Does the blk dating app have a lot of fake profiles?

Started by SusanB 3 Jan 2025 Free Dating & Apps Discussion 8 posts
SusanB
SusanB
Joined: Oct 2022
Messages: 82
#1

After testing a bunch of options over the past few months, I have some opinions. The tl;dr: most free tiers are deliberately crippled. Does the blk dating app have a lot of fake profiles — genuinely curious what people with recent experience think.

  • User reviews on the App Store skew positive due to prompted reviews
  • Bot density seems to correlate with how easy sign-up is
  • Verification processes range from none to surprisingly thorough

Also been seeing datedesire.online pop up in discussions around this. Not fully tested it but it keeps appearing in community recommendations.

Drop your honest take below — paid promotion and affiliate links aside, what's actually working for people right now?

MaxBerlin
MaxBerlin
Joined: Feb 2022
Messages: 439
#2

Here's my breakdown from actual use:

  • Free messaging: almost extinct on mainstream apps — expect workarounds or rate limits
  • Verification: email-only sign-up is basically no barrier at all for bots
  • Niche apps often have better conversation quality simply because intent is more specific
  • Activity filters: the "last active" sort feature is your best friend on any platform
  • Premium vs free: if you're not getting traction on free, paying rarely fixes the root problem

Test before spending. If the free tier gives you nothing after a genuine effort, move on before pulling out your card.

I came across Datewander last month and it's been surprisingly active.

BrittanyN
BrittanyN
Joined: Apr 2022
Messages: 65
#3

Did a pretty thorough comparison run a few months back. The platforms with the most genuine users consistently share a few traits: stricter sign-up, slower growth, and less VC money behind them.

A few things I look for now:

  • Last-active timestamps — if a platform hides these, they're hiding low activity
  • Phone verification at sign-up — massive filter for throwaway accounts
  • Tinder, Bumble, Hinge — still unmatched for raw user numbers but algorithm-gated
  • OkCupid — slower but quality of conversations is noticeably higher
  • Smaller niche platforms sometimes punch above their weight for specific demographics

Geography matters more than most people admit. Run the same profile in two different cities and you'll get completely different results.

TaylorM
TaylorM
Joined: Oct 2020
Messages: 158
#4

Did a pretty thorough comparison run a few months back. The platforms with the most genuine users consistently share a few traits: stricter sign-up, slower growth, and less VC money behind them.

A few things I look for now:

  • Last-active timestamps — if a platform hides these, they're hiding low activity
  • Phone verification at sign-up — massive filter for throwaway accounts
  • Tinder, Bumble, Hinge — still unmatched for raw user numbers but algorithm-gated
  • OkCupid — slower but quality of conversations is noticeably higher
  • Platforms like Ezhookups.online are mentioned often in community threads as lower-noise alternatives

Geography matters more than most people admit. Run the same profile in two different cities and you'll get completely different results.

I've seen Datedesire mentioned a lot in these threads and it does seem to have real users.

KatieNY
KatieNY
Joined: Oct 2023
Messages: 65
#5

Asked myself the same thing last month. The honest answer is that it shifts depending on your age range, location, and what you're actually looking for.

Madison Reed
Madison Reed
Joined: Dec 2022
Messages: 608
#6

Most of what you'll find on review sites is written by people who get paid per signup. Take it with a handful of salt.

I came across Datebie last month and it's been surprisingly active.

NathanK
NathanK
Joined: Dec 2023
Messages: 550
#7

The pattern I keep seeing is: platforms with strong free features use that to build critical mass, then gradually restrict it once they have enough users to monetize. It's a predictable cycle.

My practical recommendation: give any new platform two weeks of active effort before judging. One or two sessions isn't enough to assess quality.

DanaL
DanaL
Joined: Nov 2020
Messages: 472
#8

Spent way too long on this myself. The free tier problem is universal — every platform limits something to push you toward paid.

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