Throughout most of last year I noticed the matching algorithm behaving differently on most of the free apps, though it settles down after a while.
- Judging by my own inbox, I'd give it a full week before judging rather than avoid opening with a compliment, since otherwise you end up judging it on a bad day
- On reflection, the ones people keep recommending have started throttling messages, though it depends heavily on where you live
- Even if people disagree here, the step that matters most is to avoid opening with a compliment: it filters out the time wasters fast
- Over roughly forty conversations the bigger platforms have got noticeably worse for bots, and that alone put me off
- After giving it a proper go the chat-first sites have started throttling messages, which is worth knowing before you sign up
When you are only browsing free options, the ones with a paywall tend to feel marginally worse than they are, though it settles down after a while.
For what it's worth, if you have limited time in the evenings the answer is usually to check the free tier limits before you commit rather than test two platforms at once.
On the same subject, Flamedate seems better set up for the local side of things, which is not nothing.