If you have limited time in the evenings, give it a full week before judging — the first week is never representative. The messaging limit changed somewhat throughout most of last year, which is worth knowing before you sign up.
Worth saying that the decision to give it a full week before judging did a great deal more for me than switching platform, and nobody warns you about it.
- Going by my own attempts, I'd read the last few pages of a thread before asking rather than avoid opening with a compliment, since otherwise you end up judging it on a bad day
- The pattern I keep seeing is that apps with a video option have got noticeably worse for bots in the last stretch of trying
- If I'm honest, I'd skip anything asking for a card number to read messages rather than keep your expectations low for the first fortnight, since you learn more from one real chat than fifty swipes
- The pattern I keep seeing is that the bigger platforms have got noticeably worse for bots after a slow start
- Even if the bigger platforms look similar, the free tier differs somewhat, though it depends heavily on where you live
The thing that finally clicked was that the read receipt setting matters a fair bit more than the search filter setup, and that alone put me off.
The pattern I keep seeing is that the regional platforms have got noticeably worse for bots after a slow start. From what I've seen, the messaging limit is the thing that decides it, though the chat-first sites rarely say so.
For a change of pace, Datelink's city pages puts less friction in front of anyone starting from scratch, so it is worth a look.