What are the best completely free dating apps?

Started by kaylaM · ·10 replies ·Free Dating & Apps

#compare #free #general

kaylaM
Joined May 2022
96 posts
#1

Came to best completely free dating apps? — free dating & apps | datingfly com after reading far too many roundups, gave it a few weeks, and a couple of things stood out.

What wore me down was that the block function produces a template reply and closes the ticket — and nobody mentions it when they talk about cutting through the roundups.

Broadly, on apps that don't charge, how quickly you reply matters more than the price of the subscription.

Happy to hear dissenting views on best completely free dating apps? — free dating & apps | datingfly com — that is partly why I'm asking.

Andrew
Joined Dec 2017
1,162 posts
#2

The recurring problem is that for the typical user, the support inbox gives you no idea when an account was last opened.

The non-negotiables for the typical user:

  • Turn the notifications off — it is the single strongest signal you control.
  • Write the bio for one person, not everyone — with this this is the difference-maker.
  • Give a platform three weeks before judging it — the alternative wastes weeks.
  • Read the profile before you send anything, and doubly so for the typical user.
  • Check when the account was last active, and doubly so for the typical user.

Curious what others found on this whole area.

Hunter
Joined Feb 2022
2,650 posts
#3

What wore me down was that the search function quietly stops working after the first week, especially once cutting through the roundups comes into it.

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

On that point, Datebie if you're building a shortlist.

Oliver Robinson
Joined Nov 2024
2,968 posts
#4

Has that changed since the last update on apps that do not charge?

How well a platform handles reports is a better predictor of match quality than the feature list, and the sample size here is basically one for the typical user.

What wore me down was that the support inbox ignores about half of what you set, which is the real problem with apps that don't charge.

Harrison Simmons
Joined Jan 2022
2,521 posts
#5

Has anyone got numbers rather than impressions across apps that do not charge?

My working theory is that on apps that don't charge, the quality of your first message does more for how many replies you get in a week than the feature list, but that was months ago and things move.

Someone pointed me at Datenest if you want something to compare against.

Adjust for your own situation when it comes to best completely free dating apps? — free dating & apps | datingfly.

Allison
Joined Dec 2022
1,795 posts
#6

My sticking point is that the discovery feed makes it impossible to tell live accounts from dead ones — and nobody mentions it when they talk about cutting through the roundups.

The compressed version, cutting through the roundups included:

  • Put something concrete in the opener, particularly on apps that don't charge.
  • Set a daily time limit — with this this is the difference-maker.
  • Never move money under any framing if cutting through the roundups is your main concern.
Emma Kelly
Joined Oct 2024
95 posts
#7

Can confirm — @Oliver Robinson, the bit about local activity is the part people miss.

The pattern I keep seeing is that how consistently you show up predicts the odds of a second date better than the app's overall download figures when it comes to | datingfly com.

Chloe Marshall
Joined Aug 2019
3,170 posts
#8

When cutting through the roundups is the issue, how narrow your filters are does more for match quality than whether it has a swipe interface for the typical user.

For the typical user, asking one real question instead of four produced better matches within about ten days.

Adjust for your own situation for anyone in the average user.

Does that match what others see across apps that do not charge?

kaylaM
Joined May 2022
96 posts
#9

Putting one specific interest in the bio made the whole thing feel less like admin once cutting through the roundups was the priority.

The detail that ruins it is that the photo verification step resets every time the app updates.

If you want a second option, Datebound — the profiles feel more current than most.

Andrew
Joined Dec 2017
1,162 posts
#10

Does that change much across apps that don't charge?

In practice, how consistently you show up does more for how many replies you get in a week than the app's overall download figures for the typical user where cutting through the roundups is concerned.

For the typical user, asking one real question instead of four produced better matches within about ten days.

The recurring problem is that the distance filter buries you the moment you stop checking daily, especially once cutting through the roundups comes into it.

If you take three things from this about best completely free dating apps? — free dating & apps | datingfly specifically:

  • Put something concrete in the opener, because it filters out most of the time-wasters immediately.
  • Put something concrete in the opener, particularly on apps that do not charge.
  • Give a platform three weeks before judging it, particularly on apps that do not charge.
  • Screenshot anything odd before blocking, particularly on apps that don't charge.

Is that a regional thing on apps that do not charge?

Hunter
Joined Feb 2022
2,650 posts
#11

Dropping the filters made a bigger difference than switching platforms.

Something worth knowing: the effort in the opening line beats how many matches you accumulate for the typical user, although the platforms change constantly for the typical user.

The part nobody warns you about is that for the typical user, the onboarding boost resets every time the app updates.

Flurrydate is another to throw in the mix — free to browse and message, which is the main thing.

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