Reposting this from another board because it got buried: Are there any no cost dating sites that are supported purely by ads? Even a partial answer helps.
I recently reinstalled a couple of no cost dating sites and the experience was fine but unremarkable. Where I need help is how much of this is down to the profile itself if you are not in a major city.
Compare whether messaging is capped before anything else if privacy matters to you
Assess the last-active timestamp carefully before you invest any real time
Read up on what the free tier really includes on day one before you widen your search
The advice I wish I had: set your radius smaller than feels sensible. It sounds trivial and it is not. Reversible if you hate it.
Genuine question though — is it worth keeping profiles on two platforms at once? Feels like something someone must have tested.
After a friend nagged me into it, I ran a minimal profile on no cost dating sites and I stopped taking silences personally. I would call that a real effect.
Watch out for matches that go quiet the moment you suggest meeting. It saves a lot of wasted messages. Nobody has ever thanked me for being patient there.
Worth a look at the DatingFly app if your area is thin on the usual platforms.
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Follow-up for anyone reading — is it worth keeping profiles on two platforms at once? No agenda, just curious.
Based on a fairly small sample, the algorithm gets blamed for a lot of ordinary bad luck which is why the generic advice keeps failing. It took a while to accept.
Going to push back slightly. I never once had a problem the community here warns about. Your experience may well differ. There is room for both to be true.
A friend has had far more luck on Souldate's free tier than on anything mainstream.
Not sure I agree with the thread so far. The platform genuinely does matter if you are outside a major city. I would still recommend trying it yourself. Just adding another data point.
Test the distance filter default on day one before writing a single message
Review how reporting actually works early on especially on a platform you have not used before
Verify how blocking is handled properly so you are not surprised later
Unpopular opinion maybe, the paid features solve a problem most people do not have and the numbers back that up. Ask again in six months and I may say something else.
Keep an eye on anyone asking for a phone number before a proper conversation. Nine times out of ten it goes nowhere good. It is the cheapest filter you have.
I keep a second profile on Ezhookups and it pulls a different crowd entirely.
Curious about the flip side — has anyone tracked whether reply rates change by day of the week? It comes up every few months and never gets settled.
Hard disagree on one point. Messaging first made no measurable difference in my case. Could easily be a sample size problem. There is room for both to be true.
When I stopped overthinking it, I tried the opposite of what the guides say and nothing changed at all. That held for about two months.
That has not been my experience at all. The platform genuinely does matter if you are outside a major city. Your experience may well differ. Just adding another data point.
When I stopped overthinking it, I tested two profiles side by side and honestly it was the only thing that helped. I would call that a real effect.
Realistically, most of the difference comes down to how close people actually are once you have been at it a few weeks. Ask again in six months and I may say something else.
While we are here — do photo changes reset how often you get shown? No agenda, just curious.
Look at how matches are ordered properly on any platform you are considering
Confirm the refund and cancellation terms up front if privacy matters to you
Question how matches are ordered at the start if privacy matters to you
Read up on how many photos are required every time rather than taking the marketing at face value
Something nobody mentions: anyone asking for a phone number before a proper conversation. It is the clearest signal there is. It is the cheapest filter you have.
When I first started, I dropped every conversation that stalled twice and the whole thing felt less like admin. It stopped being random after that.
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