Key facts
- Free eharmony accounts allow profile creation, photo uploads, and personality quizzes.
- Users can apply limited search criteria such as height, age, and smoking habits.
- Profile bios are visible to free users, but full photos are blurred.
- Free users can receive matches and send initial messages or Icebreakers.
- Initiating back-and-forth conversations and reading incoming messages requires a paid subscription.
eharmony provides a free tier that allows users to create and fill out a profile, upload photos, and complete the site's proprietary personality quiz. Free members can also use the Discover section to view profiles that fit basic match criteria like height, age, and smoking habits. They can read profile bios, which include details such as hobbies, marital status, gender, location, and dating preferences. Additionally, free users can get their accounts verified via SMS and receive matches, with the ability to like or dislike other profiles. However, eharmony restricts several key features for non-paying members. Profile photos are blurred, preventing users from seeing clear images of potential matches. While free users can send initial messages or Icebreakers, they cannot engage in back-and-forth conversations. Furthermore, incoming messages cannot be read without upgrading to a premium account, a limitation described as a 'trap' that encourages subscription.