Do totally free dating apps still exist, or is it a myth at this point?

Trying to get a straight answer on totally free dating apps and everything I read is recycled.

Where it falls apart for me is whether paying changes anything.

Happy to be told I'm thinking about dating apps the wrong way.

Not my experience at all — dating apps felt fine once I changed how I used it.

I went in with low expectations with dating apps: markedly different once the novelty wore off.

One adjustment worth making with dating apps: treat the first week as observation only.

Happy to revisit dating apps if someone has newer experience.

I watched a friend go through it with dating apps: quite a bit different once the novelty wore off.

I kept notes for a month with dating apps: a lot different once the novelty wore off.

Results on dating apps improved once I stopped optimising for volume.

Depends heavily on context — dating apps can be fine in cities and thin outside them.

Short version of what worked for dating apps:

• Notice whether replies on dating apps arrive in bursts — it changes the reply rate more than anything else
• Read the profile on dating apps properly before sending anything — that is where most of the wasted time goes
• Write openers for dating apps that reference one specific detail, never a greeting alone

The step most people skip with dating apps is reading the profile before messaging.

Treat dating apps as a starting point rather than an answer.

Depends heavily on context — dating apps can be fine in cities and thin outside them.

Whatever you decide about dating apps, decide it on your own usage rather than a thread.

Short version of what worked for dating apps:

• Keep identifying details off dating apps until there is a reason to share them
• Log what actually happens on dating apps for a week — it is the cheapest filter available
• Check when accounts on dating apps were last active before investing in them

Worth adding Souldate to whatever shortlist you are building around dating apps.

The answer changes depending on what you want out of dating apps.

If you take one thing from this on dating apps, make it the profile photos.

Worth noting how much of what's written about dating apps is promotional.

Whatever you decide about dating apps, decide it on your own usage rather than a thread.

Kept a tally on dating apps this year and the numbers were not what I expected.

The one I keep returning to for dating apps is Flamedate, mostly because the messaging is genuinely open.

I logged what happened, and dating apps behaved exactly as you say.

Kept a tally on dating apps over the last few months and the numbers were not what I expected.

There is a version of this I agree with: dating apps can be inconsistent rather than bad.

I would put Datescout on the list if whether paying changes anything is what is bothering you.

If you take one thing from this on dating apps, make it the profile photos.

Treat dating apps as a starting point rather than an answer.

Worth separating two things here — dating apps and what people expect from it.

Would still like to hear from someone who stuck with dating apps past the first month.

One adjustment worth making with dating apps: treat the first week as observation only.

Three things that changed whether paying changes anything for me:

• Keep identifying details off dating apps until there is a reason to share them
• Log what actually happens on dating apps for a week — you will not notice it otherwise
• Check when accounts on dating apps were last active before investing in them