Farmers Only Reviews [2024 Cost, Features & How It Works!]
Wondering if Farmers Only is worth a try? From how much this niche dating site costs to real user experiences and what to expect, these Farmers Only reviews have all the details you’re looking for!
Table of Contents
Let's dive in!
A Dating Site For Cowboys (And Cowgirls)
While you’ve probably seen the funny commercials, Farmers Only isn’t a joke - it’s a dating site and app designed specifically for people living in what founder Jerry Miller calls “flyover country:”
You look out the window when you fly from New York City to Los Angeles, and in the nighttime you see a couple of clusters of twinkling lights, small communities in the middle of nowhere.
He understands how difficult it can be for singles in rural areas to meet people. An agricultural marketer, he routinely came into contact with lonely farmers and ranchers who told him the relative isolation and lifestyle made it difficult to meet new people.
Miller launched Farmers Only in 2005, and it’s grown to over 6 million subscribers. Not a lot of people compared to sites like Match.com and POF, but with a tagline like “City folks just don’t get it” Miller targets a very specific demographic.
Specifically, people who favor “wide open spaces and blue skies” over “high heels, blue suits, taxi cabs.”
As he told The Guardian, he designed the dating site to facilitate “serious relationships,” and Farmers Only attracts everyone from young people seeking their first real relationship to older people looking to remarry after a divorce or being widowed.
Despite the name, Farmers Only isn't just for farmers. It's for anyone interested in living a more rural lifestyle as well.
But is it a good dating site right for you?
Pros Of Using This Niche Dating Site:
- Thanks to effective marketing, it attracts singles who either live or are interested in living “the country life.” If that’s the type of person you’re looking for, Farmers Only is one of the best places to find them.
- Because it isn’t free to contact other singles, Farmers Only generally attracts people who are actively seeking a relationship.
- There’s an even balance of men and women, and a broad range of ages.
Farmers Only Cons Worth Considering:
- As with any niche dating site, the sheer numbers just aren’t there. You may not find many singles in your area, especially if you live in "the big city".
- Exchanging messages with anyone who interests you requires a paid subscription.
- Compared to other paid dating sites like Match, the overall look and feel of Farmers Only is quite dated and you won’t find as many features.
Farmers Only Verdict:
If you’re in or close to a rural area in the US or Canada, it wouldn’t hurt to give Farmers Only a try. Since creating a profile and checking out member profiles is totally free, you won’t lose anything but your time hopping on and taking a look around.
Honest Farmers Only Dating Site Reviews
You’ll find a variety of user reviews on the App Store and Google Play.
Farmers Only Dating has a 4.2 out of 5 stars on the Apple App Store, based on over 15,000 reviews. Some of the more positive reviews like these mentioned that the app was user friendly.
Reviewer Nikki Whisky called it "Very straight forward and easy to use", while Abby357eub said, "I've tried every dating app and this by far the most user friendly one."
In his review, WealchiSin said "The UI is great and there is no glitches, at least I did not find any bugs. There were around 30 profiles based on my filter and I got several matches on the same day." He went on to say he thought the users he saw were high quality, and ultimately he got into a relationship with one of his matches.
Other reviewers weren’t thrilled that there seemed to be so many fake profiles or that matches were far away.
Farmers Only reviewer The Wickersham shared that he "Paid to see who liked me. After paying I found it was a fake profile. Report and have been liking people up to 250 miles away. Not a single like returned. I want my money back!"
Halo47348, a Farmers Only user in Central Indiana, said "This site severely lacks people in my area... only two people have liked me from Indiana and the other four have been 900 hundred, thousand miles away."
On Google Play, user reviews resulted in a 2.3 out of 5 star rating, based on 3.19K reviews.
One of the most commonly mentioned FarmersOnly complaints was outdated functionality.
In a 1-star review, a reviewer called it a "Primitive site. Extremely slow. Will not let you message or search without a subscription. Upon the subscription, there are only old farts on the site. No way to sort/filter them, so I tried to cancel my subscription after ten minutes of use. No refund available."
In her 1-star review, user Eve Sandoval wrote, "Do not pay for this app!!!! 2001 called and wants their app back. Old, outdated, terrible interface, fake profiles. They lure you in to pay with fake profiles, then a fake message that you can't open. Once you fall for it, the people... gross! One picture was even of a zombie. Most don't have humans in the picture, no screening or verifying of any profiles."
The site garnered mixed reviews on Reddit. While some users highlighted that it was one of the few dating apps that actively targets singles in rural areas, others thought it still missed the mark in terms of quality.
In one thread, a few users said they had to continually expand the distance filter because they couldn't find quality matches within a few hundred miles.
Next, let's talk numbers.
How Much Does Farmers Only Cost?
Creating a Farmers Only profile is free, but you won’t have full use of the dating site.
Free members can send “flirts,” browse and search the profile database, and receive a notification if another member has sent you a “flirt.” But just like Match.com, if you want to communicate freely with other members, you’ll need a premium subscription.
These are the premium features you get when you pay for Farmers Only:
- Unlimited messaging with other premium members
- Read & reply to email via the Farmers Only mobile app
- See other members’ status and last online date
- See who “liked” and visited your profile
- Block other members from contacting you
- Upload unlimited photos
It costs $27.95 to join Farmers Only as a premium member for one month.
Farmers Only has two other ala carte features that are only available for Premium members:
- Gold Status: For an extra $9.99 a month, free users will be able to read & respond to your messages. Both free and Premium members will know you’re a Gold Status member because your messages will be highlighted in gold in their inbox, so it is a good way to stand out from the crowd.
- FarmPhone: For an extra $4.95 a month, you can text other members without revealing your phone number. You can also use it to message other users even if they’re aren’t using the texting feature - your text will be routed to their email inbox, and their reply will be texted back to you.
Getting Started On Farmers Only
Creating an account is simple - just provide your email, zip code, gender and gender sought, and your age. The second time you log in to the site, you’ll need to retrieve a verification code sent to the email address you provided.
You’ll also get an email containing an auto-generated username and password, which you’ll need to log back in as well.
Your username will start with the word farmer, cowboy or cowgirl, followed by a string of unique numbers. You can change it in your profile settings, but only once. You’ll find plenty of tips for choosing an attractive username here.
You’ll then be prompted to select your primary photo, which you can do via Facebook if you choose. (Make sure to check out these expert dating photo tips first!)
If you just want to take a look at the singles in your area, you can skip this step by clicking “Continue.” However, you must upload at least one photo to view anything other than thumbnail photos of other members.
That’s all there is to the initial set up process.
Writing Your Farmer's Only Profile
You can write your profile by clicking “Edit Your Profile” in the “Profile Settings” menu.
There are two main sections, “About Yourself” and “About Your Match.” You can also provide a short headline (30-character limit). Your headline displays prominently in the search results, so make it sure builds intrigue and make someone want to keep reading.
Great results on any dating site start with a solid profile, so spend a bit of time jotting down the qualities you have that would be most attractive to the type of person you want to date.
Then, write a couple of sentences describing how you embody each quality. For instance, being physically fit is a big plus - but writing “I’m in good shape” is boring. Instead, mention hobby or two of yours that requires fitness, like hiking or trail riding.
When you describe your ideal match, focus on a few of your “must have” qualities - preferably ones that aren’t physical descriptors. It’s a good idea to end your profile with an icebreaker question, as that will make it easy for someone to send you a first message - all they need to do is answer it, and the conversation is off and running.
How Farmers Only Works
According to various Farmers Only reviews, this dating site has a reputation for sending a lot of notifications to the email address you signed up with.
You can manage those by clicking on “Account Settings” from the left-hand menu, then selecting “Email Preferences.”
Simply uncheck any scenario you don’t want to be emailed about, then click “Save.”
When it comes to finding local singles, you can browse profiles several different ways:
- Checking out “Who’s Online”
- Using the filters in the “Member Search” section
- Browsing profiles that match your age and distance requirements in the “Discover” feature
As a Premium member, you can also see who visited and who liked your profile.
Farmers Only “Discover” feature is similar to Tinder - you can “like” or “pass” on someone based on the primary photo, or you can tap the “info” icon to check out the rest of their profile:
If you purchased a Farmers Only subscription, you can also send a message by clicking the “conversation” icon.
To search for profiles of people who meet your criteria, click on “Member Search” in the left-hand menu. That will bring up all the available search filters:
PRO TIP: Instead of defaulting to ordering your results by age, filter them by “Most Recently Online.” That can help ensure you’re only messaging people actively using the site.
When you find someone you’d like to message, click “email.” To increase the odds of getting a response, your icebreaker should follow these simple rules:
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