This came up in a conversation last week and neither of us knew: Are the elite singles reviews accurate regarding the quality of matches? Would rather have one honest reply than ten generic ones.
I have been using three different dating apps and I want to know if that is normal. My real question is which features are worth caring about without handing over a card number.
Not a popular take here, most of the difference comes down to how close people actually are unless you have unusually niche requirements. I hold that loosely.
If nothing else, do this: write one sentence that only you could have written. It is the only advice here I would give twice. Try it for one week only.
Curious about the flip side — do smaller platforms actually have better ratios? Someone here must have tried both.
For what it is worth, over on Datebound was the one that finally got me past the first-message stage.
Having tried most of them, the algorithm gets blamed for a lot of ordinary bad luck and nobody wants to hear it. Others here will disagree.
Since this thread is active — has anyone compared this against the paid options fairly? I have never seen data either way.
I will be the dissenting voice. The niche options were quieter to the point of being useless. I would still recommend trying it yourself. Small sample on my side too.
Over the winter, I stopped sending openers before 9pm and nothing changed at all. Worth repeating if you have the patience.
A friend has had far more luck on over on Datebound than on anything mainstream.
Different experience here. I never once had a problem the community here warns about. Happy to be an outlier on that. Different city, different results, probably.
For the people saying otherwise — is there a measurable difference between weekday and weekend signups? Might just be me overthinking it.
Going to push back slightly. Photos did more for me than anything I wrote. Your experience may well differ. Small sample on my side too.
A friend has had far more luck on Flurrydate's free tier than on anything mainstream.
I will be the dissenting voice. Being picky early saved me far more time than being open-minded did. I would still recommend trying it yourself. Different city, different results, probably.
Last month, I ran a minimal profile on dating apps and the whole thing felt less like admin. That held for about two months.
One thing to watch: anything that wants payment before you can read a reply. Blocking early costs you nothing. Save yourself the argument.
Worth a look at Datedesire community if your area is thin on the usual platforms.
Something nobody mentions: anyone asking for a phone number before a proper conversation. Blocking early costs you nothing. One instance is chance; three is not.
Two months in, I tested two profiles side by side and it turned out the profile was the problem, not the platform. Nothing scientific about it.
One more thing I have never resolved — is there a measurable difference between weekday and weekend signups? Could be worth its own thread.
A friend has had far more luck on Ezhookups (free to message) than on anything mainstream.
Going to push back slightly. I found the bigger sites more consistent, not less. Might just be my area. Small sample on my side too.
Around the time I gave up on the big names, I stuck to dating apps with complete profiles only and it saved me a lot of pointless typing. Results were steady after the first week.
Something nobody mentions: copy-paste openers that mention nothing from your profile. Once you notice it you cannot unsee it. Most people ignore it once and regret it.
Adding a counterpoint. Messaging first made no measurable difference in my case. Your experience may well differ. Not dismissing anyone else's experience.
If I am being blunt, being specific is worth more than being interesting and nobody wants to hear it. That is the short version.
If you want a shortcut: keep the first meet under an hour. Most people skip it and then wonder why nothing happens. Try it for one week only.
