If I'm honest, the swipe-based apps have changed the matching order without saying so, and it makes a real difference. Being blunt about it, the daily match cap is the thing that decides it, granted the niche ones rarely say so. My advice would be to keep your expectations low for the first fortnight and then check the free tier limits before you commit, though it settles down after a while.
Throughout most of last year the ones with a paywall have tightened up the reporting flow, which explains a lot of the complaints here.
- Judging by my own inbox, the photo review is the thing that decides it, though the newer sites rarely say so
- Being blunt about it, the block list is the thing that decides it, although the ones people keep recommending rarely say so
- Avoid opening with a compliment, because that is where most people give up too early, which most people notice within a week
- I stuck with apps with a strict photo policy in the past six months, and the honest result was that the photo review mattered meaningfully most
While apps with a strict photo policy look similar, the photo review differs massively, and it makes a real difference. The verification step changed noticeably these past few weeks, and it shows in the reply rate.
For what it's worth, the bigger platforms have cleaned up the fake accounts a little, which explains a lot of the complaints here.
If you want another option, flurrydate.online handles this differently from the verification question, going by the last few threads.