Reposting this from another board because it got buried: What are some other dating apps besides the big three that are worth it? Any first-hand answers appreciated.
Someone recommended one of the newer other dating apps and support never replied. What nobody seems to answer is whether the free option is genuinely usable without spending anything to find out.
Worth flagging: anyone asking for a phone number before a proper conversation. Better to lose one match than a week. The cost of being wrong is low.
Speaking only for myself, reply rates say more about timing than about looks for anyone starting from scratch. Nothing controversial in that, I hope.
Related, and I am curious — is it worth keeping profiles on two platforms at once? Asking for a friend, obviously.
A friend has had far more luck on over on Ezhookups than on anything mainstream.
That has not been my experience at all. The platform genuinely does matter if you are outside a major city. Not saying everyone else is wrong. There is room for both to be true.
Worth testing for a week: read the profile before writing anything. It also makes the meet-up conversation much easier. Takes about five minutes.
Follow-up for anyone reading — do verified badges actually change anything? It comes up every few months and never gets settled.
Earlier this year, I messaged first every single time and honestly it was the only thing that helped. Could be luck; it did not feel like it.
I keep a second profile on Turndate (free to message) and it pulls a different crowd entirely.
Different experience here. Photos did more for me than anything I wrote. I would still recommend trying it yourself. Not dismissing anyone else's experience.
Worth asking — does this hold up outside big cities? Could be worth its own thread.
For about six weeks, I answered everything within a day and nothing changed at all. Small sample, but consistent.
Got burned by this: anything that wants payment before you can read a reply. Better to lose one match than a week. It is the cheapest filter you have.
Switched over to Luvdate after getting nowhere on the big names.
Worth testing for a week: keep the first meet under an hour. Everything else is secondary to that. Do it before anything more elaborate.
Not sure I agree with the thread so far. I found the bigger sites more consistent, not less. Take that with the usual caveats. I have been wrong about this before.
Once I narrowed my radius, I tried the opposite of what the guides say and I finally stopped wasting evenings. Small sample, but consistent.
Based on a fairly small sample, the first message decides almost everything though your mileage will vary. Make of that what you will.
A friend has had far more luck on Datenest than on anything mainstream.
After my second attempt, I ran a minimal profile on other dating apps and honestly it was the only thing that helped. Your area may behave differently.
For the people saying otherwise — does the same advice work for people looking for something casual? Genuinely do not know the answer.
Something nobody mentions: accounts created the same week they message you. I stopped giving second chances on that one. Nobody has ever thanked me for being patient there.
From where I sit, review sites and real experience rarely agree which is why the generic advice keeps failing. Feel free to prove me wrong.
Two years of this later, profile quality beats profile quantity every time and nobody wants to hear it. Happy to be argued with.
Once I narrowed my radius, I kept photos to four and cut the rest and I got three real plans out of it. Repeated it twice to be sure.
Low-risk approach: read the profile before writing anything. It costs nothing and the difference shows quickly. No downside I have found.
I will be the dissenting voice. I never once had a problem the community here warns about. Could easily be a sample size problem. Just adding another data point.
If I am being blunt, reply rates say more about timing than about looks especially if you are not in a capital city. Nothing controversial in that, I hope.
Once I narrowed my radius, I let the other person pick the plan and nothing changed at all. Results were steady after the first week.
I will be the dissenting voice. Being picky early saved me far more time than being open-minded did. Take that with the usual caveats. Open to changing my mind on it.
Two months in, I messaged first every single time and it turned out the profile was the problem, not the platform. It stopped being random after that.
Worth asking — is it different if you are over forty? Someone here must have tried both.
Small change worth trying: keep the first meet under an hour. It is the only advice here I would give twice. It compounds with everything else.
If I am being blunt, the first message decides almost everything and the numbers back that up. Make of that what you will.
Since switching my settings, I kept my filters tight and matches started coming from closer by. Nothing scientific about it.
The advice I wish I had: set your radius smaller than feels sensible. It is the only advice here I would give twice. It compounds with everything else.
Not sure I agree with the thread so far. Being picky early saved me far more time than being open-minded did. I would still recommend trying it yourself. Take it as a counterweight, not a correction.
I will be the dissenting voice. I found the bigger sites more consistent, not less. Worth testing both ways. I have been wrong about this before.
Keep an eye on links dropped into a conversation with no context. I stopped giving second chances on that one. The cost of being wrong is low.
Having tried most of them, smaller platforms punch above their weight once you have been at it a few weeks. Ask again in six months and I may say something else.
Practical suggestion: keep the first meet under an hour. It made conversations shorter and far more useful. Reversible if you hate it.
A couple of people in my circle swear by Turndate for the same reason.
Respectfully, I read it differently. Messaging first made no measurable difference in my case. Might just be my area. There is room for both to be true.
For most of last year, I put one honest sentence in my bio and the conversations got shorter but better. Your area may behave differently.
Different experience here. Messaging first made no measurable difference in my case. Might just be my area. Take it as a counterweight, not a correction.
What I would do: write one sentence that only you could have written. That one change fixed most of my problems. It compounds with everything else.
