SakuraDate in 10 Seconds
Here are some highlights of my SakuraDate review in a nutshell if you’d rather skip the full version:
- SakuraDate has been around since 2020 as a part of the SofiaDate dating sites family
- It’s a niche dating site geared towards serious relationships with Asian girls
- Member profiles highlight personal stories and relationship aspirations
- Registration and basic membership are free, while communication tools require credits
- Both search filters and matching features are highly customizable
- American and European guys interested in Asian girls
- Singles seeking meaningful relationships with foreigners
- People comfortable with long-distance dating
- Western men looking for local connections
- Guys looking for cyber affairs or hookups
- Singles who cannot handle relationships without IRL dates
SakuraDate Free Trial
The fastest way to deal with SakuraDate registration is to log in with your Google account. If you prefer not to do so, signup won’t take much time, either. It only takes your name, gender preference, and date of birth to create an account with email and password. The whole process took me less than a minute, and that’s with email confirmation.
Once I was in, I found 20 bonus credits on my balance and a generous offer to buy 35 more for $2.99 instead of $12.99. The free trial was enough to test premium features, like live chat and letters, and get me excited to do more. The only annoying thing was that I couldn’t choose another credit package. Although three bucks isn’t a huge sum, I’d still prefer to go with a more substantial package from the get-go.
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SakuraDate Overview
SakuraDate has only been around for a few years, but it has already become a favorite among thousands of international daters, with 200K visiting the dating site every month. Like many similar online dating platforms, SakuraDate is extremely popular in the US and the UK, though there’s also a small portion of Australian and Canadian users. At the same time, Sakura Date has an above-average 2:1 male-to-female ratio, which makes finding a match easier.
Here’s how it stacks up compared to other dating sites I’ve tried:
Profiles
Basic account info includes a profile photo, name, date of birth, and location. Beyond that, each profile is divided into two major sections: one dedicated to you and another—to your preferences. In turn, each of them hosts several standard fields and one text block where you can express yourself in your own words.
Here’s a list of the standard fields I recommend you fill in, as the search feature relies on this information to narrow down the dating pool for you:
- Marital status
- Children (existing and desire to have more)
- Education and job
- Religion
- Drinking and smoking habits
- Partner’s preferred age, height, eye and hair color
I didn’t find verification badges anywhere, but I learned that the SakuraDate team verifies every profile manually to ensure everyone’s safety. Still, if you encounter anyone suspicious, make sure to contact customer support and block the user.
Features
In order to test all the features SakuraDate has to offer and share a detailed report of my online dating experience, I signed up and created a free account before purchasing a credit package. I split all the tools into two categories to help you navigate your free trial and decide if the premium membership is worth the expense.
The following SakuraDate features are completely free for all members:
- Advanced search filters. Aside from ID search, there are 15 filters, ranging from age and country to religion and lifestyle choices.
- Full profile access. Unlike other dating platforms that won’t even let you see photos, SakuraDate gives unlimited access to user data, including all photos and personal details.
- Like. This swiping tool features a Fast filter and a Wide filter, which let you significantly enhance matching suggestions and find compatible partners faster. It’s a standout SakuraDate feature I really enjoyed.
- Your likes and favorites. These lists include every profile you highlighted by pressing a heart or star button. Both are handy for navigating multiple potential matches in the early days of using SakuraDate.
- FAQ, Tutorial, and Help. You can search for answers and instructions within existing materials or contact the support team directly using the contact form.
As expected, there are no free communication tools on SakuraDate, but its array of free features is still pretty impressive, and with a free trial, I got the option to test premium tools before upgrading, which is always a plus in my books.
Once I was sure I knew all about the free features, I bought myself some credits and explored the premium side of things:
- Live chat. I love texting, so the live chat was definitely my jam, and I sank most of my credits into flirty chats with girls at 2 credits per minute. My main takeaway is to stay away from ladies who can’t string two words together. I didn’t get much out of our conversations, but they cost me a fortune. Luckily, there were plenty of other girls to chat with.
- Letters. Considering the 12-hour time difference, I often resorted to long-form letters. And I also got the kick out of reading the letters girls sent me (reading the first email is free). At 10 credits per letter, they might seem a bit overpriced, but that’s the equivalent of 5 minutes of live chat, which isn’t too bad.
- Advanced messaging. This includes photo and audio messages (10 credits each) and video clips (25 credits each). You can exchange media files in live chat and letters, and most girls are happy to provide them without prompting.
If only it had video calls, SakuraDate would have been perfect. As it is, video and audio messages come pretty close to real-time communication. Still, I should warn you to only open media files you receive from the ladies you already know a little. Otherwise, you risk wasting all your credits on random girls you have no interest in.
Price
Beyond the welcome bonus and the first-purchase discount, the following rates apply:
In my experience, these rates put SofiaDate on the lower side of the pricing spectrum. For example, I bought the largest package, which bought me over six hours of live chat, a few dozen photos, and a handful of videos. All in all, it’s well worth the money, though I suggest keeping a close eye on your balance for the first couple of days because credits tend to run out quickly, especially if you hurry to open each attached pic or clip.
Ease of use
My favorite thing about SakuraDate is definitely the search and Like filters. It’s the first time I found myself actually enjoying the swiping feature. Instead of endlessly swiping through random profiles, I could set my preferences, which immediately improved my experience. And while I recognize no one would probably use all 10+ search filters, it’s still a neat option to have, especially if you have a type.
My least favorite thing about SakuraDate was the endless notifications. I’m pretty used to constant popups on dating sites, but this dating platform takes the cake when it comes to the sheer volume of different notifications. Even when muted, they constantly distracted me from what I was doing.
By the way, if you’re looking for a log-out button, it’s hidden in the “Change email/password & other” dropdown menu. It took me a few tries to locate it, so I thought I should mention it.
SakuraDate Tips and Tricks
Having used SakuraDate for a few weeks during my trial run, I discovered a few things you might be interested to learn. Here are some recommendations that should enhance your dating experience:
- Be careful with search features—the more filters you apply, the fewer options you’ll have.
- Make the most of free letters and photos you get from the girls, but only respond to those you like to avoid overspending.
- Visit the site at different times of the day to catch other girls online, or you’ll keep running into the same ladies.
- Request candid photos and videos from the girls you like to learn what they look like without professional photography and filters.
- Pay attention to profile details and self-description to avoid surprises, such as religious incompatibility or children from previous marriages.
These are small things, but it’s easy to forget them when faced with so many attractive ladies.
User Reviews
I know video calls are extra pricy on dating sites, but I still wish would add the option. Video messages are fun, but they don’t always do it for me. Besides, I feel awkward filming myself like a teenager, even if the girl I’m chatting with doesn’t have the same hangups.
Some guys hate paying for every message, but I find credits liberating. I can take a break and return to a month later without losing money. Besides, it’s not that expensive once you focus on one or two girls you really like. That’s how it works for me.
I’m fresh from my first IRL date with Zuki, and it couldn’t have gone better. She’s just as sweet as I imagined, and her photos don’t do her justice. Despite all the horror stories about romance scams, now I know it’s possible to find someone special online.
I kinda hate all the canned messages girls send my way, so I mostly ignore them and only contact ladies I’m really interested in. It’s a minor inconvenience, but I wish they’d read my profile before spamming my inbox with innate questions.
Expert’s Take
SakuraDate should go on your shortlist of dating sites to try if you’re interested in Asian ladies for its balanced mix of quality search and communication tools coupled with an impressive array of detailed profiles. Even if it is missing some convenient features, like video chat or mobile apps, it makes up for it with video messages and a user-friendly interface. Moreover, the dating pool is better than on most dating sites for the mere fact that most girls are interested in long-term relationships and marriage.
