Founded in 2008, EliteSingles quickly gained approval and popularity among discerning, well-educated, and successful singles worldwide. As one might expect, with the launch of any successful platform, there will always be competitors.
In 2015, the League entered the dating marketplace and quickly gained attention as a possible EliteSingles competitor. But which site works better for its members? How do they compare head-to-head? This article will summarize and evaluate both dating apps. Once you have all of the facts, you can decide which is right for you.
EliteSingles Overview
EliteSingles is an inclusive dating site that caters to well-educated, professional, and successful individuals. While we market to individuals who match these descriptors, EliteSingles does not use them as a bar to entry. In other words, any adult is able to join.
EliteSingles Dating Site & Dating App
EliteSingles has four million members in the United States and 12.5 million members globally. The site acquires 381,000 new active members every month. Because of the way that EliteSingles markets to their customer base, 85% of our U.S. customer base has an above-average education. In addition, we are a site that appeals to members who are seeking serious relationships. This draws a more mature member base. Our target demographic is professionals between 30 and 55.
We offer a free Basic version that allows members to sign up and sample some of the features of the site. If they decide that they like what EliteSingles has to offer, they can upgrade to a Premium account without having to start over.
EliteSingles Sign-Up Process
- Sign-Up – Signing up for EliteSingles is easy. You begin by creating a user dating profile. The first question is which gender you prefer dating. You will then enter an email address and password. This will lead you to the next steps.
- Personality Test – Among the features that make EliteSingles special is our proprietary personality test. While there are 84 questions, it doesn’t take long to complete the tes, and it’s a fun way to help us identify compatible matches. The quiz identifies five main personality metrics: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism. The algorithm determines which members you’d have the best shot of getting along with.
- Adust Your Settings – This is where you can adjust your preference for age, distance, the type of relationship you’re seeking, etc.
- Start Searching – EliteSingles is a site that’s designed to save you the time and energy of exploring hundreds of profiles with underwhelming results. (Tinder we are not.) We will present you with a short list of three to seven targeted matches. These are members who not only match your search criteria, but are also likely to blend with your personality.
EliteSingles Features
Most of our members opt for a Premium package. Here are some of the features that Premium EliteSingles members enjoy:
- Unlimited Private Messaging – Avoid the risk involved with providing your phone, email, or social media to a new member. You can use EliteSingle’s private messaging until you are ready to move off of the platform into real-life encounters.
- View All Photos – Premium members have the ability to see all of the photos that other members post. (We encourage members to post tons of current, unfiltered photos)
- Leave Comments on Photos – What better way to introduce yourself to a new member than by leaving an original compliment on their photo?
- See Your Profile Visitors – Find out who is showing interest by viewing your visitors.
- App Usage – Full access to our mobile app on all iOS or Android devices.
- Read Receipts – Know when another member has seen your message. This takes the guesswork out of wondering if they’re interested or just ignoring you.
- Complete Personality Profile – Our personality profile is one of the most involved in all of mobile dating.
- Browse the Site – Check out the members that we have not shown you yet.
Security
Spark websites (Spark is EliteSingle’s parent company) have a reputation for enhanced security. Member profiles are routinely audited for terms of service violations and signs of abuse. They also have a designated team to investigate member complaints. Fraudsters and other bad actors who make it past our initial screening are quickly detected and removed from the site.
Cost
The Basic platform is free to sign up and use. The Premium program that features the above benefits has three options:
- Premium Light – $44.95 for a single month
- Premium Classic – $22.95 per month for three months
- Premium Comfort – $16.95 per month for six months
Payments are through PayPal or a credit card.
The League Overview
The League is a newer site that has taken a different approach to online dating. Memberships start at $299 per month, making it cost-prohibitive to upper-middle-class singles.
The League Basic Info
Like EliteSingles, the League does have a free platform with some generous features. For instance, members with free accounts are able to customize their profiles, send friend requests, and even send messages and videos. However, to access some of the most appealing features of The League, you have to upgrade to a premium account.
One of the biggest drawbacks to The League is the limited dating pool. According to one dating site rating service, The League has 32,000 members. Like EliteSingles, their membership has a high rate of college graduates, and it draws heavily from the 25 to 50 age demographic. New members may expect to wait more than two days to be verified, which can be annoying for some.
The League Sign-Up Process
You can find the League in your phone’s app store (Apple or Google Play). You can log in with Facebook or with an SMS message. As part of the signup process, you will be asked to provide six high-resolution pictures, which you can get from your phone’s library, Instagram, or Facebook accounts. This is not a mandatory step, but the site encourages it.
In order to use the free account, you will need to add your LinkedIn account. However, people on LinkedIn will not know that you’re using The League. If you don’t want to add your LinkedIn account, you’ll have to pay for a premium membership. Their team will place your profile on a wait list within 48 hours. You can accelerate this process if a member offers you a VIP ticket, you refer two single people to the site, or you sign up for a premium package.
The League Features
These are the features that premium League members enjoy:
- Five at Five – You’ll receive at least five dating prospects at 5:00 p.m. every day.
- Unlimited Messaging – This can be an invaluable feature for safe online dating.
- Read Receipts – You will know whether your messages have been read or not.
- Profile Stats – The League keeps stats on your profile so you can make changes to attract more views or likes.
- Video Interface – You can video chat with other members before you go on a date. This is an in-app service that’s not offered on EliteSingles. Members are still encouraged to Zoom, FaceTime, etc., before the meeting.
- Exclusive Events – The League hosts events in the cities where it’s popular. Premium members receive invitations.
As you increase your membership tier, you get access to more features. This is a diversion from EliteSingles, where all features are unlocked with a Premium plan.
Security
The League is an extremely safe dating app. Members must link to either their phone or a social media account. The screening process is extensive, which means that it can take a while before your account is approved. Because their member base is small, the League can easily identify bad actors. Their lengthy signup process makes it unattractive to frauds.
Cost
The League has a free membership available, but the approval process is slow. The app is designed to draw premium members with a large amount of disposable income. The price structure for the League is as follows:
- Member – $299.99 per month (66% discount for paying for three months in advance)
- Owner – $399.99 per month
- Investor – $999.99 per month
Evaluating Dating Sites – Finding the Best One For You
Many singles use a somewhat unscientific approach when choosing a dating website. They either ask their friends what sites they’re on, or they go to the app store on their phone and load whichever one is being promoted. Sites like EliteSingles and the League aren’t intended for everyone. They are trying to appeal to intelligent users who have distinguished themselves by pursuing higher education or are successful in some other way. Consequently, when compared to other sites, EliteSingles has a disproportionately high number of professionals, business owners, executives, artists, academics, models, and athletes. This is probably the case for the League, as well.
If you are looking for a dating site, here are some things you should consider:
- What You’re Seeking – If you’re looking for casual dating, there are many sites that cater to it. EliteSingles, the League, Zoosk, and some others focus more on connecting singles who are looking for serious relationships.
- Determine Which Sites are Active in Your Area – You’re going to want to be able to select from multiple accounts. There’s no point in signing up for a great dating site if no one in your geographic region is using it, and no matching algorithm is effective if there are too few accounts to match.
- Inclusivity – Belonging to an accepting, inclusive site is essential. Don’t join a site that might exclude you or someone you love.
- Free Trials – Even if money is not an issue for you, you have to wonder about sites that won’t let you see what they’re offering without payment.
- Safety – Online dating without safety protocols can be risky. Some sites and apps don’t pay enough attention to security, which is why their sites are filled with scammers or member information is compromised. Before you provide a site with your private information, find out about its security protocols.
- Features – What are the must-have features that you need? At a minimum, you should have a way to communicate with other members without providing your personal contact information. Both EliteSingles and the League offer unlimited messaging.
- Matching – Are members completely randomized, or does the site’s algorithm match members based on their preferences? Swiping random profiles is time-consuming and frustrating. If you lead a busy life, an effective matching algorithm can be invaluable.
Ultimately, you may find that the first site you join is not for you. If that’s the case, sign up for a free trial on another one.
EliteSingles vs. The League – A Head-to-Head Comparison
Now that you have a general idea as to how each site works, how do they compare head-to-head? Here are some of the factors that our members find most relevant.
Dating Pool
EliteSingles is a global dating site with 12.5 million members. While that number eclipses the League’s membership, it’s worth exploring a few nuances. The League has focused its marketing efforts on urban centers. Initially, there were only seven cities, but now there are dozens. That means if you live in a League city, the app may work for you.
The top ten cities are New York, San Francisco, London, Chicago, Washington D.C., Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Miami, and Los Angeles. If you don’t reside in one of these, you may be looking at a narrow selection. For example, the League has about 5,000 members in New York. The same site estimates EliteSingles members in New York at about 800,000, which is consistent with our internal numbers.
Success Rate
EliteSingles helps about 2,000 members find lasting relationships every month, and we estimate that our overall success rate is about 80%. We were unable to locate similar information for the League.
Features
Both sites have features that you would expect in their Premium packages: unlimited messaging, read receipts, profile pushing, etc. The League does have an in-app video chat feature, which is something that EliteSingles doesn’t currently offer. Most EliteSingles users easily navigate this challenge with Zoom or Skype, but it would be unfair not to mention it. EliteSingles and The League both send curated lists to members on a daily basis. Because EliteSingles has a much larger membership, it’s more likely to choose members who are actually compatible with you (instead of just pushing you toward whoever is available in your area.)
Price
Both sites have a free version of their memberships with limited options. The Premium pricing is substantially different. EliteSingles Premium Comfort allows you to access full member features for $16.95 per month. The League’s least expensive package starts at $299,99 per month, but full access to features is reserved for members with more expensive memberships.
Sign Up
It’s easy to sign up for the free versions of EliteSingles. Many new members who attempt to use The League’s free trial complain about lengthy waiting times. You can bypass the line by signing up for the premium package, but then you’re unable to try the platform before paying.
Safety
Both EliteSingles and the League are among the safest dating sites. Members are prescreened, complaints are taken seriously, and both sites monitor accounts for suspicious activity. EliteSingle’s account creation process is more rigorous than most sites, which is a deterrent to scammers. On the other hand, The League’s signup process is so lengthy it’s sure to all but eliminate fraudulent accounts. The bottom line is that members who use reasonable precautions should feel safe on both sites.
Because this is a head-to-head comparison that will appear on EliteSingle’s site, we’ve deliberately avoided nudging readers in one direction or another. We feel that users who are drawn to either site are intelligent enough to make a decision based on the merits of the arguments.
