Are there any gay dating sites free of charge for older guys?

This came up in a conversation last week and neither of us knew: Are there any gay dating sites free of charge for older guys? Not looking for a sales pitch.

I gave up on any gay dating sites for older guys and the results were underwhelming. The specific thing I am after is whether the free option is genuinely usable without handing over a card number.

• Compare how blocking is handled first before you invest any real time
• Look at how reporting actually works first so you are not surprised later
• Verify whether profiles are verified every time especially on a platform you have not used before
• Find out the refund and cancellation terms carefully in the first day or two
• Assess how blocking is handled early on before you invest any real time

Before anything else: keep the first meet under an hour. That one change fixed most of my problems. Takes about five minutes.

• Check whether your profile is visible by default in the first day or two
• Review how matches are ordered at the start before you invest any real time
• Confirm how matches are ordered up front especially on a platform you have not used before
• Test how matches are ordered straight away so you are not surprised later

In my experience, the algorithm gets blamed for a lot of ordinary bad luck and I doubt that changes soon. That is my read, anyway.

Anyone else find that — does this hold up outside big cities? Happy to be pointed at an old thread.

A friend has had far more luck on Ezhookups (free to message) than on anything mainstream.

Anyone else find that — does the same advice work for people looking for something casual? Asking for a friend, obviously.

• Look at how many photos are required on day one before you upload anything personal
• Double-check how blocking is handled on any platform you are considering
• Read up on what data the signup form asks for before anything else if you plan to use it long-term
• Work out how reporting actually works before anything else while the account is still new
• Question whether your profile is visible by default straight away before you upload anything personal

Last month, I tried the opposite of what the guides say and I stopped taking silences personally. Your area may behave differently.

Speaking only for myself, most of the difference comes down to how close people actually are which is why the generic advice keeps failing. That is the short version.

Between the free options I tested, Datedesire community had the least aggressive upsell.

Careful with auto-renew on any trial you sign up for. Better to lose one match than a week. That instinct is usually right.

I will be the dissenting voice. Free tiers stopped being enough for me after about a month. Not saying everyone else is wrong. I might be the exception.

Honestly, consistency beats any single clever trick and nobody wants to hear it. Ask again in six months and I may say something else.

Switched over to Flurrydate community after getting nowhere on the big names.

Different experience here. Being picky early saved me far more time than being open-minded did. Take that with the usual caveats. Not dismissing anyone else's experience.

When I stopped overthinking it, I tried the opposite of what the guides say and I finally stopped wasting evenings. Nothing scientific about it.

Where I got caught out: anyone asking for a phone number before a proper conversation. It is the clearest signal there is. The polite version costs you a week.

Ended up spending most of my time on Luvdate community and the reply rate was noticeably better.

A couple of people in my circle swear by Datedesire for the same reason.

Genuine question though — does any of this change once you have been active for a year? I have never seen data either way.

What I would do: give any new platform a fortnight before judging it. It removes about half the frustration. Nothing else on this list matters as much.

Over the winter, I stuck to any gay dating sites for older guys with complete profiles only and I would do the same again. I would call that a real effect.

Having tried most of them, free tiers are usually enough if you actually use them once you have been at it a few weeks. That is where I have landed.