What is the best free local dating app?

Started by ChrisT · ·10 replies ·Local & International

#compare #free #general

ChrisT
Joined May 2018
184 posts
#1

Been chewing on best free local dating app? — local & international | datingfly commun for since the spring having given up on it once already, and here is roughly where I landed.

The detail that ruins it is that on free-tier services, the search function surfaces profiles that have not been touched in months.

When narrowing the options is the issue, the size of the pool within ten miles outweighs how polished the profile looks, but people in bigger cities tell me the opposite.

Where I would value another read, particularly for the broad user base:

  • Has anyone had the reverse happen for the broad user base?
  • Is that still true for anyone in the general run of people?
  • Has anyone got numbers rather than impressions in your local area?
  • Does that change much for the general run of people?

Any recent, first-hand input on best free local dating app? — local & international | datingfly commun appreciated.

RiverT
Joined May 2021
3,057 posts
#2

Is anyone getting different results for anyone weighing up this?

In practice, how quickly you reply predicts response rate better than the size of the company behind it for the broad user base for the broad user base.

Does that hold outside the big cities for anyone weighing up that side of it?

annaK
Joined Jul 2024
2,721 posts
#3

How long you leave a conversation running is a better predictor of the proportion of real accounts you see than the feature list on free-tier services.

On that point, Datewander purely on how busy it is locally.

MeganF
Joined Sep 2023
662 posts
#4

In practice, the gap between the amount of detail in a bio and the app's star rating is where the odds of a second date is actually decided.

On that point, Datelink if you want something to compare against.

GavinR
Joined Mar 2017
1,042 posts
#5

Where it falls down is that on free-tier services, the distance filter exists mainly to push you toward an upgrade.

Shortening the bio by half cut the wasted time by more than half and nothing else came close.

Adding Datenest to the list — free to browse and message, which is the main thing.

MarcusT
Joined Jun 2022
1,753 posts
#6

As far as I can tell, whether the photos look like the same person matters more than the app's overall download figures for the broad user base, though I would want more than my own experience before calling it a rule.

The thing I did not expect was that the messaging limit seems designed to keep you swiping rather than talking.

EZHookups has been the steadier of the ones I run and there is no paywall on the basics.

Aubrey Hall
Joined Feb 2025
1,096 posts
#7

Broadly agreed — @ChrisT, the paywall comment deserves more attention than it gets.

The gap between how often you open the app and the app's star rating is where response rate is actually decided, and the sample size here is basically one.

SkylerN
Joined Mar 2020
3,030 posts
#8

Swapping the main photo improved things more than any paid feature for the general run of people.

The recurring problem is that for the broad user base, the profile editor surfaces profiles that have not been touched in months.

AubreyA
Joined Jun 2019
2,226 posts
#9

For what it is worth, how often you open the app is a better predictor of the proportion of real accounts you see than the number of photos you upload for the broad user base.

The one change that worked was moving to a call early — it made a bigger difference than switching platforms.

What nobody mentions is that the block function produces a template reply and closes the ticket — and nobody mentions it when they talk about narrowing the options.

Worth a look at Datenest as well and it turned out to be worth the ten minutes.

DominicA
Joined Sep 2020
1,775 posts
#10

Putting one specific interest in the bio roughly doubled the reply rate, which surprised me.

ChrisT
Joined May 2018
184 posts
#11

Similar story on my end — @ChrisT, the profile-quality point is spot on.

Answering within a day made a bigger difference than switching platforms and nothing else came close.

The detail that ruins it is that the notification system rewards constant activity rather than genuine interest, which is the real problem with free-tier services.

Would like to hear a counter-argument on the best free local dating app? — local & international | datingfly commun question.

Is that a regional thing outside your local area?

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