A reader has asked whether there are any online dating sites specifically for Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormon, followers.
Shared faith can be such an important aspect of dating and choosing a partner for marriage, so online dating websites now cater for all religions followers and LDS is no exception.
A cautionary word before I list the LDS dating websites I have found ..
online dating is big business, so anyone with a computer can produce a dating website and join an affiliate program. This means an LDS dating site could join a Christian affiliate network and display profiles of people from all Christian churches.
Make sure you check out the website before joining, do they appear to demonstrate LDS values on the website, are the members profiles in line with LDS beliefs or are they just trying to make some money from offering a service to a niche dating market?!
Check out things like any articles they have on the website or their blog if they have one, do they have an about us page setting out their values, look at the links on the bottom of the pages and see what you can find out before signing up.
There is an excellent queston and answer page about LDS dating and morality on the Mormon answers website.
1. LDS Pals has been offering LDS dating since 2001. Not the prettiest site design and I spotted a couple of obvious ‘African spammer’ type profiles but overall it seems like a good place for LDS singles to chat.
They offer chatrooms but do not seem to have a message forum. They have members from all over the world and the site does seem to be quite transparent in the information they offer.
They are very reasonably priced at just $4.95 a month.
Many of the profiles discuss the members level of LDS faith and temple attendence, so it would be worth checkng this site out.
2. LDS Fusion is quite a new LDS dating site but has a great site design and packed full of fun features. They may not have a very large membership but the site is designed specifically for LDS singles.
The site says it is completely free but when you join you have to agree to the terms and conditions which includes “Payment and Fees – The website is free of charge to use. However, there are some features that may be extra such as Speed Dating.”
It may be that you only pay to attend dating events organised through the website but you need to check out what fees there are before joining and their site is a little thin on information pages.
3. LDS Planet is run by Pople Media and is the big boy in LSD dating sites. They offer video, audio, personality tests and of course a huge member base.
They aren’t at the top of my list because after loads of clicking I still couldn’t find out how much their subscription charges are and transparency is personally very important to me.
4. LDS Singles is part of the MingleMatch program and they offer a number of sites for various religious, ethnic and special interest groups.
They charge $14.99 a month and use a feature I do not like, automatic rebilling.
This wouldn’t be my first choce for LDS dating purely because of the rebilling issue.
5. LDS Mingle is effectively the same wesbsite as LDS Singles but with a different design, again a part of the Sparks Network.
They offer a free trial but do not state how much subscription charges are or whether they use recurring billing.
Their lack of transparancy would put me off joining their dating site.
6. LDS Romances
Is a very spammy site, with the home page telling marketeers and bloggers to set up their own LDS dating site.
This put me off immediately, when it comes to something as important as a persons faith I would much prefer to find a dating site run by people of my own faith so i am confident they understand my needs and values or at the very least not advertise the fact that any Ton, Dick or Jane can set up an LDS dating site.
You cannot even access the LDS news page without being a member. They use the marketing “totally free to sign up” .. “free profile” type of enticements but if you look at the FAQs under Gold member privileges you will see that a free member can do virtually nothing other than create a profile but you can reply to online chat so this may give you enough feel for the site to know whether you want to join.
Membership is $29.95 a month at the moment but usually $39.95, so quite expensive compared to others.
They offer LDS greetings cards, forums, blogs, etc but overall the overdone marketing and lack of transparency would put me off.
7. LDS Link Up
This isn’t a dating website but a social networking site where LDS church members can meet and chat online. They have members in 50 countries and while it offers a social network it also has a strong LDS dating aspect. Definately worth checking out.
The image I have used on his post is from christiansunite.com and I do apologise if it is inappropriate for Mormons.
June 24th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
The fact that LDS Romances is so spammy by telling bloggers to set up their own LDS dating site is a little odd. Don’t they think that they need to be authentic within the LDS faith to attract users?
June 24th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Hi Bethany, to be honest many of these comapnaies simply don’t care. They set up a whole list of sites for various niches and just see which ones bring money in … my advice, if the site is spammy click the next button and forget about them.