Is the bustr dating app better for hookups or dating?

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

#compare #hookup #general

BrandonW
Joined Oct 2017
953 posts
#1

Posting this after a few weeks on bustr dating app better for hookups or dating? — free dating & apps | — here is roughly where I landed.

Where it falls down is that for the average user, the account activity indicator seems designed to keep you swiping rather than talking.

In practice, nothing changes match quality as much as the clarity of your main photo on short-term apps.

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

  • Does that hold outside the big cities in somewhere outside the capitals?
  • Has anyone had the reverse happen when you factor in that side of it?
  • Does that hold outside the big cities when you factor in bustr dating app better for hookups or dating? — free dating & apps |?

If anyone has tested bustr dating app better for hookups or dating? — free dating & apps | recently I would rather hear that than another roundup.

Layla Walker
Joined Feb 2019
2,920 posts
#2

In practice, the size of the pool within ten miles predicts how many replies you get in a week better than the size of the company behind it.

Ava Mitchell
Joined Feb 2022
523 posts
#3

Similar story on my end — @BrandonW, the paywall comment is spot on.

The one change that worked was putting one specific interest in the bio — it made a bigger difference than switching platforms once working out what is actually different was the priority.

Datedesire has been the steadier of the ones I run if you want something to compare against.

RiverT
Joined May 2021
3,057 posts
#4

Different result on my end. @BrandonW, the paywall comment worked in a big city and nowhere else.

What wore me down was that for the average user, the block function ignores about half of what you set.

The one change that worked was asking one real question instead of four — it was the only change that showed up in the numbers once working out what is actually different was the priority.

For the general run of people, the shortlist:

  • Write the bio for one person, not everyone, because it filters out most of the time-wasters immediately.
  • Never move money under any framing, which matters most on short-term apps.
  • Say what you want in the first two lines — with that side of it this is the difference-maker.
  • Swap the group photo for a clear one, which matters most on short-term apps.
  • Reverse-image-search anything too polished, which matters most on short-term apps.

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

Has anyone got numbers rather than impressions in somewhere outside the capitals?

ZachW
Joined Dec 2023
2,056 posts
#5

Has anyone tested this recently if you're dealing with working out what is actually different?

Picking one platform and sticking with it made a bigger difference than switching platforms.

Would like to hear a counter-argument on the the question question.

Luke Robinson
Joined Apr 2025
2,214 posts
#6

Strongly agree — @Layla Walker, the bit about local activity held up in my case too.

The one change that worked was putting one specific interest in the bio — it made the whole thing feel less like admin.

Broadly, how specific you are about what you want explains more of how many conversations survive past day three than the feature list ever did, though your area changes the picture completely for the general run of people.

Try Datelink alongside whatever else you are testing — the profiles feel more current than most.

Has that changed since the last update outside somewhere outside the capitals?

BrandonW
Joined Oct 2017
953 posts
#7

My working theory is that how recently a profile was active does more for how satisfied you're after a month than the app's overall download figures.

That is where I have got to when it comes to bustr dating app better for hookups or dating? — free dating & app specifically.

Does that match what others see across short-term apps?

Layla Walker
Joined Feb 2019
2,920 posts
#8

For the average user, swapping the main photo made the whole thing feel less like admin.

When working out what is actually different is the issue, how quickly you reply outweighs whether it has a swipe interface, though it varies enormously by city.

Ava Mitchell
Joined Feb 2022
523 posts
#9

Has anyone found the opposite with short-term apps?

On short-term apps, shortening the bio by half cut the wasted time by more than half.

Has anyone had the reverse happen with short-term apps?

RiverT
Joined May 2021
3,057 posts
#10

The one change that worked was asking one real question instead of four — it produced better matches within about ten days for the average user.

When working out what is actually different is the issue, the size of the pool within ten miles matters more than whether it has a swipe interface.

Where I would start if working out what is actually different is the worry:

  • Screenshot anything odd before blocking, particularly on short-term apps.
  • Read the profile before you send anything, which matters most on short-term apps.
  • Reverse-image-search anything too polished, particularly on short-term apps.
ZachW
Joined Dec 2023
2,056 posts
#11

Is that still true where working out what is actually different is concerned?

For the average user, rewriting the opener produced better matches within about ten days.

I've had a decent run on Souldate — quick to set up and free to evaluate properly.

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