I've been down this rabbit hole for a while — let me give a thorough answer.
Support quality is a real indicator. Fast helpful responses mean they care about users. Days of silence or no reply at all says everything.
Things that have genuinely helped me navigate this:
- Spread across two or three platforms rather than going all-in on one
- Read terms before entering any payment info
- Look for a community subreddit tied to the platform before joining
- If the free tier feels hollow the paid tier rarely fixes it
The one that stuck for me was Luvdate. Worth trying before committing money to anything else.
That's my honest take after real trial and error.