With the internet bug having hit Africa hard in the last decade or so, there has been a prolific rise in African dating sites. In this wonderful continent where life begun millions of years ago, love has gone online in a big way. There is a lot of potential for love in Africa, from the beautiful women of Arab origin from Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt, to the chocolate-skinned women of Kenya and Tanzania in the East, as well as those great, professional and wonderful women from South Africa, Nigeria and so many other places. If you are an African living and working in another continent like America or other regions and you would like to date a woman from Africa, then you will do well to start looking for one on the internet and the variety and array of women there is going to knock you off your feet. Start by signing up on a good dating site. That is where you will find some of the most beautiful African singles.
Dating sites in Africa come in many numbers, which could be make it a bit daunting for you to find the best. Here are five of the most used dating sites:
1. AfroIntroductions.com
This one has no doubt been one of the most popular and dating sites in Africa for local singles and for foreigners looking for an opportunity to date singles from Africa. On this site, you will find singles ready to mingle from all parts of Africa. From its name alone, you can guess that the core membership is made of African singles, both men and women but the number of women is bigger. Therefore, if you are a man from another nationality and you are looking for a single African woman, this is the site for you to sign up for a free account. It is an African interracial dating site.
It is a free and paid-for site
Signing up for an account is free, and so is creating a profile and uploading photos. Make them recent too so that people can see the real you. Studies have shown that people with the most recent photos are most likely to attract partners faster than those without. Other things that you can do free of charge include writing and sending emails, browsing the profiles of other members and so on. However, note that unless you get an email from a paying member, you will not be able to read it. Other free members will also not be able to read your emails unless you are a paying member.
Features that paid-for members enjoy
For the best, you have to pay. That is the policy in Africa and elsewhere. On AfroIntroductions, you will enjoy a tremendous number of features if you are a paid-for member. Paid membership comes in two types – Gold and Platinum.
Gold members enjoy all the features that the standard or free members enjoy and many more extras. For example, they can read emails from any member on the site, can enjoy an ad-free site browsing experience, can instant-message other members and needless to say, their profiles will rank higher than those of the standard members. They will also enjoy advanced matchmaking features.
But it is the platinum membership that is the crème de la crème, what with members enjoying all the features that standard and Gold members enjoy, plus many more on top? For example, in addition to the ad-free browsing, there are features like profile translation to your language, profile highlighting, more advanced profile searches and so on. Let us say that with the paid memberships, you will get more than enough value for your money as well as find a soulmate faster.
What is the cost of the paid-memberships?
It is one of the best African dating sites, but it is not cheap. What matters though is that you will get enough value for your money. Both Gold and Platinum memberships come in four plans.
For the Gold membership:
- You will pay $29.98 for the monthly package
- $59.99 for the three-monthly package
- $119.98 for the yearly package ($10.00 per month)
For the Platinum membership:
- You will pay $34.99 for the monthly package
- $69.98 for the three-monthly package
- $149.99 for the yearly package ($12.50/month)
Do not forget … the subscription fee is renewed automatically unless you cancel that option. Be smart. You can pay through credit card, PayPal and bank transfer.
Pros
- Free to register and easy to use.
- Members with multiple countries background around the world.
- Perfect search feature to find your love with very detailed requirements.
- Android mobile app is available.
- The site supports multiple languages.
Cons
- No iOS app available.
- Functions are limited for free members.
2. Badoo.com
Badoo is an international dating site, it has both African from Africa and African from other regions such as African American and some African from countries of German, the USA, England. It has both dating site and app available. They have different beliefs, some are Muslims, some are Christians.
Who doesn’t love Badoo.com? It is without doubt one of the loveliest and easy-to-use dating sites for African. If you would like to get a single woman or man from Africa fast, you need to register with this site. And tell you what too? You can even get a partner to date or marry without spending a coin. It is that simple.
With the passing of time, the dating scene in Africa has changed beautifully and today, many of the urban singles are signed up one at least one online dating account, and yes, you guessed right … it is most probably Badoo.
But what makes Badoo so chic? It is its ease of use, its many features and the sheer number of visitors from Africa that it gets every day, running into tens, if not hundreds of thousands of visitors. With such volumes, you are assured to be chatting with a few beautiful singles as soon as you can create a profile and upload a few photos.
It is very easy to sign up on Badoo, something that makes most people forget to create a profile. In fact, you can even chat with other people when you do not have a profile. But you will never view another person’s profile if you do not have one. That is how Badoo.com works. If you upload photos, then you can be able to view other people’s photos. If you create a profile and give it enough details, then you can be able to view other people’s profiles. So make yours as detailed as possible, by including details like what you are looking for. People with profiles get their partners faster.
The most important feature on Badoo
This would have to be the People Nearby feature since it matches you with people who are close to your location and who knows? Maybe you can hit it off immediately and start dating.
All of the other features are also very important as they make the dating experience more realistic and functional. Overall, we can say that Badoo is one of the dating sites in Africa where you have the highest chances of finding someone to love you.
You can buy Badoo Super Powers
What are Badoo Super Powers? These are special features that you can only enjoy by buying, and free members cannot enjoy them. They include viewing the persons that like you most, who viewed your profile, who would like to meet you and you can as well chat with the most popular members on Badoo. These Super Powers are available in packages of 12, 6, 3 and 1 month, at different prices of course.
You will have to buy Badoo Credits so that you can activate these Super Powers. Badoo credits are sold as follows:
- $1.99 for 100 credits
- $9.99 for 550 credits
- $19.99 for 1250 credits
- $39.99 for 2750 credits
How will you spend these credits? In many ways; for example, to have your photo featured in the Spotlight where more people can notice you, you will spend 100 credits. Being one of the African dating sites where you can get a match fast free of charge, Badoo is very popular with Africans. Let’s face it; free dating sites are more popular than paid-for ones and Badoo is one of them.
Pros
- Free to signup and use
- Support app for iOS, Android and the computer.
- Video Chat is allowed to connect real-time users.
- Strict profile verification to make sure members are real people.
- Available on multiple platforms including computer, Apple, Android and Blackberry.
Cons
- The matching system works not very well.
- Badoo credits expire after six months.
3. Zoosk
The social media feel has made the Zoosk online dating app very popular not only with urban Africans but with all users across the world. It is one of the most popular apps for African dating sites today thanks to the ease of use as well as its availability on the mobile platforms. It is used just in the same way that people use Facebook Messenger app, in that you can message people even when you are on the go. That is right, you can keep dating and searching for potential dates even when you are on the go.
The SmartPick feature is the bestselling feature of this social dating site. This technology matches people who have the same qualities as you. SmartPick will get you matches from people in Nairobi, Johannesburg, Cairo, Algiers and wherever as long as they are also using the SmartPick app. However, please note that you cannot start communicating with another member unless they add you.
Most people prefer to start on Zoosk as free members and then later on, they upgrade to paid membership. It is only as a paid member that you will be able to access all the communication features and be able to use the SmartPick feature. However, note that both the free and paid-for members can buy Zoosk coins to unlock the premium features that they need.
How do you find matches on Zoosk?
Firstly, there are both matching and searching features on Zoosk, both of them streamlined to help members get partners in due time. To enjoy the matching feature, you will have to fill all the questions in the compatibility match. Once you have done that, you will also be able to see how other users answered the same questions and if they answered same as you, then you will be matched to them. That is why it is very important for you to answer as many questions as you can.
You will also use the SmartPick feature, and this is what makes Zoosk one of the best dating sites in Africa. As we mentioned before, this feature will pick users that have the same qualities as you and match you to them, even when you are traveling. SmartPick will bring you “introductions” of people that you can most probably match with. If you like the introduction, you can click yes and if you do not, just click no.
Zoosk Costs
Subscribers, meaning the paid-for members, have more privileges and features than the free members. However, how much will you need to buy a plan? You can start with a monthly membership for $19.95, 3-month membership for $49.95 in total, and 6-month membership at $74.95 in total.
Zoosk offers cheap paid membership plans as compared to other dating sites. Many people have also succeeded in finding love on this website.
Pros
- Both iPhone and Android Apps are available.
- Large number of users, much easier to locate potential dates.
- The website and app support multiple languages.
- There are various sex lovers on the site including straight, gay, and lesbians.
- Users can use virtual coins to promote you on the site.
- Good customer service.
Cons
- Members need to pay to use basic functions such as messaging.
- The prices are high.
- More hookup, less serious relationship.
4. Grindr
Welcome to Grindr, and let me assure you will need this site if you plan to have a jolly good time in Africa. You see, in Africa, gayism and same sex relationships are spoken of in whispers, as they are illegal in many countries. But do note that they do happen all the time and that most governments prefer to treat them as non-issues. However, all the same, you will not find many restaurants and pubs that are dedicated to same sex enthusiasts. Do not worry though since Grindr was designed for people just like you. It is a dating site for men who are looking for opportunities to date other hot men.
Is Grindr very popular in Africa? Popular is relative, but there is more than fair share of hot gay men from Africa here for you. Egyptian Police once used Grindr to arrest gays and lesbians, South Africa did raise uproar once because of the same site and in 2014, Grindr was listed as the top most popular of the African dating sites. It was rated as the most popular dating app in Kenya, Tunisia, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Africa and Swaziland.
Grindr comes in two versions, Free and Paid-for, also called Grindr Xtra. The free members enjoy features like customized searches, see up to 100 men, save favorites, block people, declare one’s sexy type – Bear, Jock, Twink and so on and finally, you can view many profiles quickly.
Grindr Xtra members get a better, more enhanced experience. For example, they get an ad-free browsing experience, view 300 men, get access to declare more Grindr Tribes, advanced searches using body type, ethnicity, relationship status, unlimited favorites, unlimited blocks and notification alerts for messages.
To start using Grindr, you need to download the app free of charge for your iOS and android device. You must be 18 years and older to be able to download this app to your phone. After that, you can run the app and create an account with your email address and password. That way, you will be ready to use it. Make your profile by choosing a display name, age, and then you can choose whether to show age, choose Grindr Tribes, your weight, height, what you are looking for and so on. You can even choose to use your Facebook account by entering your username. This app will not show on your timeline.
How much does Grindr Xtra cost?
It is more fairly priced than other dating sites in Africa:
- 1 month plan costs $11.99
- 3-month plan costs $23.99
- 6-month plan costs $39.99
- 12-month plan costs $59.99
Pros
- There are more than 6 million members.
- You can find people nearby.
- It is free and anonymous.
Cons
- Lots of fake profiles
- Pop-up ads
5. Tinder
Tinder is the hottest seduction app of our time, making it easy to make and get booty calls wherever you travel to and yes, you can be sure that this is one of the best African dating sites. Tinder is a mobile app, made for people who would like to date even when they are on the go. It is so easy to use, just a swipe of your finger here and there and you will be ready to mingle and date. In October 2016, Tinder launched a new feature which they claimed will make a user 12 percent more attractive thus increasing their chances of finding a partner. If this is cheating or not, we really cannot tell, but we do know that this app has revolutionized the dating culture in Africa among the urban folks.
On Tinder, there are more than 12 million matches a day, quite a high number. This app is used in many countries and it is now available in more than 30 different languages. A good number of users are urban folk from Africa and therefore if you live or you are traveling there, you can download the app, sign up and get ready to mingle with the beautiful singles from this continent.
It is easy to download and use Tinder. It has a few features but the user experience is great. For example, the Swipe feature means just that; swipe right to like a person in which case they will get a notification about you being interested in them and if they swipe right on you, then you will be matched. Likewise, you can also swipe left to discard a profile that is brought your way.
Another important feature to look forward to is the Common Connections feature. This one lets you see whether there are people on Tinder with whom you share another connection on Facebook or elsewhere. It gets a bit complicated here because Common Connection also considers two users who have different matches who are friends on Facebook.
Lastly, there is the Instagram integration feature and with this one, you are going to see the Instagram profiles of other users.
As of March 2015, Tinder started offering a paid membership with many more features. For example, from then going forward, paid members would get unlimited matches while the free members would only get a limited number of right (like) swipes in a specified duration.
If you are 28 years and younger and you would like to become a paid member, then you will pay $9.99 per month. If you are older than 28 years, you will pay $19.99 per month. Remember, this is one of the most widely used African dating sites.
Pros:
The user pool is very big.
Free dating app and fun to use.
No limits on messaging.
You can find casual sex, marriage and friendships, any relationship you can imagine.
Cons:
If you do not pay, you can only swipe right on 100 profiles every 12 hours.
There are more men than women on Tinder.
Conclusion
You have seen five of the best dating sites for African and for the African American, what remains is for you to sign up on your choice and start dating. However, if you are a man, and you are looking for single women from Africa and other regions, it would be better for you to upgrade to paid memberships so that you can communicate with African ladies since most of them are most likely going to be on free membership. Again, kindly learn a few things about African and their culture. Such knowledge will help you make headway in the dating scene.
I’m looking for a man who’s ready t settle..age above 45yrs ..must have atleast a degree,,nd not more Dan 3 kids..I’m strick in age no benten pls