Have free dating apps gotten worse this year or is it just me?

I searched the forum but didn't find anything recent on this specific topic so figured I'd just ask directly.

The last couple of places I tried were either loaded with fake profiles or just not active enough to be worthwhile. Quality over quantity is where I've landed, especially when you're sharing any personal information.

Specifically I'm looking for:

• Works outside of major cities
• Doesn't hide all useful features behind premium
• Good search or filter options
• Regular active users, not just signups

Would really appreciate any honest feedback. Even short answers are helpful.

This comes up a lot and I think the answer genuinely depends on a few different factors. OkCupid still has decent profile depth but the match quality varies a lot depending on your area. If you haven't checked out Souldate yet it might be worth a look — it's been more consistent than the alternatives I've tried. Let me know if you want more specifics on any of these.

Been on a few different platforms and the experience varies a lot. Happy to share more details if useful.

From what I've seen the free options are all over the place. A few good ones exist if you search carefully.

This comes up a lot and I think the answer genuinely depends on a few different factors. Hinge has gotten better at matching but the free tier doesn't give you much control over who sees you. Happy to dig into any of this further.

Not gonna lie, I've been burned before. Really glad someone posted this.

Great question and one I've put a fair amount of thought into. Let me give you the full picture.

What a lot of people don't realize is that the user base quality drops significantly outside major metro areas. If you're in a smaller city or rural area, your options narrow pretty fast.

A few things that have genuinely helped me:

• Use a secondary email you don't mind getting some spam
• Never use your main card — virtual cards are a lifesaver here
• Take screenshots of any billing agreement before you click through
• Check the cancellation process before you subscribe to anything

Anyway, hope that gives you something concrete to work with. Feel free to ask follow-up questions.

This is exactly what I was wondering. Appreciate you starting the thread.