DatingScout.com
In short: DatingScout.com is an online dating review and comparison publisher, founded by Chris Pleines, which began as a blog in Munich in 2007. It runs country sites in several markets, including the US, UK and Australia. It matters to the dating industry as a consumer referral channel and, since January 2025, as a publisher of reader survey data on dating preferences.
Key facts
| Type | Dating review and comparison site |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 |
| Status | Active |
| Website | datingscout.com |
| Founder | Chris Pleines, listed as founder of DatingScout and author of Online Dating for Dummies; also named as the press contact on the 2026 release [DatingScout.com home page, 2026] |
| Origin | Began as a blog in 2007; DatingNews says Chris Pleines created it while studying media informatics in Munich, Germany [DatingScout.com Makes the Singles Market Navigable, 2007] |
| Business model | Online dating site and matchmaking review service that compares dating platforms and offers a recommendation tool [DatingScout.com home page, 2026] |
| International expansion | About page says it launched in the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong in 2017 and 2018, and relaunched all sites on one platform in 2026 [About Us - DatingScout, 2026] |
| Survey publication | Released The State of Online Dating 2026 on 10 November 2026: 53,902 respondents in 18 countries; 40.4% of US women and 18.9% of US men want a homeowner partner [DatingScout.com Releases The State of Online Dating 2026, 10 November 2026] |
| Press release dateline | Los Angeles, CA [DatingScout.com Releases The State of Online Dating 2026, 10 November 2026] |
| Survey caveat | DII reports the sample is self-selected and 70.9% male worldwide [Dating Industry Insights, 10 November 2026] |
About DatingScout.com
DatingScout.com describes itself as an online dating site and matchmaking review service. It reviews and compares dating sites and apps, offers a recommendation tool and publishes dating advice and studies. Its US site says it covers 3,576 services, though this is the company's own figure.
According to its About page, the business began in 2007 as a blog started by computer science students in Germany. A DatingNews feature names Chris Pleines as the person who created it while studying media informatics in Munich, and the DatingScout site lists him as founder and author of the book Online Dating for Dummies. The About page says the company launched in the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Hong Kong in 2017 and 2018, and that it relaunched all of its websites on one platform in 2026. The company has not published a legal entity name or registered address that we could find, and third-party data sites disagree on its headquarters, so this profile does not give one. A press release issued on 10 November 2026 carried a Los Angeles dateline.
For the industry, DatingScout is mainly a review and referral publisher. It has also moved into survey data. On 10 November 2026 it released The State of Online Dating 2026, based on 53,902 respondents in 18 countries from an ongoing reader survey running since January 2025. DII reported that the sample is self-selected and 70.9% male worldwide, so the results are directional rather than market benchmarks.
Stories about DatingScout.com
- DatingScout survey of 53,902 finds 40.4% of US women want homeowner
DatingScout's State of Online Dating 2026 covers 53,902 respondents in 18 countries. 40.4% of US women want a homeowner, against 18.9% of US men.
Questions about DatingScout.com
What is DatingScout.com?
A dating review and comparison site that describes itself as an online dating site and matchmaking review service, with country sites including the US, UK and Australia.
Who founded DatingScout?
Chris Pleines, who is listed on the site as founder. DatingNews says he started it in 2007 while studying in Munich.
What is The State of Online Dating 2026?
A study released on 10 November 2026, based on 53,902 reader survey respondents in 18 countries. The sample is self-selected.
Where is DatingScout based?
It began in Germany. A November 2026 press release carried a Los Angeles dateline, but no legal entity or headquarters address was found, so this profile does not state one.
What does DatingScout.com do?
DatingScout.com is an online dating review and comparison publisher, founded by Chris Pleines, which began as a blog in Munich in 2007. It runs country sites in several markets, including the US, UK and Australia.
When was DatingScout.com founded?
DatingScout.com was founded in 2007.
Also known as: Dating Scout, DatingScout.