Similar names, separate sites
Encounters.uk vs Encounters Dating: Two Different Sites
Encounters Dating, the site that works with The Times and The Sunday Times, is run by a separate company and has no link to Encounters.uk. If you meant them, use their own site or app; if you meant us, pick your section and say hello.
Similar names, different front doors
Search for “encounters dating” and you may come across two UK dating sites. They share a word and very little else: different companies, different members and different log-ins.
Encounters Dating launched in 2005. It’s run by Dating Lab, works with The Times and The Sunday Times, and describes itself as a place where singles who are serious about dating can match, meet and find love. Members find each other through two-way matching, and it has its own app, called TDL Connect.
Encounters.uk has been online since 2014 and divides UK dating into four parts, each with its own members and its own sign-up. There’s Casual Encounters for no-strings fun between adults, Single Encounters for people hoping to find a partner, Mature Encounters for singles in their 40s, 50s and beyond, and Milf Encounters, our newest, for older women and their younger admirers. We have no connection with Encounters Dating, with Dating Lab or with either newspaper.
Tell them apart in ten seconds
| Encounters.uk | Encounters Dating | |
|---|---|---|
| Online since | 2014 | 2005 |
| Run by | Encounters.uk | Dating Lab |
| Newspaper link | None | Works with The Times and The Sunday Times |
| Made for | Casual fun, relationships, over-40s and Milf dating, each in its own section | Singles who are serious about dating |
| Log-in | On your section’s own members’ site | Only on the service you joined |
| Messaging | Classic members send a set number a day, plus replies to VIP members | One-liners on the basic membership; full messages with a subscription |
| Matching | Daily match suggestions and swiping | Two-way matching |
| On your phone | Any browser | Website and the TDL Connect app |
| Minimum age | 18 | 18 |
Looking for them? Here’s where to go
Logging in
An Encounters Dating username and password only work on Encounters Dating and its app. They won’t open an Encounters.uk account, and ours won’t open theirs.
What it costs
Encounters Dating’s basic membership allows one-line messages, and its standard and premium subscriptions open up full messaging. Its current rates are on its own site.
Their app
The Encounters Dating app is called TDL Connect. Dating Lab makes it for all of its dating sites.
Username search
Encounters Dating lets members look each other up by username. It searches their members, not ours, and the same goes the other way.
Reviews
Check the name before you read a review. A review of Encounters Dating is about their service, not ours.
Badoo’s Encounters
Swiping in something called Encounters? That’s a feature inside Badoo, and it isn’t connected with us either.
Meant Encounters.uk? Welcome in
Each of our sections signs you in on its own members’ site, so log in to your section from our home page. New here? Every section starts you on Classic membership: make a profile, add photos, browse members, swipe, and get match suggestions each day based on what you’re looking for, how far away people are, your interests and more.
Encounters.uk has over 1,200 members across the UK, with the most in Greater London and the West Midlands. See what each section offers on our features page.
Private from your first day
Fellow members see the username you choose and your nearest town or city. Your real name, your email and your address stay off your profile, and so does your live location.
You can block anyone, report a profile or message from inside the site, and read our safety advice before a first date. Want to know more about us first? Is Encounters.uk legit? answers that.
When Encounters Dating may suit you better
If you read The Times or The Sunday Times and like the idea of a dating site connected with them, Encounters Dating is the one you’re after. It also suits singles set on a serious, long-term relationship who like two-way matching, where you see people who fit what you want and who are looking for someone like you.
Encounters.uk suits you if you’d like to choose the kind of dating first: casual, a relationship, over-40s or Milf. If a relationship is the goal, Single Encounters is the section built for it, and Mature Encounters is there for dating after 40. Our comparisons hub sets us beside Plenty of Fish, Tinder and others too.
Encounters Dating questions, answered
Is Encounters.uk the same as Encounters Dating?
No. Encounters Dating is run by Dating Lab and works with The Times and The Sunday Times. Encounters.uk is a separate UK dating site with four sections, its own members and no connection to either.
How do I log in to Encounters Dating?
On Encounters Dating’s own website or its TDL Connect app, with the username and password you joined with. Encounters.uk log-ins work only for our four sections.
How much does Encounters Dating cost?
Its basic membership lets you send or reply with a one-liner, and writing full messages needs a subscription; its own site lists the current rates. For Encounters.uk, our pricing page shows every plan for each of our four sections.
Can I find an Encounters Dating member by username here?
No. Their members are on their site, not ours. Encounters Dating has a username search of its own for that.
Is there an Encounters Dating app?
Yes, it’s called TDL Connect and comes from Dating Lab, the company behind Encounters Dating. Encounters.uk has nothing to download: it works in any browser and can sit on your home screen.
Meant us all along? Come on in
Pick your section and make your profile today.