-Time chat - is not included by default and can only be purchased as an add-on. Additionally, some users have reported issues with the plugin's performance and customer support.
As with any software product, there may be potential issues or limitations that users should be aware of before purchasing and using the WP Dating Plugin.
Another WP plugin you may hear of before is Dating Theme by PremiumPress is a WordPress theme designed for creating online dating websites. The theme offers a range of features such as customizable profile fields, advanced search options, and chat messaging.
Dating Theme provides a responsive and modern design, making it easy for website owners to create an engaging and attractive dating site. It also includes features such as payment gateway integration, membership plans, and spam protection.
Cons
Website owners should carefully evaluate their options and consider the potential cost of customization and maintenance, as these factors may affect the overall cost of the theme. For mobile solutions, PremiumPress is only offering only an optimized design of the desktop site version and not a mobile app.
In conclusion, while Dating Theme by PremiumPress offers a range of features and a responsive design, it may not be suitable for every business idea.
What are the alternatives to WordPress Dating Plugins?
Instead of starting a website on WordPress and buying plugins, you can always turn to more advanced solutions. SkaDate is one of them. It's a software company that creates dating sites and apps based on its own software. Compared to WordPress solutions, SkaDate can offer some decent features that go with a Basic Package: Video Chat, compatibility calculation, site moderation, website statistics, and much more. The company also provides a Mobile App with more Advanced Packages and offers customization in case you need to implement a unique feature. Important note: Customizing dating software like SkaDate is easier than doing it with WordPress due to the possible conflict of custom code with WP plugins.
Cons
SkaDate is more expensive than WP solutions due to its personalized approach and advanced features. However, if you are looking for a flexible solution and better quality, it's better to go for a more advanced solution from the start.
Should I Start a Dating Site with WordPress Dating Plugins
In recent times we’ve been hit by a wave of new customers requesting migration to SkaDate Dating Software from their unsuccessful ventures with WordPress dating sites. While we do regularly deal with people switching from other solutions to ours, the sheer number of seceding wp dating plugin owners forced us to publish this post. This information will save you a lot of time and effort, as well as help you make the right decision for starting your dating business.
How to create a dating website on WordPress?
The deal-breaking fact is that WordPress is not a CMS primarily designed as a dating or even social platform. So if you want to create a dating website based on WordPress, you have to 1) think about the features you want to implement on your website and 2) research WordPress dating website plugins that can provide you with these features. However, if you have ever worked with WP, you must know that plugins are conflicting creatures by their nature. So you may end up in a situation where one of them couldn’t work with another or might not be supported by your WordPress dating theme.
The saddest part is that you couldn’t even get proper support to fix your issue, as … WP doesn’t have support. So yes, in theory, you can build a dating website on WP, but no one will guarantee that 1) you’ll have the same amount of nerves as before you’ve started working on it and 2) that the website will work (at least). We are not being negative here, we just really want to help you avoid frustrating situations.
The other option is to buy one dating website plugin for WordPress. However, right now, there are no feature-rich dating plugins that have a decent matchmaking algorithm, video chat, membership level management (which is the most valuable feature for monetizing your site), and other options. Even if you are chasing a simple solution from the start, it’s still important to have the potential to upgrade it to a more professional and advanced level.
How to Create a Dating Website Without WordPress Dating Plugin?
The easiest way to create a dating site on Skadate Software is by getting a Skadate Basic package. You’ll get a feature-rich, ready-to-use dating site optimized for online dating. All you need to do is just to adjust it to your idea, brand, and business vision. In case you have any questions, direct them to the support team for free for the first month. You can also request a trial version to try out Skadate features or briefly check them in the demo. No need to install any dating website plugins! The most important settings are already there.
Blogging vs Dating
Undeniably, the popularity of wp software as a blogging platform in the past decade created one of the strongest online brands. Everyone knows it, and developers try to use this widespread recognition to their advantage by creating numerous WordPress plugins and extensions. While it sounds great in theory, the hard fact is that WordPress was and still is a platform streamlined for blogging.
No matter what you try, what WordPress dating site plugins you add, or the themes you use, the engine and chassis beneath you are still not built for your main purpose. It’s like using a shopping cart for drag racing. Perhaps you still can do it but with a lot of modification. However, quite obviously, this won’t be the best choice.
Features and User Experience
It’s the same with dating software. Top names on the market, and most notably SkaDate, have been around for years, honing their platforms specifically developed for online dating. This focus allows us to create the best possible experience for both, site members on the front-end and admins on the back-end without jumping through additional and unnecessary hoops.
The simple truth is that all dating WordPress themes are pretty poor feature-wise, despite all the flashy presentations. On top of that, once you do get inside, the setup to make your site unique and conform to a specific vision is a nightmare – it’s virtually impossible to work everything out without a ton of support. What you get is a pretty facade and a gift basket of basic tools. It will keep you busy for a while, but it’s not nearly enough for a professional dating site.
Site Performance and Administration
It’s important to understand that all WordPress dating themes do is trying to combine various elements, which often were not even meant to work together. Needless to say, all this recalibration of a blogging site to suit dating needs creates enormous performance problems, and who wants that on a dating site? Your members are there not to read posts, remember? They want a quick interaction with their match. Poor performance – no returning visitors – no revenue.
Forget about the proper administration of such a site as well.
With the structure and environment built for the specific purpose of managing pages and posts, it’s simply exhausting to even think about solving this puzzle daily once you get real traffic. All the sign-ups, interactions, moderation of actions, granting permissions, member tiers, monetization, user matchmaking, communication levels, etc… One serious look at the WordPress dating site plugin dashboard will tell you all you need to know about the hassle of dealing with day-to-day user management.
Security and Final Thoughts
In short, a WordPress dating plugin might look pretty and sound easy for an unsuspecting buyer. But it’s not and never will be a turn-key solution such as a purpose-built online dating software like SkaDate. No flexibility, proper support, documentation for specific tools, poor quality plugins, and don’t forget about security. Since WordPress is so popular, everyone and their mother is looking to exploit new vulnerabilities almost every day. And once it’s out there, your site is under threat. Do you really want to risk your members’ security this way and invest a lot of additional time and money into your site’s protection?
Just give it another thought before making the final decision. Starting a dating site with a WordPress dating theme might be enticing initially, but you must realize that you are launching a business venture. As such, it’s vitally important to make the right decision from the get-go, and avoid laying an unstable foundation for your future success.
Check the article “Best Dating Software Comparison” to explore which dating software company is the best for you.
