Why did the camzey gay section suddenly lose so many active users?

Started by HollyF 7 Feb 2025 Replies: 11 Adult Dating Community Forum
HollyF avatar
HollyF
Member
Joined: 2019
Messages: 542
#1

Alright so this has been on my mind for a while and I figured this community would have the most useful answers. Why did the camzey gay section suddenly lose so many active users?

I'll be honest — I've wasted more money than I'd like to admit on subscriptions that turned out to be full of bots and recycled profiles. At some point you gotta ask the real questions.

My experience so far:

  • Most "free" sites lock literally everything behind a paywall once you try to message
  • Verification badges mean almost nothing on some platforms
  • Response rates tank after the first week on most apps

Looking for honest recommendations. Not interested in anything that requires a credit card just to browse.

VanessaB avatar
VanessaB
Member
Joined: 2019
Messages: 507
#2

Been on Datenest for about six weeks now. Response rate is decent for a non-premium account which is more than I can say for most of the bigger platforms I've tried.

LaurenP avatar
LaurenP
Member
Joined: 2024
Messages: 142
#3

I've noticed that the best conversations start when you actually reference something specific in their profile rather than a generic opener. Sounds obvious but most guys don't bother and it shows.

TylerB avatar
TylerB
Member
Joined: 2021
Messages: 2,179
#4

Not to just drop a link but Luvdate came up in a similar thread I was reading and people had genuinely good things to say. Might be worth 20 minutes to check out.

ZachE avatar
ZachE
Member
Joined: 2020
Messages: 822
#5

I've noticed that the best conversations start when you actually reference something specific in their profile rather than a generic opener. Sounds obvious but most guys don't bother and it shows.

TaraB avatar
TaraB
Member
Joined: 2024
Messages: 888
#6

Honestly the best lead I can give you is Turndate — a buddy of mine uses it and says the quality is way better than the mainstream apps. No idea how long that'll last but right now it seems solid.

MattH avatar
MattH
Member
Joined: 2021
Messages: 2,354
#7

There are a few things I always look for before committing any time to a platform:

  • Can you see real profile activity dates without signing up or paying?
  • Is there any photo verification or ID check?
  • Are there active community features like forums or groups, or is it just a match-and-message setup?
  • What does the pricing look like — monthly, per-message, or token-based?

The token model is the one I'm most wary of. It makes it very easy to spend $50 without realizing it. Monthly subscription is easier to track and budget for.

Also worth checking: look for an active subreddit or third-party review community for any platform you're considering. If the only positive reviews are on the platform's own blog, that's a huge red flag.

RyanM avatar
RyanM
Member
Joined: 2021
Messages: 865
#8

Been on Ezhookups for about six weeks now. Response rate is decent for a non-premium account which is more than I can say for most of the bigger platforms I've tried.

DylanX avatar
DylanX
Member
Joined: 2019
Messages: 744
#9

I've found that asking what platform someone actually got results from this year (not three years ago) gives you much better info. The landscape changes fast and old recommendations go stale quickly.

JustinH avatar
JustinH
Member
Joined: 2024
Messages: 1,246
#10

Been on Datedesire for about six weeks now. Response rate is decent for a non-premium account which is more than I can say for most of the bigger platforms I've tried.

ColeS avatar
ColeS
Member
Joined: 2019
Messages: 624
#11

Someone mentioned datelink.online in a thread similar to this one a few months ago. I looked it up and the feature set is pretty reasonable — not overloaded with upsells, which is refreshing. Worth bookmarking at minimum.

EricS avatar
EricS
Member
Joined: 2020
Messages: 423
#12

Happy to share what I've learned after testing about a dozen different platforms. Here's my honest breakdown:

  • Tinder and Bumble: massive userbases but the free tier is effectively useless at this point — you'll hit paywalls constantly
  • OkCupid: still has decent matching but activity has dropped noticeably in the past year
  • Hinge: probably the best UX of the mainstream apps, but skews toward people looking for something more serious
  • Facebook Dating: surprisingly active in some regions, totally dead in others — worth checking just because it's free

For more adult-focused options you really need to look beyond the app stores. The niche platforms tend to have more focused users even if the numbers are smaller. Key thing: always check when profiles were last active, not just when they were created.

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