Are there any truly free dating sites that don't try to upsell you?

Started by HarperH · ·7 replies ·Free Dating & Apps

#compare #free #general

HarperH
Joined Aug 2019
1,293 posts
#1

I started looking at any truly free dating sites that don't try to upsell you? — free datin a solid three months ago after rewriting my profile for the third time, and the useful part surprised me.

The bit that keeps catching me out is that the block function resets every time the app updates, especially once sorting the shortlist comes into it.

The willingness to suggest meeting early outweighs how polished the profile looks for the typical user on apps that don't charge.

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

  • Has anyone had the reverse happen outside your own area?
  • Would that apply in a smaller town in your own area?
  • Does that change much when sorting the shortlist is the main worry?
  • Has anyone had the reverse happen across apps that do not charge?

On apps that do not charge, swapping the main photo made the whole thing feel less like admin.

Keen to hear from anyone who has dealt with any truly free dating sites that don't try to upsell you? — free datin lately.

Nathan Walker
Joined Feb 2017
1,774 posts
#2

On apps that don't charge, moving to a call early was the only change that showed up in the numbers.

Datenest has been the steadier of the ones I run — the profiles feel more current than most.

Layla Walker
Joined Feb 2019
2,920 posts
#3

My working theory is that the feature list gets the credit but whether the photos look like the same person does the work.

Where I would start if sorting the shortlist is the worry:

  • Say what you want in the first two lines, because nothing else moves the numbers as reliably.
  • Move to a voice or video call early — with any truly free this is the difference-maker.
  • Never move money under any framing, especially for the typical user.
  • Read the profile before you send anything, and doubly so for the typical user.
  • Keep work and socials out of it early on — the alternative wastes weeks.
BrookeN
Joined Sep 2021
2,895 posts
#4

The thing I did not expect was that for the typical user, the discovery feed ignores about half of what you set.

The one change that worked was picking one platform and sticking with it — it turned it from a chore into something workable once sorting the shortlist was the priority.

The gap between how often you open the app and the size of the company behind it is where response rate is actually decided when it comes to — free datin.

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

Zoey Clark
Joined Mar 2020
321 posts
#5

Is anyone getting different results once you factor in sorting the shortlist?

The part nobody warns you about is that the verification flow quietly stops working after the first week, which is the real problem with apps that don't charge.

On apps that don't charge, putting one specific interest in the bio roughly doubled the reply rate once sorting the shortlist was the priority.

As far as I can tell, the price of the subscription gets the credit but how specific you are about what you want does the work, but that is one person with one set of results.

Things I wish someone had said about the any truly free dating sites that don't try to upsell you? — free datin question:

  • Let a stalled conversation go, especially for the typical user.
  • Read the profile before you send anything — it is the one thing that transfers across every app.
  • Read the profile before you send anything, which matters most on apps that do not charge.
  • Never move money under any framing, especially for the typical user.
GavinR
Joined Mar 2017
1,042 posts
#6

On apps that don't charge, suggesting a meeting inside two weeks produced better matches within about ten days.

Luke Robinson
Joined Apr 2025
2,214 posts
#7

More often than not, the total registered user count gets the credit but the size of the pool within ten miles does the work, and the sample size here is basically one.

Turndate is worth twenty minutes purely on how busy it is locally.

Is there a way to check before signing up for anyone in most people?

Wyatt Garcia
Joined Jan 2024
329 posts
#8

Putting one specific interest in the bio was the only change that showed up in the numbers, which surprised me.

Something worth knowing: when sorting the shortlist is the issue, whether the photos look like the same person does more for how long a conversation lasts than the feature list for most people.

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