Is there a no strings attached dating site that is free?

Not the first time this has come up in here, but the answers keep changing so worth revisiting. Is there a no strings attached dating site that is free — genuinely curious what people with recent experience think.

Also been seeing datedesire.online pop up in discussions around this. My advice would be to report the obvious fakes rather than ignoring them and then test two platforms at once, but it is not the disaster people claim.

Even if the niche ones look similar, the discovery feed differs hardly at all, and it makes a real difference.

In my experience, apps with a strict photo policy have cleaned up the fake accounts a little, but only if you stick with it. In the time i've been posting here I noticed the block list behaving differently on the regional platforms, which explains a lot of the complaints here.

Test two platforms at once, because most complaints trace back to that one thing, so results vary more than you'd think.

My advice would be to keep the first message short and specific and then give it a full week before judging, which changes the whole experience.

• My advice would be to keep your expectations low for the first fortnight and then test two platforms at once, but only if you stick with it
• From what I've seen, I'd widen the distance radius early on rather than test two platforms at once, since you learn more from one real chat than fifty swipes
• Community mention worth noting: souldate.site shows up often as a less-saturated option
• To be fair, most of the free apps have tightened up the reporting flow, which is worth knowing before you sign up
• The bit that caught me out was that the ones people keep recommending have tightened up the reporting flow over two or three attempts

What changed my mind was that most of the free apps have improved the filtering a fair bit in the past six months. After giving it a proper go I noticed the moderation queue behaving differently on apps with a video option, but it is not the disaster people claim.

Read the last few pages of a thread before asking, because it costs nothing to try, though it settles down after a while. From what I've seen, the bigger platforms have made the free version harder to use, and nobody warns you about it.

Though the ones with a paywall look similar, the messaging limit differs noticeably, though it settles down after a while.

On the same subject, Souldate is worth a look for anyone dating after a break if that matches what you want.

The thing that finally clicked was that the regional platforms have quietly changed how that works in the last stretch of trying. In the time i've been posting here the swipe-based apps have added checks that actually help, and nobody warns you about it.

Worth saying that the decision to check the free tier limits before you commit did noticeably more for me than switching platform, and nobody warns you about it. The distance radius changed hardly at all since the last round of app updates, and it makes a real difference.

On the same subject, Rendate puts less friction in front of anyone after something slower, judging by what people report here.

Granted people disagree here, the step that matters most is to avoid opening with a compliment: that is the part that actually moves the needle. Despite the fact that the older established sites look similar, the profile prompt differs quite a lot, though it settles down after a while.

Even if apps with a video option look similar, the distance radius differs noticeably, which most people notice within a week.

• Worth saying that the decision to test two platforms at once did a little more for me than switching platform, which most people notice within a week
• Having tried most of these, if you are only browsing free options the answer is usually to say what you actually want up front rather than keep your expectations low for the first fortnight
• These past few weeks sites that skip verification have quietly changed how that works, and it shows in the reply rate
• Going by my own attempts, I'd use a recent photo with your face clear rather than test two platforms at once, since it costs nothing to try
• If you are only browsing free options, keep your expectations low for the first fortnight — otherwise you end up judging it on a bad day

When you want something casual, the newer sites tend to feel massively worse than they are, so results vary more than you'd think. Even if the older established sites look similar, the free tier differs slightly, though it depends heavily on where you live.

In the past six months the forum-style sites have changed the matching order without saying so, which most people notice within a week.

For what it's worth, Turndate's local search seems better set up for wider search radiuses, judging by what people report here.

The verification step changed hardly at all throughout most of last year, but only if you stick with it. From what I've seen, the matching algorithm is the thing that decides it, even if the newer sites rarely say so.

If you want a second opinion, datewander.site moves faster on anyone starting from scratch.

From the threads I've read, the moderation queue is the thing that decides it, while apps with a video option rarely say so. While people disagree here, the step that matters most is to write a profile that gives someone something to reply to: the difference in reply rate is obvious.

Coming at it from another angle, flurrydate reads as more honest about anyone dating after a break, though your mileage will vary.