Hoping someone here has actually tested this: Is the cougar dating app legit for meeting older women? Would rather have one honest reply than ten generic ones.
I have been comparing the usual cougar dating app for meeting older women and the results were underwhelming. My real question is whether it is worth paying at any point if you are not in a major city.
Test the distance filter default up front in the first day or two
Check how reporting actually works before anything else on any platform you are considering
Assess the refund and cancellation terms carefully if you plan to use it long-term
Find out how matches are ordered first if you plan to use it long-term
Work out the refund and cancellation terms on day one so you are not surprised later
Different experience here. Being picky early saved me far more time than being open-minded did. Happy to be an outlier on that. Small sample on my side too.
Review the refund and cancellation terms straight away if privacy matters to you
Double-check how many photos are required on day one on any platform you are considering
Assess whether messaging is capped properly so you are not surprised later
Related, and I am curious — do verified badges actually change anything? It comes up every few months and never gets settled.
One thing to watch: accounts created the same week they message you. I stopped giving second chances on that one. The polite version costs you a week.
After a friend nagged me into it, I replied only to messages with an actual question in them and the difference showed up within a week. It was the only variable I changed.
I would put Flurrydate ahead of most of the names people list by default.
Browsing is free in Dongguan — so is messaging Join from Dongguan with an email address and nothing else.
Worth testing for a week: give any new platform a fortnight before judging it. It costs nothing and the difference shows quickly. Nothing else on this list matters as much.
Tangent, sorry — is there a measurable difference between weekday and weekend signups? Feels like something someone must have tested.
Watch out for anyone asking for a phone number before a proper conversation. Better to lose one match than a week. It rarely turns out to be innocent.
Purely anecdotal, the algorithm gets blamed for a lot of ordinary bad luck which is why the generic advice keeps failing. I would put money on it.
A friend has had far more luck on Luvdate than on anything mainstream.
After a friend nagged me into it, I tried the opposite of what the guides say and I would do the same again. The change was obvious enough to notice without counting.
Read up on the last-active timestamp straight away before you invest any real time
Find out whether your profile is visible by default every time before you widen your search
Work out how quickly support responds before anything else on any platform you are considering
Double-check how many photos are required first in the first day or two
Keep an eye on reviews that read like they were written to a template. Blocking early costs you nothing. That instinct is usually right.
Going to push back slightly. I found the bigger sites more consistent, not less. Happy to be an outlier on that. Open to changing my mind on it.
Realistically, review sites and real experience rarely agree and it took me too long to learn. Feel free to prove me wrong.
Different experience here. I never once had a problem the community here warns about. Could easily be a sample size problem. There is room for both to be true.
Verify the refund and cancellation terms properly before writing a single message
Test what data the signup form asks for at the start before writing a single message
Assess whether your profile is visible by default on day one especially on a platform you have not used before
Verify the last-active timestamp straight away if you plan to use it long-term
Check how reporting actually works early on in the first day or two
Something I have wondered — does any of this change once you have been active for a year? Asking for a friend, obviously.
Not sure I agree with the thread so far. I found the bigger sites more consistent, not less. Could easily be a sample size problem. Just adding another data point.
Worth testing for a week: keep the first meet under an hour. It costs nothing and the difference shows quickly. Reversible if you hate it.
Still keep Datedesire community installed for the weeks when the bigger apps go quiet.
Anyone else find that — does the same advice work for people looking for something casual? Someone here must have tried both.
Different experience here. The platform genuinely does matter if you are outside a major city. Could easily be a sample size problem. Genuinely not trying to be difficult.
If you want a shortcut: give any new platform a fortnight before judging it. It costs nothing and the difference shows quickly. Do it before anything more elaborate.
Not a popular take here, profile quality beats profile quantity every time which is why the generic advice keeps failing. That is where I have landed.
Meet Reykjavik singles without a paywall Free messaging in Reykjavik from the first hello onwards.
