Best Dating Sites for Seniors with Disabilities

While seniors may be a minority of members on other dating sites, on SilverSingles they make up 80 percent of the members. What’s more, everyone on the site wants to date a senior, upping your chances of a love match.

Seniors have the lowest rates of online dating usage of any group. Across the board, 30 percent of U.S. adults have tried online dating, but those numbers drop to 23 percent of people in their 50s; 14 percent of people in their 60s; and 12 percent of people in their 70s and older, according to data from the Pew Research Center. That’s the advantage of using a site like SilverSingles, where eight out of 10 members are 50 or older.

Why is that particularly important for disabled people? Because people ages 65 and up have the highest disability rates of any age group. Twenty-four percent of U.S. adults ages 65 to 74 have disabilities, and for people 75 and up, that number goes up to a whopping 46 percent. That means that you’re not only likely to encounter more disabled people on SilverSingles, but you’re also more likely to find people who are accepting of disabilities.

We paid about $20 a month for an annual subscription to SilverSingles, which is exactly middle of the road for dating sites — on par with Match, more expensive than Special Bridge, and cheaper than eHarmony.

SilverSingles Membership Pricing

It is possible to use SilverSingles on a free basis in perpetuity — if you’re OK with blurred photos and no messaging, that is. Most aren’t.

SilverSingles customers, 565 of them, reviewed the dating site on Consumer Affairs and Trustpilot, giving it average ratings of 1.3 and 2.5 out of five stars, respectively. Some people complained of fake profiles, difficulty with cancellations and refunds, and unhelpful customer service.

SilverSingles blurred the photos until we paid for a membership. The same went for messaging members, making the free version merely a preview. Additionally, SilverSingles is not specific to disabled people, although it is specific to seniors, who are more likely to be disabled. If you want a disability-specific site, read about Special Bridge below.

If you’re interested in meeting another senior age 50 or older, SilverSingles will provide you with some great options. To learn more about the service, read our SilverSingles dating review.

Dating another person with disabilities has its advantages; namely, the person will understand what it’s like to have a disability, which no able-bodied person can do. If you are seeking relationships or friendships with other disabled people, check out Special Bridge, which is not just a dating service, but a community.

When we made our dating profiles on Special Bridge, one of the questions let us check off as many disabilities as we had. There were nearly 40 disabilities to choose from, including intellectual disabilities like Autism, depression, and ADD/ADHD, as well as physical disabilities like spinal injuries, paralysis, and Down syndrome. We love the transparency that Special Bridge provides; by being honest and upfront about your disability with only other disabled people, you can form a relationship based on trust and mutual support.

Even within the app, we could browse members by age, gender, state, or disability. Not only did Special Bridge list each disability and how many members had it, but it also gave some quick information about the disability for people who needed it. For example, 833 Special Bridge members have Asperger’s syndrome, which the site describes as “a developmental disorder affecting the ability to effectively socialize and communicate.” That provided useful information for interacting with people who have this disorder; plus, even within each disability, we could still browse by age, gender, and state.

Special Bridge is the most affordable dating service on this list, with prices starting at only $7.50 per month if you sign up for a year, which is billed at $89.99. Even the one-month plan is reasonable at only $9.99.

Special Bridge Membership Pricing

While we could see unblurred photos for free, when we clicked on the profiles, we were told there was a “critical error” on the site. The premium version is necessary to see member profiles and chat with people, as well as to access forums and groups and add photos to our profiles.

Despite the fact that Special Bridge has been around since 2014, according to an article in USA Today, no customers have reviewed it on Consumer Affairs or Trustpilot to date. Perhaps that is because disabled people are a minority, making up about 13 percent of all U.S. adults, according to the U.S. Census. With any niche dating site, there are fewer users and customer reviews online.

We had multiple technical difficulties when we used Special Bridge, which is a pretty rudimentary WordPress site. For example, when we filled out our initial information and tried to log in, there was an error before we were able to log in. Then, when we clicked on profiles, we got another error — later finding out that we needed a premium membership to see people’s profiles. This site certainly isn’t as sophisticated as more established, mainstream sites like Match, but it will get the job done despite a few roadblocks.

If you’re OK with a bit of troubleshooting and are serious about meeting another disabled person, Special Bridge is the online community you’re looking for.

If you want to find a Christian to settle down with, consider Christian Mingle. According to a survey from the independent consumer research firm Survata, it’s responsible for more Christian marriages that started online than any of its competitors. Moreover, 71 percent of the site’s members attend church at least once a week, so if you’re looking for a relationship based on your Christian faith, there’s no better online option.

While Christian Mingle isn’t specific to disabled people, it is specific to Christians, who are told in Leviticus 19:18 to “love thy neighbor.” If you’re Christian and disabled, you could use a “Christian” filter on other sites, or you could go somewhere where you don’t have to. With almost 60,000 new members every month, Christian Mingle has the highest percentage of Christians on any dating site in the world.

Not only could we fill in our religion on our Christian Mingle profiles, but we also filled in our church attendance frequency. That’s important, especially if you’re looking for someone as committed to the faith as you are. While only 58 percent of nonmembers of Christian Mingle said they go to church at least once a week, for Christian Mingle members, that number shot up to 71 percent. We also set filters for height, marital status, and occupation. Although there was no category for disabilities, we could’ve written something about our disabilities on our profile, which allowed for some long-form text that wasn’t just our stats.

Christian Mingle is second only to eHarmony as being the most expensive dating site on this list. Costs start at $24.99 a month with a six-month package, which is about three times the cost of Special Bridge. Still, if finding a Christian partner is important to you, you may be willing to pay the price.

>> Read More: The Best Free Dating Sites for Seniors

Christian Mingle Membership Pricing

Christian Mingle has a 1.8 rating on Consumer Affairs and a 1.4 rating on Trustpilot, making it the site with the worst customer ratings on this list. People appreciated the large number of people looking for long-term relationships with other Christians. However, they complained about the pricing as well as the site’s free version, which didn’t actually let us message potential partners.

Christian Mingle is specific to Christians, not disabled people or seniors; this means that not everyone on the site will be interested in or open to dating a disabled person or someone over 50. Additionally, it’s not the most affordable option, and the free version isn’t conducive to actually meeting someone.

If faith is at the top of your mind when it comes to your search for love, you’ll find like-minded Christians on Christian Mingle. To learn more about our favorite Christian dating sites, read our guides to Christian dating and Catholic dating for seniors.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “There are plenty of fish in the sea” used as a metaphor for dating? If we’re continuing that metaphor, then Match.com is the ocean. It’s the most popular dating site for seniors, so you’d be casting the widest possible net.

A 2022 survey from Pew Research Center shows that, for U.S. seniors who have dated online, Match is the site they’ve used the most. Across all age groups, 31 percent of online dating users have tried Match, but that number rises to 41 percent for people 70 and older; 51 percent for people ages 60 to 69; and 53 percent for those ages 50 to 59. Match is even ahead of eHarmony, making it by far the most popular online dating option for the over-50 crowd.

In fact, according to Match’s member statistics, 37 percent of its users are 50 and older, making this group the site’s fastest-growing demographic. While not everyone on the site will be looking to date a disabled person, since there are so many people on the site, there’s a greater likelihood that you’ll find someone who is open to it or even another disabled person.

In terms of pricing, Match is average. You can pay as little as $19.99 a month with an annual package, but the cost will double with a three-month package.

Match Senior Dating Membership Pricing

Match has a free version, but its messaging is limited and you will only be able to see people who have “Super Liked” you — a small fraction of your likes. Additionally, you’ll only get 12 “Top Picks” daily, profiles Match thinks you’ll be most compatible with, and you won’t get read receipts when someone has read your messages.

Similar to Christian Mingle, Match has pretty abysmal ratings from Consumer Affairs and Trustpilot: 1.7 and 2.1, respectively, from a total of 3,345 reviews. Many people had issues with canceling and obtaining their refunds. Others complained about bots (fake profiles) on the site, although the site now has mandatory SMS verification to make sure users are real. In our experience, we got locked out of the site when we used a headshot we found online, so perhaps Match’s bot problem has improved since these users complained.

The majority of Match’s users, 63 percent, are under the age of 50. To break it down even further, 19 percent of Match’s users are under age 30, while 44 percent are ages 30 to 49. Many of these users will not be willing to date seniors, and being disabled only makes dating more difficult. Some people may feel more comfortable on a senior- or disabled-specific website like SilverSingles or Special Bridge.

If you’re comfortable matching with people of many ages, religions, and ability levels, Match will give you the most options, especially for seniors. To learn more about this site, read our guide to Match dating for seniors.

Of the U.S. online daters ages 50 and older, nearly half say that they’re on dating sites and apps in order to meet long-term spouses or partners, according to Pew Research Center data. If you fall into that category, you’ll appreciate eHarmony’s lengthy compatibility quiz, which goes deeper than what you look like on the outside.

Instead of just filling out the basic facts about who you are and what you want in a partner, like height, age, and occupation, eHarmony goes deeper. It made us take a compatibility quiz, which took about 20 minutes and asked us the important questions, like what our main reason for wanting a relationship is.

It also had us choose images that we found the most appealing, determining our personality and preferences. For example, it showed us random shapes and had us click on the one we liked the most. While we weren’t sure exactly what our answers signified, it’s clear that someone willing to go through this process must be pretty serious about meeting someone. We’ve signed up for other dating sites in less than two minutes flat!

Again, eHarmony isn’t specific to seniors or disabled people, much like Match. But with such a long quiz, we appreciate the fact that the site went beyond our physical limitations or abilities.

Pricing

With prices starting at around $30 a month for a two-year package, eHarmony costs the most on this list (or of any dating site we’ve tested, really).

eHarmony Membership Pricing

The free version has unblurred photos, which we loved, but we couldn’t do a distance search, see who viewed our profiles, or send unlimited messaging per day. Still, if you can’t spend the money, the free version is decent.

A total of 4,386 people have reviewed eHarmony across Consumer Affairs and Trustpilot, giving it overall ratings of 1.5 and 3.3 stars, respectively. The 3.3 is actually the highest score on this list, with customers loving the site for older widowers and widows in particular. However, many people had trouble getting eHarmony to stop charging them, and others complained that they were shown the same people over and over. This is more likely to be the case in areas with few users.

The biggest drawback of eHarmony is its pricing and billing. While sites like Christian Mingle and Special Bridge offer one-month memberships, eHarmony starts at six months — which is the longest minimum-term length on this list. Plus, prices start at $30 a month, a third more than Match and Silver Singles and three times the cost of Special Bridge.

Though it may be pricey, eHarmony could be worth it if you’re serious about finding your next long-term relationship. To learn more about the service, read our eHarmony for seniors review.