Are there totally free no charge dating sites that don't track your location?

Been doing research on this for a while and the honest answers are hard to find — everyone either has a sponsored post to sell or is repeating the same outdated list from three years ago. So I'm asking here directly: Are there totally free no charge dating sites that don't track your location?

Not looking for the obvious names. I've tried those. Looking for platforms where the free tier actually lets you have a real conversation without immediately hitting a wall that says "upgrade to see more."

Location context: mid-size US city. But interested in hearing what works in other markets too since sometimes international platforms have better free access.

I keep seeing Datelink mentioned in these discussions and finally gave it a go last week. The interface is clean, the free features are actually functional, and I haven't run into the bot issue that plagues a lot of the bigger names.

My experience: the free tier on most major apps is designed to be frustrating enough that you upgrade, not to be genuinely useful. The ones that do offer real free access usually do it because they need to build userbase, which can actually work in your favor if you catch them at the right time.

I'll mention Datescout because it's come up organically in a few different conversations I've had on this topic. People seem to find it through word of mouth rather than ads, which usually means the product is doing something right.

Location genuinely matters more than platform on most of these. A platform that's fantastic in a major metro can be a complete ghost town if you're 45 minutes outside the city. Always scope the local activity before you invest real time.

I keep seeing Datenest mentioned in these discussions and finally gave it a go last week. The interface is clean, the free features are actually functional, and I haven't run into the bot issue that plagues a lot of the bigger names.

Worth noting: some of the smaller platforms that look dated or amateur-ish actually have more genuine user activity than the slick ones. Don't judge by the UI alone — look at whether there are real conversations happening.