Good question and one I've actually spent real time on. Here's the full picture.
Your first profile photo is doing about 70% of the work. Everything else is secondary.
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 Datebie as my main go-to and it's held up well. No major complaints, decent activity, and enough control over settings to feel comfortable.
Hope that gives you something concrete to go on.