Is JDate or JSwipe Better?

Neither is better for every man. They aim at the same audience in different ways. JDate recommends members from your answers and Preferences, while JSwipe was built as a swipe app in the style of Tinder. Pick the one that matches how you like to meet women, and since both let you start free, test both for two weeks.

JDate is a dating service for Jewish singles, run by Black Cap Holdings. You answer onboarding questions and set Preferences, and the app recommends members. You cannot search the whole member list. You Like the people you want, and when a Like is returned you have a match and can message.

A free Basic membership covers building a page, getting recommendations and messaging your matches. Premium adds unlimited likes, a view of who liked you, extra match filters and read receipts.

JDate says its algorithm favors quality over quantity and filters out inactive members, so the feed is shorter than on a swipe app.

JSwipe was launched as a swipe app for Jewish singles. Press coverage of its early years described it as Tinder for Jews, aimed at younger people who found a traditional service like JDate old fashioned. You swipe right to show interest, and when two people swipe on each other, it becomes a match.

Apps change owners and features, so check its current store listing before you build a plan around it. We do not have its current terms, and we will not guess at them.

The two have been part of the same family of services, and JDate's help center says it introduces members from across its broader community of dating apps. So some of the women you see on one may also appear on the other.

That means testing both is cheap, but it also means the second app may show you familiar faces. Do not be surprised by that.

If you like to read and choose: JDate fits. You see fewer women, and you decide whom to Like and write to with a fuller page behind each.

If you like speed and volume: a swipe app fits. You see many faces fast, and your lead photo does most of the work.

a dating coach says a man's results can look completely different from one app to the next, because each app is set up differently and draws different women. His answer is to test, keep what works and drop what does not.

On a swipe app, a woman decides on your first photo in seconds. A clear, recent shot of your face in daylight matters more than anything you write.

My rule for any app is to be selective, since an app notices a man who likes everyone and treats him as less selective. Do not swipe right on every woman.

On JDate, your page and Preferences steer the feed. Fill in the page fully, set your Preferences honestly, and look through the Discover tab now and then, which shows one profile at a time from outside your usual Preferences.

An Intro Message is a short note you attach to a Like to reach someone before you match. Free members get a smaller weekly allowance than Premium members. Spend them on women you really want to meet.

Run both for two weeks with the same photos and the same opener. Use each in the early evening for a short stretch most days. Count the women you Liked, matches, replies and plans on each.

Drop the one with fewer real conversations. If the numbers are close, keep the one you find easier to use, because a habit you keep beats a better app you avoid.

Pay only after the free version has shown you women you would like. My rule is that a paid feature multiplies what you already have, so if nobody replies on the free version, paying only shows more women your page that they pass on.

On either app, move toward a plan quickly. My range is about four to seven short messages, each with a purpose, before you suggest a day and a place and swap numbers.

And if you do not want a Jewish partner, neither is for you. A general app serves you better.