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November 4, 2023

Many people reading this will unfortunately be able to relate to the experience of matching with someone on a dating app who is lazy with conversation, is overtly sexual too soon, or emits another online dating red flags. But my experience on The League was totally different. 

I recently decided to explore dating apps outside of my traditional standbys (such as Bumble, Tinder, and Hinge)—and after testing The League for several months, I have a lot to say about it. 

Keep reading to learn more about my experience dating on The League, plus expert advice on how to use it successfully. Because, in my opinion, this dating app is absolutely worth it.

Final Thoughts

The League

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Image by mbg creative

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About

An exclusive app curating just 5 potential matches per day

Pros:

• Option for video chats
• Events in real life
• Most users are seeking serious relationships
• Matches expire after 21 days to encourage meeting in real live
• App verifies you on LinkedIn so there is a lower risk of catfishing

Cons:

• Paid membership options are expensive
• Free version limits the amount of matches you get
• It can take a couple of months to get off the waitlist

The League is a great option for daters who are looking for quality over quantity. You won’t have a slew of profiles to sift through—and you may not get a new first date every week—but it will help you date more intentionally.

If you’re an ambitious person seeking a serious relationship who also wants to date an ambitious, relationship-minded person, The League is for you.

One thing I love about The League is that you have access to pretty much every feature with a free membership. I was able to filter by age, height, distance, ethnicity, education, and religion, attend live virtual and in-person events, and speak to matches for three weeks before they expire—all without paying.

Still, there are benefits to the premium memberships. You’ll get more than three prospects a day depending on the level of membership you choose.

Below, find the paid membership options:

Member

• 3 months: $399
• 1 month: $299
• 1 week: $99

Owner

• 2 months: $499
• 1 month: $399
• 1 week: $199

Investor

• 1 month: $999
• 1 week: $399

VIP

• 1 month: $2,499
• 1 week: $999

Member:

• 150 prospects per month (rather than just three a day)
• Read receipts on chats
• Stats on how your profile is performing
• Ability to hide your age to remove bias
• Ability to display marriage/family plans on profile

Owner:

• 180 prospects per month
• Option to “Power Move” prospects, ensuring they see you in their next round of prospects
• Option to see if a prospect has already liked you
• Ability to see prospects in three cities at once

Investor:

• 210 prospects per month
• Ability to see everyone who likes you 
• Ability to pre-vet prospects before live virtual events
• Ability to date in four cities at once

VIP:

• 240 matches per month
• Ability to instantly match with prospects
• Verified “VIP” badge on your profile
• Ability to date in up to 10 cities at once
• Priority access to The League’s “most valued profiles” 

Designed for ambitious people who want to date other ambitious people, The League is one of the most exclusive dating apps available today. It’s a great choice for working professionals, introverts, and daters of all ages.

To join The League, you’ll first need to download the app and get on the waitlist. I was lucky enough to have a friend refer me, so I didn’t have to wait—but I have been told the waitlist can take a couple months. You can also choose to pay for a membership, which fast tracks the process. 

Outside of basic profile-setup information (age, occupation, height, gender), I was also asked to answer a few prompts about what I’m looking for. The League also offers the ability to have an “Opening Video” that can serve as a sort of introduction for potential matches. 

The League prioritizes quality over quantity, so you only get three matches per day (though you can pay to see more prospects). 

Once you match, you have 21 days to chat before the match and your chat expires. While an expired chat history is still viewable, you won’t be able to engage with that person anymore. The League does this to encourage users to get off the app and out on a date.

The first thing I noticed when testing The League is that the app has more added features than I’ve seen on any other. There’s speed video dating at 8 p.m. every Sunday; live events like mixers and fundraisers; and modern, elevated takes on chat rooms dedicated to a wide array of interests, such as vegans or winos.

Like I said, my experience testing The League was like a breath of fresh air compared to other dating apps. Everyone I talked to seemed to be very intentional about asking lots of questions and sharing about their own life.

The best part? Time between matching and actually going out on a date was way shorter than on other apps I’ve tested. Since you get limited prospects a day, I love knowing I can count on The League’s users being focused on quality over quantity. 

I really enjoyed The League’s weekly speed dating sessions and the mixers they have in real life. Other singles mixers I’ve been to have featured a bit of a mixed bag, but there were so many great prospects at The League’s events! 

What’s really cool about the events is that the app lets you know when people you’ve matched with RSVP, in case you want to make a plan to connect with them there.

Overall, The League fosters a safe space for dating, which can be hard to find as a woman. When dating on The League, I felt like I was meeting people who were also looking for something serious.

To be successful in dating on The League, dating expert Rachel DeAlto recommends starting by doing some work off the app. Since The League is really about getting more narrow and specific with your choices, she says to take time to figure out what you want in dating. 

“Women especially often find themselves ignoring non-negotiables and end up wasting their time,” she says. I took her advice before getting on the app, and can honestly say it made my whole experience more fulfilling. 

By knowing what my priorities are, I can now determine more quickly whether or not someone is for me. In other words: I’m wasting way less time for everyone involved.

DeAlto also reminds introverts or beginners that they don’t need to put so much pressure on the opening message in a chat. While The League is definitely designed to be more exclusive, she encourages people not to feel intimidated by that. 

“The initial message doesn’t dictate who steers the entire relationship,” DeAlto says. “The key is communicating with authenticity, positivity, and curiosity.”

Since The League requires more patience than other dating apps, DeAlto stresses that there is no rush. I myself have seriously benefited from dating with less urgency in mind. 

“We all have different personalities, but the key is finding someone who fits with yours,” DeAlto says. “That requires understanding, patience, and goal alignment.”

The League and Hinge both encourage people to be open about what they are looking for. While people on The League are largely looking for something serious, Hinge mostly has people who are looking for something serious, with a larger range. 

Both try to limit how much swiping people are doing, with Hinge allowing you to swipe right eight times a day with the free feature and The League showing you just three prospects a day.

Read our full Hinge review.

To encourage users to get off the app and meet in person, Bumble’s matches expire after 24 hours if you don’t initiate the chat. Similarly, matches on The League expire after three weeks.

The League has more of a vetting process than Bumble, with the added layer of LinkedIn verification. It also limits your daily prospects much more than Bumble, further encouraging dating with intention.

Read our full Bumble review.

Eharmony is another one of our favorite apps for serious relationships. While eharmony also has a strong vetting process, The League sets itself apart with the LinkedIn verification. 

The League also has a video dating feature within the app, while eharmony does not. That said, eharmony does have a lengthier profile setup, which further weeds out people who may not be taking online dating seriously.

Check out our full eHarmony review.

Users on The League and Match are typically both looking for serious relationships, but Match is a service you really have to pay for to experience it at all. 

Match has a lot of strong filters that you can use to search for what you want, where you’ll have to pay a great deal for a membership to do that on The League.

Read our full Match.com review here.