ChristianMingle is a popular Christian dating site aimed at Christians who are looking to find friendship, fellowship – and love.
Used by more than 9,000,000 people around the world, it has a strict verification system in place that ensures everyone who signs up is who they say they are. And in a world where meeting people of our own faith who we can connect with and share in the glory of God has become increasingly difficult, Christian Mingle is here to prove that it’s still possible to find something genuine online.
To find out more about Christian Mingle, I decided to take a closer look. This ChristianMingle review is here to help YOU learn more about the site so that you can make a more informed decision regarding whether or not it’s worth your time.
I’ll be taking a look at:
- Profiles Quality
- Design & usability
- Affordability
- Pros and cons
- Key features
I’ll also be sharing with you my personal experience using the site.
Ready? Let’s make a start.
My ChristianMingle Review
To give you a more rounded ChristianMingle review and to show you how easy or difficult it is to find matches and potential partners, I created an account. In this section, I’m going to show you how I got on.
To get started, I went through the sign-up process that I described earlier in the article. This took me around 5 minutes and was very easy. I decided to fill in my ‘About Me’ section there and then so that my profile was ready to go ASAP. I also uploaded six photos and added a few activities and interests (you can select different tags, rather than spend time writing things out from scratch).
Once that was out of the way, I was offered the chance to upgrade my account immediately so that I would get access to all the features. I decided to take Christian Mingle up on their offer to help me get the full ChristianMingle experience. By subscribing for a month, I would get access to all photos, I’d be able to see who’s liked and viewed me, I’d be able to browse anonymously, and – crucially – I’d also be able to send messages.
I then had to wait a few hours until my photos were verified by the team. As soon as they were, I landed on the homepage and started browsing profiles:
What immediately struck me was that ChristianMingle is very low traffic. I live in a well-populated city, and whilst I didn’t expect to see as many profiles as a broader dating site, such as Plenty of Fish, I expected to see a decent amount. Instead, when I clicked the “Online” tab at the top, I was shown just a handful of profiles that were either currently online, or very recently online:
Worse, when I browsed profiles in my area and clicked them, many of them hadn’t been active on the site for over a week. This was a slight concern because it was clear that my choices were slim.
I also clicked the ‘Distance’ tab to find potential matches who live further afield, but again there weren’t too many options.
This isn’t surprising, however, since Christian Mingle claims that there are just 2,500 active members each week worldwide. The gender proportion is split 50/50 and ages tend to vary from the early ’20s to mid-40s.
However, what I did like was the ‘Match’ feature that shows you who you’re most compatible with. Again, whilst you’re not left with too many choices, the good thing is that you at least know that these are people with who you share your interests and values.
Moreover, whilst ChristianMingle isn’t super heavy traffic-wise, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. People who sign up to this date are looking for something genuine. The lack of choices can actually be more beneficial than having too many choices (such as on sites like Tinder). How so? Because you’re more inclined to actually message people, rather than swipe endlessly in the vain hope that someone better might come along.
Not just that, but ChristianMingle encourages you to cast your net further afield and connect with Christian singles who aren’t located in your city.
Also, I soon realised on ChristianMingle that I wasn’t competing with lots of other guys for the attention of women. This made me feel more relaxed and I was able to send messages and actually enjoy myself on the site. Before long, I had made a good connection with two women and I found that people here are open to talking and getting to know you to see if the two of you are compatible or not.
As a further positive, it seems that most – if not everyone – who signs up to the site is religious and is seeking a life partner. The profiles aren’t always super detailed, and you will find that most people like to keep things short. This is a typical profile on Christian Mingle:
As you can see, people generally fill in the prompts, while just adding a bit about their likes in their ‘About Me’ section.
And whilst there aren’t too many profiles to browse, you can always check your ‘Viewed Me’ section to see whether or not the profiles you previously missed have checked you out.
All in all, my experience with ChristianMingle was a positive one. I made a good connection with two women on the site, and whilst ultimately nothing came of either in terms of dating, we’re still in online contact. I also liked how easy the site is to use, as well as the fact that you don’t feel overwhelmed at any point. Unlike other dating sites, you’re not deluged with profile after profile and this allows for a relaxed, easygoing environment.
Pros of ChristianMingle
- Exclusively aimed at Christians with a large pool of users.
- Most of the users are looking for meaningful relationships.
- Most of the dating profiles are authentic and well-filled-out which takes out the guesswork.
Cons of ChristianMingle
- Just like any other dating site, the matches aren't guaranteed.
- If you're from a remote area then you'll have trouble finding people near you.
Signing Up For ChristianMingle
The sign-up process at Christian Mingle is as simple and as straightforward as you’d want from a dating site. There are no lengthy personality tests or quizzes to fill out, and the whole process shouldn’t take you longer than 5 minutes.
To get you started, Christian Mingle first asks you what you’re looking for (a man or a woman). Then, it asks you for either your email address or Facebook account before moving on to the next step.
The next step involves you uploading at least one photo of yourself. This must be a clear photo and ideally, you should be facing forwards. Nudity is not allowed and the ChristianMingle team verifies every photo you upload. You can upload as many as 8 photos at this point.
Each time you add a photo, you’ll notice text that reads “Pending Review” over it. This just means that the ChristianMingle team is reviewing it. The process typically takes anywhere between a few minutes and a few hours.
Once that’s done, you’ll be invited to write a bit about yourself, such as your values, interests, and what you’re looking for. There’s no need to add your church attendance just yet, as there’s a specific prompt for that on the next page:
Here, you get to choose from various religions. As you can see from the image below, ChristianMingle gives you lots of options. I think this is a great idea because it lets you find people from your own faith, and who therefore share the same beliefs as you.
After writing a brief description of yourself, you can then choose from a range of activities and interests that will help you find someone who has things in common with you:
Lastly, you need to select what you’re looking for in someone else in terms of their interests, religious background, and relationship status. As soon as you’ve done that, your profile will be ready to go (although it won’t be live until the ChristianMingle team has verified it).
The whole sign up process is mostly a breeze, even if the dropdown menus can sometimes get a bit glitchy. However, you can skip most of the steps if you’re short on time, but I definitely recommend filling them in at some point because this will make it easier for you to find someone you’re looking for.
Overall, though, the signup process is nowhere near as time-consuming or as irritating as it is at other dating sites. However, if you’re in a super rush, you can choose to register via Facebook. This process is much faster, as the site grabs information from your social account.
ChristianMingle Profile Quality
A pet peeve for anyone who signs up for a new dating site is that they soon become swamped by messages from fake profiles.
It’s annoying – but what is Christian Mingle like for fake profiles?
Unfortunately, there are fake profiles on Christian Mingle, just as there are on all dating sites. I was somewhat surprised by the number of fake profiles here, because a) it’s a dating site for Christian’s and b) you have to pay to send and receive messages.
However, despite the possibility that you might get spammed by a fake profile, Christian Mingle is better than most other dating sites when it comes to removing them from their site.
There are two ways Christian Mingle spot and remove suspicious profiles. First, they rely on their users to flag and report suspicious profiles. Second, Christian Mingle has a very strict verification process. Any time you enter something new into one of the fields on your profile, such as your occupation, location, or even a profile picture, Christian Mingle will not allow it to go “live” until their team has reviewed it to make sure it matches your IP address.
Somehow, fake profiles still manage to slip through the net, despite this vigorous verification process. That said, it isn’t too hard to spot a fake profile. The biggest thing to watch out for on this site is a user who asks for your email address before you’ve connected, as well as a user who sends you a link in either their first or second message. These are typical warning signs that the user is fake.
Other than that, what are the profiles like on Christian Mingle?
Typically, most profiles on Christian Mingle are quite detailed. You don’t have to fill out every single section when creating your bio, but most users make sure to add something to ensure that their profiles stand out.
And Christian Mingle makes your life really easy by giving you various prompts, such as “church attendance,” “education,” “preferred first date,” and so on. All you and other users need to do is answer them.
Most users also take the time to share their values and common interests, and this also further helps them to appear real and genuine – as opposed to a fake profile.
Overall, then, I’d say the audience quality of Christian Mingle is good. Certainly, if you’re looking for a dating site where you can connect with genuine Christian singles who are serious about meeting someone, this seems to be a good place to do it.
Design & Interface Usability
It is absolutely nothing complicated or fussy about Christian Mingle's design. As you can see from the image below, they have gone for a very minimal aesthetic:
Some will find the design a little too plain, with the white background feeling a tad cold and impersonal. It definitely doesn’t have a romantic vibe to it.
That said, there isn’t too much to complain about in terms of the overall user layout. Whilst it does look extremely minimal, it is at least functional and very easy to use. Site navigation is good, as is site speed, and it’s impossible to get lost or frustrated.
It’s clean, too, and whilst there is nothing fancy about it, I think it will suit Christian Mingle’s core user base who are perhaps not super tech-savvy, and who just want a place to meet new people.
Special Features
Like all premium dating sites, ChristianMingle comes with a few special features. However, it actually comes up a tad short on this front, and there aren’t too many that stand out.
- Messaging+ (Paid)
One of the problems with premium dating sites is that there are paid users and free users. Most premium dating sites don’t permit free users to receive messages, let alone reply to them. This can be really frustrating if you’re a paid user who messages a free user.
This is the case with Christian Mingles. As a nice touch, though, the Messaging+ feature lets you a) send unlimited messages and b) lets you send messages to free users who will be able to see what you’ve written.
This is a really useful feature because there’s every chance they will read your message, like what they see – and then upgrade their account to reply to you.
- LookBook (Free)
Perhaps Christian Mingle’s standout feature is its LookBook feature. This is essentially the site's version of Tinder’s famous “swipe” feature. Profiles are queued up for you, and it’s up to you to decide whether you want to swipe right or left for them.
If you swipe right for them and they swipe right for you, you’re a match and can start chatting.
Also, each time you do swipe right for someone, they get notified straight away. This makes the feature arguably better than Tinder’s version, which doesn’t let you know who’s swiped right for you until you upgrade your account.
- Discovery Preferences (Paid)
Discovery Preferences lets you tweak your search results so that you’re able to find someone who is suitable for you. For example, you can tweak them according to the usual filters, such as age and location, but you can also tweak them according to specific interests, as well as their religion.
It’s a handy feature that makes it easier for you to find what you’re looking for quickly.
How Much Does Christian Mingle Cost Per Month?
Like many online dating sites these days, ChristianMingle charges a fee before you can use most of its services. Here are the pricing plans broken down:
- 1 month – $49.99/month
- 3 months – $34.99/month
- 6 months – $24.99/month
Compared to other dating sites, ChristianMingle is priced competitively. Moreover, I like the fact that it lets you choose between a one-month, three-month, or six-month pricing plan because it essentially lets you “try before you buy.”
Most users will opt for the one-month package at first to see whether or not it’s really worth their time, before upgrading to a cheaper three or six-month option. These sorts of flexible pricing plans are really encouraging because it means you won’t get locked into a six-month plan before realizing the site isn’t really for you.
That all said, there are still things you can do as a free member. You can, for example, create an account for free, and you can also create a profile. You can also browse other users, “like” other users, and send them smiles. And unlike a lot of premium dating sites, you can also see who’s liked you, as well as who’s viewed your profile.
Crucially, though, you can’t send someone a message until you’ve upgraded your account.
What else can you only do as a paid member of Christian Mingle?
You can hide your profile from other users, as well as your online status, and you can also browse other profiles anonymously. Of course, you can use special features, too.
To get the Christian Mingle app, meanwhile, you just need to head over to either the Google Store or Apple Store:
Is Christian Mingle Safe & Secure?
Christian Mingle is one of the safest, most legitimate dating sites I’ve come across. Whilst there is no information on the website regarding how they encrypt the site, there is zero evidence that Christian Mingle was ever the victim of a data breach or any other type of attack.
In terms of how safe and secure you are, Christian Mingle’s customer support team do all they can to make sure you feel as safe and comfortable as possible. As mentioned earlier, they put in place strict verification procedures to ensure that everyone is who they say they are. Nudity is forbidden, and any profiles that are guilty of harassment will be banned.
If you suspect that someone is fake, you can report them to the 24/7 customer service team and they will look into it ASAP.
Is Christian Mingle Just For Christians?
As you can tell from its name, Christian Mingle is aimed primarily at Christian singles. However, that doesn’t mean only Christians are permitted to sign up. Indeed, people from different faiths are encouraged to register an account, and there are numerous religions you can select from during the profile creation process.
Is Christian Mingle Safe and Legit?
Christian Mingle is 100% safe and legit. It’s run by Spark Network, which owns several other niche dating sites, and from my research, I haven’t been able to find any evidence of data breaches or other online attacks.
Is Christian Mingle Free?
Christian Mingle is free to register an account. You can also browse other profiles and see who’s browsed you – but that’s largely the extent of what you can do as a free user. To send messages and take advantage of other features, such as the ability to send unlimited messages, you will need to upgrade your account.