Comparison · updated 19 September 2026
Rishta vs Shaadi.com, for Punjabis in Australia and New Zealand
Shaadi.com is the biggest matrimonial platform in the world, and if you are in India it is probably the right one. This page is about what it is like to use it from Melbourne or Auckland, which is a different question, and what we built differently because of it.
Everything about Shaadi.com below is either its published product design or what our founder observed on a paid plan over six months in 2026 (Sikh, ages 22–27, Australia, New Zealand and Punjab). Products change; if something here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
| Shaadi.com | Rishta | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | India first, with country pages for the diaspora | Australia and New Zealand only |
| Do women pay? | Free basic profile; in our experience free members could not read messages or see contact details without paying | Free for women, permanently, with nothing held back |
| Photos | Visible by default; privacy settings exist | Hidden by default; each man sees them only after she approves him |
| Who can browse | Any member can search any other | Women choose: all approved men, only men who match their preferences, or nobody but their matchmaker |
| Verification | Phone and email; ID verification available as an optional badge | Everyone checks their ID (document and live face) before going live, and a person looks over every new profile |
| Interests | One pre-written line, sendable in bulk, unlimited for paid members | No cap, but every one carries a note he wrote, so bulk-sending is impossible |
| Contact details | Shown to premium members after acceptance | Never displayed on any profile at any tier; shared only by her, in a conversation, if she chooses |
| Human matchmaker | Paid assisted service, sold separately | Also a paid service, for women and men alike: Icebreaker $39, Vichola $1,199 for 3 months |
| Men per woman (our test) | About 10 : 1 for Sikh profiles aged 22–27 in Australia, New Zealand and Punjab, six months in 2026 | We are new; we will publish real numbers once there are enough members to count |
| Price for men | Various plans, typically from around A$40–A$70 per month depending on duration | $39/month for Search, or $99 for 3 months paid once; $1,199 for 3 months for Vichola |
The number that matters
The census says Australia’s Sikh community is close to evenly split between men and women. On the big platforms, our founder’s account saw roughly ten men for every woman in the segment he searched, and a control account set up as a woman received inbound interest from around the world within days. That gap is not demographic. It is women who exist, are looking, and have decided those platforms are not for them.
Every design decision on Rishta comes back to that: women free with nothing withheld, photos hidden until she says yes, every interest written by hand, contact details never on the page, and a matchmaker who is never from her own city. If that brings the ratio anywhere near what the census says it should be, a reply here means something, which is the only thing men are actually paying for.
When Shaadi.com is the better choice
If you want the largest possible pool and you are happy to search India as well as here, Shaadi.com has it. And if you want a very large pool today, they have it and we are new. We would rather you knew that than joined the wrong thing.
Try the other way.
Free for women. Men join with Search, $39 a month or $99 for 3 months.