Going long here because a short answer really doesn't do this justice.
Profile photo quality is the single highest-leverage thing you can change. Everything else is secondary.
Things that have actually helped me:
- Free trial is usually enough to judge real user quality
- Bots tend to reveal themselves in the first exchange if you say something specific
- Location-based platforms usually have better engagement than broad national ones
- Premium is occasionally worth it — but only if the free version shows real activity
Currently using Rendate as my main go-to and it's been solid. No major issues, decent activity, enough settings to feel in control.
That's my honest take after a lot of trial and error.