Where can I find free friendship sites for adults?

Started by Abigail Taylor Free Dating & Apps Discussion
Abigail Taylor Abigail Taylor
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 2,523
#1

Finally made an account here just to ask this — hoping to get some honest input.

Privacy is a serious concern for me. Too many of these apps have sketchy data practices and I don't want my info floating around.

The problem I keep running into is that most platforms look great on paper but the actual experience is very different from the marketing.

  • Reverse image search photos if something feels off
  • Use a separate email address for dating apps
  • Always test the free tier before putting in a credit card
  • Check when the app last had a meaningful update
  • Video chat before any in-person meeting

Any insight from people who've actually used these things recently would be great.

One that keeps coming up in my research is Flurrydate — anyone have direct experience with it?

AndrewL AndrewL
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 878
#2

Longer answer here because this deserves more than a one-liner.

The headline is: platform choice matters less than profile quality and consistency. Fix those two things first.

Some things that consistently improve results:

  • Three photos minimum, at least one full-body and one doing something you enjoy
  • If a match goes cold, one follow-up is fine; more than that is not
  • Respond within an hour when you can — response rates drop fast after that

Others that come up frequently in this space:

  • Ezhookups.online
  • rendate.site
Hannah Lee Hannah Lee
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 1,373
#3

Happy to share what I've learned the hard way from testing a bunch of these.

Most people quit too early. Meaningful results on dating apps typically take 6–8 weeks of consistent daily use.

Some things that consistently improve results:

  • If a match goes cold, one follow-up is fine; more than that is not
  • Meet in public, tell a friend the details
  • Video call before meeting — weeds out catfish and builds genuine comfort

Apps worth having in rotation:

  • Badoo
  • Plenty of Fish
  • Match
  • Zoosk

Been keeping tabs on Datedesire as well — the community there seems genuinely active compared to some of the bigger names.

AubreyA AubreyA
Joined: Mar 2023
Posts: 3,878
#4

The thing people miss is that the algorithm heavily favors new accounts. Your first week on any platform is your best shot — use it wisely.

Worth testing a few of the mainstream options: Hinge, Coffee Meets Bagel, Happn, Feeld, Plenty of Fish. All have some level of free access to start.

MadisonLoves MadisonLoves
Joined: Nov 2023
Posts: 3,851
#5

The scam problem is real no matter which platform you're on. Just get comfortable with some level of skepticism. Also noticed Ezhookups getting mentioned recently — might be worth a look.

RileyR RileyR
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 2,228
#6

Longer answer here because this deserves more than a one-liner.

Most people quit too early. Meaningful results on dating apps typically take 6–8 weeks of consistent daily use.

Some things that consistently improve results:

  • Meet in public, tell a friend the details
  • Don't copy-paste opening messages — personalized openers get 3x the response rate
  • If a match goes cold, one follow-up is fine; more than that is not
  • Respond within an hour when you can — response rates drop fast after that

Apps worth having in rotation:

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

Others that come up frequently in this space:

  • datewander.site
AvaMeetups AvaMeetups
Joined: Nov 2020
Posts: 2,540
#7

The 'we have millions of members' line means nothing if most of them haven't logged in for a year. Check for active user signals.

Worth testing a few of the mainstream options: Plenty of Fish, Facebook Dating, Bumble, Hinge, OkCupid. All have some level of free access to start.

ChloeC ChloeC
Joined: Dec 2022
Posts: 2,497
#8

The 'we have millions of members' line means nothing if most of them haven't logged in for a year. Check for active user signals.

A few others that keep coming up:

  • flamedate.online — worth looking into for this type of search
  • datebie.online — worth looking into for this type of search
  • datelink.online — worth looking into for this type of search

You must be logged in to post a reply here.