It is not only the Vegas of the Middle East, but the UAE ( United Arab Emirates) is also a haven for expatriates and that is why there is need to identify the best dating sites targeted at people from that region. If you are looking for the best sites in Dubai where you can meet the love of your life, then you have come to the right place. Here, we are going to review four sites that are very popular with people living and working in the UAE. What will you be looking for considering that the UAE has a very conservative dating culture? Well, like most of the expatriates who live and work here, you will probably be looking for an opportunity to date a woman from home, or a fellow expatriate, or a single Arab woman. The saving grace is that online dating is very prolific here and the only thing you have to do is to identify a good UAE dating site, and you will be set. Note that you may have to use a VPN since most dating activities are censored.
Here goes, a few credible dating sites that you can try out:
1. Muslima.com
Muslima.com is a Dubai dating site aimed at singles who could be looking for an Emirate single to date. As its name suggests, you will find that this dating site is targeted at the Muslim community living at home and abroad too. Thankfully, although you will find people from different countries on this site, and there will be those looking for a person with your types of traits. Muslim dating culture is a bit reserved but when it comes to dating the Emirates are flexible and you will have a very enjoyable experience.
With membership spreading among countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen, Qatar, Bahrain, Iran, Jordan and many more, this site is quite cosmopolitan and so you should be prepared to meet people from everywhere in the world. One thing you will note though is that most of the people that you find here are working as expatriates in the Middle East. There are Britons, Africans, Americans, South Americans, Indians, Filipinos and many more. The most prolific users are aged between ages 20 and 50. As you sign up for an account on this site, note that it is meant for Islamic dating, and therefore the core membership is made up of 4.5 millions of Muslim singles.
This is a Cupid Media site. It is a paid-for dating site, but at the same time, most people start with the standard/free membership and then they upgrade later. Using the site for too long as a free/standard member will not do you much good since two free members cannot communicate. Therefore, to send and receive messages, please upgrade to paid membership, as that will also tremendously increase your chances of getting a partner.
How much does it cost to access all the site features? Well, there is Gold membership, which costs $34.99 for one month’s subscription, $23.33 per month for three-month subscription and $11.67 per month for a yearly subscription. Note that these payments cannot be paid on monthly basis – you pay as one lump sum. By choosing a package, you will be unlocking features like ad-free browsing, communicating with every member through email and live chat, rank above the standard members, use advanced matching features to enhance your chances of getting a partner and many more.
For Platinum membership, the cost is slightly higher than what you pay for Gold membership. For one month’s subscription, you will pay $39.99, for three months’ subscription, you will pay $26.66 per month and for 12 months’ subscription, you will pay $13.33 per month. All these monies are paid in lump sum. To go with the extra fee, you will get features like profile highlighting, advanced matchmaking features and translation of profiles to a language of your choice.
Payment methods include credits cards, PayPal, bank transfer and Paysafecard. Note that the default setting is for auto-renewal and therefore you have to opt out of that.
The site support more than 20 languages including አማርኛ, العربية, Bahasa, Indonesia, English, Deutsch, Italiano, Español, Türkçe. The site also has Android dating app available now, which can make much easier for you to keep online with your smartphone.
The main benefit is that this site focuses entirely on Muslim dating.
Pros:
- A large number of members.
- You can receive messages from paying members for free.
- International dating with members from UAE and other regions.
- Advanced searching features to help find your potential partners.
- Easy to use Android dating app.
Cons:
- No iOS Apple app.
2. Match.com
Match.com is perhaps one of the most exciting dating sites in the world today for its unique features. For example, it has event nights where people from the same locality meet and mingle, thus hastening the process of one getting a partner. However, you are reading this because you are looking for dating sites that accommodate singles from the UAE. Does Match.com do that? Well, it is international and therefore you can be sure that it is one of the most popular sites for dating in this region. There is even a whole section dedicated to bringing you tips for dating in the Middle East, an area with some of the most conservative dating cultures in the world.
There are many features to look forward to. For example, there is the Daily 5 feature, which matches you with 5 people every day. With such a high number of matches, it is almost guaranteed that you will get a match in no time at all. The MatchTalk feature will enable you to have phone conversations with other members without having to give your phone number. Then there is the VIP Emails that can only be sent out once in a week to let another person know that you are so very much interested in them and following that, your profile will be prominently displayed to them for the next 30 days.
How does Match.com work? It is very simple really. You must first create an online profile for you to contact other members. You can then send the people you like a request for their information. They will look at your profile and decide whether they like you enough to match with you. If they do, then your email addresses will be passed forth and from then onward, you can contact each other through your email addresses. This is why it is very important that you fill up the profile nicely, say as much as you can about yourself, you know, the basics, like what you are looking for, religion is a basic of course and then you will be set to date. This simplicity is what makes Match.com the best Dubai dating site.
But the most outstanding feature on Match.com is the advanced match feature that will allow you to match with people who have the qualities that you desire. Apart from entering the qualities (keywords) in the search bar and hitting enter, there are three other ways to find matches:
Online now – this feature will bring you people who are online at that moment if you would like to communicate with them immediately.
Mutual Matches – These people have the same traits as you do and they could be looking for a person like you.
Reverse matches – This one will bring you people who are looking for a person like you.
How much does using Match.com in Dubai cost? Well, the cost is in dollars, since this is an international site. Firstly, there is a 3-day free trial, which you ought to cancel before it expires or you will be billed automatically.
If you would like to subscribe for a month only, then you will pay $35.99
If you would like to subscribe for the Standard plan, there will be two packages for you. In the first one, you will pay $19.99 per month for three months (in one lump sum) and for the second plan, you will pay$17.99 per month for six months (lump sum).
Finally, there are the Value plans, which offer more features. The first one is a 3-month plan for which you pay $23.99 per month for 3 months and the second one is $19.99 per month for 6 months.
Match Guarantee – this one is offered to people who subscribe for at least six months and can meet the required conditions. If you stay a whole six months without getting a match, you will get the next six months free of charge.
Match.com has both Android and iOS apps available, which make you easier to find your partner online on your smart phone.
Will you get value for your money? Well, unless you try, you will never know.
Pros
- Easy and fast to sign up.
- A time-honored matching website with good reputation.
- Advanced matching algorithm to help you find best partners.
- There are many ways to communicate with other members including wink, email, chat.
- A large number of members from UAE and Muslim singles worldwide.
Cons
- The costs are higher than average .
- Only paid members can send and reply to messages.
3. Tinder
Tinder is a very popular dating app and many people have used it. What most people find outstanding is that your soulmate could be just a swipe of a finger away. It is true; all you have to do is just swipe, either to the right or to the left. If you like a person, you swipe to the right and if you do not like them, you can swipe to the left. That is how easy it is to get or match on Tinder. But first, you would have to download the Tinder mobile app and register for a free account.
If you are in the UAE, you can use Tinder to find a soulmate. It is possible. There are more than 1 million users of Tinder in Dubai. This number has grown by now and therefore it has become increasingly easier for you to get the love of your dreams.
Tinder works in a very simple way. The download is very fast and then after the app is installed in your phone; it will access your account to create your profile by accessing your Facebook account details like your first name, photos and even age. You should not worry though because Tinder is not going to display on your Facebook profile.
With the information garnered from your Facebook account and the additional details that you fill up in your account, you are then going to be matched to potential matches from your area. This means that if you are in Dubai, then you are going to be matched to people from Dubai. What happens is that the app displays profiles of potential matches and if you like them, you swipe right. If you do not, you swipe left to discard and that profile will be gone forever.
Whether you are single, divorced or even widowed and you are in Dubai for work, live there or are just a tourist, Tinder is the best UAE dating site because of its simplicity and high success rate. Just imagine that if you swipe right on a photo and the owner of that photo swipes right, that is considered a match and you too can then start messaging one another. It is that simple. You can also integrate Tinder to your Instagram account so that you can see the Instagram profiles of the other users.
Is Tinder free to use in Dubai? The app is free to download from your app store and using it is mostly free, but there is a Tinder Plus version that will cost you a small amount of money. But do not worry because you will get more than enough value for your money.
Is Tinder legal in Dubai? While online dating is considered or ethical. Well, you can use Tinder for many things. For example, when you are in the UAE, you can use this app to talk with people close to your locality to ask them about restaurants. You can also access this dating site through VPN.
Tinder dating app is free of charge to download but they have a Plus version for $9.99 per month for all users under 30 and $19.99 per month for all users above 30 years of age. We could not establish whether there are special rates for users from the UAE.
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.
4. Arablounge.com
Niche dating websites in the UAE do not come any better than arablounge.com, which is specifically targeted at Arab singles. While other dating sites like Tinder and Match.com offer a wide mix of people, this one is different since it offers you an opportunity to meet Arabs only. This site is not targeted at Arab singles, but it is also a great dating site for people who would like to date Arab Christians.
While this site has a great and simple user interface, signing up on this website is quite a process! There are about 100 questions to answer before you can be signed up. Thus, set some good time aside to sign up on Arablounge.com. You will not be disappointed as many reviews show that this is truly the best UAE dating site and you will be guaranteed to get the love of your life.
It is free to create your profile on the Arablounge.com dating site. It is also free to browse other profiles, it is free to receive messages and you can as well upload as many photos as you like on your profile. With more than 250 members online at any given time, you can be sure that you will find someone to spend your life with, but it could take longer since the membership on this site is a bit low. Take your time and chat with a few people first before you can arrange for a physical meeting.
ArabLounge is targeted at Arab bachelors living in different countries in the world. Therefore, the core membership of this group is made up of Arab single women from the Middle East, other places in Asia and Africa.
How does ArabLounge work? It is very simple really, since you will be matched with profiles depending on the answers that you gave during the signup process (remember the many questions?) Then there are the reverse matches where you will be brought profiles of other members who are looking for a person who has qualities such as yours. You can also use the photo slide show feature to choose a person that you would like to match with based on their personality and personal information.
The site supports languages of العربية, Deutsch, English and français, making people with different langauges can date singles from Dubai and UAE.
How much is the cost for premium membership? It is a bit steep compared to the other dating sites in the UAE. However, it is manageable.
- For a monthly subscription, you will pay $49.37
- For 3-months subscription, you will pay $37.02
- For 6 months’ subscription, you will pay $30.83 and
- For 12 months’ subscription, you will pay $24.84
Standard membership is free of charge.
Pros
- The site is easy to use.
- Detailed profiles to help you find proper members.
- High member activities.
- Advanced matching system.
Cons
- Not many active members.
- Only paid members can read messages.
Conclusion
The above-reviewed are some of the best dating sites in Dubai, but do not sign up and just go to dating straight away. Look at their blog or dating advice sections so that you can learn a thing or two about dating in the Middle East. The culture is a bit conservative and therefore you want to be amply advised before dating a person from there. In addition, even when you have the best Dubai dating site, you may have to use VPN to access it.