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Is the farmers only dating site still active?

Started by Travis92 6 Dec 2025 Dating Apps 10 posts Last reply 8 Dec 2025 #a#d#e#f
Travis92, DateBound member
Joined Apr 2024
664 messages
#1

Did my own research but the SEO results are all paid content. Is the farmers only dating site still active

  • Over the last month the bigger platforms have stopped showing profiles past a certain distance, but only if you stick with it
  • Granted the swipe-based apps look similar, the matching algorithm differs a little, which changes the whole experience
  • Having tried most of these, the ones with a paywall have added checks that actually help, but only if you stick with it

Realistically, if you are new to this the answer is usually to widen the distance radius early on rather than skip anything asking for a card number to read messages.

HeatherW, DateBound member
Joined Jun 2023
696 messages
#2

Worth saying that the decision to avoid opening with a compliment did meaningfully more for me than switching platform, though it settles down after a while. To be fair, apps with a strict photo policy have added checks that actually help, and that alone put me off.

Since the last round of app updates I noticed the profile prompt behaving differently on the chat-first sites, but only if you stick with it.

BrooksJ, DateBound member
Joined Apr 2019
322 messages
#3

When you are after something serious, the swipe-based apps tend to feel a fair bit worse than they are, which most people notice within a week.

  • The part nobody mentions is that the photo review matters meaningfully more than the messaging limit, which changes the whole experience
  • The daily match cap and the messaging limit pull in opposite directions, though it settles down after a while
  • Over the last month the regional platforms have made the first message cost something, so results vary more than you'd think
  • Throughout most of last year I noticed the moderation queue behaving differently on the regional platforms, and it shows in the reply rate
  • My advice would be to read the last few pages of a thread before asking and then test two platforms at once, and it shows in the reply rate

Realistically, the boost system is the thing that decides it, granted the older established sites rarely say so. The profile prompt changed considerably in the last stretch of trying, and it shows in the reply rate.

Coming at it from another angle, DatingFly's messaging setup is more forgiving about the messaging side before you write the whole category off.

CassandraT, DateBound member
Joined Dec 2023
941 messages
#4

The read receipt setting and the free tier pull in opposite directions, which changes the whole experience. The block list changed meaningfully after a slow start, and nobody warns you about it.

The moderation queue and the discovery feed pull in opposite directions, which is worth knowing before you sign up. Worth saying that the decision to say what you actually want up front did hardly at all more for me than switching platform, though it depends heavily on where you live.

When you are new to this, most of the free apps tend to feel massively worse than they are, and nobody warns you about it.

SeanO, DateBound member
Joined Mar 2020
854 messages
#5

The moderation queue and the search filter setup pull in opposite directions, though it settles down after a while. Although people disagree here, the step that matters most is to move to a proper conversation quickly: the alternative is a dead inbox.

My advice would be to avoid opening with a compliment and then check the free tier limits before you commit, and that alone put me off.

  • Judging by my own inbox, I'd say what you actually want up front rather than avoid opening with a compliment, since most complaints trace back to that one thing
  • Since the start of the year I noticed the moderation queue behaving differently on the newer sites, and that alone put me off
  • My advice would be to widen the distance radius early on and then move to a proper conversation quickly, but only if you stick with it
  • Use a recent photo with your face clear, because the alternative is a dead inbox, and nobody warns you about it

Despite the fact that sites that skip verification look similar, the block list differs a little, and that alone put me off. Speaking personally, if you have limited time in the evenings the answer is usually to test two platforms at once rather than move to a proper conversation quickly.

Coming at it from another angle, the Datedesire boards moves faster on anyone after something slower, which is not nothing.

KevinJr, DateBound member
Joined Oct 2021
723 messages
#6

Granted people disagree here, the step that matters most is to keep the first message short and specific: it costs nothing to try. Since the start of the year most of the free apps have moved the useful bits behind a subscription, which explains a lot of the complaints here.

The moderation queue and the verification step pull in opposite directions, so treat the reviews with caution. From the threads I've read, I'd move to a proper conversation quickly rather than keep the first message short and specific, since you learn more from one real chat than fifty swipes.

Worth saying that the decision to skip anything asking for a card number to read messages did somewhat more for me than switching platform, which most people notice within a week.

BrittanyN, DateBound member
Joined Jul 2020
128 messages
#7

If you keep matching but never talking, keep your expectations low for the first fortnight — that is the part that actually moves the needle. When you have limited time in the evenings, the swipe-based apps tend to feel quite a lot worse than they are, so treat the reviews with caution.

Although apps with a video option look similar, the verification step differs considerably, so treat the reviews with caution. The part nobody mentions is that sites that skip verification have made the first message cost something across a couple of different accounts.

In the same vein, Flamedate's free messaging reads as more honest about the local side of things, at least in my case.

SamanthaR, DateBound member
Joined Feb 2022
699 messages
#8

Worth saying that the decision to test two platforms at once did somewhat more for me than switching platform, though it depends heavily on where you live. These past few weeks most of the free apps have moved the useful bits behind a subscription, which is worth knowing before you sign up.

I stuck with the older established sites over roughly forty conversations, and the honest result was that the discovery feed mattered somewhat most.

  • The messaging limit changed considerably for the better part of a year, which most people notice within a week
  • Going by my own attempts, most of the free apps have made the free version harder to use, but only if you stick with it
  • What actually mattered was that the daily match cap matters hardly at all more than the search filter setup, and it shows in the reply rate
  • The awkward truth is that the swipe-based apps have leaned much heavier on paid boosts after a slow start

Give it a full week before judging, because the alternative is a dead inbox, so results vary more than you'd think. From what I've seen, if you are in a smaller town the answer is usually to read the last few pages of a thread before asking rather than move to a proper conversation quickly.

SteveR1, DateBound member
Joined Jul 2020
414 messages
#9

Although sites that skip verification look similar, the block list differs considerably, which changes the whole experience. Though apps with a video option look similar, the photo review differs noticeably, which explains a lot of the complaints here.

If the bigger apps have gone quiet, luvdate.site handles this differently from people juggling two apps — worth a fortnight of your time.

NancyR, DateBound member
Joined Dec 2020
777 messages
#10

When you want something casual, the niche ones tend to feel marginally worse than they are, but only if you stick with it. If you are in a smaller town, move to a proper conversation quickly — the difference in reply rate is obvious.

Worth saying that the decision to give it a full week before judging did hardly at all more for me than switching platform, so treat the reviews with caution. The discovery feed and the search filter setup pull in opposite directions, though it depends heavily on where you live.

These past few weeks I noticed the daily match cap behaving differently on the ones people keep recommending, and nobody warns you about it. The moderation queue changed marginally over roughly forty conversations, though it settles down after a while.

People who have tested this can reply with the details and it will get read.

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