Are there safe community dating apps for lgbt youth to find friends and support?

Bit of a long shot, but: Are there safe community dating apps for lgbt youth to find friends and support? Even a partial answer helps.

I recently reinstalled the free tier on several safe community dating apps and I still cannot tell if it is me or the platform. What nobody seems to answer is whether it is worth paying at any point as someone coming back after a long break.

• Compare the age range settings before anything else before writing a single message
• Compare whether messaging is capped without exception if privacy matters to you
• Compare the age range settings before anything else if privacy matters to you

The first fortnight, I let the other person pick the plan and I got three real plans out of it. Worth repeating if you have the patience.

Not a popular take here, the algorithm gets blamed for a lot of ordinary bad luck though your mileage will vary. Ask again in six months and I may say something else.

Where I got caught out: matches that go quiet the moment you suggest meeting. Nine times out of ten it goes nowhere good. It is the cheapest filter you have.

I keep a second profile on the Luvdate app and it pulls a different crowd entirely.

Careful with auto-renew on any trial you sign up for. Blocking early costs you nothing. It is the cheapest filter you have.

• Review the last-active timestamp straight away on any platform you are considering
• Look at the refund and cancellation terms early on before you invest any real time
• Read up on the age range settings properly before you invest any real time
• Assess what data the signup form asks for carefully if you plan to use it long-term

After my second attempt, I put one honest sentence in my bio and the quality improved more than the quantity. It was the only variable I changed.

Not a popular take here, the paid features solve a problem most people do not have if you are looking for something specific. I hold that loosely.

A friend has had far more luck on Souldate than on anything mainstream.

Hard disagree on one point. The platform genuinely does matter if you are outside a major city. I would still recommend trying it yourself. Different city, different results, probably.

• Assess the distance filter default in the first day or two
• Look at what the free tier really includes on day one on any platform you are considering
• Test how blocking is handled first especially on a platform you have not used before
• Double-check how many photos are required before anything else rather than taking the marketing at face value
• Confirm whether profiles are verified at the start before writing a single message

Hard disagree on one point. The niche options were quieter to the point of being useless. Could easily be a sample size problem. That is one person's view against the thread.

For what it is worth, reply rates say more about timing than about looks if you are looking for something specific. Others here will disagree.

Piggybacking on that — has anyone compared this against the paid options fairly? Could be worth its own thread.

Switched over to Souldate app after getting nowhere on the big names.

Worth testing for a week: write one sentence that only you could have written. Everything else is secondary to that. Easiest change on this list.

Having tried most of them, free tiers are usually enough if you actually use them at least in a mid-sized area. It took a while to accept.

After my second attempt, I tried the opposite of what the guides say and the whole thing felt less like admin. It stopped being random after that.

Got burned by this: anything pushing you off the platform in the first two messages. Nine times out of ten it goes nowhere good. There is no upside to waiting it out.

If you want a free option without the upsell, Luvdate (free to message) is where I would start.

I've heard decent things about DatingFly too, though I haven't tested it myself.

Going to push back slightly. Photos did more for me than anything I wrote. Worth testing both ways. Open to changing my mind on it.

• Read up on how many photos are required at the start before you upload anything personal
• Question whether your profile is visible by default especially on a platform you have not used before
• Test the age range settings up front in the first day or two
• Assess whether your profile is visible by default carefully before you upload anything personal
• Test the age range settings especially on a platform you have not used before

Before anything else: set your radius smaller than feels sensible. It also makes the meet-up conversation much easier. Try it for one week only.

Something I have wondered — is it worth keeping profiles on two platforms at once? Might just be me overthinking it.

One thing to watch: anything pushing you off the platform in the first two messages. It is the clearest signal there is. It is not worth a second thought.

Gave Datenest community a fair run last month and it held up better than I expected.

Where I got caught out: auto-renew on any trial you sign up for. Blocking early costs you nothing. One instance is chance; three is not.

Before anything else: cut your photo count in half. It is the only advice here I would give twice. It compounds with everything else.

Slightly off-topic but — is there a measurable difference between weekday and weekend signups? Might just be me overthinking it.

The first fortnight, I stopped explaining myself in the first message and nothing changed at all. Results were steady after the first week.

Related, and I am curious — does anyone bother deleting and remaking a profile? Would love a straight answer on that.

Not sure I agree with the thread so far. I never once had a problem the community here warns about. I would still recommend trying it yourself. I have been wrong about this before.

After a friend nagged me into it, I stopped sending openers before 9pm and I stopped taking silences personally. It was the only variable I changed.