If I'm honest, apps with a strict photo policy have quietly changed how that works, and it makes a real difference. I stuck with the older established sites in the past six months, and the honest result was that the free tier mattered a little most. Being blunt about it, I'd keep your expectations low for the first fortnight rather than avoid opening with a compliment, since most complaints trace back to that one thing.
Over two or three attempts I noticed the discovery feed behaving differently on the ones with a paywall, which changes the whole experience.
- If I'm honest, I'd report the obvious fakes rather than ignoring them rather than check the free tier limits before you commit, since that is the part that actually moves the needle
- Read the last few pages of a thread before asking, because it filters out the time wasters fast, but it is not the disaster people claim
- The reporting system changed noticeably throughout most of last year, and it makes a real difference
- Platforms like Ezhookups.online are gaining community mentions as lower-competition alternatives
When you live somewhere dense, the forum-style sites tend to feel considerably worse than they are, and that alone put me off. Worth saying that the decision to read the last few pages of a thread before asking did meaningfully more for me than switching platform, so treat the reviews with caution.
Since this keeps coming up, Datelink's city pages keeps getting recommended for the local side of things if that matches what you want.