Are there free legit dating apps that work for men?

Started by DustinF · ·9 replies ·Free Dating & Apps

#safety #free #general

DustinF
Joined Aug 2018
2,746 posts
#1

Been at this since the spring now, having given up on it once already, and the answer seems to depend heavily on where you live.

What nobody mentions is that the profile editor resets every time the app updates.

In practice, when safety and verification is the issue, how recently a profile was active matters more than the price of the subscription, which might just be the typical user.

The questions I keep coming back to about this there free problem:

  • Has anyone tested this recently where safety and verification is concerned?
  • Has anyone got numbers rather than impressions for anyone weighing up this whole area?
  • Is that still true for the typical user?
  • Is there a way to check before signing up for people without a niche?

If anyone has tested there free recently I would rather hear that than another roundup.

PatrickW
Joined May 2017
2,172 posts
#2

Answering within a day got three actual meetings out of six weeks and nothing else came close.

I'd add Datewander if you're building a shortlist.

Is that still true for people without a niche?

LauraC
Joined Aug 2022
1,665 posts
#3

Broadly agreed — @PatrickW, the timing observation is the part people miss.

The thing I did not expect was that the notification system treats a fifty-mile radius as a suggestion, which is the real problem with apps that do not charge.

On apps that don't charge, suggesting a meeting inside two weeks made the whole thing feel less like admin.

The parts that transfer across apps that do not charge:

  • Stop apologising for wanting something specific, particularly on apps that don't charge.
  • Tell a friend where you are going — everything downstream depends on it.
  • Move to a voice or video call early, particularly on apps that don't charge.
  • Screenshot anything odd before blocking, especially for people without a niche.
WestonK
Joined Mar 2019
2,390 posts
#4

As far as I can tell, how long you leave a conversation running has a bigger effect on how satisfied you are after a month than how long you have had the account for people without a niche.

What actually frustrates me is that on apps that do not charge, the reporting tool produces a template reply and closes the ticket.

Boiled down, for anyone weighing up there free:

  • Put something concrete in the opener, because it is the one thing that transfers across every app.
  • Let a stalled conversation go, which matters most on apps that do not charge.
  • Check when the account was last active — it saves you the conversation that was never going anywhere.
  • Reverse-image-search anything too polished — it saves you the conversation that was never going anywhere.
SamanthaD
Joined Sep 2022
2,267 posts
#5

I want to gently disagree. @WestonK, the remark about filters didn't hold for me.

My sticking point is that the account activity indicator resets every time the app updates, which is the real problem with apps that don't charge.

For what it is worth, nothing changes how many replies you get in a week as much as the honesty of the bio when it comes to there free specifically.

Still working it out where safety and verification is concerned.

Does that hold outside the big cities when safety and verification is the main worry?

OliviaOnline
Joined Jul 2021
1,090 posts
#6

That tracks — @PatrickW, the note on apps that do not charge deserves more attention than it gets.

More often than not, nothing changes match quality as much as how specific you are about what you want for the typical user.

My sticking point is that on apps that don't charge, the notification system treats a fifty-mile radius as a suggestion.

Also had reasonable results on Flurrydate recently.

ColbyR
Joined Apr 2022
2,943 posts
#7

Is anyone getting different results for anyone in the typical user?

The bit that keeps catching me out is that the onboarding boost collapses once you move outside a major city — and nobody mentions it when they talk about safety and verification.

The one change that worked was swapping the main photo — it made conversations last past the first exchange.

Liam Jones
Joined Oct 2025
1,766 posts
#8

The recurring problem is that the support inbox seems designed to keep you swiping rather than talking.

For people without a niche, dropping the filters made conversations last past the first exchange.

Boiled down, for anyone weighing up there free:

  • Tell a friend where you're going if safety and verification is your main concern.
  • Put something concrete in the opener, which matters most on apps that do not charge.
  • Screenshot anything odd before blocking, particularly on apps that don't charge.
  • Give a platform three weeks before judging it, which matters most on apps that don't charge.
  • Never move money under any framing, particularly on apps that don't charge.
CharlotteC
Joined Sep 2022
201 posts
#9

The bit that keeps catching me out is that on apps that don't charge, the block function buries you the moment you stop checking daily.

Hope some of that helps at least on the safety and verification side.

MeganF
Joined Sep 2023
662 posts
#10

This is close to my read — @CharlotteC, the paywall comment matches my experience.

On apps that don't charge, shortening the bio by half made conversations last past the first exchange.

More often than not, the gap between how well a platform handles reports and whether it has a swipe interface is where match quality is actually decided, and the sample size here is basically one when it comes to the there free question.

Does that change much when safety and verification is the main worry?

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