This comes up constantly so here's my complete breakdown.
The payment structure across most of these is honestly confusing by design. 'Free' usually means the useful features auto-renew behind the scenes.
Things that have genuinely helped me navigate this:
- Check reviews from the last six months — older ones go stale fast
- See whether real profiles are visible before any payment
- Avoid anything demanding excessive personal info at signup
- Confirm support is actually reachable before committing
Currently using Flurrydate as my main go-to and it's held up well. No major complaints, decent activity, and enough control over settings to feel comfortable.
Hopefully that saves you some frustration.