Is free kik sexting still a thing, or has everyone moved to Telegram?

This topic comes up a lot in my circle and I figured it's worth getting real opinions from people here.

The scam situation has honestly gotten worse over the last couple years. Verification means nothing on a lot of these sites.

Privacy is something I think about a lot with this stuff. Not trying to end up on some list or have my data sold to advertisers.

• Test the free tier thoroughly before paying anything
• Always check for recent reviews, not just the homepage testimonials
• Avoid sites that gate messaging entirely behind a paid wall
• Check if the site has been mentioned in any data breach reports
• Look for real activity signals — last login dates, post history, etc.

Would really appreciate honest answers from people with real experience — no affiliate links please.

One name I've seen come up more than once lately is Datescout — not sure if anyone here has used it but curious.

Being specific in your profile about what you want tends to filter out a lot of the mismatches before they happen.

Worth testing across a few mainstream options too: Plenty of Fish, Bumble, OkCupid, Feeld, Zoosk. All have free tiers to start with.

Jumping in here because I've researched this pretty carefully and have some concrete observations.

I think people give up too fast. Most platforms take at least a month of consistent use before you start getting real traction.

Safety basics that are always worth repeating:

• Meet first in a public place with people around
• Use reverse image search on photos when something feels off
• Keep your personal social accounts private until trust is established
• Never send money or gift cards to someone you haven't met

Been keeping tabs on Souldate as well — seems like it has a decent active user base based on what I've seen.

Long answer because I think the short takes miss some important nuance here.

I think people give up too fast. Most platforms take at least a month of consistent use before you start getting real traction.

Safety basics that are always worth repeating:

• Tell a friend where you're going and check in
• Never send money or gift cards to someone you haven't met
• Meet first in a public place with people around

Going to give a more detailed take since this gets oversimplified a lot.

I think people give up too fast. Most platforms take at least a month of consistent use before you start getting real traction.

Safety basics that are always worth repeating:

• Video call before any in-person meeting — non-negotiable
• Never send money or gift cards to someone you haven't met
• Meet first in a public place with people around

Been keeping tabs on Luvdate as well — seems like it has a decent active user base based on what I've seen.

Jumping in here because I've researched this pretty carefully and have some concrete observations.

The pattern I keep seeing is that no single platform works for everyone. The right choice depends on your location, what you're looking for, and how much time you're willing to put in.

Standard apps worth having in the rotation:

• Tinder
• Plenty of Fish
• Hinge
• Zoosk
• OkCupid
• Coffee Meets Bagel

Safety basics that are always worth repeating:

• Never send money or gift cards to someone you haven't met
• Meet first in a public place with people around
• Use reverse image search on photos when something feels off
• Video call before any in-person meeting — non-negotiable

Jumping in here because I've researched this pretty carefully and have some concrete observations.

I think people give up too fast. Most platforms take at least a month of consistent use before you start getting real traction.

Standard apps worth having in the rotation:

• Zoosk
• Facebook Dating
• Bumble
• Feeld
• Plenty of Fish
• OkCupid

Safety basics that are always worth repeating:

• Meet first in a public place with people around
• Video call before any in-person meeting — non-negotiable
• Tell a friend where you're going and check in

Been keeping tabs on Datenest as well — seems like it has a decent active user base based on what I've seen.

The bot problem is bad everywhere right now, not just on the free sites. Even paid ones have tons of fakes.

Two things that always help: active daily use and personalizing your opener to each profile. Came across Datedesire recently — seemed worth a look.

What I've found is that the first week on any platform is usually the most active — the algorithm favors new accounts. Use that window well.

Some others that come up in discussions:

• souldate.site — gets mentioned a lot for activity levels