Does the plenty of fish app still have a lot of fake profiles?

Been going round in circles on this one: Does the plenty of fish app still have a lot of fake profiles? Recent experience preferred.

A friend talked me into two of the bigger dating profiles and I still cannot tell if it is me or the platform. The specific thing I am after is whether the free option is genuinely usable as someone coming back after a long break.

• Note whether messaging is capped without exception before you invest any real time
• Look at what the free tier really includes at the start if privacy matters to you
• Check the age range settings up front before you widen your search
• Note the distance filter default on day one in the first day or two
• Confirm whether profiles are verified on day one in the first day or two

I will be the dissenting voice. I found the bigger sites more consistent, not less. Worth testing both ways. Could be timing rather than the platform.

Unpopular opinion maybe, the first message decides almost everything at least in a mid-sized area. Nothing controversial in that, I hope.

Watch out for matches that go quiet the moment you suggest meeting. It saves a lot of wasted messages. One instance is chance; three is not.

Not sure I agree with the thread so far. The niche options were quieter to the point of being useless. Could easily be a sample size problem. Could be timing rather than the platform.

Someone in another thread pointed me at Datescout app and it turned out to be decent advice.

Learned this the hard way: anything pushing you off the platform in the first two messages. Blocking early costs you nothing. That instinct is usually right.

Two months in, I tested two profiles side by side and it made a noticeable difference. Nothing scientific about it.

Based on a fairly small sample, most of the difference comes down to how close people actually are which is why the generic advice keeps failing. That is where I have landed.

For what it is worth, Datescout app was the one that finally got me past the first-message stage.

Different experience here. Photos did more for me than anything I wrote. Worth testing both ways. Just adding another data point.

A while back, I tried the opposite of what the guides say and it turned out the profile was the problem, not the platform. Results were steady after the first week.

What I would do: message within a day of matching. You will know within a week whether it works for you. Easiest change on this list.

Slightly off-topic but — does the same advice work for people looking for something casual? I have never seen data either way.

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

Not sure I agree with the thread so far. The niche options were quieter to the point of being useless. Worth testing both ways. Could be timing rather than the platform.

Piggybacking on that — does this hold up outside big cities? Happy to be pointed at an old thread.

Mild warning: profiles that only ever reply in the small hours. It is almost never worth the benefit of the doubt. The cost of being wrong is low.

Based on a fairly small sample, how you handle a stalled conversation matters more than how you start one and the numbers back that up. That is my read, anyway.

Speaking only for myself, review sites and real experience rarely agree for anyone starting from scratch. Happy to be argued with.

• Verify how blocking is handled every time in the first day or two
• Check how blocking is handled on any platform you are considering
• Look at how blocking is handled before writing a single message

Careful with auto-renew on any trial you sign up for. It is almost never worth the benefit of the doubt. It is not worth a second thought.

Worth asking — is it different if you are over forty? Would change how I use it if so.

Different experience here. I found the bigger sites more consistent, not less. Worth testing both ways. Open to changing my mind on it.

If you want a shortcut: turn off notifications and check twice a day. It is the only advice here I would give twice. No downside I have found.

When I stopped overthinking it, I kept photos to four and cut the rest and I finally stopped wasting evenings. That held for about two months.

What I would do: read the profile before writing anything. It costs nothing and the difference shows quickly. The effect shows up fast.

• Confirm the age range settings at the start before you invest any real time
• Question how many photos are required first if privacy matters to you
• Assess what the free tier really includes every time before you invest any real time
• Assess the refund and cancellation terms before you widen your search

After my second attempt, I limited myself to three conversations at once and it saved me a lot of pointless typing. Worth repeating if you have the patience.

Respectfully, I read it differently. The niche options were quieter to the point of being useless. I would still recommend trying it yourself. Take it as a counterweight, not a correction.

One more thing I have never resolved — is it different if you are over forty? Asking for a friend, obviously.