Does Plenty of Fish Still Have… Fish? (2024)

Plenty Of Fish Review 2024

This week the best dating photographer in the UK fishes around for the deets on one of the oldest dating apps out there.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

- Do people still use Plenty of Fish?
- Is Plenty of Fish still free?
- Can you search Plenty of Fish without registering?
- Is Plenty of Fish for over 50?
- Are Plenty of Fish profiles fake?
- Why would you get banned from Plenty of Fish?
- Can you be anonymous on POF?
- Can you message on POF without paying?
- Is Plenty of Fish safe?
- Is POF worth paying for?
- So is Plenty of Fish Making a Comeback?

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It turns out the dating pool is indeed still plentiful, as since its inception in 2003, POF (Plenty of Fish… duh) has grown to well over a million UK users. Although the sprawling sea still belongs to Hinge, Bumble and Tinder in terms of size.

Instead of honing in on a particular niche it has continued to market itself to a broad user base with members in all categories ranging from 24 to over 50s and a “claimed” male to female ratio of 55% male to 45% female.

😂 Take that last statistic with a pinch of salt though as those claims are rarely true and tend to be much higher in male numbers.

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Do people still use Plenty of Fish?

Worldwide we are looking at 3 million users approx and as the newer apps continue to grow it’s feasible to say this will remain a relatively small fish. But that doesn’t mean this is an instant disadvantage. POF has pushed for being a conversational platform first and a smaller more focused user base won’t detract from this push.

They do this with a rather lengthy and in depth questionnaire, which attempts to decipher the things you like to talk about and the things you might want to converse on with someone else. It also asks about life goals and aspirations.

Many have complained about this however, with one app store reviewer commenting that personal questions like your yearly salary and your longest relationship length are out of line for the app to be pushing you for.

Is Plenty of Fish still free?

Lots of the features are indeed still free, in some cases more than the bigger platforms. As an addition they now also offer POF Premium and POF Plus:

• Free Features
  Sign up, create your profile, view a limited number of profiles, take a compatibility quiz.

• Paid Features
  Upload up to 16 photos, send virtual gifts, see who’s viewed your profile, remove ads, boosted profile visibility, send priority messages, use advanced search filters, unlock users full profile

Can you search Plenty of Fish without registering?

This used to be a thing, but they have mostly stopped letting people access their platform in this way. You can still do it via some paid third party applications but at that stage, what's even the point?

You also want to stay well clear of dating apps that do let people join anonymously or without any kind of initial screening process. It only takes one terrible experience to put you off online dating for good.

Is Plenty of Fish for over 50?

Not specifically, but they do have plenty of members in this age range. Apps like eharmony are also great for older age groups.

Also dating doesn’t have to be the goal here, you can foster friendships and join communities. No matter what age you are, be up front about what you’re looking for from the start.

Are Plenty of Fish profiles fake?

Unfortunately there's no platform that can claim to have no fake profiles. And when you can register for something for free you’re going to drag in some trash. 

A good BS detector is pretty much all you’ll need to navigate this. If it seems too good to be true… well you know the rest. Here are some signs to look out for:

• Stock photos are a big giveaway, if you’ve seen the picture somewhere online before, just move on

• Financial help requests are an obvious sign to flee

• Reluctance to meet in person

• Very fast requests for your personal info is another red flag

Why would you get banned from Plenty of Fish?

Although there are clearly instances of people being shadow banned behind the scenes from the platform there are also ways to get straight up removed immediately. 

Here are some of the most common reasons;

• Nudity and sending people illicit content

• Multiple accounts, you’re only allowed one.

• Advertising a service… yes including that one.

• Don’t try and use bots or software to manipulate the platform, this will be easily spotted.

• Falsifying your age or any specific details about yourself.

These are the fundamentals. Look over the full terms of service for a more comprehensive breakdown. If you get removed from the platform for no apparent reason you can speak to their very small very ‘not bothered’ customer service team who will likely give you a very broad answer.

Can you be anonymous on POF?

To register you’ll have to answer a lot of questions about yourself. Your stealthy username like ‘Mr Pickles’ is all well and good but you’ll still need a decipherable picture and some real details otherwise it all becomes a little too unaccountable. 

So the answer is no. The early days of the internet had plenty of anonymity and dating was really the wild west in terms of who you could meet. Times have changed luckily and now we want to know more about who we are connecting with.

Can you message on POF without paying?

Yes you can but there are restrictions. You can register for free and even start making contact with some members but your contacts will be limited. For some people this is more than sufficient. Be selective and sparing in who you reach out to and you should have enough for some initial chit chat.

Is Plenty of Fish safe?

No, not always. Be on your guard. This is one of the oldest dating platforms and their methods for security and data confirmation appear stale.

Be your own firewall and don’t fall for romance scams, don’t continue a convo if it gets financial and don’t meet up anywhere that’s not open and public.

Is POF worth paying for?

The most noteworthy advanced features allow you to remove ads, see who viewed your profile, see more details on someone else's profile (which should always be free, lets face it) and a wider reach in their search criteria. 

If you’re super curious I'd say try it for a month, put it through its paces and if it's not delivering then run back to the free membership.

So Is Plenty of Fish Making a Comeback?

Despite shepherding in some new trends and fostering a canon-bailing attitude, the membership numbers in real terms are not showing much growth, and an overly intrusive registration questionnaire probably isn't helping. 

There’s no real reason to add POF to your dating toolkit if you are already using the big 3 dating apps unless your plan is to cast an extremely wide net. It doesn't stand out when you look into its features and many of its security protocols feel outdated.

Stay tuned for more dating app reviews, in the meantime, happy dating!

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