Can you name any reliable dating apps no subscription required ever?

Reposting this from another board because it got buried: Can you name any reliable dating apps no subscription required ever? Bonus points if you have used it in the last few months.

Someone recommended a few smaller any reliable dating apps and the messaging limits killed it. What would settle this for me is whether the same advice applies outside big cities for someone who dislikes small talk.

• Look at whether messaging is capped every time in the first day or two
• Question what data the signup form asks for at the start rather than taking the marketing at face value
• Test the refund and cancellation terms at the start if you plan to use it long-term

Since switching my settings, I answered everything within a day and the whole thing felt less like admin. Small sample, but consistent.

Going to push back slightly. I found the bigger sites more consistent, not less. Could easily be a sample size problem. Open to changing my mind on it.

Tangent, sorry — does this hold up outside big cities? Might just be me overthinking it.

Gave Datedesire app a fair run last month and it held up better than I expected.

Hard disagree on one point. The niche options were quieter to the point of being useless. Happy to be an outlier on that. Small sample on my side too.

Having tried most of them, review sites and real experience rarely agree for anyone starting from scratch. It took a while to accept.

For about six weeks, I ignored anything without a visible last-active date and I stopped taking silences personally. It was the only variable I changed.

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

That has not been my experience at all. Free tiers stopped being enough for me after about a month. Might just be my area. Small sample on my side too.

• Review whether your profile is visible by default straight away especially on a platform you have not used before
• Review whether your profile is visible by default every time before you widen your search
• Review what data the signup form asks for without exception on any platform you are considering
• Compare what data the signup form asks for every time so you are not surprised later
• Double-check what data the signup form asks for rather than taking the marketing at face value

Before anything else: turn off notifications and check twice a day. It stops the whole thing feeling like a chore. Easiest change on this list.

Two years of this later, the paid features solve a problem most people do not have especially if you are not in a capital city. That is where I have landed.

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

Broadly speaking, free tiers are usually enough if you actually use them though your mileage will vary. It took a while to accept.

Worth asking — does this hold up outside big cities? Would change how I use it if so.

Keep an eye on reviews that read like they were written to a template. That pattern has been consistent for me across platforms. There is no upside to waiting it out.

The one that surprised me was over on Datedesire — smaller, but the profiles were current.

For about six weeks, I ran a minimal profile on any reliable dating apps and honestly it was the only thing that helped. Small sample, but consistent.

Based on a fairly small sample, reply rates say more about timing than about looks and nobody wants to hear it. Happy to be argued with.

Keep an eye on profiles that only ever reply in the small hours. Blocking early costs you nothing. Trust the pattern, not the excuse.

Adding a counterpoint. Being picky early saved me far more time than being open-minded did. Your experience may well differ. I have been wrong about this before.