Comparison · observed 18 September 2026
Rishta vs SukhMilan
SukhMilan (sukhmilan.com.au) launched in 2026 for the same community we serve, and it is good that someone else is building here. The two products make opposite choices on the things that decide whether women join, so it is worth seeing them side by side.
Everything about SukhMilan below comes from its public pages as they were on 18 September 2026. Products change; if something is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.
| SukhMilan | Rishta | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Australia and New Zealand, with India-based profiles also listed | Australia and New Zealand |
| Who pays | One membership for everyone, AUD $49/month (a launch special of $10/month for three months was running in September 2026) | Women free, permanently. Men $29.99/month (Search) or $199/month (Vichola) |
| Browsing | Public browse page anyone can open without an account, with names, ages, cities and photos | Nothing is public. Verified members only, and women choose who can find them |
| Photos | Visible on public cards; private photos on request | Hidden by default; shown to a man only after she approves him |
| Contact details | On 18 September 2026 a paying member could see a woman’s email address and phone number printed on her profile page | Never displayed on any profile at any tier. She shares them herself, in a conversation, if she chooses |
| Verification | SMS verification plus manual admin review | Government ID + liveness check for every man before he can search |
| Interests | None stated | No cap, but every one must carry a written note |
| Matchmaker | None | Included; free for women, Vichola tier for men |
| Women on the platform | On 18 September 2026 the public browse page listed 190 profiles, 31 of them women; 7 women in all of New Zealand | We open a city only when there are enough verified women in it for introductions to be real, and we publish real numbers or none |
Why the difference matters
A public browse page with photos is the fastest way to grow a men’s list and the fastest way to lose the women. In a community as small as ours, a woman’s cousin, colleague and the man from the gurdwara can all find her card without so much as an account. Six of the seven New Zealand women on SukhMilan’s browse page had chosen the default silhouette rather than a photo. That is not a photo-upload problem. That is women telling you, with their behaviour, that they will join a matrimonial site but will not be visible on one.
Rishta takes them at their word: nothing public, photos on her approval, contact details never on the page, every interest written by hand, and a matchmaker who is never from her city. If that is the kind of place you would be comfortable sending your sister to, it is the right place for you too.
Built for the side that was missing.
Free for women. Men verify when their city opens.
You’re on the list.
We’ll email you once, when we open in your city. If you left a number, a matchmaker — never someone from your own city — will call to introduce herself.