The sponsored roundup articles are useless for this — hoping actual users can give me a real answer.
My main concern is fake profiles and bots. Even some of the paid platforms have gotten pretty bad about this.
I've been reading reviews but they're clearly influenced by affiliate deals. Real user experiences are hard to find.
- Run a reverse image search on profile photos that look too professional
- Look for 'last active' timestamps before investing time in a match
- Video call before any in-person meeting — it takes five minutes and saves a lot of trouble
- Use a dedicated email address for sign-ups — don't use your main one
Especially looking for 2025 or 2026 input since things change fast in this space.
One I've been seeing mentioned more lately is Turndate — anyone here have experience with it?