"If you are into looking for a serious relationship, Once is probably for you. If, on the other hand, you are just looking for casual dates and short-term relationships, you might want to try other dating apps. As for me, I have always been the happy-go-lucky guy. I always like looking for fun, excitement, and adventures. I love meeting other people, particularly women and hanging out with them. So I quite find Once a bit restrictive. It might be good if you are really serious about finding your perfect match. Their matchmakers actually do the job for you. But for guys like me who are always looking for fun and other stuff we want to try, it might be not a good option after all."
Sales Executive, 28
Once Review UK November 2026: Scam or Real Dates?
Can Once help you find your one in a million perfect match? Find out and check our review of its features, membership, and other things you need to know! All about Once in the UK.
3.0fair
Once is a dating app for singles who prefer personalised matchmaking, with one match a day
- Thorough application process
- No search options, matchmakers choose
Relationships
Finding love
Flirts
Is Once right for me?
last updated
Estimated active members in the UK39,000
Women / Men
40% 60%
From£19.99/mo
Age
Once UK in 10 seconds
- Dating site that promotes personalized matching. Learn more
- Has thorough and strict application process
- No search options and the users can only rely on the matchmakers
- Website is clean, neat, and easy to use
- Unlimited chat feature will only be available if your match will reply within 24 hours
- You can buy credits to use additional premium features
Is Once right for you?
Find out if Once is the right service for you or if there are better options.
Better than Once
Who is Once for, and not for?
Once is for…
- People looking for serious relationships and deep commitments
- Singles who want to find and fall in love
- Those who want to meet a lot of strangers online
…and not for
- Those searching for erotic adventures and casual encounters
- Singles who are into casual flirting and quick hookups
- People who want unlimited match suggestions
Once pros & cons
- Chatting with matches is free of charge
- Website is clean, neat, and easy to use
- Many active users looking for love
- Signing-up is only via Facebook or mobile number
- You only get 1 match per day
- Customer service is reported to be unhelpful to complaints
What Once really costs in the UK
VIP
VIP is a 1 Month subscription for the VIP feature and renews automatically when the term ends unless you cancel auto renewal.Total
1 month
19.99 GBP / month
19.99 GBP
Crowns
Crowns are bought as one time Credit packs and spent on paid features. The 15 Credit pack costs less per Credit than the 5 Credit pack.Total
5 credits
1.80 GBP / credit
8.99 GBP
15 credits
1.20 GBP / credit
17.99 GBP
Our pick: 15 credits for 17.99 GBP, that is 1.20 GBP per credit, 33% less per credit than 5 credits.
Once costs last updated on Oct 9, 2026
Payment options in the UK
Credit CardPayPal
No anonymous payment.With Once you cannot pay anonymously, the charge appears on your bank statement.
On your bank statement
Xeanco Limited, the company named in the terms
Once costs screenshot
Once offers their paid features via crowns and a VIP subscription. Without these two, you only get to enjoy the app and the full site at a minimal level. The costs for both are a little expensive but they might be worthy once you avail of them.
Your subscription automatically renews every time your term expires. However, you can always cancel this auto-renewal by simply going to Settings then cancelling the auto-renewal. You can also cancel the subscription itself but not while it is in progress. For more information, check their terms and privacy settings with regard to these specific rules.
Free vs. paid services in the UK
FeatureFreeVIP
Match QualityRate photos from 1 to 5 so the matchmakers can infer your type from your ratings.
includedincluded
Profile CompletionYou can complete your profile any time without paying.
includedincluded
My ReviewsAsk Facebook friends to write a review for you. It appears on your profile and your daily match can see it.
includedincluded
CrownsNeeded for chat requests in incognito mode, extra matches and attention messages, among other actions.
not includedincluded
VIP SubscriptionSet a maximum distance, get more matches, see who passed or liked you, and receive unblurred chat requests.
not includedincluded
You can rate photos, complete your profile and add reviews from friends for free. Paying adds crowns for special actions and VIP tools such as more matches and seeing who liked you.
Who is signed up on Once in the UK?
Exclusively on DatingScout: online member numbers for dating services are usually far off, so we estimate how many people are really on Once from traffic data and interest, updated monthly, with history.
Most of the members hail from the United States but there are also members who are living in France, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, and others.
There are more male members than females and most of them are straight singles who are on the younger age range of 25 to 34. Since this is an app, the members access the service through their mobile phones.
39,000-5%
Rough estimate of active members
40,000
Logins per day in the UK
120,000
Members in the UK
3.7
App Store rating in the UK
41k
40k
38k
44k
44k
39k
JunJulAugSepOctNov
Estimated active members, last 6 months
| Women | Men |
|---|---|
| 40% | 60% |
Gender
| 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
21% 18-24 |
28% 25-34 |
22% 35-44 |
16% 45-54 |
13% 55+ |
Age of members
Last data update: November 2026
How does Once work?
Receive one personalized match each day, encouraging focused interaction
Connect with potential partners based on shared musical tastes by linking your Spotify account
Complete your profile with photos and personal details to enhance matching accuracy
Making contact on Once
★★★★★ 3.5/5
- You get one match daily and you have 24 hours to connect with each other
- No search options available
- Flirting or making contact with anyone is limited
- Contacting other members is only possible if you have crowns or subscribed to their plan
- You can only chat for free if your match for the day replies
- Most of the members are women in their late 20s
- Everybody can send messages for free
- Once has a chat function
Profile quality
★★★★★ 3.5/5
- Shows pictures of accounts that were banned or suspended
- There are safety measures to get rid of fraudulent accounts
- Other members fill in their profile information completely
- Your account is automatically linked to Facebook
- You can only see the profiles of your matches
- Profiles are moderately detailed
- Profile pictures are visible to everybody for free
- You can edit your profile information later
The Once app
★★★★★ 3.5/5
- App and full site have similar and identical features
- Design of the app is neat, simple, and appropriate
- App is very functional and easy to use
- Free to download but features are still paid
- Available for both Apple products and Android smartphones
Technically speaking, Once has probably a better mobile app compared to other dating sites. It is pretty functional just like the full site. In fact, they both have similar features which make it easier for the user to use both without any hassle. Google Play and iTunes offer the downloading of the app without payment and they both brand it as "the only dating site that brings you quality members". Both play stores also offer in-app purchases which prices are similarly equivalent to the dating site's original ones.
Our field test
★★★★★ 3.0/5
Special features
Finding people 2
Love Experiment
The Love Experiment is a series of 28 quick, modern questions that are designed to identify a person's emotional outlook and personality, and aims to help find them a partner who has a complimentary temperament and outlook in life. This new matching process is designed by an all-female team. The overall algorithm helps users find matches based on their perceived compatibility.
Match PreferencesPaid
This is a paid feature. You get to answer a few questions to help the matchmakers pair you perfectly to others according to your taste and preferences.
Showing interest 1
Matching QualityFree
This gives you the chance to rate the photos of other members. This feature helps the matchmakers pair you up with other members as they are able to determine your type and taste.
Profile and visibility 1
My ReviewsFree
This is available on your profile information. You can ask your Facebook friends to write a review about you. This allows you to increase your chances of being matched perfectly and liked.
Final results
3.0
“Once could have created a difference on the online dating world since its launch. Instead of having too many options, you get to take your time and everything slow and wait until the perfect one arrives. If you are into personalized matchmaking then it would probably fit into your taste.”
Is Once right for me?
tested October 2026
Signup3.0
Making contact3.5
Profile quality3.5
App3.5
Field test3.0
Overall3.0/ 5
Alternatives: Better than Once
Compare Once with other dating sites
| Activity |  Once3.0Read review |  EliteSingles4.5Read review |  eharmony4.0Read review |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Once is a dating app for singles who prefer personalised matchmaking, with one match a day | EliteSingles is a dating site for educated singles looking for a serious relationship | eharmony is a matchmaking site for singles looking for serious relationships, with personality and character tests |
| Activity | 39,000 est. active members | 160,000 members | 42,000 est. active members |
| Costs and prices | VIP 1 month: 19.99 GBP / month | Premium 3 months: 39.95 GBP / month 6 months: 21.95 GBP / month 12 months: 19.90 GBP / month | Premium 6 months: 39.90 GBP / month 12 months: 26.16 GBP / month 24 months: 18.66 GBP / month |
| Free features | Match Quality Profile Completion My Reviews | Sign up for a membership and create a detailed dating profile Receive limited number of daily match suggestions Upload photos on your profile Browse EliteSingles profiles and view profile information and photos Send a limited number of likes to EliteSingles members Limited match filters and preferences Send 3 Intro Messages per week Send and read messages after mutual interest | Registration and profile creation Send smiles View a member's profile Send 5 site-generated questions Add people to your favourites list Browse matches outside your preferences |
| Premium features | Crowns VIP Subscription | See which EliteSingles members liked your profile Receive more daily match suggestions Apply more EliteSingles match filters Send unlimited likes to other EliteSingles members Read receipts Get support from EliteSingles expert matchmaker | View photos View who added you on their favourites list See who viewed you Unlimited messaging Get matches outside your preferences What If |
| Right for me?Read review | Visit Eliteseekers.orgRead review | Visit siteRead review |
7 Once experiences from real users in the UK
2/ 5
★★★★★
0%
recommend Once
0%
got a date
Very good1
Good0
Average1
Poor1
Bad4
7 reader reports
What readers liked
- Attractive, seemingly high-quality member profiles
- Easy-to-use service
What readers complained about
- Expensive messaging and credit purchases
- Limited ability to chat after paying
- Fake profiles, locations, and scammers
76 years
Franciscus
★★★★★
ostensibly, attractive interesting women and easy chat system...
....but unfortunately most or all are fake. This becomes clear due to 1) failure to address fully the issues raised; 2) small but significant faults of logic; 3) slight errors in English. I persisted, checking all the 'women' currently on line, hoping that some might prove genuine; but in the end, concluded that none were. I never quite figured out how the scam operated, since some of the time the exchanges went smoothly and convincingly; it was only when the dialog broke down that the fakery became apparent. Needless to say, I never went on a date, and the system effectively blocked this. Embarrassing to think that I had been communicating with a machine; but live and learn, and I didn't lose too much money PS it is possible that there was some human imput, even if not what was presented; but how much was human and how much machine generated I was ultimately not able to ascertain
Does not recommend Once
61 years
John
★★★★★
The women are gorgeous.
I’ve paid £300 and received fuck all in credits. Beware of this scam site, they are a bunch of thieves.
Does not recommend Once
54 years
andrew
★★★★★
The picks are good
Fake profiles ,people locations are fake loads are in Ghana loads of scammers who either want sex or catfish you Expensive to chat
Does not recommend Once
Cancelling your Once subscription
How you can cancel
- By email: support@getonce.com
Contact details
| Address | Top 2 AG, Schindellegistrasse 3 8808 Pfäffikon, Switzerland |
|---|
Do subscriptions auto-renew?
Subscriptions renew automatically, cancel at least 3 days before your current term ends.
Money-back guarantee
- Once refunds part of your money (partial refund)
- You have 30 days to cancel and get your money back
Once gives partial refund for unused membership days
Do your credits expire?
Credits expire after 180 days.
Is Once right for me?Once FAQ
What is Once dating app?
Once is a dating site that is also available on Android and Apple phones as a mobile application. It is a specialised and a time-sensitive dating platform because you only get to be matched once on a daily basis.
Who is the founder of Once?
Founded by Jean Meyer and his colleagues back in October 2015, it has been their home ever since.
How does Once dating app work?
The site provides you one new match per day. You have 24 hours to grab that person's attention and connect with him or her. If you both like each other, you will be provided a chat screen where you can send messages to each other.
How do I sign-up for Once?
You can sign-up either by using your Facebook account or mobile number.
Does Once dating app have a website?
Yes. It has a full website, www.getonce.com, and it has the same features with the app.
What is the phone number to contact Once?
Unfortunately, they do not have a phone number to contact. You can, however, send them a message through their contact form on their website.
Does Once accept job applications?
Yes. You can visit their full website and check their job offers.
USABILITY
How can I download Once dating app?
You can visit Google Play if you have an Android phone and iTunes if you are using an Apple product. These stores offer the mobile version. Search for the application on your phone and download it without cost.
What is a chat request on Once?
A chat request allows you to send a request to another member so you can chat with each other or vice versa. However, you can only send and receive chat requests on incognito mode if you have enough crowns. If you want to remove the incognito mode, you must subscribe to their VIP subscription.
What is matching quality in Once?
It is a special feature that lets you rate other members via stars. It gives the matchmakers a chance to find your perfect match.
How do I send messages on Once?
You can only send and receive messages once you avail of either their crowns or VIP subscription plans.
SERVICES AND CANCELLATION
How to delete my Once account?
You can delete your account permanently by sending a message to their customer service. They will ask for your phone number, email, or Facebook email so they can find your profile and delete it for you.
Is Once dating app available on Android phones?
Yes. You can download it on the Google Play store.
How to get crowns on Once?
Just click the crown symbol on the full site or the app. You can choose how many crowns you would want to purchase.
Are there free crowns on Once?
You only get one crown upon signing-up. After that, you will need to buy them.
COSTS AND PAYMENT
Is Once dating app expensive?
The prices for the crowns and VIP subscription are a bit expensive.
What are the prices for Once's VIP subscription?
The dating platform offers three kinds of subscription: 1 month ($29.99/month), 3 months ($20.00/month, and 6 months ($15.00/month).
How do I pay for Once's crowns or VIP subscription?
For the crowns, you can pay via credit cards, gift cards, or PayPal. For the VIP subscription, you can only pay via major credit cards.
SECURITY
Is my Once account protected?
Yes. Your account and other members' account are always protected. You can check their privacy terms in their home page to see their terms and conditions regarding privacy.
You did not find your question? Ask us!
Thank you for your question. We will answer it as soon as possible.
Security
- Does Once sell your data?
- No, Once does not sell your data.
- Was Once hacked in the past?
- No, Once was never hacked.
- How accurately does Once track your location?
- Once tracks your approximate location.
- Do your Once profile pictures or profile information appear in Google Search Results?
- No, your Once photos and personal information will not appear in Google Search Results.
- Who can view your pictures on Once?
- All Once users can view your pictures.
- Is your phone number required for signing up at Once?
- Yes, a phone number is required for signing up at Once.
- Can you erase your personal data on Once?
- Yes, Once provides an option for users to erase their data.
Why can you trust us?
- We have been testing and publishing online dating reviews for over 17 years
- We have carefully reviewed over 3,578 dating services
- Our dating site reviews and results are objective and independent in contrast to many other comparison sites
- We update our reviews every month based on new site/app offerings and feedback from our readers
- We are the Author of the Book "Online Dating for Dummies" - read more on our About Us page
- Our Dating Experts are constantly cited by press and TV outlets, find out more here
Founder of DatingScout and Author of the book "Online Dating for Dummies"
Chris founded DatingScout 17 years ago, and today he is one of the leading Online Dating Experts. He is the author of the book "Online Dating for Dummies" and the author of the Internet's largest online dating study analyzing 20 Million Profile Pictures with artificial intelligence. Chris Pleines holds a master degree in media science and appeared in numerous television interviews and publications to give expert advice as well as tips about online dating.