In recent years, online dating has become more and more popular. After all, as we all struggle to find the people that we're meant to be with in life, having an application or website that we can access to give us a quick view of literally thousands of potential matches seems to be the best way to narrow down the search. Today, around one third of the married couples in America met online, so it's safe to say that this solution works.

Of course, the options that are available to help you find your other half can be a little overwhelming. The more popular online dating becomes, the more new sites seem to pop up in an attempt to cater for almost every kind of single person. While popular choices remain to be a safe bet if you're looking for a huge user base, it's worth considering some of the smaller solutions too – after all, you're only looking for one "happily ever after."

Here we're going to look at the top 10 free dating sites to help you make your choice.

1. Match.com

Almost everyone has heard of match.com, and the company claims that it's site has led to more marriages and dates than any other site available. With literally millions of members across the world, the huge database should mean that you have plenty of potential people to browse through, even though you might need to kiss a lot of profiles to find your prince or princess.

2. My Single Friend

This is a little bit less obvious choice for our list of the top 10 free dating sites, but it's still worthy of consideration. It's simply meant for people who cannot believe that their best friend is single. It helps you to push the benefits of your friends so that they don't have to go online and brag about themselves.

3. Eharmony

Another well-known option for most, Eharmony takes a slightly more scientific approach to the process of finding Mr. or Mrs. Right. This solution matches singles based on dimensions of compatibility that have been proven to be crucial for long-term relationships, such as intellect, character and values.

4. Friend Finder

Perhaps the most casual option on our list of the top 10 free dating sites, Friend Finder is full of webcam chats, tips, and an online magazine too!

5. Zoosk

This is the romantic social network that first found its popularity on Facebook. It helps people to share and create romantic journeys with a range of members from across the globe enjoying access to the service every month.

6. Beautiful People

Only people who are deemed beautiful are allowed to join this site. This can be a difficult process, and members need to be rated over a 48-hour period.

7. Dating Direct

This site recently merged with Meetic, which is a giant in the dating scene. This means that dating direct now has access to around 20 million users in Europe, so there's no shortage of dates out there.

8. Love Arts

If you love the arts, this is the website for you. It will help match you with someone who shares your specific passion in the arts.

9. Dating for Parents

If you don't want to worry about mentioning your kids, then Dating for Parents could be the answer, as it's designed particularly for romantic people with youngsters.

10. Green Singles

Finally, if you love the environment, animal rights, and vegetarian meals, then this could be the place to find your other half.