Updated monthly. Last update: Oct. 2005

There are a large number of matrimonial sites on the Internet, and it is difficult to decide which matrimonial site or sites one must sign-up for to make the most of their subscription.

The following criteria apply when selecting a matrimonial site:

• size (reach) of site-number of active members
• ease of use
• customer service and help
• search and screen capabilities

The most important consideration when selecting a matrimonial site is its size: you want access to a large number of people. This ensures that you get the maximum value for your subscription fee, and the time and effort spent in learning to use the site-you can contact a lot of people quickly and efficiently.

A clear winner is yet to emerge in the online matrimonial site wars, but at present,  Shaadi.com seems to be the leader in Indian Matrimonial sites. Bharat matrimony also seems to be doing well. We recommend that you open an account with both of these sites- that way you are sure to cover a large pool of singles looking for partners. The money spent per month on a matrimonial site subscription is quite small; and if you can significantly increase the probability of meeting a partner online by signing up for a couple of online matrimonial sites, you should consider it a wise investment.

All three sites score well on ease of use and customer service. They are well-designed, and there are a lot of "Help" buttons around to guide the user through. The screens and search capabilities (you can screen on age, caste, physical attributes, distance from where you live, etc.) are excellent- you can come up with the list of potential candidates you want to communicate with easily and quickly.