In a Nutshell
pros
- Largest dating site for black singles in the US
- Quick and simple signup
- Post audio and video greetings to your profile
cons
- Only paying users can communicate
- No personality test
- Customer support by email only
Video Review
Best for: Black singles or non-blacks looking for a black partner
Number of members: 1 million
Recommended age: 30+
Favorite features: Conversation icebreakers & video and audio greetings
Signup Process
A simple site with a basic layout, BPM’s signup process is straightforward. The first step is to choose the gender of the person you’re seeking. The site is open to straight, gay and lesbian black singles who are married, single, divorced or widowed. Next, you’ll select your geographic region, followed by zip code. After this, choose a username and password, enter your birthdate and upload a picture, either from your computer or from Facebook.
After uploading a photo, add a paragraph about yourself for your dating profile. Share as much as you feel comfortable with, and know that the more open you are, the easier it will be to find the right person.
Once the signup process is complete, you’ll be able to choose from the different subscription options that BlackPeopleMeet offers. Pick the plan that’s best for you and your budget and start enjoying the site.
Matchmaking & Search Functions
BlackPeopleMeet has both basic and enhanced search options. Similar to apps like Tinder, BPM lets you browse through profiles one at a time with an “Are you interested” feature. In addition, you can search for users based on keywords, usernames, who’s online now, and who’s viewed you recently.
Basic searches include:
- Gender of potential match, along with age range and location
- Displaying profiles with only photos/videos/audio greeting and who has completed the personality test
- Ability to view results in either thumbnails or gallery mode
Advanced searches include:
- View profiles of members who have logged in during the last X number of days
- Who has viewed your profile recently
- Who has flirted with you
- Username search
- Who’s online now
- Today’s birthdays
- Who you viewed
- Who has bookmarked you
- My matches
- According to age range, marital status, location, physical build, height and Zodiac sign
The downside to BPM’s matchmaking is that it doesn’t have any in-depth questionnaires or personality quizzes, so it offers no “smart matching” feature. This is advantageous for those who want to go through profiles individually or who are looking for anything casual; however, it may limit your ability to evaluate long-term suitability of potential matches.
Features & Communication Tools
My favorite feature on this app is the “Looking For” feature, which enables users to clearly state what it is that they want in a relationship. These “Looking For” options include marriage, a serious relationship, a casual relationship, travel partner, friendship, or pen pal. I haven’t had much luck with dating apps in the past when searching for a life partner, but I have certainly gained a lot of friends and pen pals over the years, so seeing these options on this list genuinely made me smile.
BPM’s “Promote Me” feature allows users to promote themselves to the first page of search results with virtual tokens that can be bought at $0.99 each for 25 tokens, $3.99 each for 110 tokens, or $9.99 each for 280 tokens.
Communication options range from email, instant chat, audio and video greetings, to sending ‘Flirts’, liking photos and favoriting profiles. You can also send virtual gifts, as well as notifications that you’re online.
The BlackPeopleMeet mobile app is extremely easy to use and offers different types of search options and sorting features to make it easy to find the type of person you want. I really liked that you can access all of the important functions of a dating app on the free trial version. I was able to “flirt” with members, view their full profiles, look through their photos, send them messages, and even rate my daily matches so the algorithm would update with better matches the next day.
For those tongue-tied about the first move, “Message Ideas” can be used as icebreakers to give you an idea of what to say to a potential match. At any rate, with BlackPeopleMeet you won’t be lacking ways to communicate with people. Keep in mind that in order to communicate with members using any of these options, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid account.
BlackPeopleMeet Love Stories
“I just want to say, I have found true love and the most: beautiful, amazing and wonderful woman, thanks to this site. I want to wish everyone the best of luck in finding theirs. I am terminating my membership on here, since I found the woman I am to share the rest of my life with.” - Sacramento, CA
“I found someone that I've grown to love very much on this site. We will be meeting for the first time and he's moving to Florida on the 21st of this month and now I no longer need you guys. I love this site and will recommend this site to any and everyone.” - Tampa, FL
“I was able to find a wonderful woman through the use of your site. We are currently dating and it is quite serious. After one month I truly feel as though she is the woman of my dreams and when the time is right I will ask her to marry me. Thanks BPM.” - Germantown, MD
Safety & Security
Security is paramount at BPM, and users will find that the site itself provides some useful safety tips for online and offline dating. Singles who wish to keep their identity private can turn off their online status to browse ‘anonymously.’ In addition, threatening users can simply be blocked.
Pricing
Starting at just $13.96 a month for a 3-month membership, BPM is more affordable than many of its competitors. The free plan provides very limited options for contact with other members, but paid members have a wide variety of ways to communicate at a fair price.
Help & Support
If you encounter any problems with the service, contact BPM’s support via the online contact form and you'll receive an email response. There is no option for live chat or phone support with a customer service representative.
Find Love on BlackPeopleMeet
Black singles or those interested in finding a black partner for a casual or serious relationship can find what they’re looking for on BlackPeopleMeet. It offers great value for its multi-month packages, and a wide range of communication options for members to start connecting. As the largest and most successful online platform for black singles in North America, it’s definitely worth trying.
