Guardian Soulmates Reviews - 2020
NUMBER OF USERS: | 400,000 (UK) |
AVERAGE COST A MONTH: | £16 A MONTH |
MOST POPULAR SUBSCRIPTION: | 6 MONTHS |
AGE DEMOGRAPHIC | 30 - 55 |
GENDER RATIO: | 60% | 40% |
WhichDate Review – December 12, 2024
A dating site from The Guardian newspaper. A good number of active users and a clearly defined user demograph that seems to be surprisingly successful. Middle to high priced.
WhichDate Score:
Guardian Soulmates Review: Everything you need to know before signing up
Below we have documented our editors journey, warts & all and compiled what we think is the most comprehensive Guardian Soulmates review in 2018, including its cost, features, a summary and reviews from other users.
REVIEWED BY: Frederick
LAST UPDATED: JAN 2020
BIO: 40 year old Male who lives in the south of England
Just in case you weren't aware, Guardian Soulmates is run by the Guardian newspaper and it generally accepted as their main source of new users, with this in mind, it might help to understand some of the demographics of the newspaper to see if it matches with your views / profile, which I have outlined in the below review.
The Guardian newspaper has a current circulation of 160,000 copies a day and their website gets over 150 million pages view a month, so their potential reach both online and offline is pretty significant.
In the below review I have outlined the Guardian's user information & demographics so you can see if those interest and lifestyle fit your own.
How Does Guardian Soulmates Work?
Guardian Soulmates is first and foremost a traditional online dating site, whereby you add your profile to the pool of other users that are on their site. Once you create your profile you are able to search profiles using different filers and search types. Guardian Soulmates also try to recommend matches that might interest you, based on your preference that you add during the sign up process, this makes it feel like quite an active community of daters and is a nice balance between the hand picked feel of match making sites like eHarmony and Elite Singles and free for all sites like Match.com and Plenty of Fish.
The Guardian Soulmates Users and Demographics
The below demograph information has been taken from The Guardian website to give you a feel of the type of people that will typically be joining the site, this is by no means set in stone, but from my experience of using the site it gives an accurate feel.
This all sounds very pretentious, but do keep in mind that this isn't 100% accurate to the users of their dating site and not every user will have all of these characteristics
EG I haven't met or dated anyone through this site that liked Opera and I try to avoid art galleries and hate spending money on clothes, so keep an open mind.
*All data is from the Guardian and was collated in 2010
Guardian Soulmates User Numbers – December 12, 2024
To make this the most helpful resource we can, we have built a tool using the Guardian Soulmates advanced search filters to show you the number of users in your area to help you understand how popular the site is, all without having to sign up.
NOTE : OUR SEARCH CRITERIA
To get the data below we set the search to a 20 mile search radius around each location below and only featured users that have logged in within a month
Guardian Soulmates Prices
The table shows the current Guardian Soulmates cost to join for UK subscribers.
The App and Website prices are slightly different and you have the option to join for 1 week via the app
Their prices are pretty much straight forward and I haven't seen them change during different times of the year, so they should be the same as below (unless you have found a discount code through our site)
*The savings marked are based on the full 1 month cost of £32 a month
Payment is by card only and you can pay both via the website and the app. I always recommend you pay via the website and not the app. If you require a refund, getting it sorted via the website is so much easier than having to go through the app store and apple.
(Pink = Price if purchasing through the app)
Price Per Month | Membership Length | Potential Savings | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
£9.99 | 1 Week | £0 | £9.99 |
£32 | 1 Month | £0 | £32 (£32.99) |
£21.33 (£21.66) | 3 Months | £32 | £64 |
£16 (£15.83) | 6 Months | £96 | £96 (£94.99) |
TOP TIP: Please switch off your auto renew as soon as you sign up otherwise you will be charged when your account runs out. You can do this by going into your account > subscriptions and select stop ongoing payments
Guardian Soulmates Sign Up
The sign up process was quick, you can get access to the users and search profiles before answering any questions. It was one of the quickest sign up processes vs other sites I've used.
Keep in mind, Guardian Soulmates allowed you to change all information at any time so dont fret too much about your username or bio - just jump in and get involved.
Keep an eye out for the box ticking when signing up that asks you if you are happy for your face to be used when Guardian Soulmates is advertised across the internet.
Once signed up to a paid account you create a 'who you are looking for page' so GS can list compatible matches but you also have the option to search too. I dont feel that the whole compatible matching is necessary unless the site has a massive number of users like eHarmony.
Once signed up you are shown users who have just joined, I think this is good as you can see active members, which is a problem with cheaper and free sites.
Whenever I used Guardian Soulmates, I just use the advanced search feature to make sure members I want to contact have been active recently. There are a limited number of filers (age, location & last logged in) but I think with the number of users on their site, it works well.
TIP: Don't limit yourself to a too small area - broaden it up to get a feel for other users. Large cities will have the most users as you can see from my search data above.
What Do You Get For Free
You can see all the features that you get access to when joining Guardian Soulmates for free, before paying a penny!
- Create Profile
- Search Other Profiles (See Only The Main Pic)
- Use Search Functions
- Add Users to Favourite Lists
Once you pay for a Guardian Soulmates subscription, you will be able to send messages and see the full gallery of pictures. You can also use additional search filters in the advanced search section (like you, have viewed your profile, height, body type etc etc) but in all honestly these aren't that needed.
Guardian Soulmates App
The Guardian Soulmates App is currently only available on the Apple store, Guardian Soulmates have said they aren't currently working on an Android app - sorry guys!
The app has different pricing compared to the site, they are very similar with the exception of the 1 week option via the app. To be honest a 1 week membership is a bit pointless and I would recommend signing up via the site anyway.
The app has exactly the same features as the site, its easy to use and will no doubt be useful if you have an iphone or ipad. Go download it if you have signed up.
Guardian Soulmates Free Trial: The 14 Day Refund
Like most dating site, there is no such thing as a Guardian Soulmates free trial - whilst they used to issue one, it was a test and it wasn't profitable, so they have cut it in the bud - sorry if you missed it. If this changes, Ill update this page.
Guardian Soulmates do offer a 14 day refund policy which is pretty standard across online dating site, if not with all of them. There is a catch though.
All refunds are given at a pro rata rate, so if you have been online for 5 days, they will work out how much per day your membership is and refund you the amount based on that - again, I've seen this with some others sites too.
Cancelling Guardian Soulmates
You have 14 days to cancel, to cancel you need to email them asap
cancelsubscriptions@guardiansoulmates.co.uk
this is only for subscriptions bought via the site, to cancel a membership bought via the app you need to go through the app store and try to contact apple....this is the reason I advise buying your subscription through the website.
NOTE: If for some magic reason you find a free trial, then your 14 days to cancel starts at the start of your free trial, not your paid membership.
Guardian Soulmates Promo Codes
Dating can be expensive, even for you more affluent Guardian Soulmates users. I've tried to bring you the most up to date promo codes and discounts below, if you find any others that aren't listed here, please head over to our Guardian Soulmates Promo Code page and add them in the comments, your help is appreciated by all of my lovely users.
*10% Off All Subscriptions* |
*Great Deals on 3 Month Memberships* |
*New To Guardian Soulmates? |
Guardian Soulmates vs Match.com
Chances are you are debating whether to join a few dating sites, with Match.com being one of the most popular in the UK I wanted to quickly highlight the main differences from my point of view, having used both of them.
For a full Match.com review, please take a look at the in depth guide I have written.
MATCH.COM
GUARDIAN SOULMATES
Guardian Soulmates VS Match VERDICT
No site can compare with the number of users Match.com bring to the table.
If you are new to online dating, then I usually recommend one of the big 2 dating sites (eHarmony or Match.com) or give a free app a try to find your feet.
But if you have used some form of online dating, free or paid, before and are looking for something more then Guardian Soulmates COULD be a good choice for you.
If you are considering joining, I would go sign up for a free account and have a look at the matches in your area first, you get some great benefits by just joining (for free) and it doesn't hurt to have a gander before parting with your cash.
Newbie to online dating - Match.com
Want something a bit more targeted, live in/near a big city, give GS a try.
How Safe is Guardian Soulmates?
Guardian Soulmates manually vet all new users/ I tried uploading a few tester photos and got rejected, so I guess they do put this into practice.
There is also no way a user can mass email, so this deters scammers. On top of this, you have the option, as with all dating sites, to block people.
If you have any concerns you can contact them on support@guardiansoulmates.co.uk to report any weird behaviour.
Guardian Soulmates is approved by the Online Dating Association (ODA) in the UK
Contact Guardian Soulmates
GUARDIAN NEWS & MEDIA LIMITED
Kings Place,
90 York Way,
London
N1P 2AP
020 3353 2000
Support@guardiansoulmates.co.uk
Guardian Soulmates Conclusion
Overall my time on Guardian Soulmates was good.
I didn't know what to expect, as I said above the demographics seem a bit pretentious (I dont know what that says about me) but most of the people I met and talked to have been in a similar situation to me. Conversations have been good, no worse or less than Match or eHarmony.
In terms of usability, it really doesn't differ much to other paid sites, easy to use, the only bug bare was that it wasn't available on my android device.
MY RECOMMENDATION: As Ive said before, online dating is a numbers game. If you haven't used online dating before then use match.com or eharmony if you are looking for a serious relationship. If you are looking for something more causal or not sure what you want, then maybe look at an app or free dating site to get you used to the process. If you have used other dating sites before and want to try something different then Guardian Soulmates is a good choice, especially if you live in or near a big city and extra points if you fit the demograph above. The people I've met are probably some of the best matched I've been on a dates with, so take from that what you will.
Check out our site for any live discounts and 100% take a look around before paying for anything, you can look at profiles without paying a penny.
The Good Stuff:
- You know what you are getting in terms of the people on the site
- Middle of the road pricing
- A good iPhone App
- Good features before you pay
The Bad Stuff:
- Not a huge amount of users for smaller towns
- App only on Apple
Guardian Soulmates Reviews From Other Users
The below reviews have been added by our fine users to help you get a deeper insight into Guardian Soulmates in the hope that it will help you make a decision.
I am really disappointed with this site. Honestly, save your money – matches on Tinder are much better and seem to have a pulse and some interest in communication. Who would have thought it?!
App crashes after about 10 min every time I use it. Customer service couldn’t help. Wish I never subscribed.
I find the site poor value for money, with the descriptions of users more shallow than those from Match, which has been surprising. I thought it would be the site to connect to more educated, thinking men, but the pictures say it all, with an endless stream of buff, coiffed men yachting/skiing/(insert expensive hobby) who, quite understandably, want a dolly 10 years younger than them for a second or third wife. It’s either that group or people with worthy jobs who only want the same, again quite understandably, but no use to me. To summarise, it’s great for some, but hopeless for others and the people on there belong to two very distinct groups. Match is much better when it comes to numbers and choice.
I subscribed for one week to Guardian Soulmates in March of 2019, after the end of a long term relationship. I decided for personal reasons and pretty quickly that it wasn’t really for me. I didn’t stay on the site after that week, removed my profile and didn’t think anymore about it. At no point was I advised that I had signed up to a weekly subscription. Soulmates continued to take £11.99 weekly subscription from my Google account every week right up untill the 9th of May when I realised what was happening and cancelled the payment. In total, they took over £100 from me when I had clearly removed my profile. I contacted them via email and they stated they were not able to do anything and I should take it up with Googleplay. I am not covered for a refund on Googleplay at all.
It seems to me that Guardian Soulmates took my money, quite happily every week despite me removing my profile, and not using the site at all, but clearly have no interest in returning the over payment or in giving any ‘customer care’. I would advise anyone considering subscribing to this site to be very cautious indeed.
There are so many inactive accounts and users. Honestly, it’s the same people who have been on there for years. I think people just leave their profiles up and wait to see if anyone likes them, but then can’t be bothered to sign up again. Total waste of time eventually…
After some efforts and hopes, I’ve received an email saying I’d received a message… For whatever reason, the user sent the message, and apparently then may have blocked me, I assume in error since the first part of the email which was readable, was positive.
Sadly, the Help-desk sent me two completely erroneous links to my own account, and then to my own blocked contacts.
They seem incapable of understanding, despite my clarity and suggestions.
I have suggested messages sent TO me should be readable BY me, even if the contact is then unreachable.
I can’t even access messages I sent to them, which indicates crap programming.
The “Help-desk” seem oblivious to the paradoxical problem of not being able to access the messages sent to me… I suggest you find a professional site; this one sucks.
I’m suspicious of this site.
I’ve been on it less than 2 weeks.
I’ve sent about 50 messages. One of the replies said he’d get back to me as he’s out of the country; one responded and we’ve chatted; 3 have met their ‘soulmate’ which is odd as it’s a Lot and the rest no response so far.
How can I find out what percentage of membership is ‘paid up’ as opposed to non-paid up??
This is the CRUCIAL thing for all sites and what I would Really like to know as I suspect the latter is the truth at a 70% to 30% ratio, 30% being paid up members. Then as there are more women on than men it further reduces the chances making the whole process ‘soul destroying’ !!!
Please can you advise HOW I find out this information?
Am I entitled to request it from the site under data protection rules??
great question Ann.
Let me reach out to GS and see if they will supply any information on this.
Ill also have a look on the site to see if we can find any differences in the profiles.
I guess in defence of Guardian Soulmates you can search by ‘last active’ which would suggest that if someone has been online in the last month, chances are they are still single.
Please do keep us posted if you get anything back from them
Do I get a better selection of potential soul mate if I’m a Guardian subscriber? The reason I ask is my father gave me an annual subscription for Christmas.. should I (as a single 36 year old only daughter) be concerned that this might have been a desperate attempt on his part to find me fresh avenues to a new mate? Aka… can someone please take this problem off my hands?
My father has a very nice garden shed, which is in the near vicinity of the pool (paddling) and I hold deep and comforting fantasies of moving in there at the age of 40 (as a single and very demanding only child).. however, Guardian Soulmate.. on recent cursory inspection, has given me food for cabana boy thought… is it a platform where I might find an equally annoying person with which to generate more shame and pain for my father?
Does the questionnaire have a section/question which values my garden-shed-paddling cabana?
Many thanks for any time given to constructive feedback on the above conundrum. (fathers..not mine).
Would agree with the Marie Celeste comment. Waste of money if you are female, retired and live in the southwest? Unable to cancel subscription so annoyed. Off to try Match now…..
Thanks for the feedback Tricia, sorry that GS wasn’t for you 🙁
Giving up on online dating real life is better. I am not retired I find it a waste of time. I think its because its female heavy and as for the comment below about men finding their soulmate this has happened to me a number of times.
This page needs a revision – Guardian by-passed your ‘secret link’ with a disabling pop-up – unless they’re paying you and this is just click bait advertising? Under the guise of dating advice? Yes, call me sceptical but it has been known…
Thanks Goldilocks for the update, I’ve just changed the ‘secret link’ section with a little extra info to help you get through the new pop up they have added – I guess the ‘secret’ didn’t last long. All you have to do is add some dummy text into the fields and you will get acces without having to vrify an email address or anything
eg
email: testingeamail@testing123.com
username: testingmyusername123
you get the picture 🙂
Thanks for dropping by
It was like being on the Marie Celeste for six months.
I had two messages and one was a fake/scam one.
I actively tried hard. Debbie aged 52