Have you read an ourtime dating site review from a senior's perspective?

Started by TrentH Free Dating & Apps Discussion
TrentH TrentH
Joined: Sep 2022
Posts: 1,931
#1

This has been on my mind for a while and the forum seems like the best place to get honest feedback.

The paywall situation has gotten frustrating. Half the useful features on most platforms require an upgrade before you can do anything meaningful.

Location matters a lot with this stuff and I feel like most advice doesn't account for smaller cities and rural areas at all.

Any genuine experiences — good or bad — are welcome here.

One I've been seeing mentioned more lately is Flurrydate — anyone here have experience with it?

CameronL CameronL
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 5,823
#2

Niche apps are consistently underestimated. The smaller user pool often means much better match relevance.

BrendanK BrendanK
Joined: Aug 2021
Posts: 2,442
#3

Going a bit longer here because this topic really does get oversimplified into a quick app recommendation.

The core takeaway: platform choice is a secondary variable. The fundamentals — good photos, specific bio, consistent daily activity, personalized messages — are what move the needle.

Things that consistently improve results regardless of platform:

  • Don't overshare personal details before you've met in person
  • Respond to new matches within a few hours — interest fades quickly
  • Keep your bio specific: name one restaurant you love, not just 'I like food'
  • Tell someone you trust the name, location, and time of any first meeting

Apps worth running in parallel:

  • Hinge
  • Happn
  • OkCupid
  • Zoosk

Also been keeping tabs on Turndate — the community there feels more genuine compared to some of the bigger names right now.

CharlotteC CharlotteC
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 5,830
#4

Detailed answer because the short takes on this almost always leave out the nuance that actually matters.

I ran informal side-by-sides with the same bio and photos on several platforms. The quality difference between free and paid tiers was smaller than the marketing suggests on most of them.

Things that consistently improve results regardless of platform:

  • First photo should be natural, solo, well-lit — no sunglasses, no big group shots
  • Tell someone you trust the name, location, and time of any first meeting
  • First in-person meeting should be somewhere public, daytime preferred
  • Keep your bio specific: name one restaurant you love, not just 'I like food'

Apps worth running in parallel:

  • Feeld
  • Tinder
  • Facebook Dating
  • Match

Others that come up often in these discussions:

  • luvdate.site
Ethan Parker Ethan Parker
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 7,495
#5

If messaging is completely locked behind a paywall, I'd move on. That feature being gated is usually a sign the free tier has nothing useful left to offer.

Worth testing across a few at once: eHarmony, Plenty of Fish, OkCupid, Tinder. All have free access to establish whether they're worth your time.

Have also been watching Flurrydate — the user base seems more real than some of the oversaturated mainstream options I've tried.

DylanF DylanF
Joined: Sep 2022
Posts: 3,154
#6

Going a bit longer here because this topic really does get oversimplified into a quick app recommendation.

The core takeaway: platform choice is a secondary variable. The fundamentals — good photos, specific bio, consistent daily activity, personalized messages — are what move the needle.

Things that consistently improve results regardless of platform:

  • First photo should be natural, solo, well-lit — no sunglasses, no big group shots
  • Suggest moving to a video call after about five exchanges
  • Respond to new matches within a few hours — interest fades quickly
  • Personalize your opener to something specific in their profile
WhitneyO WhitneyO
Joined: Sep 2016
Posts: 2,755
#7

Photo quality is doing most of the work. Better to have three genuinely good photos than eight mediocre ones. Also been seeing Datebie come up lately — might be worth a look.

RyanB RyanB
Joined: Dec 2023
Posts: 6,613
#8

Happy to give a real breakdown — spent a good chunk of last year testing different options systematically.

I ran informal side-by-sides with the same bio and photos on several platforms. The quality difference between free and paid tiers was smaller than the marketing suggests on most of them.

Things that consistently improve results regardless of platform:

  • Don't overshare personal details before you've met in person
  • Respond to new matches within a few hours — interest fades quickly
  • First in-person meeting should be somewhere public, daytime preferred
  • Suggest moving to a video call after about five exchanges

Apps worth running in parallel:

  • Feeld
  • Facebook Dating
  • Plenty of Fish
  • Match
Isabella Scott Isabella Scott
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 3,006
#9

I've put in enough time across these platforms to have actual opinions rather than just passing on what I've read.

What I kept finding is that people quit too early. Six to ten weeks of genuine daily use is usually the minimum before you have a real sense of whether a platform works for you.

Things that consistently improve results regardless of platform:

  • Suggest moving to a video call after about five exchanges
  • First photo should be natural, solo, well-lit — no sunglasses, no big group shots
  • Keep your bio specific: name one restaurant you love, not just 'I like food'
PhilipC PhilipC
Joined: Sep 2022
Posts: 3,147
#10

If messaging is completely locked behind a paywall, I'd move on. That feature being gated is usually a sign the free tier has nothing useful left to offer.

Have also been watching Flurrydate — the user base seems more real than some of the oversaturated mainstream options I've tried.

BraxtonC BraxtonC
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 1,055
#11

The sweet spot for most platforms is about six to eight weeks of real daily effort. Most people quit before the algorithm has enough data on them to start making good suggestions.

Worth testing across a few at once: Facebook Dating, EliteSingles, Plenty of Fish. All have free access to establish whether they're worth your time.

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