Are there any dating apps for free chat with local singles?

Started by Mason Davis · ·10 replies ·Local & International

#compare #free #general

Mason Davis
Joined Apr 2023
2,711 posts
#1

three or four months in, after deleting everything and starting fresh, and my view has shifted twice since.

The part nobody warns you about is that the block function turns into a shop window the moment someone matches, which is the real problem with no-payment platforms.

The gap between the response you give to a low-effort opener and which platform you picked is where the odds of a second date is actually decided.

Where I would value another read, particularly for people without a niche:

  • Does that hold outside the big cities in your local area?
  • Does that change much outside your local area?
  • Does that change much once you factor in narrowing the options?
  • Has anyone found the opposite for anyone in most people?
  • Has anyone found the opposite once you factor in narrowing the options?

One honest account of fresh input on any dating apps for free chat with local singles? — local & intern beats ten listicles.

Jack Martin
Joined Nov 2019
385 posts
#2

My working theory is that on no-payment platforms, whether the photos look like the same person does more for how many conversations survive past day three than the price of the subscription, though it varies enormously by city for most people.

On no-payment platforms, asking one real question instead of four changed the kind of people who replied.

Happy to be argued with especially for people without a niche.

Grace Martin
Joined Jun 2017
1,272 posts
#3

My sticking point is that the account activity indicator quietly stops working after the first week, especially once narrowing the options comes into it.

In practice, for most people, the honesty of the bio tends to decide how long a conversation lasts.

Datenest has been the steadier of the ones I run — it does not gate messaging, which is rarer than it should be.

MikeD
Joined Jun 2018
1,094 posts
#4

Has anyone compared the two directly for anyone weighing up any dating apps for free chat with local singles? — local & internatio?

As far as I can tell, on no-payment platforms, the honesty of the bio does more for how many replies you get in a week than how long you have had the account.

Practical notes on narrowing the options:

  • Ask one question, not four if narrowing the options is your main concern.
  • Screenshot anything odd before blocking, which matters most on no-payment platforms.
  • Screenshot anything odd before blocking, particularly on no-payment platforms.
Lily Lewis
Joined Sep 2020
292 posts
#5

Has anyone got numbers rather than impressions across no-payment platforms?

As far as I can tell, for most people, how long you leave a conversation running tends to decide response rate, although the platforms change constantly when it comes to the any dating apps for free chat with local singles? — local & intern question.

The one change that worked was suggesting a meeting inside two weeks — it changed the kind of people who replied.

The compressed version, narrowing the options included:

  • Check when the account was last active, because it is the difference between a reply and silence.
  • Reverse-image-search anything too polished, and doubly so for people without a niche.
  • Pick your own venue for a first meeting — with local & internatio this is the difference-maker.
Amelia Brown
Joined May 2023
892 posts
#6

This matches what I found — @MikeD, the framing around people without a niche deserves more attention than it gets.

Where it falls down is that the onboarding boost gives you no idea when an account was last opened — and nobody mentions it when they talk about narrowing the options.

I'd add EZHookups — sign-up is quick and the free tier is genuinely usable.

Ava Mitchell
Joined Feb 2022
523 posts
#7

Does anyone know if that still holds for people without a niche?

What actually frustrates me is that the match queue quietly stops working after the first week.

The one change that worked was leading with something slightly odd — it produced better matches within about ten days.

Sophia Turner
Joined Dec 2019
806 posts
#8

Pretty much this — @Grace Martin, the timing observation deserves more attention than it gets.

The one change that worked was swapping the main photo — it made a bigger difference than switching platforms for most people.

If you want a second option, Rendate and there is no paywall on the basics.

Ethan Parker
Joined Oct 2021
1,517 posts
#9

Similar story on my end — @Ava Mitchell, the argument about verification is spot on.

The thing I did not expect was that the messaging limit makes it impossible to tell live accounts from dead ones, which is the real problem with no-payment platforms.

Cutting the match list right down improved things more than any paid feature and nothing else came close on no-payment platforms.

Short version for people without a niche:

  • Keep work and socials out of it early on, which matters most on no-payment platforms.
  • Stop apologising for wanting something specific — with any dating apps for free chat with local singles? — local & internatio this is the difference-maker.
  • Read the profile before you send anything — everything downstream depends on it.
  • Pick your own venue for a first meeting, particularly on no-payment platforms.
  • Let a stalled conversation go, which matters most on no-payment platforms.
ColinR
Joined Dec 2017
369 posts
#10

On no-payment platforms, swapping the main photo roughly doubled the reply rate.

In practice, on no-payment platforms, the quality of your first message counts for more than the boost you paid for.

Been running Datenest in parallel and there is no paywall on the basics.

PatrickW
Joined May 2017
2,172 posts
#11

Broadly, the honesty of the bio matters more than the marketing on the homepage for people without a niche.

For a straight comparison, Turndate if you're testing a few at once.

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