The Top 7 South African Dating Sites in 2024

So, it’s 2021 and humanity survived the big wave of a worldwide pandemic. Plenty of us are sick of staying at home and are ready to get our postponed travelling plans back in action.

With that being said, South Africa has been on the bucket list for many of us! The entire country is filled with commercial, touristy towns built by the edge of gorgeous bays. How could anyone resist its natural beauty of great scenery and exotic animals?

And speaking about natural beauty – South African women are some of the most attractive, feisty and fun-loving women you’ll ever have the pleasure of meeting.

There’s a catch though! If you are looking for the right lady, then maybe it’s best to start your search with some of the most popular local dating sites. Being a traveller, if you are unfamiliar with them, we’ve put together this list just for you!

 

Tinder


What type of site is it?

  • Hookups
  • Relationships
  • Seeking Love

Who is it for?

Just about everyone! Inclusive to everyone regardless of your gender and sexual orientation.

Top Dating Features

  • Face-to-Face: Video Chat
  • Hot Takes: Chat before matching
  • Geolocation / Passport: Short & long distance meetups
  • Swiping: Right if you like, Left if you don’t
  • Top Picks: Cherry picked profiles

Registration Process

A simple registration process using your phone number or facebook account. After that, you are asked to fill in some personal information (e.g. First name, Email Address etc). Lastly, you will need to verify your mobile phone number via text message.

Costs

Tinder can be used to Swipe, Match & Chat for free but there are still 3 types of paid subscriptions which provide a variety of extra features:

Users Under 28 years old

Users Over 28 years old

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Quick & easy to use
  • Photo verification test
  • Freemium site
  • Large user base

Cons

  • Messages sometimes take too long to deliver
  • If you live in a rural area, your options can be scarce
  • Limited Registration options
  • Tinder has been hacked in the past (Security issues)

Insider Tip: If you are over the age of 28 the packages are more expensive.

SouthAfricanCupid

What type of site is it?

  • Seeking Love
  • Relationships
  • Dating

Who is it for?

Singles from South Africa ranging from mid 20s to early 50s. The site caters to straight, gay and lesbian people.

Top Dating Features

  • Green and Red highlights: To determine compatibility
  • Extensive search filters: e.g. Lifestyle, Values, etc.
  • Cupid Tags: Used to describe yourself
  • Cross Site Join: You can visit other dating sites and skip registration
  • Block & Unblock: For those who don’t take the hint

Registration Process

All users can sign up with their email, Facebook or Google account and the information required is short and easy to fill in (First name, Gender, etc).

Costs

New users of the site are given 1 free message but should upgrade to one of the two paid subscriptions to be able to send messages:

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Images can be uploaded from your facebook account
  • Each profile has a ‘Last Active’ status
  • No third-party ads if you are a member
  • Easy to filter online, verified & platinum users

Cons

  • Paid subscriptions automatically renew
  • If you’re not a paying member there are some profiles you cannot chat with
  • If you do not upload any profile images, a reminder pop-up will keep appearing

Insider Tip: If one of the two users are paid members, both can communicate with each other regardless if one is a paid subscriber or not.

AfroIntroductions

What type of site is it?

  • Seeking Love (Locally or Internationally)

Who is it for?

The site carters to both straight & gay / lesbian men and women.

Top Dating Features

  • Cupid Tags: The ability to add tags to your profile to describe yourself
  • Instant Messenger: Live chat feature where users can also video chat
  • Verified accounts: Users can verify their account by uploading an ID
  • Block functionality: The option to block or unblock users

Registration Process

You can easily register by syncing your Facebook information or using your email address. If you opt for the second option, you’ll have to add some basic information. Your account can be set up within minutes either way.

Costs

You can technically use the site for free, but you will only be able to like others, message paid members and use the basic matching feature until you pay for a membership.

Gold members are able to use the majority of the site’s features

Platinum members rank above all other users, benefit from an advanced matching algorithm and get to translate messages into their own language through the site.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Supports video calls
  • Cupid tags helps filter potential matches
  • Has a mobile app
  • There’s a Success Stories page

Cons

  • A lot of empty and fake-looking profiles
  • Can’t communicate with others for free
  • Small member base

Insider Tip: Fill out all fields on your profile so your match results are as close to your ideal partner as possible.

DatingBuzz

What type of site is it?

  • Local Dates
  • Local Hookups
  • Local Meetups

Who is it for?

Caters to straight, gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals.

Top Dating Features

  • Premium: Allows free users to contact you
  • First Impressions: Preview of other users’ profiles – Similar to swiping
  • Rate other users: Give 1 – 5 stars to users based on your experience with them
  • OneLiner: Gives the user a list of ready messages to get the conversation going
  • Non-negotiable criteria: Users who do not match a specified field cannot message you

Registration Process

Supports connection with your Facebook account and you can also sign up swiftly with your email address. After signing up you cannot jump straight to profile scrolling – Unlike the sign up process, the user will have to go through an extensive amount of questionnaires.

Costs

Non-subscribers can favourite other users but to message them they need to purchase a subscription package:

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Users who have a 0% match with your profile cannot message you
  • Newly registered users get a discount on their subscriptions

Cons

  • Subscriptions automatically renew after 6 months
  • Limited access to the site if email is not verified
  • You can only message others if you have a subscription, plus certain fields on your profile complete
  • The information required to complete one’s profile is time consuming

Insider Tip: When visiting other user profiles, there are ticks and crosses for the interests on their profile you are and aren’t compatible with.

InterracialDatingCentral

What type of site is it?

  • Love & romance (for different ethnic backgrounds)

Who is it for?

Straight or gay men and women.

Top Dating Features

  • Fyooz blog page: Includes dating advice articles, inspiration, and much more
  • The Date Whisperer: Helpful advice videos from a dating expert
  • Horoscope compatibility: For those who want to make sure their stars align
  • Flirt: Users can send virtual gifts to others

Registration Process

Users can register with their Google or Facebook account. There are 3 sign-up steps where users must answer some basic questions. This takes a few minutes to complete.

Costs

You can browse and send flirts for free but in order to chat you must pay for “Premium”:

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Easy-to-use interface
  • Users come from all over the world
  • Money-back guarantee
  • Live chat support

Cons

  • No matching features
  • No mobile application

Insider Tip: You can search by Ethnicity which is great, if you’ve always dreamt of dating someone from a different country.

 

AfrikaansSingles

What type of site is it?

  • Relationships
  • NSA Fun
  • Friends with Benefits

Who is it for?

There are 3 different dating sites under 1, each for a different niche. There is a generic one for all singles, one for seniors and a naughty site for people who don’t like to waste any time!

Top Dating Features

  • Encounters: Where users can browse through profiles
  • Diaries: Where users can write a diary entry (like a facebook post)
  • Video Stories: Users can add a 30 second video of themselves

Registration Process

Quick and easy to sign up using your email address. After registration, you will be asked 14 questions about yourself, however you can skip this part until later.

Costs

Allows users to send winks to other members and also 1 message to each user for free. Users must pay for the full membership if they want to fully enjoy the site.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Video call option
  • The ability to filter search results by many different variables

Cons

  • Old-fashioned design
  • Even if you pay for the full membership, you won’t be able to chat with non-paying users
  • A lot of negative reviews on the internet

Insider Tip: You have to physically be in Africa to be able to use the site.

Singles2Meet (Mingle2Meet)

What type of site is it?

  • New Relationships (Locally)

Who is it for?

Straight, gay or lesbian singles ranging from mid 20s to late 50s.

Top Dating Features

  • Add to favourites: To break the ice and find them later
  • Block or Report: When you’ve lost interest
  • Distance: How far each user is from where you are
  • Newest Members: Filter out the users who’ve just joined

Registration Process

Having a dedicated email address is necessary. The information requested upon sign up is quick and easy to fill in (Gender Interests, Date Of Birth, Location etc).

Costs

The site is absolutely free to use!

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • All features are free to use, no subscriptions or packages
  • Simple and easy to use website format

Cons

  • It is required to have a verified email address, 80% complete profile and 1 image on your profile to start sending messages
  • Third-party ads

Insider Tip: After you sign up on Singles2Meet and log in for the first time the URL and logo changes to Mingle2Meet.

 

Conclusion

In our search we also came across StoutGat which is quite a well-known dating site in South Africa, but requires your credit card information before proceeding.

Whether you’re coming from South Africa or are looking to date a South African, it is safe to say that you will surely find a dating site for you in the list above.

There is definitely something for everyone; those in search of easy hookups, romantic relationships or even marriage!

Each of these sites is unique so we suggest you choose a site depending on your specific dating needs and budget.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up to one (or more!) of the above sites and find the perfect South African lady for you!

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