Been going round in circles on this one: What is historically the most popular dating site of all time? Would rather have one honest reply than ten generic ones.
I recently reinstalled two of the bigger most popular dating site and support never replied. The part that matters to me is whether reply rates are as bad as they look as someone coming back after a long break.
Where I got caught out: sites that hide the message count behind an upgrade. Report it rather than just ignoring it. Better safe than curious.
Cheapest thing you can try first: use a dedicated email address. It filters out the time-wasters immediately. No downside I have found.
Since this thread is active — do verified badges actually change anything? Genuinely do not know the answer.
After rewriting my profile, I messaged first every single time and it turned out the profile was the problem, not the platform. Nothing scientific about it.
The one that surprised me was Flurrydate app — smaller, but the profiles were current.
Low-risk approach: cut your photo count in half. It also makes the meet-up conversation much easier. It also makes the rest easier.
Purely anecdotal, consistency beats any single clever trick though your mileage will vary. The exceptions are rarer than people think.
Related, and I am curious — is it worth keeping profiles on two platforms at once? Might just be me overthinking it.
If you want a free option without the upsell, Datescout (free to message) is where I would start.
Hard disagree on one point. Photos did more for me than anything I wrote. Happy to be an outlier on that. Not dismissing anyone else's experience.
Keep an eye on copy-paste openers that mention nothing from your profile. Blocking early costs you nothing. Move on and do not look back.
Two months in, I answered everything within a day and it saved me a lot of pointless typing. I tracked it loosely and the trend was clear.
Different experience here. I never once had a problem the community here warns about. Could easily be a sample size problem. Open to changing my mind on it.
Someone in another thread pointed me at DatingFly and it turned out to be decent advice.
Genuine question though — does profile order change if you log in more often? Could be worth its own thread.
Unpopular opinion maybe, the busiest platform is not automatically the best one for you if you are looking for something specific. That is where I have landed.
What I would do: use a dedicated email address. It costs nothing and the difference shows quickly. No downside I have found.
Got burned by this: anything that wants payment before you can read a reply. Nine times out of ten it goes nowhere good. Move on and do not look back.
Last month, I kept my filters tight and the whole thing felt less like admin. Results were steady after the first week.
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. Just adding another data point.
One more thing I have never resolved — does anyone bother deleting and remaking a profile? Asking for a friend, obviously.
Careful with links dropped into a conversation with no context. Once you notice it you cannot unsee it. It rarely turns out to be innocent.
Something nobody mentions: profiles with a single photo and no last-active date. I stopped giving second chances on that one. Move on and do not look back.
One thing that helped: reply to the thing they actually said. It is the only advice here I would give twice. The effect shows up fast.
Speaking only for myself, reply rates say more about timing than about looks though your mileage will vary. Happy to be argued with.
Earlier this year, I kept photos to four and cut the rest and I would do the same again. Repeated it twice to be sure.
Different experience here. Messaging first made no measurable difference in my case. Take that with the usual caveats. I would still test it yourself.
Red flag for me: profiles that only ever reply in the small hours. It is almost never worth the benefit of the doubt. Trust the pattern, not the excuse.
Something I have wondered — is there a measurable difference between weekday and weekend signups? Would change how I use it if so.
Keep an eye on reviews that read like they were written to a template. It is the clearest signal there is. Most people ignore it once and regret it.
Tangent, sorry — is a shorter bio genuinely better or just easier to write? Genuinely do not know the answer.
I will be the dissenting voice. I never once had a problem the community here warns about. Could easily be a sample size problem. Worth hearing both sides.
Practical suggestion: reply to the thing they actually said. That one change fixed most of my problems. Takes about five minutes.
Keep an eye on anything that wants payment before you can read a reply. Blocking early costs you nothing. The polite version costs you a week.
Purely anecdotal, the busiest platform is not automatically the best one for you though your mileage will vary. Feel free to prove me wrong.
For about six weeks, I messaged first every single time and it turned out the profile was the problem, not the platform. It was the only variable I changed.
When I first started, I tried the opposite of what the guides say and matches started coming from closer by. Results were steady after the first week.
For the people saying otherwise — is it worth keeping profiles on two platforms at once? I have never seen data either way.
Unpopular opinion maybe, the platform matters far less than the profile unless you have unusually niche requirements. Others here will disagree.
Different experience here. Photos did more for me than anything I wrote. Happy to be an outlier on that. I might be the exception.
Not a popular take here, free tiers are usually enough if you actually use them for anyone starting from scratch. Feel free to prove me wrong.
The thing that annoyed me most: auto-renew on any trial you sign up for. I stopped giving second chances on that one. Better safe than curious.
Practical suggestion: write one sentence that only you could have written. You will know within a week whether it works for you. Do it before anything more elaborate.
