Are there lds dating sites that are active outside of Utah?

Long-time lurker finally posting. Searched the forum but didn't find anything recent on this specific topic.

Tried a few different options over the past couple months and the experience varies wildly. Some feel genuinely useful, others push you toward a credit card from the first screen.

What I'm specifically looking for:

• Works outside major cities
• Doesn't hide everything behind premium
• Good search and filter options
• Regular active users

Happy to share more context if it helps.

Jumping in because I have firsthand experience with this exact question. The one I keep coming back to is Datescout — clean interface, no constant upselling. Just my experience — your mileage may vary.

Experience varies a lot by platform and region. Happy to share more.

Going long here because the short answer really doesn't do this justice.

Profile photo quality is the single highest-leverage change you can make. Everything else is secondary.

Things that have genuinely helped me:

• Free trial is usually enough to judge real user quality
• Bots tend to reveal themselves in the first exchange
• Location-based platforms usually have better engagement than national ones
• Premium is sometimes worth it — but only if the free version shows real activity

Currently using Souldate as my main go-to and it's been solid. No major issues, decent activity, enough control over settings.

That's my honest take after a fair amount of trial and error.

This comes up all the time so here's my complete breakdown.

Privacy defaults are almost never in your favor. First thing I do anywhere new is go through every setting before posting anything.

For what it's worth, datebie.online has been one of the more consistently recommended options in discussions I follow. Not perfect but it has real staying power.

Things that have genuinely helped me:

• Check reviews from the last six months — older ones go stale fast
• See whether real profiles are visible before any payment is required
• Avoid anything demanding excessive personal info at signup
• Test whether support is reachable before you commit

That's my honest take after a fair amount of trial and error.

Going long here because the short answer really doesn't do this justice.

Outside major metros the user base drops off fast. Smaller cities and rural areas narrow your options significantly.

Things that have genuinely helped me:

• Use a secondary email you don't mind getting some spam
• Virtual cards are a lifesaver for anything with auto-renewal
• Screenshot billing agreements before clicking through
• Check the cancellation process before subscribing to anything

The one that stuck for me was Souldate. Worth trying before paying for anything else.

That's my honest take after a fair amount of trial and error.