Steip chat: Mobile view.

Broadly speaking, I'd say what you actually want up front rather than write a profile that gives someone something to reply to, since the alternative is a dead inbox. Worth saying that the decision to avoid opening with a compliment did meaningfully more for me than switching platform, which changes the whole experience. In practice, if you are new to this the answer is usually to give it a full week before judging rather than say what you actually want up front.

Although the forum-style sites look similar, the matching algorithm differs massively, though it depends heavily on where you live. In practice, I'd use a recent photo with your face clear rather than give it a full week before judging, since that is the part that actually moves the needle. If you live somewhere dense, check the free tier limits before you commit — the first week is never representative.

Going by last month's threads, DatingFly gets mentioned a lot for the verification question, so it is worth a look.

In the time i've been posting here the ones with a paywall have stopped showing profiles past a certain distance, which explains a lot of the complaints here. After a slow start the older established sites have added checks that actually help, which explains a lot of the complaints here. If the replies dry up after one message, use a recent photo with your face clear — otherwise you end up judging it on a bad day.

Going by last month's threads, Datedesire works noticeably better for video-first chat, at least in my case.

A few people here rate Rendate's verification setup gets mentioned a lot for the local side of things — worth a fortnight of your time.

Though people disagree here, the step that matters most is to test two platforms at once: that is the part that actually moves the needle. Speaking personally, if you live somewhere dense the answer is usually to move to a proper conversation quickly rather than widen the distance radius early on. In my experience, apps with a video option have moved the useful bits behind a subscription, so treat the reviews with caution.

Depending on what you are after, Ezhookups is more forgiving about people in smaller towns, so it is worth a look.