Plenty of Fish vs OkCupid: swipes or questions

What a free account does on each app

Plenty of Fish is free to download, and its help centre lists what a free member can still do: filter searches by gender, location, age, distance, religion and more, Like members in Meet Me, and see and message Mutual Matches. Paid tiers add unlimited Likes and no ads. Extended profile content, such as whether someone has or wants children and lifestyle habits, is a POF Plus perk.

OkCupid's help centre says interacting with users and matches needs no payment, and a free account can answer questions, match and message. Paid plans add the list of people who liked you, unlimited Likes and Dealbreakers; the free Like allowance is not given.

The two free tiers differ most on filters. Plenty of Fish leaves its search filters open, while OkCupid keeps Dealbreakers, which filter out everyone who misses a stated preference, for subscribers. Gender and orientation preferences still work as dealbreakers for free on OkCupid. Other apps with open filters are listed in advanced filters.

Swipes against questions

Plenty of Fish matches by swipe in Meet Me. Google Play puts it as "Swipe right if you're into someone. If they swipe right on you too, it's a match!" Interested in Me shows who liked or viewed you, and search filters, Likes and recommendations also drive discovery.

OkCupid asks first. Members choose from a pool of 500+ questions, with 15 required at sign-up, and the Match % score combines the answers with what each person wants. Cupid's Picks adds a daily selection. The deal breaker settings cover age, location, gender and orientation.

The listings describe the two methods and give no figures on how often either produces a match.

Messaging before a match

Once two Plenty of Fish members match, Google Play promises "unlimited online messaging with each other". First Contact sends a message before matching, limited to one a day, and which plan allows more is not stated. Safe Message Filters screen messages, and a restrict-first-message setting limits very short intros.

OkCupid chats happen between matches too, and the Intro adds a note to a member who has yet to like you, shown to them in an Intros tab. Free messaging is confirmed by the help centre for matched members.

Neither app's pages confirm voice messages. Plenty of Fish's safety page lists "A POF call (available in app), FaceTime, or Skype video call" as a screening step before meeting, and whether the in-app call is voice or video is not stated. OkCupid's pages do not mention video chat. Video calls in dating apps sorts the apps that confirm it.

Verification, and what the terms rule out

Plenty of Fish calls its step Selfie Verification: a video selfie is matched to the main profile photo, and a badge appears on the profile. Changing the main photo means verifying again. The step is described as optional and still rolling out, and the privacy policy lists face geometry data collected for it.

OkCupid's version is also a video selfie, checked for liveness and by 3D face authentication, and it earns verified status. The help centre describes a separate Face Check scan for checking age and photos, and age assurance from a solo face photo.

Both sets of terms carry the same disclaimer about criminal background and identity checks. Going by the terms, neither badge is a background check. Other safety tools differ in name. Plenty of Fish lists Share My Date, which sends date details to friends or family, plus block and report in profiles and messages. OkCupid lists a Report User link on profiles and in chats, plus block, and published Safety Tips. For scam patterns, see romance scams and profile verification apps.

Incognito, location and who holds the data

Plenty of Fish has Incognito in the POF Plus, POF Premium and POF Prestige tiers; when it is on, your profile is shown only to people you like or message (help article copy dated January 3, 2026). OkCupid sells Incognito Mode as an upgrade: only people you have liked can see your profile, and ads go away. See incognito mode apps for the field.

Both policies tie precise location to device permission. Plenty of Fish's Google Play Data safety label reads "Shares Location". Exact distance display is not stated for either app.

The policies point to the same group. Outside the EEA, the UK and Switzerland, Plenty of Fish's data controller is Plentyoffish Media ULC, and its policy applying from March 11, 2026 says data is shared with service providers, advertising partners, Facebook tools and other Match Group companies. OkCupid's responsible company there is Match Group Americas, LLC, and its policy, read from an October 14, 2026 snapshot, likewise lists other Match Group companies among recipients. Both policies cover optional sensitive details like sexual orientation. More on the field in dating app privacy settings.

Plenty of Fish vs OkCupid prices in the US and UK

On the US App Store, Plenty of Fish lists a POF Premium row at USD 29.99, a subscription row at USD 29.99 for 1 month, another at USD 19.99 for 1 week, and upgrade rows at USD 19.99 and USD 38.99. The UK App Store lists subscription rows at GBP 29.99 for 1 month and GBP 19.99 for 1 week, and upgrades at GBP 19.99, GBP 29.99 and GBP 39.99. The two subscription rows on each store carry no tier name.

OkCupid lists A-List at USD 9.99 and OkCupid Premium at USD 7.99, 15.99, 19.99, 29.99, 44.99 and 59.99 on the US App Store. On the UK App Store, A-List is GBP 7.99 and Premium runs from GBP 5.99 to GBP 44.99. OkCupid's rows carry no billing period at all.

Prices as listed in the store on November 5, 2026. They change by country, platform, account and promotion.

Prices as listed in the store on November 5, 2026. They change by country, platform, account and promotion.

The lowest listed OkCupid price is below the lowest listed Plenty of Fish price in both countries: USD 7.99 against USD 19.99 on the US App Store, GBP 5.99 against GBP 19.99 on the UK one. The only periods stated in Plenty of Fish's rows are 1 week and 1 month, and OkCupid's periods are unknown, so a monthly cost cannot be worked out for OkCupid from these rows. The Plenty of Fish help centre names POF Plus, POF Premium and POF Prestige, and the store rows match only one of those names.

Plenty of Fish says subscriptions are final and non-refundable except where law or special terms apply (help article copy dated January 3, 2026). Cancelling is done in the App Store, in Google Play or on the website, depending on where you subscribed, and a cancelled subscription does not remove the profile. OkCupid also cancels through the billing store, and its terms warn that removing the account or the app leaves the subscription running. Prices on Google Play and the web sit outside these rows; the full lists are on Plenty of Fish pricing and OkCupid pricing.

Platforms, ages and storefronts

Plenty of Fish has an iPhone and iPad app, an Android app and the pof.com site. OkCupid's App Store listing is iPhone only, its Android app carries an Editors' Choice label, and it has a web version. The November 5, 2026 lookup of 45 App Store storefronts found Plenty of Fish in 36 and missed it in AE, SA, PH, TH, SG, MY, KR, TW and VN, while OkCupid turned up in 44 and was missing only in KR. The terms of Plenty of Fish bar users located in countries under a US government embargo. No official supported-country list was found for either app.

The App Store rates both apps 18+ and Google Play rates both Mature 17+. The terms of both set 18 as the minimum age.

Picking by what you want

Plenty of Fish suits an adult who wants swipe-style matching and free search filters, and whose Google Play listing speaks of finding and building relationships. Its pages do not confirm casual dating.

OkCupid suits an adult who wants matching built on answers to questions, and whose pages name casual dating, a serious relationship and LGBT users. Its Dealbreakers cost extra.

For a third opinion, Tinder vs Plenty of Fish, Hinge vs OkCupid and Tinder vs OkCupid pair each with another app. Full write-ups are in the Plenty of Fish review and OkCupid review, and Plenty of Fish alternatives covers other options. Apps that cost nothing to start are collected in dating apps you can use without paying.