What “free” usually means
On most matrimonial services, free means you can create a profile and look around. The moment you want to contact someone, see a phone number or send a message, a fee appears. That is not a trick in itself: running a safe service costs money. It just helps to know where the line is before you start.
Check three things on any site: what you can do without paying, what the paid plan costs and for how long, and whether it renews automatically.
Matrimony WhatsApp and Facebook groups
Groups are free and fast, and many are run by volunteers who mean well. The cost is privacy. A biodata posted in a group can be forwarded and saved by anyone, and it cannot be recalled. Our guide to matrimony WhatsApp groups in Australia explains how to share more safely if you use them.
- Cost: free.
- Good for: reach within your own community.
- Watch for: photos and phone numbers travelling far beyond the group.
Large international matrimony portals
The big Indian and Pakistani portals have a huge number of profiles, and most let you register free. Contacting people or seeing their details usually needs a paid membership, often for a few months at a time. Many profiles live overseas, which suits families open to a match from back home, and less so families who want someone already settled in Australia.
- Cost: free to register, paid to contact.
- Good for: a very large pool, including overseas.
- Watch for: automatic renewals, and how many profiles are actually in your city.
Personal matchmakers and marriage bureaus
A matchmaker, or rishta aunty, does the searching for you and carries the first message. That personal service is valuable, and it is priced accordingly. Matchmaking services in Sydney, for example, advertised annual packages from about $330 to over $2,000 when we checked in November 2026. A free first conversation is common, so ask what each package includes before you commit.
- Cost: usually an annual package.
- Good for: families who want an experienced person to guide the search.
- Watch for: what happens if the year ends without a match.
Community events and places of worship
Marriage events, the masjid, mandir or gurdwara, and community associations are still where many families meet. Events often have a ticket price; word of mouth through your community is free. Both depend on who happens to be in the room.
Khandaan: what is free and what is not
Khandaan is a matrimony site for Indian and Pakistani families in Australia. Here is exactly what costs money and what does not:
- Free: creating a family profile, browsing families and matchmakers across Australia, and accepting introductions other families send you.
- Free: an optional ID check, which adds a badge to your profile, and private photos that only open when both families agree.
- Paid: sending introductions yourself. That is a single $79 payment, GST included, by PayID, for unlimited introductions. It is not a subscription and never renews.
- Free for matchmakers: listing and working with families.
Free listing is for Khandaan’s founding families. Once the community has grown, we plan to introduce fees for new profiles, and we will tell existing members before anything changes.
How to choose
Most families use more than one route, and that is fine. A sensible approach is to keep your details private by default, start where your own community already is, and pay only once you know a service actually has families who suit you. If you are just starting, our guide on how to find a rishta in Australia walks through it step by step.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a completely free matrimonial site in Australia?
Very few services are free all the way through. WhatsApp and Facebook groups are free but give up privacy. Most matrimonial sites, including Khandaan, are free to join and browse, and charge for contacting other families. On Khandaan you can also accept introductions other families send you without paying.
Is Khandaan free for girls’ families?
Khandaan charges every family the same way. Creating a profile, browsing and accepting introductions are free for everyone, and sending introductions is a one-off $79 payment. Free listing is for our founding families; we plan to introduce fees for new profiles later and will tell existing members before anything changes.
Are there free Muslim matrimonial sites in Australia?
Muslim families can list on Khandaan free, with photos private by default and family-to-family introductions. Many families also use their masjid’s network and community marriage events. See our page for Muslim matrimonial in Australia.
Why do matrimonial sites charge at all?
Checking IDs, removing fake profiles, keeping photos private and answering families’ questions take real people and real time. A fee also tends to mean the families you contact are serious about the search.