It's more of an overview of key players in dating software industry and some insights on the idea of building a dating site with an off-the-shelf platform. White-label, open-source, downloadable dating software is, in a way, a thing of the past. Online dating space itself has consolidated under 2-3 major players, and niche sites are mostly parts of large shared-database networks. On top of that, popular trend of the day is to use mobile apps for dating ala. So, wanna-be dating site operators are a dying breed and there's less and less activity on supply side either. It's not too late to launch a dating site. Internet is a vast space of opportunities. Time of the Web is not linear. There are people ahead of time, people behind, and some are on-time. What seems old and tired for one million of potential clients may seem new and exciting for another million. It's the packaging, stupid! You see, there was matchmaking software and classified ads software back in late 90s. Then, online dating term gained traction and suddenly dating software become a new thing. Now social apps are in fashion, but they typically need a supporting site anyway. So, mobile dating software is the new darling term. Providers followed by coupling their CMSs with mobile apps, generally iOS and Android, or by offering mobile-friendly web templates. And a webmaster, likewise, should just look into presenting their site in a form that sounds chic and trendy. Say, Artificial Intelligence Hookups Service or Instant Coupling App and you'd be on the way to become the next. Your own dating site or a dating site that looks like yours. There are two ways your can go about starting your own dating business. There are pros and cons of either approach. Mainly, it's about your exit strategy. If you want to build a large database and sell your business - go for independent. If you want a smoother ride and stable ongoing revenue - partner. This article will focus on independent, open-source dating scripts. I'll talk about partnership options in one of the future posts. Bare in mind that there are ways to combine own site with a network-partnership option, but that's a tricky business... And do it before you choose the software. Whatever platform you end up using, you would need a catchy domain name and a basic concept outline. I have to repeat this again - you need to have the project concept before you even start looking at online demos, feature lists and sample sites! Also, stick to it! Follow this advice and you're already ahead of 99% of dating-website startups. A little cunning act that all those demos and lists do to people - they reshape ideas. Inevitably, you end up with a cookie-cutter installation filled with fancy modules that nobody cares about. You've got to persist in your determination of launching something unique. Something special and meaningful. Something that's focused on one or two use-cases that uphold your idea. Do not get distracted! Look for the scripts that have fast and stable core features profiles, user-authentication, messenger, photos and easily customisable structure. Then think about how YOU could make them work for your idea. No matter what you ask the vendor they are going to convince you that their software is a perfect fit. Don't expect much real help either. Custom services create huge workload for developers and they always skimp on non-generic tech support. Trust me, I know. Let's see what dating CMSs are still available and which ones are worth fiddling with. PG Dating Pro These Russian guys from Yoshkar-Ola have been around for as long as I can remember. Good example of starting small and simple and consistently fighting for success. They did well in previous years, too. PG offerings are, to put it politely, sophisticated. You'd spend a few days figuring out which package includes what. It's all complicated and confusing. So, I'd suggest skipping all the mumbo-jumbo and talking to their sales rep directly. What do I buy? I'm sure they'd explain you exactly how to part with your savings in much fewer words and shorter time-frame than their byzantine site does. Russians like to bargain. SkaDate Ooh, it's a sensitive one. SkaDate is a Kyrgyz stan-based development group, founded by our former partner. There was a bit of bad blood between us back in the day and normally I'd just pretend they don't exist or would write something derogatory. Today, however, is a particularly lovely day and the mood is high. So, I'll just admit it - they're doing a good job. Persisting with regular version updates, adding new dating templates, optimising for mobiles, offering native apps and experimenting with different packaging and price-points. Extras are clear and reasonable. Until you start looking for their plugins store... Turns out that SkaDate is actually a repackaged OxWall, which is presumably free. SkaDate bets a lot on their dating templates. Works for attracting webmasters, but doesn't make much difference for site success. End-users aren't impressed with fancy design not after the first 4 seconds, anyway. Your success depends on engagement, which is combination of efficient IU and actual results. Design can be a distraction. So, look for minimalistic templates that are recent, well-supported and load fast. Case in point - PlentyOfFish. In general, I would expect SkaDate to perform reasonably well. Just be bold with your requirements and careful with your experimentations. MyMatch Here we go. Some guys work hard, iterate for years, endure anger of dissatisfied clients, employ real developers, feel guilty for emails backlog... And then there're slap-on hacks that publish a month-worth of mediocre coding as a real product, on some oh-so-SE0-friendly domain, without any real credentials, documentation or support. Nothing to look for here. It's a Freelancer order that wasn't accepted by client and was repackaged for a quick buck grab, obviously. The script works and general approach is simple an straightforward, albeit a bit archaic in Internet terms, we are talking 5 years or so behind. Updates are regular and pushed simultaneously to both Datingscript and Socialscript. Yet another Russian guy, although the site says Canada. Well, maybe Canadian Russian :P. Besides Vlad it's hard to track anyone else doing anything on those sites. So, it may well be a one-man-show. There's no Market of extensions or active community support. Still, the script works and has been around for years. For example, if you want to sell a useless domain on Flippa for a grand, you could just buy this script, install and sell the domain as a REAL DATING SITE. For a really real thing? Hm, maybe if you're on tight budget and existing functionality is all you need, and you have some fix-it-yourself skills, and it's a dating for geeks with mid-age crisis niche, well... Chameleon It's AbleDating rebadged. Not even reviews - just deranged shrieking wherever possible - forums, blog posts, review sites, etc. When you build a CMS and charge money for it, you inevitably deal with an odd loser that can't get over their own mistakes. That one was persistent and tarred their reputation quite a bit. So, AbleDating changed colors and called itself a Chameleon. And that's a good move. And the software supports the name by pushing a lot of bright colors. It's like candy-shop with jellybeans scattered all over the floor. Look closer and you'd see that base functionality is dated and rigid. Anyway, the guys are real they even have a real office with real cubicles. You may have a lot of fun playing with it. ProTip: Scripts like this tend to be resource hogs. Don't plan to run a large site. Their sites show no signs of real life. If you're one of those vendors and feel like chiming in, suit yourself - comments below. And if you know of some hidden gem - let me know, I might add it to the list.