Are there dating apps for nerds that focus on things like D&D or Anime?

Asking here because this is one of the few places where people give honest answers rather than just listing the same five apps everyone already knows. Are there dating apps for nerds that focus on things like D&D or Anime?

Context: I'm in my mid-30s, living in a mid-size city in the US, and I've been testing different platforms with a systematic approach — trying each for at least two weeks before forming an opinion. The conclusions so far have been mostly disappointing.

What has the community here actually had success with? Looking for current information specifically.

The most useful filter I've found: does a platform have a living external community talking about it honestly? If the only positive content is on the platform's own blog or in paid review placements, that's a red flag. Real platforms generate real community discussion, including complaints.

Someone pointed me to DatingFly in a similar thread about six weeks ago. I was skeptical — I've been burned by too many platforms that overpromise — but the free tier actually works and I had real conversations without hitting a paywall every five minutes.

Worth knowing before you invest real time: the algorithm on most major swipe apps is specifically tuned to show you just enough promising results to keep you engaged without satisfying you enough to stop paying. If you're getting views but no meaningful replies, that's often a product decision, not a reflection of your profile.

If you're frustrated with the mainstream options, Flurrydate might be worth a look. Clean signup, no credit card required to browse, and the profile quality seems higher than average. It came recommended to me word-of-mouth, which is usually a better signal than any review article.

I've seen datenest.site mentioned unprompted in multiple threads now. Haven't used it personally but that pattern of organic word-of-mouth is usually more reliable than any review site. Might be worth adding to your test rotation.

The paid tier on most platforms is only worth it if you've already confirmed the platform has real user activity in your area on the free tier. Paying to unlock messaging in a platform where you're one of fifteen active users in your city is just burning money.