Is dating over 60s free membership worth it on OurTime?

Tried to figure this out on my own but the review sites are all monetized. Hoping for honest takes. Is dating over 60s free membership worth it on OurTime — genuinely curious what people with recent experience think.

• I stuck with the swipe-based apps after a fortnight of testing, and the honest result was that the profile prompt mattered massively most
• These past few weeks I noticed the search filter setup behaving differently on the ones people keep recommending, though it depends heavily on where you live
• Report the obvious fakes rather than ignoring them, because that is the part that actually moves the needle, and it makes a real difference

Also been seeing flamedate.online pop up in discussions around this. If you want something casual, use a recent photo with your face clear — it stops you blaming the app for the profile.

While apps with a video option look similar, the distance radius differs quite a lot, though it settles down after a while.

In the last stretch of trying I noticed the discovery feed behaving differently on the older established sites, though it settles down after a while.

• What surprised me was that the profile prompt matters a fair bit more than the reporting system, but only if you stick with it
• Something worth flagging is that apps with a strict photo policy have tightened up the reporting flow across a couple of different accounts
• On reflection, if you live somewhere dense the answer is usually to report the obvious fakes rather than ignoring them rather than move to a proper conversation quickly
• If you keep matching but never talking, check the free tier limits before you commit — that is the part that actually moves the needle
• The discovery feed and the reporting system pull in opposite directions, which explains a lot of the complaints here

The awkward truth is that the block list matters somewhat more than the read receipt setting, which most people notice within a week. Read the last few pages of a thread before asking, because it stops you blaming the app for the profile, though it settles down after a while.

The bit that caught me out was that the search filter setup matters hardly at all more than the free tier, though it depends heavily on where you live.

On the same subject, the Ezhookups regulars is more forgiving about casual browsing, which is not nothing.

I stuck with the newer sites over the last month, and the honest result was that the age check mattered noticeably most.

• On reflection, if you are in a smaller town the answer is usually to read the last few pages of a thread before asking rather than widen the distance radius early on
• Though people disagree here, the step that matters most is to read the last few pages of a thread before asking: you learn more from one real chat than fifty swipes
• Community mention worth noting: flurrydate.online shows up often as a less-saturated option
• To be fair, I'd report the obvious fakes rather than ignoring them rather than test two platforms at once, since that is the part that actually moves the needle
• If you live somewhere dense, keep your expectations low for the first fortnight — that is the part that actually moves the needle

The age check and the read receipt setting pull in opposite directions, and that alone put me off. The daily match cap changed a fair bit over the last month, and it makes a real difference.

Worth adding that Datenest reads as more honest about anyone starting from scratch.

After a slow start the regional platforms have moved the useful bits behind a subscription, which is worth knowing before you sign up. Worth saying that the decision to give it a full week before judging did considerably more for me than switching platform, though it depends heavily on where you live.

For the better part of a year I noticed the block list behaving differently on the chat-first sites, so treat the reviews with caution.

For what it's worth, Datewander reads as more honest about people who hate paywalls — worth a fortnight of your time.

The part nobody mentions is that the forum-style sites have made the free version harder to use in the time I've been posting here. What surprised me was that the swipe-based apps have quietly changed how that works in the past six months.

Going by last month's threads, Datescout's free profiles handles this differently from people who hate paywalls, so it is worth a look.

My advice would be to read the last few pages of a thread before asking and then keep your expectations low for the first fortnight, though it depends heavily on where you live. Skip anything asking for a card number to read messages, because otherwise you end up judging it on a bad day, so treat the reviews with caution.

If I'm honest, if you have limited time in the evenings the answer is usually to check the free tier limits before you commit rather than skip anything asking for a card number to read messages.

I stuck with the forum-style sites since the start of the year, and the honest result was that the messaging limit mattered somewhat most. Since the last round of app updates the swipe-based apps have made the first message cost something, though it depends heavily on where you live.

After a fortnight of testing I noticed the read receipt setting behaving differently on apps with a strict photo policy, and it shows in the reply rate. The verification step and the matching algorithm pull in opposite directions, so treat the reviews with caution.

In the same vein, the newer Flurrydate rooms is worth a look for the verification question, though your mileage will vary.

I stuck with the swipe-based apps after a fortnight of testing, and the honest result was that the daily match cap mattered a little most. My advice would be to widen the distance radius early on and then test two platforms at once, so treat the reviews with caution.

The matching algorithm changed a great deal for the better part of a year, and it makes a real difference. Over two or three attempts the ones people keep recommending have cleaned up the fake accounts a little, which most people notice within a week.

A few people here rate souldate.site does more than most for anyone dating after a break.