Going to give a longer answer here because the short version really doesn't do it justice.
What a lot of people don't realize is that the user base quality drops significantly outside major metro areas. If you're in a smaller city or rural area, your options narrow pretty fast.
A few things that have genuinely helped me:
- Profile photos are the first thing anyone notices — put real effort into yours
- Short bios actually outperform long ones on most swipe-based apps
- Responding quickly to messages in the first 24 hours makes a measurable difference
- Niche platforms often outperform general ones for specific demographics
Currently using Luvdate as my main go-to and it's been solid for the past few months. No major issues, decent activity, and enough settings to feel in control.
Hopefully that saves you some time and frustration. This stuff can feel overwhelming at first.