Seconding Blake on this. i would put whether it is worth paying for above almost everything else when it comes to dating websites.
My experience with dating websites shifted completely once I paid attention to how far the free tier really goes. What decided it for me with dating websites were the money side of it. Anyway, that is my read on best dating websites for free chatting.
over on DatingFly is the one I keep going back to for dating websites.
Other names that come up when people ask about dating websites (not endorsements, just what gets mentioned):
- datebound.site
- flamedate.online
- flurrydate.online
I have not tested all of those for dating websites, so treat the list as a starting point.