What Is Zen Date?

Zen Date is an online dating site and dating app designed to bring together people from all over the world to match with Asian and, more specifically, Chinese singles. The site (which was founded in 1993) used to be known as ChinaLove, but has changed to ZenDate.com in 2021 to be more inclusive of international daters. Their ambition is to inspire romance on a global scale, which now includes over 32 countries.

Zen Date works primarily on a credit system but requires an active monthly subscription for members to gain credits. Most features on the platform will require the use of credits and only a very limited amount of access is available for free. Our Zen Date review will cover not only the pros and cons, but all you need to know about each available feature, its cost, and what you can realistically expect to find on the dating platform.

Pros

• A very easy-to-navigate and intuitive platform design

• Creating and registering a Zen Date account is quick and easy to do (only takes a few minutes requiring little information to start dating)

• The almost endless amount of pop-ups for video call requests can become rather disruptive while on the site

• A mobile Zen Date app is available with an equally seamless and easy-to-use design  (take your dating wherever you go)

Cons

• There are clearly a lot of fake profiles on the site

• Your profile will most likely be shown on several other dating sites that are also owned by SOL Networks Limited

• ZenDate.com lacks any sort of member verification apart from verifying that the email address provided is legitimate

• The Zen Date app is only available for Android devices (there is no iOS version)

Zen Date Login Process

Signing up to Zen Date requires you to complete only a few steps. It will be finished before you even know it so that you can start dating as soon as possible. Head over to the ZenDate.com homepage or download the dating app to get started.

On the web homepage, you’ll select your gender and the gender you are looking for (members can only select between male or female), then choose your preferred age range and click ‘Take a Chance”. You’ll then be asked for the following details:

• Email address

• Your name or any nickname for your profile

• Your gender and seeking gender will already be selected, but you can change it again

• Date of birth

• Hometown

• Write something interesting about yourself*

• Describe your ideal partner in a few words*

• Select your interests and hobbies from the given list that includes 24 options*

• Add a profile photo

*These three steps are optional and can be skipped if you prefer to get to them later on

After uploading your photo you’ll be asked to head over to your email inbox and confirm your profile by clicking on the confirmation link that was sent to you. Only then will you be able to start browsing other profiles and let your Zen Dating experience begin.

Profile Completion

If you answered all the questions from the Zen Date login process, then a lot of your profile sections will already be filled. If you skipped anything, you can add it later by going to your profile. Zen Date profiles don’t go into too much depth but show enough about someone to find an appropriate match. You’ll also be able to update your profile cover photo to make it a bit more personalized.

There are also a few things you can now add to your ‘about me’ section which include:

• Your occupation

• Education level

• Relationship status

• Smoking and drinking habits

• Height

• Eye and hair color

• Your body type

• The languages you speak

• If you have kids or not

From your profile, you can also add additional photos to your gallery to showcase more of yourself. These can be set as public or private photos. Zen Date members can also add items to their Wishlist. Should anyone want to really show their interest in you they might just surprise you by purchasing something from what you’ve selected.

User Account Quality

The profiles that you will find on Zen Date feature predominantly Asian women, most of which are Chinese. In general, it appears as if a lot of the photos that members upload were professionally taken and most will also have a full gallery of both private and public photos, as well as a few short videos. Profiles are also more often than not filled out with all the information possible about the user.

You will just about never come across an empty profile or even a profile of a woman whose looks could be described as ‘average’. While this might seem rather appealing at first, it does raise the question as to how legitimate most of these profiles might be. It all seems almost too produced and too perfect to actually be authentic at all.

Dating Features

Let’s Mingle

Zen Date members are able to send a single message to multiple people at once with the Let’s Mingle feature. Simply type your message, choose the criteria for recipients (gender and age range), and ZenDate.com will do the rest. This way you can meet new people and start conversations with those best suited to you. It doesn’t take much effort to get the ball rolling on Zen Date.

Video Chats

To increase the level of communication and to make things as personal as possible, Zen Date allows its users to enjoy face-to-face video chats.  Video chats do require the use of credits and a one-way video chat (where only one camera is on) works out to be a bit cheaper than a two-way video chat.

During a video chat, you are also able to send the person you are talking to a gift in the form of a sticker. Stickers cost credits and there are a total of 72 different ones to choose from. There’s a sticker for just about any occasion and these range from flowers and sweet treats to champagne and jewelry. And there’s even a classic Volkswagen Beetle sticker.

Send Presents

While stickers are virtual gifts on Zen Date, you can also send real gifts in the form of ‘Presents’ to other users. Either select something from a user's wishlist or get creative and send something truly heartfelt. This is a surefire way to show someone just how serious you are about them.

Available presents include:

• Clothing and accessories

• Electronic gadgets

• Perfume

• Jewelry

• Cakes and sweet treats

• Gift baskets 

• Gift cards

Today I Am

On Zen Date, you can choose your mood for the day to match what you are looking for. And you can change it as much as you like to fit your current intentions. This way other members can know what to expect from you and you can find people who are in the same mindset as you are. This will increase the likelihood of being a good match, for that day at least.

‘Today I am’ moods include the following:

• Serious

• Pen Pal

• Romantic

• Flirty

• Naughty

And should you wake up one day and just not know what you feel like for the day, you can always make it blank again by clicking “I Don’t Know” instead.

Search

Instead of spending too much time scrolling through profiles, Zen Date users can search to find a match much easier. Click on the magnifying glass icon at the top of the screen and change the match parameters to fit what you are looking for. A quick search will let you find someone based on the following:

• Gender (man/woman looking for man/woman)

• Age range

• Location (by city or country)

• If they are available for a video chat

By clicking ‘Add more options’ you can also add the following parameter to your search if you want to pinpoint what your match should be like:

• Their interests and hobbies

• Education

• Languages they speak

• Relationship status

• If they have kids

• Smoking and drinking habits

• Height range

• Body type

• Eye and hair color

Prices & Costs

Zen Date works on a dual framework that includes monthly subscription options as well as a credit system. Most of the features on Zen Date will require a positive Credit balance to use, and the only way to get credits is to upgrade to a premium account. All subscriptions operate on a recurring one-month period and are priced based on the amount of monthly credits a member will receive. Different features on Zen Date require a different amount of credits to use them.

It is however possible to try out the platform for free first. As a free Zen Date user you will be limited to only being able to reply to messages sent by premium members, read only the first messages in your inbox, browse, search, and view profiles as well as public photo albums.

Subscription Plans

*The Intro Offer is a one-time offer for new members and will automatically revert to the normal 150 Credit Monthly Premium plan after it expires.

Perks of a Zen Date Monthly Plan

• Receive credits each month (to send gifts and use other premium features)

• Send voice messages

• Have video chats

• Read all messages received in the chat

• Use Let’sMingle feature

What Credits are used for:

Zen Date makes it easy to upgrade to a different subscription package should you wish to have more credits each month (all of which will auto-renew each month). Simply go to your profile, click the ‘Change Subscription Plan’ link, select which membership plan you would like to change to, and click ‘Change’. The change will take effect from the following month. If this is still not enough Credits, you can manually purchase more by clicking ‘Refill’ at the very bottom of your Zen Date profile.

Only premium members can purchase more credits as needed. These ‘Refill’ credits will expire after 90 days if not used. Monthly credits that are part of your subscription will expire at the end of each month.

How Safe Is ZenDate.com?

Fake Profiles

Most people who sign up will instantly notice that Zen Date is not free of fake profiles. The overproduced and too-perfect nature of profiles is a clear giveaway. It would be far more authentic if female profiles on Zen Date had at least a few flaws, but just about everyone looks like a model. The sheer amount of messages and video call requests you will receive also raises an eyebrow.

There is no direct mention that the site or any affiliated site or third party is creating profiles purely for entertainment purposes. But the Terms and Conditions does state that they offer the service on an “as is” basis and take no responsibility for any “incorrect or inaccurate content” that has been posted.

Online Security

Besides mentioning on the homepage that they employ a “leading anti-scam system”, Zen Date makes almost no mention of how they safeguard a user’s personal information. They do go into quite some detail in their Privacy Policy to describe how your data will be collected and used though.

The only type of verification the platform does is to request an email verification when signing up. It’s also mentioned that members are personally confirmed by ZenDates staff, but how this is done is never discussed further. What we do like is the platform’s email login feature. If you ever log out and want to log back in, a new verification link will be emailed to you to ensure that no one else has access to your account.

Final Thoughts

Zen Date certainly offers a good amount of features that can aid in your online dating endeavors. Let’s Mingle and the video chat are just two standout features for us. The main reason we couldn’t give the platform a better rating is that just about every interaction will require the use of credits in some way or another. So it can end up being rather expensive.

Taking into account how prolific the site seems to be with fake accounts, we are also not sure how successful someone could be in finding a real match here. But seeing how most female profiles on Zen Date are from Asia, if you simply fancy just a fun chat with someone you will probably never meet, who are we to say not to go for it? Singles who are hoping to meet someone for an authentic relationship might do better by searching elsewhere. And unfortunately, a lot of other ZenDate.com reviews agree.

FAQ

What Is Zen Date Dating About?

The Zen Date dating site (previously known as ChinaLove) is all about offering a more global reach for online daters from a range of countries and cultures. It’s all about bringing singles from all around the world together in one place. Where they used to concentrate primarily on Chinese dating, lately they’ve put a lot more emphasis on European, Asian, North American, and Latin American dating as well.

Is Zen Date Legit Or Not?

Yes, it is. Zen Date is part of a very large and popular network of dating sites that are operated by SOL Networks Limited. Its sister sites include such behemoths as EliteCupid, AsianDate, and AfroIntroductions.

Is Zen Date A Scam Site?

People enjoy speculating far too much, but there is no Zen Date scam being pulled on its members. Unfortunately, there does seem to be a large amount of fake profiles so tread with caution as you should on any dating site.

Are Most Of Zen Date Reviews Complaints Or Praises?

Zen Date reviews from real users are more negative than positive. There are a few roses between the thorns, but the majority of reviews complain about their cards being declined, the unrealistic nature of some profiles, their interactions, and how fast credits are used up.

Is There A Zen Date App Available?

Yes, android users can download the Zen Date app for free from the Google Play store. There is unfortunately no iOS version available at the moment. But Zen Date can alternatively be accessed through any mobile browser.

How To Delete My ZenDate.com Account?

The easiest way to delete your Zen Date account is to follow these steps:

• Go to the desktop version of ZenDate.com

• Navigate to your ‘Settings’ in the top-right corner of the screen

• Click ‘Manage Account’

• Select ‘Delete Profile’

• Confirm your choice by clicking ‘Confirm’

• Optionally leave some feedback on your Zen Date experience

• Enter your password

• Finally, select ‘Delete Account’ to finalize the deletion