Separation means living apart from your spouse, but you’re still legally married until you get a final judgment in divorce proceedings. However, even if you’re still “married,” the relationship itself is done.
Separation is an unfortunate situation to be in because it involves dealing with a lot of mixed emotions. After separating from their spouses, some people choose to focus on their careers, kids, and other things that don’t involve dating. On the other hand, others are ready to start meeting new people.
If you’re ready to return to the dating scene, dating sites can help you meet some exciting people.
Separated dating sites such as Match.com (our top pick) are ideal for men and women who have lost their marriages but are still willing to dive back into the dating pool.
Don’t know where to start?
Sign up for these dating sites or apps to meet your next boo.
Our Top 3 Separated Dating Sites
Best 9 Separated dating sites:
Are you a deep diver? or just a casual swimmer?
The following are the best dating sites and apps for you if you’re separated. They’re safe and fun, and they provide a place to meet other people looking for the same sort of relationship as you.
Match
Best overall
If you ask anyone single, married, separated, or divorced to name an online dating site, Match will most likely be in the top 3.
Launched in 1995, Match is one of the most established dating sites. It may not be a dating site for separated or divorced people per se, but it can help you find the relationship you’re looking for.
This platform has many serious users, and most of them are over 30 years old. Whether you’re looking for a young, old, gay, or straight partner, Match has it all.
Pros
- Easy sign-up process.
- Massive user base.
- Free trial membership.
- It can assign you a percentage on similar goals and priorities based on your likes and dislikes.
- It provides a chance to attend in-person events. Therefore, you have a chance to meet local singles.
Cons
- Fake profiles and messages.
- Restrictions on the free trial membership.
EHarmony
Perfect for serious relationships
Do you still have faith in love after your separation?
If yes, eHarmony is a great platform to find real love.
This site can give you a second (or third) chance to find a genuine connection or a spouse.
There are over 2 million people who have found love on this site, making it one of the best sites for a serious relationship. It is allegedly responsible for nearly 5% of all U.S. marriages.
The sign-up process takes 3 easy steps: profile setup, match preferences, and a compatibility questionnaire – to gather as much information about you as possible and how you relate to others.
Pros
- User-friendly.
- Track record of success.
- Safe dating option.
- Interesting features (video dates, smiles, etc.)
Cons
- Not LGBTQ+ friendly.
- You need a paid subscription to send messages.
Tinder
The go-to app for casual dating
Without a doubt, Tinder is probably the most popular dating app out there- it’s the godfather of dating apps.
Also, it’s probably one of the first places separated people jump into to dip their toes back into the dating pool.
Tinder introduced the concept of “swiping,” and it has over 7 million users in the U.S. In addition, millions of matches are made every day.
It is well known for casual hookups. That being said, there are still plenty of people looking for relationships.
Pros
- A free subscription is available.
- Massive user base.
- Easy for first-time online dating users.
- It has a safety feature that allows you to send details to people you trust.
Cons
- You have to pay to unlock more features and more swipes.
- It has a reputation for casual dating.
- No matching based on similar interests, values, or life goals.
EliteSingles
Best for career-oriented singles
Elite Singles is a global dating site that claims to have over 13 million singles and an average of 2000 new couples every month.
If a career and level of education are prerequisites when you’re looking for a partner, this site is the real deal because you can find intellectual matches here.
In addition, if you’re a separated parent, you can filter matches based on attitude towards children.
This site matches people based on location, dating preference, and profile personality.
Pros
- It uses a personality test to match users based on compatibility.
- The site does the matching for you, saving you the time you could have used filtering through many profiles.
- Suitable for professionals and mature singles.
- The site automatically removes dormant accounts.
- The site offers free dating advice.
Cons
- You need a premium membership to access most of the site’s features.
- Matches are limited to 3 to 7 per day.
- Education level is not verified.
OkCupid
Best for open-minded people
Launched in 2001, OkCupid is one of the top dating sites for separated people. It was one of the first sites to have questionnaires to help users find their perfect matches.
This site has a lot to offer, especially if you’re new to the online dating world. You can get whatever you want: a fling, a casual hookup, a short-term and long-term relationship, or even marriage.
Its algorithm is set up to help you find your ideal match based on age, gender, location, sexuality, language, and so much more.
Pros
- You enjoy the most useful features, such as sending messages and viewing other people’s profiles on the free plan.
- You can only message those you’ve matched with.
- Ideal for people of all sexual orientations.
Cons
- You can’t see who liked you unless you upgrade your subscription.
- Subscriptions are auto-renewed.
- Fake profiles.
SilverSingles
Best for people over 50
SilverSingles is one of the few dating sites for people over the age of 50. It was established in 2002 as PrimeSingles.net, then rebranded a few times until 2011, when it was named SilverSingles. This platform is available for people in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, France, and Germany.
SilverSingles caters to senior singles with all different relationship goals – friends, casual dating, serious dating, etc.
When you sign up, you take an in-depth personality test, which will be used for psychological matching.
Pros
- You date people in the same stage in life as you.
- Personality test improves the quality of matchmaking.
- You don’t have to deal with age filters.
Cons
- The free plan has limited features – it’s almost useless.
- The sign-up process is lengthy.
- You get matches outside your radius.
HER
Best for queer women
Are you a separated woman who identifies as LGBTQ and is looking to interact with single women?
HER is a popular dating app that’s different from others because it’s built for queer women seeking a safe space to find love. It has over 4 million users worldwide.
So, this app is for you if you identify as lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, or queer and are looking to find love while still avoiding unicorn hunters.
In addition to being a dating app, it can serve as a social media platform because it allows regular status updates.
Pros
- Made by queer women for queer women.
- Has various communities and forums to encourage social interactions.
- It has strict signing-up criteria to keep it safe for women.
Cons
- It has no web version.
- Most useful features are only available for premium users.
- The algorithm matches people only based on age and location.
Pure
Best for one-night stands
Remember when we talked about casual swimming and deep diving? This site is ideal for casual swimmers, which means you’re just interested in casual sex partners.
In short, pure can help you achieve only one thing: sex on demand.
This platform was recently launched in 2013, but its user base has been growing rapidly over the years.
The sign-up process is easy: select what gender you are, what gender you’re looking for, and whether you want to use your email address or phone number to sign up. Also, you can choose to upload a picture of yourself or remain anonymous.
To meet other people, you need to post an ad after signing up – post about the kind of experience you’re looking for. After that, you have 24 hours to chat with people and arrange a date. Then your profile and chats will autodestruct.
Interesting, right?
Pros
- Anonymous dating.
- The site provides matches instantly.
- Self-destructive profiles after 24 hours.
- It’s free for women and has a 3-day free trial for men.
- Instant chat.
Cons
- The anonymous dating nature makes it risky. You can easily get cat fished.
- Limited matches if you’re from small populated areas.
- You have to re-upload profiles constantly.
Coffee Meets Bagel
Best for low-pressure dating
Coffee Meets Bagel (CMB) is the best site to meet people looking for serious relationships, not casual dates.
What makes it so different from the rest?
The majority of the users are seeking long-term relationships.
In addition, the matchmaking process is very unique. Unlike other dating sites and apps that make you go through endless swipes to find matches, CMB is the matchmaker. The site uses its algorithm to provide matches that meet the criteria you specify in your search filters. This way, the risk of matching with people with whom you don’t have shared values and interests is minimal.
Pros
- Saves you time by sending daily curated matches.
- Quality over quantity.
- You can only receive messages from people you like back.
- You can earn premium benefits just by using the app.
Cons
- You receive a limited number of matches per day.
- The site is less popular. Therefore, your chances of finding a match are slim if you’re not from a big city.
- Women users are more than men.
Critical tips for online dating
When searching for a partner on dating sites and apps, it may sometimes seem like an unsolvable puzzle, especially if you’re recently separated.
What works?
Here are some pointers to help you enjoy the experience and hopefully find what you’re looking for.
Pick the sites wisely
Are you strictly looking for sex partners? Do you want a long-term commitment? Are you career-oriented? Or in the LGBTQ+ category?
Knowing what you want is a good first step before you pick a dating site. Because, as you can see from the dating sites above, there’s something for everyone.
Be truthful about who you are and what you want
Be clear about your relationship status, and mention if you have or desire kids, a career, hobbies, pet preferences, religion, education, dealbreakers, etc.
Nail the photos
First impressions matter.
You only have one chance to get a person to swipe right and match with you. Therefore, you should upload photos that accurately show how you look.
We recommend you upload several photos of your face, full body, dressed up, dressed down, goofy, and serious.
Bonus tips
- Be open-minded.
- Initiate conversations.
- Mind your grammar.
- Don’t send generic messages.
- Have fun.
Conclusion
We hope that our picks of the best separated dating sites will give you the best chance to find whatever you’re looking for—a fling, a serious commitment, a short-term relationship, or new friends.
If you’re recently separated and looking for a fresh start, open yourself up to new experiences. Explore online dating, go on Match.com, Tinder, or any of the 9 top and have fun searching for your new flame.
