The eight criteria
Seriousness
Are people here looking for a relationship or for a pastime? We look at what an app actually steers its users towards: quick swiping or genuinely getting to know someone. A 5 is reserved for apps clearly built for committed relationships.
Fair pricing
Nobody likes paywall traps. We check how much can genuinely be used for free and whether core features disappear behind the subscription. The fairer the free tier, the higher the score.
Gender balance
A dating app lives on both sides being present. We assess how balanced the ratio of women and men appears, because a lopsided ratio ends up frustrating everyone.
Albanian fit
For our readers this is the heart of it: how well does the app suit Albanian dating between diaspora and homeland? Language, community and a feel for cultural expectations all count here.
Verification
Fake profiles are the biggest nuisance in online dating. We look at whether an app checks that its profiles are real, and how consistently it follows through.
Usability
The nicest idea is worthless if the app is a chore day to day. We rate how pleasant the app is to use, from setting up a profile to chatting.
Privacy
Dating means sharing very personal things. We check how carefully an app treats that data and how transparently it informs its users about it.
Reach
In the end you need people you can actually meet. We rate the size and activity of the community, especially outside the big cities too.
The 1-to-5 scale
Every criterion is rated from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong). A 3 is solid; a 5 is only given where an app truly stands out on that point.
For the ranking we also weight the criteria: Albanian fit counts double, seriousness and verification one and a half times. That produces the diaspora score you see on the comparison page.
What our judgements rest on
The editorial team uses the compared apps ourselves, checks prices and features directly in the apps and in the providers' official information, and evaluates publicly available user reviews, for instance in the app stores.
That way our own experience and the experience of many other users flow into every rating.
How current the ratings are
Dating apps change prices and features all the time. We therefore review our ratings continuously and at least once a quarter.
The comparison page visibly shows when it was last checked.
Independence and affiliate links
We compare independently, without marketing promises, and with a clear eye on what really counts for a serious search for a partner.
Providers may pay a commission for linked referrals; this has no influence on our ratings. When we recommend an app, we do so only where it genuinely has its strengths.
How we handle mistakes
Where people rate, mistakes happen. When we notice an error or one is pointed out to us, the editorial team reviews it and corrects the entry.
Getting the comparison right matters more to us than being right.