Is the pof free dating site still the biggest one in the US?

Tried a few things on my own without much luck. Time to ask people who actually know. My biggest concern is wasting time on platforms that look active but are full of stale profiles or bots. I've hit that wall multiple times and it gets old fast.

• Disable auto-renew immediately after any paid signup
• Confirm the platform has real support, not just a chatbot FAQ
• Read third-party reviews before entering any payment details
• Check whether profiles display a last-active timestamp
• Always use a dedicated email address when signing up

Smaller niche platforms often beat the big names on member quality even with fewer users. If you haven't looked at Datescout yet, it's worth a few minutes. Better member activity than most.

Worth noting that datedesire.online gets mentioned a lot in similar threads. The scam-adjacent platforms follow a very predictable pattern. They make it look like there are hundreds of active users nearby, but most of those profiles are months or years old.

Platforms that invest in moderation tend to cost more, but the quality difference is worth it. You're essentially paying for cleaner data.

Signs of a legitimate platform: - Real reviews on independent sites like Trustpilot, not just testimonials on their own page - A clear and actionable refund policy - Support that responds with humans, not just a chatbot - Some kind of profile verification option

If a site doesn't make reporting suspicious profiles easy, that's a serious red flag. I ended up on Flamedate after trying the mainstream options and the quality difference was immediately obvious.

Start with a throwaway email no matter what platform you try. Keeps the spam manageable.

Best results come from platforms where you can see the last-active timestamp. Inactive profiles kill the whole experience.

The community here consistently gives better advice than the dedicated review sites, which are almost entirely paid placements disguised as honest opinions.

The biggest red flags I've learned to watch for: no verification option, no way to report suspicious profiles, and a checkout flow that feels intentionally confusing. Any one of those and I close the tab immediately.