In California, I went on a date with an obese pink-haired girl who acted like she was doing me a favor. That was the last straw and that’s when I decided to try dating in the Philippines. I just want to say right off the bat that this is a disinterested review meaning I have nothing to gain if you follow my recommendations. I’m writing this as a service to my fellow men who were in the same predicament as me ie. not having much luck in the Western dating scene.
Bye Bye Free
The dating scene has changed since I first started in 2019. Most dating sites operated on a freemium model meaning you could still use the basic service but pay extra for more perks like appearing higher in the search results.
There were some other totally free dating sites like Plenty of Fish and Date in Asia that relied on ad revenue for their income but now it seems all the companies have decided to move to the freemium model.
The difference is now you can’t really do anything on the freemium plans anymore. When I tried OkCupid they only give you 3 likes then you have to pay them. That being said there are some that may be worth your time and money while others are not, in my opinion.
OkCupid – No Thanks
Google Play Store Rating: 3.6
Back in the day this was my go-to site when I was single and looking. They had a similar match algorithm to e-harmony but you didn’t have to pay e-harmony’s high subscription fees. But things have changed. They only give you 3 likes before you have to pay and that sucks. They want you to pay $150 for a 6-month subscription. Many reviews reported getting poor matches, even getting matched with guys. Yeah, no.
Basic Plan:
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1 Month: $19.99
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3 Months: $44.97 (averaging $14.99 per month)
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6 Months: $59.94 (averaging $9.99 per month)
Premium Plan:
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1 Month: $39.99
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3 Months: $79.98 (averaging $26.66 per month)
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6 Months: $119.94 (averaging $19.99 per month)
Incognito Plan:
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1 Month: $44.99
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3 Months: $89.97 (averaging $29.99 per month)
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6 Months: $134.94 (averaging $22.49 per month)
Christian Filipina – Hell No
If you’ve watched any Philippines vlogger, no doubt you’ve heard them peddle Christian Filipina as the absolute zenith of the Filipina dating industry. Sadly, that’s not because they’re the best but because CF pays a high affiliate commission, up to $300 per sign-up. I used to work for Together Light Inc. the parent company of Christian Filipina.
I can tell you they market themselves as being scammer-free as if they have a magic machine that can peer into the hearts of the women signing up but that’s just a bunch of baloney. The women you’ll find on CF are no different than the women you’ll find on any other site.
The difference is Christian Filipina charges $999 for a year-long subscription.
Christian Filipina Pricing:
Gold Membership:
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3 Months: $247 (averaging $82.33 per month)
Platinum Membership:
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6 Months: $597 (averaging $99.50 per month)
Unlimited Membership:
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12 Months: $997 (averaging $83.08 per month)
Date in Asia – Eh, Maybe
Google Play Store Rating: 3.6
Date in Asia used to be a great site. It was totally free, without any paywall nonsense. That has since changed. They’re not as bad as OkCupid or Christian Filipina but they’re not as great as they used to be. They say it’s free but if you want to get matches in a specific city or place you need to sign up for their premium plan. You also have to deal with some pretty annoying ads.
Their plans are pretty affordable though ranging from $14.99 for 3 months to $45.99 forever.
They also have a coins system where you can buy coins to ‘Say Hi’, see who viewed you and more. Those seemed pretty expensive sharing $39.99 for 5000 coins.
The pricing for Date in Asia is not bad but I just didn’t like my matches. I got a lot of ladyboys and obvious hookers and for that reason I cannot recommend them although you may have better luck.
Tinder – Yes if you Get Tinder Plus
Google Play Store Rating: 3.7
Out of all the ones I tried, I like Tinder the best. I got good matches and you can fully communicate with people on their free plan. There were a lot of fake matches to use up your free likes but those were pretty easy to spot since they were porcelain-skinned super skinny women designed to appeal to Asian men. They also have ads but they weren’t annoyingly intrusive.
The only downside is if you want to get matches from women outside you’re area you’ll have to sign up for their premium plan. I paid $10.99 a month for unlimited likes and an extra $7.99 to see who likes you so you don’t have to spend hours swiping to get a match.
Tinder Pricing:
Tinder Plus:
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1 Month: $13.49
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6 Months: $6.75 per month (Total: $40.50)
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12 Months: $4.50 per month (Total: $54.00)
Tinder Gold:
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1 Month: $22.49
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6 Months: $11.25 per month (Total: $67.50)
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12 Months: $7.50 per month (Total: $90.00)
Tinder Platinum:
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1 Month: $26.99
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6 Months: $13.50 per month (Total: $81.00)
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12 Months: $9.00 per month (Total: $108.00)
Filipino Cupid – Yes if You’re Tired of Swiping
Google Play Store Rating: 4.4
What I really liked about Filipino Cupid is that it doesn’t follow the Tinder Model. You can see all of your matches on one screen. It has a 4.4 rating in the Google Play Store which is the highest of all the dating sites I tried. My matches were good decent women but some obvious hookers as well. They used to call themselves the largest Filipina dating site but I haven’t seen that tagline in years.
Filipino Cupid is still good but you don’t see them being recommended by vloggers like before because they don’t pay a good affiliate commission compared to Christian Filipina.
Pricing:
They’re much more expensive than Tinder, charging $34.99 a month for their gold plan and $39.99 for their platinum plan.
With the Gold Plan, you get to send and receive messages, view profiles, and use search filters
With the Platinum Plan, you get the same features as the Gold Plan but you also get VIP Status and Priority Status which in my opinion doesn’t mean much.
Here’s their complete pricing structure:
Gold Membership:
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1 Week: $21.50 USD
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1 Month: $34.99 USD
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3 Months: $69.98 USD
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12 Months: $170.00 USD
Platinum Membership:
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1 Week: $25.50 USD
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1 Month: $39.99 USD
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3 Months: $79.98 USD
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12 Months: $359.98 USD
Badoo – Pricey but Solid Matches
Google Play Store Rating: 4.1
I found that the women on Badoo were actually quite decent. The matches I received weren’t just random or obvious fakes, and many of them seemed genuinely interested in connecting. It felt like the algorithm wasn’t just throwing darts blindfolded.
What I really don’t like is the pay-per-message pricing model. The site uses a ‘coin system’ which means you have to buy coins ie pay for every message you send and that can add up really quickly.
Badoo pricing:
Badoo offers both free and premium membership options. While you can use the app for free to browse profiles, send messages, and use the “Encounters” feature, upgrading to a premium subscription unlocks additional perks, such as seeing who liked your profile, browsing anonymously, and undoing your last swipe.
Their premium plan, called “Superpowers,” has a variety of options:
- 1 Week: $3.00
- 1 Month: Around $12.99 – $13.84
- 3 Months: $26.34
- 6 Months: $39.57
What you need to understand about Filipina dating sites
The women who sign up for Filipina dating sites are almost all from two categories, lower echelons of society, or just have personality quirks that make them undesirable to Filipino men.
Every Filipina dating site is going to have gold diggers and scammers and there’s no way around that. Don’t be fooled by good marketing that leads you to believe that paying a boatload of cash will eliminate this problem. There simply is no way to eliminate these types of women no matter how much you pay. That being said you can find good decent women on all of these sites. I know people who found their wives on all of them.