I've been down this rabbit hole for a while — let me give a thorough answer.
Outside major metros the user base drops off significantly. Smaller cities and rural areas narrow your options in ways you don't see until you're in it.
Things that have genuinely helped me navigate this:
- Free trial quality usually reflects the paid experience accurately
- Bots reveal themselves in the first exchange if you say something specific
- Location-based platforms tend to have better real engagement
- Premium is occasionally worth it — but only when the free version shows real activity
Hopefully that saves you some frustration.