DateHookup Dating Site Review

DateHookup.com is one of the oldest online dating websites that has been around since the early days of this phenomenon and for well over a decade. The site officially launched in early 2002 and has been free since its’ inception up until now. DateHookup.com is primarily used in the United States and the main demographic of members who make up the constituency are young adults and college students.

DateHookup.com appeals more to those people who are more interested in casual dating than serious relationships. DateHookup.com is an online dating website most similar to Tinder because it’s more about ‘hook ups’ than actual dating. However, unlike Tinder, it’s not a mobile application but rather a website full of features that are free and easy-to-use.

DateHookup.com has been recently upgraded with a new design and layout as most recently as 2014 in an effort to attract more visitors and subscribers to the website. The website now has a streamlined design and layout which lists ‘real success stories’ and a list of the features that users can get access to by signing-up. It’s clear from the website’s name and its’ features that it is primarily for members who are looking to ‘hook up’ and have more casual dates rather than finding the love of one’s life.

Date Hookup Review

Overview

In order to get started with this particular website, you have to sign-up and create a profile. As stated before, signing up for DateHookup.com is free and does not cost anything. When you start your profile, it’s important to state basic information about yourself such as your name, gender, current location, and age. You will also be asked about if you’re interested in men or women or both. After you complete these personal attributes and characteristics about yourself, you’ll be required to add a profile photo or two to help add to your profile’s completion. It only takes a couple of minutes to complete this basic free profile about you.

Once you finish, you’ll have access to the main page of DateHookup.com where you can see other members who are near you within a couple of miles. You can see whether or not they’re online and active as well as their relationship status. As a member of this website, you’ll be able to use the search function to look for members based on their age, gender, or location.

Compared to other online dating websites, the search function is basic but it will allow you to see and visit other singles on the site to find whom you might be interested in. The profile pictures of other members are very big and prominent so you’ll be able to see whether or not you are attracted to them very clearly given the size of the pictures that are displayed on DateHookup.com.

Main Features

• Create a Profile with Basic Information and Add a Picture

In addition to creating a profile with basic information about yourself and the ability to add a few profile pictures displaying your best self, there are a few other features that can be accessed even if you are a free member. Luckily, you’ll be able to message and communicate with other members without any issues.

• Send Messages

There is the ‘message icon’ which allows you to send a message similar to a regular text to a user who you are interested in getting to know better.

• Send Virtual Gifts

In addition to just sending a message, you can add smileys and other emoticons as well as virtual gifts, which will stand out to other users.

• Express Interest

You can also directly express interest in another user by clicking on the ‘heart’ icon, which is below every profile display on Date Hookup. When you do this, the other user will be notified of your interest due to the ‘notifications’ feature.

Additional Features

• Let’s Meet

A popular feature that is unique to DateHookup.com would be the ‘Let’s Meet’ feature. If you list your current location in your profile, you will be presented with a list of members within a certain radius of yourself and you’ll be asked whether or not you would be willing to meet this person.

You have three options to choose from which would be ‘Yes, No, or Maybe’ to click on when you are presented with each profile. Based on your attributes and the personality traits that you listed when you signed-up to the website, you’ll be presented with certain members who have those same qualities as you. If somebody says ‘yes’ to meeting you after you did the same to him or her, you’ll have a match and DateHookup.com will give you both the option to begin messaging each other to arrange a meet-up or a date.

In order to use the popular ‘Let’s Meet’ feature, you’re going to have to had uploaded a profile picture of yourself because that’s the way in which other users will be evaluating if they’re interested in meeting or not.

• Forum

Unlike other online dating websites, DateHookup.com has official forums where members of the site can ask each other or ask administrators about dating topics, relationship topics, or any other general topics involving the website. This feature is quite unique and can’t be found easily in many other online dating websites such as Plenty of Fish or OKCupid. You’ll be able to view posts from other members as well as your own.

• Groups

On DateHookup.com, you also have the option to form specific groups within the membership, which is also quite unique. Within these groups, you can find different age groups, religion groups, dating niche groups, and even politics groups. Some users have been able to use these groups to find a romantic partner or relationship. If you were born in the 1980s or happen to be Jewish, you will automatically have access to these specific groups in DateHookup.com if you want to be apart of them and see other members from a similar background.

• History of Users

Lastly, DateHookup.com gives you the option to see the history of those users who liked your profile with the ‘heart’ icon, those users who have sent you private messages, or even those users who have viewed your profile and when they did so.

Positives and Negatives

Positives:

• Free and easy to sign up

Like any other online dating website, there are positives and negatives to DateHookUp.com. Some of the positives include the fact that it’s free and easy to sign-up. There are many features that free users can take advantage of such as creating a profile, uploading some pictures, and messaging other users who you are interested in getting to know better.

• Simple to express interest

It’s easy to express interest in someone by sending him or her a direct message but also by liking him or her with a ‘heart’ icon or by giving him or her a virtual gift. The mass majority of DateHookup.com users are free members so the creators of the website have done a good job in catering to their needs and wants in order for the membership to stay active and engaged. Because the website is free essentially, the membership will have more money to take other people out on dates or to buy each other a drink. It’s a win-win for both the website and for the people who use it.

Negatives:

• Annoying ads

Despite these positives, there are still some negatives to DateHookup.com that should be addressed. Because there are so many free users of the website, DareHookup.com has to rely on a lot of advertisements in order to make up for the lost revenue. Because of this fact, you may run into a lot of advertisements being displayed on the main page and also on your profile display. This is unfortunate but is also necessary to keep online dating sites running smoothly and to keep the main features mentioned above free and accessible.

• Not able to explore the features without singing up

Another unfortunate aspect of this website is that you can’t really explore the features of this site unless you register and sign-up. You’re very limited in what you can see and do on the site unless you’re an actual member. This is partly done to make sure that DateHookup.com can show that its’ membership is high and that it’s able to get new members on a continuous basis.

• Limited advanced search

Lastly, it’s disconcerting to see but you’re very limited as a member to be able to do an ‘advanced search’ in terms of expressing your preference in a mate or dating partner based on eye color, weight, height, salary range, etc. which are more specific and exact. Other websites like OKCupid and Plenty of Fish are able to give that option but not DateHookup.com at this time.

Popularity and Site Traffic

• Third most popular free online dating site

In terms of site traffic and viewership, DateHookup.com currently rates as the third most popular free online dating website on the Internet.

It gets about five hundred thousand unique visitors to its’ pages per month which is less overall than Plenty of Fish and OKCupid which usually get a couple of million unique visitors per month. Plenty of Fish comes in first in terms of site traffic followed by OKCupid in second place and then DateHookup.com in third place. DateHookup has found its niche in those young people and college students who are looking for a more casual approach to the dating world.

Paid Membership Option

DateHookup.com is known primarily as a free online dating website and advertises itself as such to interested persons. However, if you’re looking for a more complete experience, registered users can upgrade themselves to a paid membership with the VIP option.

With this paid upgrade which is charged on a monthly basis, you can see the visitors to your profile, who has liked you or shown interest, and whether they have read your messages or not yet.

The biggest advantage to this upgraded membership is the fact that you won’t be exposed to any advertising on any of DateHookup’s website pages or even your own profile which will make it easier to read and navigate the site.

A paid membership will cost different amounts per month depending on which plan you subscribe to. For a one-month subscription, it will cost about $7 per month. There are also options for payment such as a three-month subscription for $6 per month and a six-month subscription for $5 per month. It is important to remember that the three-months and six-months of the membership will be billed in bulk for one single payment on your credit or debit card at the beginning of each subscription.

Tools To Use

• Photos
• Profiles
• Notifications (send, filter, receive or delete messages)
• Send virtual gifts (cute images). Option to show them on your profile page.
• History (users whom you have blocked, viewed, liked, and passed). The complete list of users you’ve Liked can only be viewed by VIP members.
• Let’s Meet (check user’s pictures and answer if you want to meet by clicking Maybe, Yes, or No.
• Forums. Participate in forums that cover many relationship related topics. You are able to check just your own and your firends forum posts.
• Groups. Similar to the forum but these groups are divided by dating niches, age, politics, general interests and religious groups.

Search Users By

• Find Users by age, gender, and location (these are the only options to search by).
• Zip Code location search is 50 miles.
• Filter your search by Best Match, New Members or Last Online (default).

Conclusion

Having been around for almost fifteen years, DateHookup has adapted and adjusted to the changing online dating marketplace by appealing to a certain demographic. DateHookup.com has been successful as being a mainstay in online dating by offering plentiful features to its free users and giving lower prices per month to those people who want to upgrade to a paid membership. It looks like DateHookup.com will continue to compete with the big dogs of OKCupid and Plenty of Fish for some time to come.

You may also like our Plenty Of Fish review.

Have you ever used DateHookup before? If yes, how was your experience with this dating site? I’d like to hear your thoughts and any other useful information you collected when using DateHookup.